DFS Alerts
Nik Stauskas is OUT
Not a whole lot of DFS impact here, perhaps slightly more run for Jordan Clarkson or David Nwaba since Stauskas did get 13 minutes on Friday. Obviously you weren’t playing Stauskas.
As reported by: Spencer Davies
Kevin Love is expected to play
Kevin Love will play today, although it will be difficult to know exactly how many minutes he will get with him being a veteran and the Cavaliers having nothing at all to play for. Nevertheless, with Tristan Thompson already ruled out, Love will have plenty of opportunity whenever he is on the court. This is GPP-only territory.
As reported by: Spencer Davies Jerryd Bayless is listed as questionable
It’s already a pretty crowded injury report for the Wolves, but if Bayless is able to play it would be a slight downgrade to the minutes and usage of Tyus Jones, so this is something to keep an eye on. Bayless himself is likely not much of a DFS consideration as he only got 17 minutes in Friday’s contest.
As reported by: Minnesota Timberwolves Kosta Koufos has been ruled out
With Koufos out, this should mean solid minutes for Willie Cauley-Stein who is not on the injury report and should return. With De’Aaron Fox also listed as probable, this should be a fairly normal rotation for the Kings, with perhaps a slight uptick for bigs with Koufos unavailable. This will also mean one fewer large body to attempt to contain Julius Randle, which is something to keep in mind if considering Randle.
As reported by: James Ham John Collins and Trae Young have been ruled out
The Hawks are certainly going to be interesting today, with two of their highest usage players being out. They will also have only a single true point guard in Jaylen Adams, so the ball handling opportunities will be a bit more varied than you would ordinarily expect. Kevin Huerter is still questionable, but De’Andre Bembry will look to play. The Hawks have seemed to rest players by position group this week, with wings and bigs being out in unison earlier this week. Len, Bazemore, Bembry, and Taurean Prince are all in play for a team that could end up with as few as 9 healthy bodies by tip.
As reported by: Brad Rowland Other tagged players: Trae Young Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been ruled out
MKG started and got a solid 25 minutes in Friday’s game, and Charlotte is still technically as of this writing a competitive team with a shot at the playoffs, so we should expect them to be competitive today. This should lead to an uptick in minutes and usage for Frank Kaminsky, who has come on strong as of late. We can give him a cursory look even with all of the other value on the slate as Charlotte is now very short at the 4, with Marvin Williams already out and MKG now joining him.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets Shenanigans
I’m fully expecting all sorts of active/inactive shenanigans out of Atlanta and Milwaukee today and wanted to note that it’s going to be extremely important to see who is actually playing for their respective teams. If we have a similar situation to yesterday where Giannis is out and Bledsoe is in, Bledsoe is an automatic cash play. I have my doubts that Bledsoe sees the court and think it’s more likely that the Bucks play all of their reserves like they did in their last matchup against Atlanta. Tim Frazier played 53 (!!) minutes – literally the whole game – in that game and would be one of the top overall value plays on the slate if the Bucks rest their starters again.
Other tagged players: Tim Frazier
Have to Spend Somewhere
Are the minutes going to be there for Harden? Probably not. But virtually the only high priced player with any sort of stable minutes is Nikola Vucevic who has the same positional eligibility (Center) as arguably the top overall play of the slate (Plumlee). We’re going to have to spend our salary somewhere and Harden can still put up the highest total of the slate even if he only logs ~ 30 minutes of court time.
Increased Opportunity
The Nuggets will be playing Sunday’s game without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, or Paul Millsap which opens up big time minutes and usage for the remaining Denver rotation. Enter Mason Plumlee, Monte Morris, Will Barton and Trey Lyles. Plumlee and Lyles should eat up the majority of minutes at the center position and has dominated with Jokic, Murray, and Millsap off the floor this season. In 452.5 minutes without the trio this year, Plumlee is averaging over 1.25 fantasy points per minute and has seen his usage jump 3.5% which is notable for a big man. Lyles, Barton, and Morris have also been solid this year when given minutes and should see plenty of run against the Blazers on Sunday.
Other tagged players: Monte Morris, Trey Lyles, Will Barton Joel Embiid (knee) will play Saturday
Embiid has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls despite dealing with a sore left knee, while Jimmy Butler was already ruled out due to back tightness that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. In Butler and James Ennis’ absences, Mike Scott received the starting nod at power forward in Thursday’s loss, and he was tremendous from a fantasy perspective relative to his price tag in 36 minutes of action, making him the leading candidate to start once again. Assuming Embiid is cleared to play without any restrictions, he, Tobias Harris, and J.J. Redick all appear to viable options on tonight’s slates, as they each own at least a +2.8% usage rate differential and experience a minimum of a +0.13 increase to their per minute fantasy production with Butler, Ennis, and Furkan Korkmaz off the court since the NBA trade deadline.
As reported by: Serena Winters via Twitter
Wayne Selden (knee) will start Saturday; Kris Dunn (back) remains out
Selden has officially been upgraded from probable and will start in Saturday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers despite dealing with a sore left knee, while Dunn has been ruled out, as expected, and he’ll join Otto Porter and Zach Lavine on the Bulls’ inactive list with a mid-back strain. Head coach Jim Boylen has opted to make yet another change to his starting lineup for tonight’s contest, and Rawle Alkins will start ahead of Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who was mediocre from a fantasy perspective in 26 minutes of action in Wednesday’s win. As for Alkins, his playing time has been all over the map of late, but he has logged at least 16 minutes in three of the previous four games, which could elevate him to a viable punt option if he manages to see minutes in the mid or upper-20s this evening.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson via Twitter Other tagged players: Kris Dunn Jimmy Butler (back) listed out Saturday
Butler has been listed out on the most recent version of the Sixers’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to back tightness that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Joel Embiid remains questionable and will be a game-time decision with a sore left knee. In Butler and James Ennis’ absences, Mike Scott received the starting nod at power forward in Thursday’s loss, and he was tremendous from a fantasy perspective relative to his price tag in 36 minutes of action. Assuming Embiid is cleared to play without any restrictions, he, Tobias Harris, and J.J. Redick all appear to viable options on tonight’s slates, as they each own at least a +2.8% usage rate differential and experience a minimum of a +0.13 increase to their per minute fantasy production with Butler, Ennis, and Furkan Korkmaz off the court since the NBA trade deadline.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) out Saturday; Ersan Ilyasova (nose) will play
Antetokounmpo is a late addition to the Bucks’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to a sore left calf. Meanwhile, head coach Mike Budenholzer also disclosed to reporters during his pregame media availability that Khris Middleton won’t be subject to a strict minutes restriction but will have his minutes monitored in tonight’s contest. Ersan Ilyasova has also been cleared to play after breaking his nose in Thursday’s win, and he appears to be the likeliest candidate to receive the starting nod at power forward in Antetokounmpo’s absence. Unsurprisingly, Middleton and Eric Bledsoe have been the primary beneficiaries with Antetokounmpo and all the other ailing Bucks off the court since the trade deadline, as they each own a +10.1% usage rate differential and experience a minimum of a +0.16 increase to their per minute fantasy production.
As reported by: Eric Nehm via Twitter Other tagged players: Ersan Ilyasova Monitor Status
If you’re playing Saturday’s slate you’ll need to monitor Antetokoumpo’s status closely. There’s really no reason for the Bucks to play Giannis, or give him any sort of significant minutes if he does suit up, but Giannis is going to be a tough fade in cash games if he is active. The reality is there are plenty of value options that you dont’ have to sacrifice much to roster Giannis, and if you do fade him and he plays north of 25-minutes you’re likely toast.
Somebody Has to Play
Somebody has to play for the 76ers on Saturday night…at least I think so. Both Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid are currently listed as questionable for Philadelphia and if both were to sit a ton of usage would open up for Harris, Ben Simmons, and the other starters. Harris is the owner of a 28.2% usage rate with both Embiid and Butler off the court this season and is averaging right around 40-fantasy points per 36 minutes in their absence.