DFS Alerts
Michael Carter-Williams (hip) listed doubtful Saturday
Carter-Williams has been listed as doubtful on the latest version of the Magic’s injury report for Saturday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to a left hip contusion. Prior to his injury, Carter-Williams had been seeing between 13-17 minutes in each of his first three games of the season, so there will definitely continue to be a noteworthy amount of playing time available in the second unit if head coach Steve Clifford doesn’t allocate those minutes to Wes Iwundu once again, who logged 13 minutes in Friday’s loss. If Clifford opts to just condense his rotation to nine players, then look for Terrence Ross and Markelle Fultz to be the beneficiaries of additional playing time.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report
Pat Connaughton (shoulder) listed probable Saturday
Connaughton has been listed as probable on the most recent version of the Bucks’ injury report for Saturday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to a strained right shoulder he sustained during Friday’s win. Even after exiting the game late in the first quarter, Connaughton was still able to return and managed to log 16 minutes of action with Kyle Korver resting on the front end of a back-to-back set. The combination of Connaughton’s injury and Korver’s unavailability allowed Donte DiVincenzo to see his first real minutes of the season, and he was fantastic from a fantasy perspective in 17 minutes, but he’ll head back to the bench and is highly likely to accrue his fourth DNP-CD in six games.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Derrick Rose (hamstring) and Tim Frazier (shoulder) listed questionable Saturday
Both Rose and Frazier have popped up on the latest version of the Pistons’ injury report and are questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, while Reggie Jackson will miss a fifth straight contest due to lower back tightness. Frazier has been filling in as the Pistons starting point guard with Jackson sidelined and has essentially played 21-22 minutes in each of his spot starts, but he’s been easily outplayed by Rose, who has absorbed a majority of the available point guard playing time, capping out at roughly 27 minutes over this stretch. If both are unable to suit up, Bruce Brown and Langston Galloway would more than likely assume the ball-handling responsibilities, though neither can be categorized as a natural point guard.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Tim Frazier Will Barton (toe) downgraded to doubtful Saturday
Head coach Mike Malone disclosed to reporters at Nuggets shootaround that Barton is currently in a walking boot and is doubtful for Saturday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to left toe inflammation. In his absence, Torrey Craig received the starting nod alongside Gary Harris on the wing and was, as usual, brutal from a fantasy perspective in 20 minutes of action. This did allow Michael Porter Jr. to make his regular-season NBA debut, and he was great in his 21 minutes, but most of his fantasy production came in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s blowout loss, so he’d be difficult to trust on a seven-game main slate barring some drastic change in Malone’s plans for the rotation.
As reported by: Nick Kosmider via Twitter Injury-Related Value
For now, I am going to assume that Draymond Green is out for this game. That should open the door for college star Eric Paschall to start, and we have seen him impress in spurts in the early going. I think he will thrive against a young Charlotte team with his energy, and he will likely start for Green. Of course, this analysis changes if Green happens to suit up. Keep an eye on it. Nobody else is a safe value here, but guys like the aforementioned Damion Lee, Alec Burks, and Jordan Poole are going to get minutes. Don’t be surprised if one of these guys ends up on GPP winning rosters tonight.
Monster Usage Awaits
It is very possible that the only player from LAST SEASON that will be active tonight is Damion Lee. The team lost Stephen Curry earlier this week, and Draymond Green got injured on Saturday in addition to already being banged up. The Warriors are going to need players to step up, and they are likely going to get blown out a lot. The good news is that this is a home game against a similarly poor team in the Hornets, so this contest should be competitive. That brings us to D’Angelo Russell. Who else on this roster is going to create offense? Russell chucked up 24 shots in 33 minutes on Friday night, posting a 30/3/8 line with a 39% usage rate. The sites have priced him up, but I still think there’s value here in a plus matchup. He is going to be a threat for 50+ fantasy points on a nightly basis and will be a priority play for me.
The Star of the Show
I think Drummond is the first player that you absolutely need to prioritize in your lineups tonight, even though there might end up being value at the center spot. The only site where that is a major issue is FanDuel with the lack of positional flexibility, and you can get value at power forward over there. That clears the way for us to spend on Drummond on every site, and his production so far in 2019 has been amazing. He has posted 20 point, 20 rebound games in three of Detroit’s first six contests. A matchup awaits tonight against Brooklyn, and no team has been more generous to opposing centers over the last year plus. The good times should continue in a favorable matchup.
Anthony Davis (shoulder) will start Friday
As expected, Davis has been upgraded from probable and will start in Friday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks despite dealing with a sore right shoulder. Even after briefly exiting Tuesday’s win, Davis is coming off his best fantasy performance of the season in just over 30 minutes of action. He also unsurprisingly leads the Lakers with a 34.5% usage rate while averaging 1.73 FanDuel and 1.71 DraftKings points per minute, making him an elite tournament target on tonight’s eight-game slate after carrying an injury designation throughout most of the day.
As reported by: Mike Peasley via Twitter Harry Giles III (knee) remains out Friday
The continued absence of Giles means that the minutes void left behind by Marvin Bagley will need to be filled by the other big men on the Kings active roster, and in the three semi-competitive games since Bagley was sidelined, Nemanja Bjelicia has 29.3 minutes as the starting power forward, while Richaun Holmes has begun to distance himself from Dewayne Dedmon in the center rotation, logging a minimum of 30 minutes in each of the last two contests. The other main beneficiary thus far has been De’Aaron Fox, as he owns a 28.1% usage rate and is averaging 1.06 FanDuel and 1.14 DraftKings points per minute with Bagley off the court this season.
As reported by: Jason Jones via Twitter Markieff Morris (ankle) will start Friday
Morris has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Friday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls despite dealing with a sprained right ankle. There’s been no indication from the team or head coach Dwane Casey that Morris would be subject to a minute restriction, so he’ll presumably be a full-go in tonight’s contest. Morris has typically been seeing minutes in the 25-27 range through the Pistons’ first four games, but if he is limited in any way, Christian Wood would be the beneficiary of additional playing time off the bench, but he remains difficult to trust from a minute floor perspective with Morris in the fold of the frontcourt rotation.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Jaylen Brown (illness) and Robert Williams (hip) officially out Friday
As expected, Brown and Williams won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the New York Knicks due to their respective ailments. This means that Marcus Smart should draw a second straight start at shooting guard, and he was effective from a fantasy standpoint in a whopping 39 minutes of action last time out. The Celtics were in full comeback mode to begin the second half of Wednesday’s win, so head coach Brad Stevens ended up extending his starters more than he probably usually would, which is why several players recorded gaudy minute totals in that contest. The sample size is small, but Jayson Tatum owns a 33.0% usage rate and is averaging 1.19 FanDuel and 1.25 DraftKings points per minute with Brown and Enes Kanter off the court this season.
As reported by: the Boston Celtics via Twitter Other tagged players: Robert Williams III Thinned Out Rotation
No Enes Kanter and no Robert Williams. Who exactly are the Celtics going to play at the 5? While the answer is a mixture of Daniel Theis, Grant Williams, and maybe Vincent Poirer, the point is that Theis should near, or possibly top, the 28 minutes of action he saw against the Bucks on Wednesday which makes him one of the top value options on the slate. Theis is a low usage player but should see enough action on the boards and enough court time to pay off his cheap price tag across the industry.
Robert Williams III (hip) doubtful Friday
Williams is a new addition to the Celtics’ injury report and is doubtful for Friday’s matchup against the New York Knicks due to left hip bursitis. Williams will likely join Jaylen Brown and Enes Kanter on the inactive list, which should allow Vincent Poirier and Tacko Fall to split time at the backup center spot when the head coach Brad Stevens opts to utilize bigger lineup combinations. The sample size is still small, but Jayson Tatum owns a 33.0% usage rate and is averaging 1.19 FanDuel and 1.25 DraftKings points per minute with Brown and Kanter off the court this season.
As reported by: Jay King via Twitter Jaylen Brown (illness) unlikely to play Friday; Daniel Theis (ankle) available
Head coach Brad Stevens classified Brown as “doubtful-to-out” at Celtics shootaround, and he is unlikely to play in Friday’s matchup against the New York Knicks due to an illness. This means that Marcus Smart should draw a second straight start at shooting guard, and he was effective from a fantasy standpoint in a whopping 39 minutes of action. The Celtics were in full comeback mode to begin the second half of Wednesday’s win, so Stevens ended up extending his starters more than he probably usually would, which is why several players recorded gaudy minute totals in that contest. The sample size is small, but Jayson Tatum owns a 33.0% usage rate and is averaging 1.19 FanDuel and 1.25 DraftKings points per minute with Brown and Enes Kanter off the court this season.
As reported by: Chris Forsberg via Twitter Other tagged players: Daniel Theis Frank Ntilikina (neck) will start Friday
As expected, Ntilikina is good to go for Friday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics despite dealing with a sore neck. However, head coach David Fizdale disclosed to reporters at Knicks shootaround this morning that he changed his mind about keeping the same starting lineup from Wednesday’s loss and will instead start Ntilikina at point guard and bring Wayne Ellington off the bench, who was pretty ineffective in his 19 minutes of action in that contest. Ntilikina wasn’t much better himself from a fantasy perspective, but he did log 29 minutes, so he should have access to a solid floor barring some Fizdale rotation shenanigans, which can never be entirely ruled out.
As reported by: Chris Iseman via Twitter