DFS Alerts
Superstar Takes on Former Team in Late Game
Kawhi Leonard comes off of a rest day to take on his former team and former coach Greg Popovich as a 4.5-point favorite in the game with the highest Vegas point total of the night when the Clippers take on the Spurs in the late game tonight. Leonard has been sensational this season, scoring a career-high 27 points a game through four games, and averaging 7.5 assists a game (more than double his previous career high). With Leonard resting last night there is no reason to fear he’ll miss this game, meaning we can fire him up with confidence in GPPs.
Lou Williams will start for Kawhi Leonard (load management) on Wednesday
Head coach Doc Rivers disclosed to reporters at Clippers’ shootaround that Leonard will not play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to load management, while Rodney McGruder will be available make his season debut after missing each of the first four games of the season. Based on rotations in the early going, it seemed likely that Maurice Harkless would draw the start at small forward since he and Leonard typically don’t have any overlap in minutes until Rivers resorts to his closing lineup in competitive games, but instead, Lou Williams will start alongside Patrick Beverley in the backcourt, which really doesn’t alter his projected fantasy output in tonight’s contest.
As reported by: Eric Walden via Twitter
Harry Giles III (knee) listed inactive Wednesday
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 two semi-competitive games since Bagley was sidelined, Nemanja Bjelicia has recorded 28 and 35 minutes as the starting power forward, while Dewayne Dedmon and Richaun Holmes essentially formed a committee at the center position. The other main beneficiary thus far has been De’Aaron Fox, as he owns a 29.4% usage rate and is averaging 1.01 FanDuel and 1.11 DraftKings points per minute with Bagley off the court this season.
As reported by: Jason Anderson via Twitter Richaun Holmes will start ahead of Dewayne Dedmon on Wednesday
Head coach Luke Walton has decided to waste no time in making a change to his starting lineup and will start Holmes at in Wednesday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, which will send Dewayne Dedmon to the bench to assume a reserve role. Holmes saw significantly more playing time than Dedmon in Monday’s loss, logging over 30 minutes, so it’ll be interesting to see if this lineup change becomes a permanent move for Walton moving forward. Holmes has always been an elite fantasy producer on a per-minute basis, so he becomes an elite option for all formats if he approaches anywhere close to the 30-minute mark like he did last time out.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Other tagged players: Dewayne Dedmon Steven Adams (knee) out Wednesday
Head coach Billy Donovan confirmed to reporters during his pregame media availability that Adams won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a left knee contusion. Donovan didn’t disclose who would replace Adams in the starting lineup, but he’s typically opted to roll with Nerlens Noel at the five when Adams has been sidelined in the past, which immediately vaults Noel into one of the top value options on tonight’s 11-game slate.
As reported by: Royce Young via Twitter Alec Burks (ankle) listed as available Wednesday
Burks has been listed as available on the most recent version of the Warriors’ injury report and will presumably make his debut in Wednesday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns after missing three games with a sprained right ankle. There’s yet to be any word of a potential minute restriction, but at the very least, any playing time that was previously being allotted to Jacob Evans and Ky Bowman should now be filtered to Burks in the second unit, while it’s also possible that Damion Lee and Jordan Poole could see their minutes subside in due time as Burks gets worked into the regular wing and backcourt rotations.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Wayne Ellington will start for Dennis Smith Jr. (personal) on Wednesday
Smith Jr. remains away from the team and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to a personal matter. Even with Elfrid Payton sidelined with a strained hamstring, head coach David Fizdale still wasn’t ready to commit to Frank Ntilikina as his starting point guard for tonight’s contest, as he’s opted to start Wayne Ellington alongside RJ Barrett in the backcourt to keep Ntilikina out of early foul trouble, for whatever reason. Still, Ntilikina should possess a solid minute floor as the only natural point guard left on the Knicks active roster after logging 22 minutes in Wednesday’s win, even with Payton playing well into the third quarter before leaving with the aforementioned injury.
As reported by: Marc Berman via Twitter Wendell Carter (eye) will play Wednesday
Carter Jr. has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers despite dealing with eye inflammation. Carter has consistently been logging minutes in the upper-20s through the Bulls first three games, which in conjunction with his solid per-minute fantasy production rates keep him in play for tournament formats on a near-nightly basis. However, if Kornet gets hot from deep, or if head coach Jim Boylen opts to utilize more lineup combinations with Lauri Markkanen at the five, Carter’s floor can plummet, which removes him cash game consideration barring a severe price discrepancy.
As reported by: Darnell Mayberry via Twitter Jaylen Brown (illness) out Wednesday
Brown is a late addition to the Celtics’ injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to an illness. There has yet to be any confirmation on who will replace Brown in the starting lineup, but head coach Brad Stevens has plenty options, especially if he prefers to prioritize the defensive assignment on Giannis Antetokounmpo, which would give players like Semi Ojeleye and Grant Williams the edge over Marcus Smart to join the starting five. The sample size is small, and he’ll likely draw the individual matchup versus Giannis on offense, but Jayson Tatum owns a 36.2% usage rate and is averaging 1.42 FanDuel and 1.51 DraftKings points per minute with Brown off the court this season.
As reported by: Adam Himmelsbach via Twitter Knicks Value
With Dennis Smith out and Frank Ntilikina set to get his first start of the season, he jumps into salary saver consideration considering his near minimum price tag around each site. He has hovered around 16% to 18% usage rate over the last two seasons, so he should be able to exceed value at his bargain-basement prices across the industry, especially in a favorable matchup against the Magic. He is not grabbing a huge bump in projections, but I think there is room for upside with Frank as opposed to others in this projection range.
Willie Cauley-Stein (foot) will play Wednesday
Cauley-Stein confirmed with reporters at Warriors’ shootaround that he will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns after missing each of the first three games of the season due to a sprained left foot. Cauley-Stein will almost certainly draw the start at center with Kevon Looney still battling a hamstring injury, but there’s yet to be any clarification from head coach Steve Kerr on exactly how many minutes he plans to give Cauley-Stein in his first game back.
As reported by: Logan Murdock via Twitter Kawhi Leonard (load management) out Wednesday; Rodney McGruder (ankle) not listed on injury report
Head coach Doc Rivers disclosed to reporters at Clippers’ shootaround that Leonard will not play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to load management, while McGruder could potentially make his season debut after missing each of the first four games of the season. Based on rotations in the early going, it seems likely that Maurice Harkless would draw the start at small forward since he and Leonard typically don’t have any overlap in minutes until Rivers resorts to his closing lineup in competitive games.
As reported by: Jovan Buha via Twitter Other tagged players: Rodney McGruder Wendell Carter Jr. (eye) questionable Wednesday
Carter Jr. has officially been downgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to eye inflammation. Carter has consistently been logging minutes in the upper-20s through the Bulls first three games, which in conjunction with his solid per-minute fantasy production rates keep him in consideration for tournament formats on a near-nightly basis. However, if he’s unable to suit up, Luke Kornet would more than likely draw the start at center, as he’s been serving as the direct backup to Carter in the initial stages of the season, but Thaddeus Young could also see an uptick in playing time if head coach Jim Boylen opts to utilize Lauri Markkanen at the five a bit more than normal.
As reported by: Darnell Mayberry via Twitter Jeremy Lamb (hip) will start Wednesday; Edmond Sumner (hand) ruled out
Lamb has been upgraded from questionable and will make a return to the Pacers starting lineup in Wednesday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets after missing the two previous games with a bruised right hip. Meanwhile, Edmond Sumner has been ruled out due to a sore right hand following a couple of mediocre fantasy performances in his two spot starts, including the 28 minutes he played in Wednesday’s loss.
As reported by: Scott Agness via Twitter Other tagged players: Edmond Sumner Daniel Theis (ankle) available to play Wednesday
As expected, Theis will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks after missing the previous game with a sprained left ankle. In his absence, head coach Brad Stevens turned to a center-by-committee approach with Grant Williams, Vincent Poirier, and Tacko Fall all receiving playing time behind starter Robert Williams, who was serviceable from a fantasy perspective in just under 22 minutes of action in Saturday’s win.
As reported by: Chris Forsberg via Twitter