DFS Alerts
A Breakout Season Awaits
If you followed the NBA preseason, this pick is not a surprise to you. Bam Adebayo was a per-minute monster throughout the preseason. The hype train is rolling in full force here, and Adebayo is pretty much the only prayer the Heat have at containing Karl-Anthony Towns on the other side of this game. After battling foul trouble in the opener, Adebayo responded with a massive line yesterday in 38 minutes (19 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists). Our own Allan Lem is a huge fan of Adebayo after writing up the preseason slates (and doing a great job in the process), and I’m giving Allan a smile by writing up Adebayo as a core option on this four game slate. He should continue to be a huge part of this Miami squad, especially with Jimmy Butler out again today. His game is somewhat similar to Pascal Siakam but without the three pointers. Adebayo is 6’9”, 240 lbs, while Siakam is 6’9”, 230 lbs, and we have seen Siakam grow into one of the league’s best young players. Let the train keep rolling.
Sunday's Top Option
It is very possible that Towns could finish this season as the top overall player in fantasy. His game is impressively well-rounded for a big man, and he brings an absurd floor to the table in any game where he doesn’t get into foul trouble. He is averaging between 75 and 80 fantasy points over the first two games depending on your site of choice, and that is even more impressive when you consider that he only played 28 minutes in the last game due to a blowout. Yes, he logged 37 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists with six steals/blocks… in 28 minutes. The matchup is certainly more difficult today, but I’m not sure that matters at this point with his all around athleticism. Very few teams in the NBA have bigs that can hang with both Towns’ size and athletic ability, and that gives Towns a mismatch in virtually every matchup. In my opinion, you simply start your cash lineup with Towns and build from there. The risk is too great to fade him at this point.
Jevon Carter will start for Ricky Rubio (knee) on Saturday
Rubio won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a left knee contusion he sustained early in overtime during Friday’s loss. Rubio still managed to log 36 minutes of action in that contest, but since he’s unavailable, Jevon Carter will draw the start at point guard, and his minutes have not overlapped with Rubio at all through the first two games of the season. Carter has had the chance to serve as the direct backup at the point in the early portion of the season with Ty Jerome still sidelined with an injury and Tyler Johnson assuming more of an off-ball role in the Suns’ rotation. To this point, Carter has averaged 0.77 FanDuel and 0.84 DraftKings points per minute in a 35.8 minutes sample size this season, making a viable value option if he sees close to typical starters minutes this evening.
As reported by: Kellan Olson via Twitter
Robert Williams will start tonight in place of Daniel Theis (ankle) on Saturday
Theis sustained a sprained left ankle early in Friday’s win over the Toronto Raptors, and despite returning to that game after a brief exit, he’s officially been ruled out of Saturday’s matchup against the New York Knicks due to the same ailment. Even with Theis playing abbreviated minutes, Robert Williams still only managed to log 15 minutes of court time, as Celtics head coach Brad Stevens opted to get creative at the center spot for extended stretches with both Grant Williams and Jayson Tatum recording time at the five in small lineup combinations. All of this combined with Williams’ propensity to get into foul trouble makes him a risky option for all daily fantasy formats on tonight’s slate.
As reported by: Mark Murphy via Twitter John Henson (ankle) will play Saturday
Henson confirmed with reporters following his pregame warmup that he will be good to go for Saturday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers after being listed as questionable with a sprained right ankle. Henson missed the Cavaliers season opener with the aforementioned ailment and in a best-case scenario, would be the fourth big man on the depth chart for Cleveland, as Larry Nance, Kevin Love, and Tristan Thompson all logged at least 27 minutes in Wednesday’s loss.
As reported by: Chris Fedor via Twitter Mike Scott (ankle) available to play Saturday
Joel Embiid will be held out of Saturday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to a sprained right ankle and dental work stemming from an elbow to the face in Wednesday’s win. Meanwhile, Mike Scott has been upgraded from probable despite dealing with an ankle sprain, and although he was technically a candidate to replace Embiid in the starting lineup, head coach Brett Brown has opted to roll with Matisse Thybulle, a move that slides Al Horford and Tobias Harris to center and power forward, respectively. Thybulle will have the highest minute floor of all the secondary Sixers wings, but James Ennis, Furkan Korkmaz, and even Shake Milton are also possible options to absorb playing with the second unit this evening.
As reported by: Serena Winters via Twitter Matisse Thybulle will start in place of Joel Embiid (ankle) on Saturday
Embiid will be held out of Saturday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to a sprained right ankle and dental work stemming from an elbow to the face in Wednesday’s win. Meanwhile, Mike Scott remains probable with an ankle sprain, and although he was technically a candidate to replace Embiid in the starting lineup, head coach Brett Brown has opted to roll with Matisse Thybulle, a move that slides Al Horford and Tobias Harris to center and power forward, respectively. Thybulle will have the highest minute floor of all the secondary Sixers wings, but James Ennis, Furkan Korkmaz, and even Shake Milton are also possible options to absorb playing with the second unit this evening.
As reported by: Serena Winters via Twitter Jeremy Lamb (hip) out Saturday; Edmond Sumner will start
Lamb has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a hip pointer. In his absence, Edmond Sumner will receive the starting nod at the shooting guard spot and appears to have a fairly safe minute floor considering he managed to record 22 minutes off the bench in Wednesday’s loss. Sumner wasn’t a high usage player off the bench in the Pacers’ season opener, so it could be feasible for him to continue producing at a respectable clip from a fantasy perspective given his propensity to stuff the stat sheet in other categories than scoring.
As reported by: Scott Agness via Twitter Other tagged players: Edmond Sumner Reggie Jackson (back) out Saturday; Tim Frazier will start
Jackson has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers due to lower back tightness. In his absence, Tim Frazier will receive the starting nod at point guard, but head coach Dwane Casey also implied that Bruce Brown could see some minutes as the backup point guard as well, which would free up some additional playing time on the wing for someone like Luke Kennard off the bench. Frazier sets up as a thin play, at best, on a slate that is not devoid of value options, especially since Derrick Rose has played at least 25 minutes in both games this season and owns a 34.3% usage rate with an average of 1.17 FanDuel and 1.27 DraftKings points per minute thus far.
As reported by: James Edwards III via Twitter Other tagged players: Tim Frazier Ricky Rubio (knee) out Saturday; Cameron Johnson (calf) available
Rubio has officially been ruled out of Saturday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a left knee contusion he sustained early in overtime during Friday’s loss. Rubio still managed to log 36 minutes of action in that contest, but since he’s now unavailable, Jevon Carter appears to be the most likely candidate to draw the start at point guard since his minutes have not overlapped with Rubio through the first two games of the season. Carter has had the chance to serve as the direct backup at the point in the early portion of the season with Ty Jerome still sidelined with an injury and Tyler Johnson assuming more of an off-ball role in the Suns’ rotation. To this point, Carter has averaged 0.77 FanDuel and 0.84 DraftKings points per minute in a 35.8 minutes sample size this season, making a viable value option if he sees close to typical starters minutes this evening.
As reported by: Kellan Olson via Twitter Other tagged players: Cameron Johnson De'Aaron Fox (hip) questionable Saturday; Harry Giles III (knee) doubtful
Fox sustained a hip injury during Friday’s loss, and he’s officially been listed as questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to the aforementioned ailment. Fox was still able to finish the game and managed to log 34 minutes of action, but if he’s unable to suit up or if the Kings hold him out as a precaution on a back-to-back, Cory Joseph would almost certainly draw the start at point guard since his minutes have rarely overlapped with Fox through the first two games of the season. On top of the likely playing time increase, Joseph has averaged 0.97 FanDuel and 0.94 DraftKings points per minute in a 30.8 minutes sample size with Fox off the court.
As reported by: the Sacramento Kings via Twitter Other tagged players: Harry Giles Bojan Bogdanovic (ankle) questionable Saturday
Bogdanovic has officially been listed as questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings due to a sprained left ankle that forced him to miss Friday’s loss. In his absence, Jeff Green entered the starting lineup at power forward but was pretty horrendous from a fantasy perspective in 23 minutes of action, while Georges Niang also surprisingly logged 23 minutes off the bench. Joe Ingles also started at small forward over Royce O’Neale, and while there’s been no indication from head coach Quin Snyder if that will be a permanent move going forward, both Ingles and O’Neale still recorded similar time on the court anyway. Before exiting the Jazz’s season opener with an injury, Bogdanovic was second on the team with a 30.6% usage rate, which, theoretically, should open up more opportunities for Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, and the remaining members of the starting unit while he’s sidelined.
As reported by: the Utah Jazz via Twitter Bench Player Starting
With Jrue out, I assume Hart will slide in as the starter for the Pelicans. We saw him close out games as well and play pretty well to start the season. There would be no reason they shouldn’t want to give him the start and he is very cheap around the industry. Nice little price on Hart that you don’t want to miss.
Patrick McCaw (knee) listed out Saturday; Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (groin) not listed on injury report
McCaw has been listed out on the latest version of the Raptors’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to a sore left knee that’s now forced him to miss three straight games. Even with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson available to play for the first time this season, his presence in the lineup shouldn’t have much impact on the expected minutes of the other Raptors rotational pieces, as head coach Nick Nurse keeps reiterating with reporters that he plans to continue utilizing the same eight-man rotation with the possibility of Stanley Johnson or another reserve like Hollis-Jefferson entering the fray depending on game flow.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Safe Value With Upside
Just look at Beverley’s game log this season and that’s the guy you’re getting. The price is too cheap at $5100 for a guy who will easily get you fantasy points in the 20’s and has upside of 50! This is a perfect game environment for a defender like Beverley to play a pile of minutes against Rubio and Booker. They will need him and I’m sure he will get up big for this game. PG normally has a ton of great plays but don’t sleep on this one.