DFS Alerts
Patrick McCaw (knee) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (groin) out Friday
McCaw and Hollis-Jefferson have officially been downgraded to out and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to their respective ailments. Both players were also unable to play in Tuesday’s season opener, so their absences shouldn’t have much impact on the expected minutes of the other Raptors rotational pieces, and head coach Nick Nurse already confirmed with reporters that he plans to utilize the same eight-man rotation with the possibility of either Malcolm Miller or Stanley Johnson entering the fray depending on game flow.
As reported by: Eric Smith via Twitter Other tagged players: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Wendell Carter Jr. (thumb) listed probable Friday
Carter Jr. popped up on the latest version of the Bulls’ injury report and is listed as probable for Friday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a sprained left thumb. Carter has been playing through the aforementioned ailment for a majority of the preseason, and he managed to log 29 minutes in Wednesday’s season opener, so he should be expected to be a full-go barring some sort of late news closer to game time.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Expanded Role Due to Injury
With Marvin Bagley expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks with a fractured right thumb the Kings frontcourt has plenty of minutes to go around. Bjelica is expected to draw the start in Bagley’s absence while Holmes is expected to see mid-20’s minutes off the bench and has rated as a strong per minute fantasy producer throughout his career.
Other tagged players: Richaun Holmes
Buddy Hield (ankle) will start Friday
Hield went through shootaround Friday morning and will start in tonight’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers despite dealing with a sprained left ankle he sustained during Wednesday’s loss. He’ll be joined in the starting lineup by De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes, Dewayne Dedmon, and Nemanja Bjelica, who is replacing Marvin Bagley after he suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right thumb during the Kings’ season opener. Bjelicia was productive even with Bagley available last time out, averaging 0.86 FanDuel and 0.82 DraftKings points per minute in 21 minutes of action, making him an elite value option for all daily fantasy formats given his likely increase in playing time as a starter.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Isaiah Thomas (thumb) out Friday
Thomas has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t make his Wizards debut in Friday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder as he continues to rehab from left thumb surgery. However, head coach Scott Brooks did mention that he believes Thomas could play in the second leg of their back-to-back set on Saturday evening. The confirmed unavailability of Thomas does mean that there are 23 minutes up for grabs in the Wizards backcourt rotation tonight with Jordan McRae sidelined with a fractured right finger, which could distribute higher minute floors to Ish Smith and Chris Chiozza, while some combination of Justin Robinson or Garrison Mathews should absorb any remaining minutes at the guard and wing positions.
As reported by: Candace Buckner via Twitter Aron Baynes will start in place of the suspended Deandre Ayton on Friday
Suns head coach Monty Williams confirmed with reporters at his morning presser that Aron Baynes will receive the first crack at the starting center job in Friday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets following the news of Deandre Ayton’s 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s drug policy. However, even in a backup role in Wednesday’s win, Baynes was limited to just 10 minutes off the bench, and he should not be considered a lock to see anywhere near starters’ minutes in tonight’s contest given the variety of ways Williams can distribute minutes at the five in his rotations. During Williams’ interview, he specifically mentioned that Cheick Diallo could potentially see some run as the backup center, while Frank Kaminsky and Dario Saric are also more than capable of absorbing time there in smaller lineup combinations.
As reported by: Kellan Olson via Twitter Other tagged players: Deandre Ayton Cody Zeller (personal) out Friday
Zeller was not with the team for Thursday’s practice, and Hornets head coach James Borrego confirmed with reporters at their morning shootaround that Zeller will not be available for Friday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a personal reason. In his absence, Willy Hernangomez or Bismack Biyombo would more than likely receive the starting nod at the center spot, but Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer believes that Marvin Williams will see substantial minutes at the five in an effort to guard Karl-Anthony Towns on the perimeter. This claim can also be supported by how Borrego utilized his rotation in Wednesday’s win, as Williams logged nearly 13 of his 17 total minutes as the backup center in that contest.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell via Twitter The Do-It-All Star
Luka Doncic appears to be poised for a massive season in 2019-2020 as a “do everything” player for the Mavericks. He showed off his versatility in the opener with a 34-9-3 line on 12-for-19 shooting. The presence of a healthy Kristaps Porzingis also gives the team another option to help take defensive pressure away from Doncic. The sky is the limit for Doncic in his second full year, and a decent matchup awaits tonight against the Pelicans.
Possible Low-Owned Gem?
Our early ownership projections have Marcus Morris at sub-5% ownership, and I will gladly take that in GPP formats this evening. Morris appears rejuvenated with a fresh start in New York, and for one of the first times in his career, he will be a priority option for his team. Morris played nearly 40 minutes in the season opener, piling up healthy usage on his way to 9-for-18 shooting and 26 points. The peripheral stats should tick upward slightly as we move forward, too. Give him a look as a low-owned mid-range DFS option in GPP formats on this Friday.
Ready For A Roaring Start
Karl-Anthony Towns got his 2019-2020 season off to a strong start with a 36/14/3 line in the season opening overtime win against the Nets, and he added three steals and three blocks for good measure. He should be able to keep the momentum rolling tonight against a Charlotte team that projects to be one of the worst squads in the NBA this season. Towns should be a priority play in all formats.
Value Big Men
Enes Kanter has already been ruled out for the Celtics tonight, so we have some value to consider in their frontcourt with Theis and Williams. Both are priced near the minimum on every site, and both should be looking at a 22-24 minute role in this game. I’ll side with Theis as my preferred option given his history of being an adequate fill-in with an expanded role, but both players are likely to be solid punts on this nine game slate.
Other tagged players: Robert Williams III Kevon Looney (hamstring) expected to be limited to around 20 minutes Thursday
Looney has already been confirmed as the Warriors’ starting center for their season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday evening, but head coach Steve Kerr disclosed to reporters during his pregame media availability that he doesn’t envision Looney playing more than 20 minutes in tonight’s contest since he missed the entirety of the preseason due to a hamstring injury. This is great news for the projected fantasy value of Marquese Chriss, who figures to be one of the first subs off the bench for Golden State, and also averaged a whopping 1.27 fantasy points per minute as a starter during the preseason with Looney unavailable.
As reported by: Nick Friedell via Twitter Markieff Morris (hand) will play Thursday
For a second consecutive day, Morris has been upgraded from questionable and will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks despite battling lower back stiffness and a bruised right hand. Morris received the starting nod at power forward in Wednesday’s win, but he was limited to just 23 minutes of action, giving way to Thon Maker and Luke Kennard for extended stretches in the second half. Meanwhile, Reggie Jackson remains probable with back tightness, but he was also a starter in name only for the Pistons season opener with Derrick Rose logging 27 minutes off the bench at point guard, which may become a trend for this backcourt moving forward since Jackson and Rose didn’t share a single second on the court together in last night’s contest.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter High Floor For The Price
You’re rarely excited to roster Beverley, but in cash games we tend to prioritize players who get more minutes and can score fantasy points even without shooting the ball. At $4600 on DK and $5100 at a thinner PG spot, he should be able to provide a safe floor playing 30+ minutes, especially since he will most likely be tasked to guard Steph Curry most, if not all of the time he’s on the court.
The Upside is in the Minutes
I’m going to be taking the stars and scrubs route on DraftKings and FantasyDraft tonight. Chriss is a guy that should play around 20 minutes in this game, and he’s been a fantasy point-per minute plater in all three seasons in the NBA. He averaged 28.5 fantasy points in 22.4 minutes in five preseason games. I could see him getting a few extra minutes if he’s playing well, and he’s one of my favorite tournament cheap plays on this slate.
