DFS Alerts
Jeff Teague (illness) out Friday
Head coach Ryan Saunders confirmed with reporters at Timberwolves shootaround that Teague won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to an illness that’s now forced him to miss two games. Shabazz Napier was classified as a game-time decision by Saunders, but he still remains listed as doubtful on the injury report as of the latest update. Assuming Napier is held out once again, Jarrett Culver should draw another start as the de facto point guard, and he was fantastic in his 30 minutes of action in Wednesday’s loss, as he recorded a 21.1% usage rate and a 30.4% assist rate to along with 1.05 FanDuel and 1.09 DraftKings per minute in that contest.
As reported by: Dane Moore via Twitter
Terrence Ross (knee) officially out Friday
As expected, Ross has been ruled out of Friday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a sore right knee that has now forced him to miss two straight games. In his absence, head coach Steve Clifford opted to utilize a 10-man rotation, which enabled both Michael Carter-Williams and Wes Iwundu to see time on the floor, but Carter-Williams was the only one that logged meaningful minutes, totaling 21 minutes off the bench in Wednesday’s loss. Iwundu was limited to just seven minutes, mostly because Jonathan Isaac was having a monster game, as he recorded 1.84 FanDuel and 1.67 DraftKings points per minute in 32 minutes of action.
As reported by: Josh Robbins via Twitter Underpriced for Expanded Role
Raul Neto is a candidate to start for the 76ers as Ben Simmons is likely to miss the next three games with a shoulder injury. The Brazilian filled in admirably when Simmons left Wednesday’s game early as he logged 30 minutes of court time and was able to tally 25.6 FD points and 25.25 DK points. Neto is far from a high usage player but does profile as a solid distributor who should be able to rack up enough assists to give him a semblance of a floor. Simply put, Neto is unlikely to put up a monster fantasy performance but is underpriced for his expected role increase.
Underappreciated Options
There are going to be points, rebounds, and assists to go around in Philly tonight with Ben Simmons on the shelf. Neto is the obvious value play, but don’t forget about some of the team’s other options like Tobias Harris and Al Horford. They aren’t sexy plays, but they are priced in a nice mid-range niche that gives them access to solid point per dollar potential. Even at modest usage rates, a projected bump in assists and rebounds gives them a healthy ceiling on this slate. I like Harris as a nice mid-range option here.
Flying Under The Radar?
If this game was being played a week ago, the whole world would be on D’Angelo Russell here. With Stephen Curry out, Russell should flirt with a 30-35% usage rate on occasion, and he is going to post some monster fantasy lines. The fact that he has not played in a week is a mild concern, but I’m willing to roll the dice on some GPP lineups if we get clarity that he does not have a minutes restriction. This is a decent matchup against a Wolves team that could be without its starting point guard, and Russell will have all the opportunity to fill up the stat sheet. Shhhhhh….
Chalky Value
This slate is somewhat starved for value, especially for an 11 game night. Therefore, expect Neto to be the place that most players flock to for salary relief. What could go wrong? Neto has flopped in this spot before, but the circumstances are better now that he is on the Sixers. We don’t have a massive sample size, but he did play 30 minutes in the last game after Simmons got hurt. With Simmons out again tonight, Neto should push for 32-34 minutes of court time. He logged an 11/3/4 line and added three steals in the last game, and Neto is basically minimum salary on every site. His usage topped 20% in that game, and this is a spot where I will just eat the chalk. I will diversify my GPP lineups at other spots.
An Interesting GPP Swerve
The masses are obviously going to be on Karl-Anthony Towns again tonight given his ridiculous start to the season. Towns also feels just a little too cheap on pretty much every site. That makes me at least somewhat interested in a GPP pivot to Drummond. Let me be clear: I am not telling you to fade Towns. However, Drummond is one of the few centers that has access to the same upside that Towns has, as Drummond puts up 20/20 lines with ease on some nights. He also gets a matchup against an Indiana frontcourt that has been ravaged by injury in the early going, and Drummond has been one of the most consistent fantasy studs so far in 2019-2020. Keep him on your radar this evening, especially in tournaments.
Justise Winslow (headache) out Thursday; Derrick Jones Jr. (groin) available
Winslow has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns due to a headache, while Jones Jr. and Chris Silva will be available to play, as expected. Winslow returned from a two-game injury hiatus in Tuesday’s loss and was brutal for fantasy purposes, as he greatly underperformed his salary-based expectations in 30 minutes of action, so his absence will open up a plethora of playing time on the wing for the likes of Jones, Tyler Herro, and Duncan Robinson this evening. Nunn leads the Heat with a 28.8% usage rate with Winslow off the court this season, so he’ll be an intriguing midrange value option on tonight’s four-game slate.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Other tagged players: Derrick Jones Jr., Chris Silva, Dion Waiters Derrick White (glute) available to play Thursday
White will be available to play in Thursday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, despite dealing with a right glute contusion. White has typically been able to see between 24-26 minutes off the bench on a nightly basis with Dejounte Murray on a minute restriction to begin the year, so if he’s limited in any way, it could send a trickle-down effect through the Spurs rotation. If Popovich decides to condense his rotation in this scenario and not distribute minutes to DeMarre Carroll or even Lonnie Walker IV, then players like Bryn Forbes, Patty Mills, and Marco Belinelli could be in line for more playing time this evening.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter Jaylen Brown (knee) will play Thursday; Enes Kanter (knee) remains out
As expected, Brown will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets after missing two games due to an illness, while Enes Kanter remains sidelined with a left knee contusion. The continues absence of Kanter will enable Daniel Theis and Robert Williams to absorb a large majority of the available minutes at center, and Theis managed to log 30 minutes as a starter in Tuesday’s win, marking his highest minute total of the season. Theis remains fairly priced, especially on FanDuel, and he’s been largely productive with his increased opportunity, as he is averaging 0.96 FanDuel and 0.90 DraftKings points per minute thus far on the year.
As reported by: the Boston Celtics via Twitter Other tagged players: Enes Freedom Strong Revenge Narrative for Two Guards Traded For Each Other This Offseason
Kemba Walker returns to Charlotte for the first time as a Celtic tonight for a nationally televised game, and he’ll be squaring off against Terry Rozier, the former Celtic who is now his replacement for the Hornets. Walker leads the Celtics with 26 ppg, while Rozier is the Hornets second-leading scorer (behind Devonte’ Graham) at 16.9 ppg. The revenge narrative is strong with both players in this game – and while Walker may be a bit overpriced on DraftKings in particular, either of these point guards has the ability to put up points in a hurry, making them ideally suited for GPPs.
Other tagged players: Terry Rozier
Justise Winslow (headache) questionable Thursday; Derrick Jones Jr. (groin) probable
Winslow popped up on the Heat’s injury report and is now questionable for Thursday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns due to a headache, while Jones Jr. has been upgraded to probable as he continues to battle a strained left groin. Winslow returned from a two-game injury hiatus in Tuesday’s loss and was brutal for fantasy purposes, as he greatly underperformed his salary-based expectations in 30 minutes of action. With Winslow and Jimmy Butler both already missing multiple games this season, there is a minuscule sample size with the duo on the court together, but in that time Winslow’s numbers are dreadful, as he owns a 14.5% usage rate and is averaging 0.49 FanDuel and 0.48 Draftkings points per minute.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Other tagged players: Derrick Jones Jr. Shabazz Napier (hamstring) out Wednesday
After going through pregame warmups, Napier has been officially been ruled out of Wednesday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a strained right hamstring. With Jeff Teague also unavailable, the Timberwolves will have to fill the available point guard minutes with a committee, as G-Leaguers Jordan McLaughlin and Jaylen Nowell are the only natural point guards left on the Minnesota active roster. Jarrett Culver has logged at least 24 minutes in each of the previous two games and will start as the de facto point guard in the first unit, making him an intriguing option for daily fantasy formats on tonight’s nine-game slate.
As reported by: Dane Moore via Twitter Maxi Kleber (knee) will play Wednesday
Kleber has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, according to head coach Rick Carlisle, despite dealing with a right knee contusion. There’s yet to be any inclination of a potential minute restriction for Kleber, so he’ll presumably assume his typical sixth man role off the bench for Dallas, and he’s still managed to eclipse the 30-minute mark in three of his five games even without starting for a majority of the young season.
As reported by: Michael Mulford via Twitter Shabazz Napier (hamstring) questionable Wednesday; Jeff Teague (illness) ruled out
Despite being listed as doubtful on the Timberwolves’ injury report, Napier will go through pregame warmups before a decision is made on his status for Wednesday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a strained right hamstring. With Teague officially unavailable, the Timberwolves would have to fill the available point guard minutes with a committee if Napier is unable to suit up, as G-Leaguers Jordan McLaughlin and Jaylen Nowell are the only natural point guards left on the Minnesota active roster. Jarrett Culver has logged at least 24 minutes in each of the previous two games, and as a leading candidate to move into the starting, he becomes an intriguing option for daily fantasy formats on tonight’s nine-game slate.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Jeff Teague