DFS Alerts
Monitor KAT's Status
This is operating under the assumption that Karl-Anthony Towns is unable to suit up after suffering a knee injury in Saturday night’s contest against the Wizards. In the two games KAT missed following the All-Star break, Taj Gibson filled in capably averaging 19.5 points per game and 8 rebounds per game. It should be noted that Gorgui Dieng was out in both of those games for personal reasons but he still seems to be on the outs of the Timberwolves rotation and shouldn’t threaten Gibson’s minutes or productivity.
Jeremy Lamb (hamstring) available to play Saturday; Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (knee) ruled out
Lamb has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks despite dealing with a sore left hamstring, while Kidd-Gilchrist joins Tony Parker on the Hornets’ inactive list for tonight’s second leg their current back-to-back set. Parker’s playing time has been a bit inconsistent of late in head coach James Borrego’s ever-shifting rotation, and he’s played more than 14 minutes in just three of the previous eight games. In his absence, either Shelvin Mack or Devonte’ Graham will likely assume the backup point guard responsibilities, though both have been the recipients of a long stretch of DNP-CDs and Mack has totaled just 23.8 minutes since signing with Hornets for the remainder of the season prior to the All-Star break. Additionally, Kidd-Gilchrist broke his string of three straight DNP-CDs in Friday’s win, but he was still only limited to seven minutes off the bench, minimalizing the impact his absence has on the Charlotte frontcourt and leaving plenty of doubt in regards to his status in the rotation moving forward.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Andrew Wiggins (quad) out Saturday; Keita Bates-Diop will start
Wiggins has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to a bruised left quad, while Luol Deng was already ruled out with a sore left Achilles that has now forced him to miss five consecutive games. This will allow Bates-Diop to draw the start at small forward with Derrick Rose clearly having his minutes managed by the Minnesota coaching and medical staffs, as he’s played more than 25 minutes just once since returning from a sore right ankle. Even with Deng unavailable for the previous four contests, Gorgui Dieng has totaled just 15 minutes in garbage time, and Bates-Diop and Anthony Tolliver have both seen playing time ahead of him over this span. Tolliver hasn’t been particularly effective from a fantasy perspective, but he has logged at least 19 minutes in five of the Timberwolves’ last eight games and figures to be a mainstay in the rotation for the continued duration of Deng’s absence.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Keita Bates-Diop Kyle Kuzma (ankle) out Saturday
Kuzma has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to a sprained right ankle that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Brandon Ingram was diagnosed with a Deep Venous Thrombosis in his arm and will be out for the remainder of the season. The Lakers seem to have accepted their fate of missing the playoffs this year, as they also recently announced that LeBron James would be limited to just 28-32 minutes per game and possibly be rested on one leg of back-to-back sets for the rest of the year. Now that Kuzma is confirmed as unavailable, head coach Luke Walton will more than likely stick with Josh Hart and JaVale McGee in the starting unit alongside the regulars that include James, Reggie Bullock, and Rajon Rondo this evening. Hart, in particular, will be intriguing value option on tonight’s five-game slate, and he’s logged at least 30 minutes in two straight contests and been serviceable from a fantasy perspective over that span as well.
As reported by: Tania Ganguli via Twitter Andrew Wiggins (quad) downgraded to questionable Saturday; Luol Deng (Achilles) officially out
Wiggins has been downgraded from probable to questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to a bruised left quad, while Luol Deng was officially ruled out because of a sore left Achilles that has now forced him to miss five consecutive games. If Wiggins is unable to suit up, Derrick Rose may join the starting lineup alongside Jeff Teague in the backcourt, but he’s clearly been having his minutes managed by the Minnesota coaching and medical staffs, as he’s played more than 25 minutes just once since returning from a sore right ankle. Even with Deng unavailable for the previous four contests, Gorgui Dieng has totaled just 15 minutes in garbage time, and Anthony Tolliver and Keita Bates-Diop have both seen playing time ahead of him over this span. Tolliver hasn’t been particularly effective from a fantasy perspective, but he has logged at least 19 minutes in five of the Timberwolves’ last eight games and figures to be a mainstay in the rotation for the continued duration of Deng’s absence.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Luol Deng Evan Turner (knee) out Saturday
Turner has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns due to a left knee injury that has now forced him to miss seven of the previous eight games. The only time Turner was active over that span he managed to log 10 minutes off the bench and was largely a nonfactor in the second unit following the emergence of Rodney Hood and Jake Layman while he continued to battle the aforementioned ailment, which puts Turner’s role in the rotation in some serious doubt once he is back at full strength. The Trail Blazers offense will continue to run through Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic, and in the two prior meetings with the Suns this season, Lillard has recorded a 35.0% usage rate and is averaging 1.51 DraftKings and 1.52 FanDuel points per minute in a 57.2 minutes sample size, making him a compelling tournament option versus the Suns’ 29th-ranked defense.
As reported by: Jamie Hudson via Twitter Dewayne Dedmon (knee) officially out Saturday
Dedmon has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to a right knee contusion that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Alex Poythress was already ruled out with a sprained right ankle and will be sidelined indefinitely. This means that John Collins, Alex Len, and newly-signed Tyler Zeller will be the only three traditional big men at the disposal of head coach Lloyd Pierce, and Zeller is expected to see a majority of the available backup center minutes in tonight’s contest. Len will draw a fourth consecutive start at center, and, as usual, he’s been inconsistent from a fantasy perspective in an average of 25.3 minutes over that span. However, Len still possesses massive upside at his price tag, as he owns a respectable 20.0% usage rate and is averaging 1.12 DraftKings and 1.13 FanDuel points per minute with Dedmon, Poythress, Omari Spellman, and Miles Plumlee off the court this season.
As reported by: Brad Rowland via Twitter Projected Second-Highest Point Total Game Still Offers Fantasy Upside
While the Atlanta – Brooklyn game has the second-highest Vegas point total tonight, its 238 over/under is still high enough that a game stack is worth a look in GPPs. Both of these teams have well-established defensive weakness that we can exploit when looking for players to fill out our rosters. Brooklyn ranks 25th in the league in points-in-the-paint allowed this season and 21st in opponent rebounds allowed. While it has been a up-and-down week for Alex Len, it’s worth noting that he is still averaging 16.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game over his past four games. On the Brooklyn side, they will likely attack Atlanta at the point guard position, where Trae Young ranks last in the league in Defensive Real Plus-Minus (DRPM). This puts D’Angelo Russell into play as the team’s leading scorer – and it also makes some sense to add Trae Young – as Atlanta’s leading scorer – to the stack as well.
Other tagged players: Alex Len, Trae Young
Don't Overlook the Complimentary Pieces From This High-Scoring Game
The Washington – Minnesota matchup tonight has an eye-popping 242.5 Vegas point total, and while Karl-Anthony Towns and Bradley Beal are certainly in play as the team’s leading scorers, some of the complimentary pieces are worth a look as well. Bobby Portis has increased his averages since coming over to Washington, averaging 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, and recently moved into the starting lineup. His former teammate with the Bulls, Jabari Parker, is still coming off the bench but is still averaging 13 points, 3.3 assists, and 6.9 rebounds per game in DC. Finally point guard Tomas Satoransky has played at least 37 minutes in three of his last four games, averaging 13.5 points, 7 assists, and 6.3 rebounds over that span.
Other tagged players: Bobby Portis, Jabari Parker Brandon Ingram (arm) expected to miss remainder of season
Ingram underwent further testing on his sore right shoulder on Friday, and it revealed a Deep Venous Thrombosis in his arm, which is expected to keep him sidelined for the remainder of the season and effectively ruling him out of Saturday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics while Kyle Kuzma and Stephenson remain listed as questionable due to their respective ailments. The Lakers seem to have accepted their fate of missing the playoffs this year, as they recently announced that LeBron James would be limited to just 28-32 minutes per game and possibly be rested on one leg of back-to-back sets for the rest of the season. Head coach Luke Walton’s starting lineup for tonight’s contest will likely depend on the status of Kuzma, and either Josh Hart or JaVale McGee are candidates to stick with the starting unit depending on how big or small Walton opts to go this evening. Hart, in particular, will be intriguing value option on tonight’s five-game slate, and he’s logged at least 30 minutes two straight contests and been serviceable from a fantasy perspective over that span.
As reported by: the Los Angeles Lakers via Twitter Andrew Wiggins (quad) probable Saturday
Wiggins has been added to the Timberwolves’ injury report and is listed as probable for Saturday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to a left quad contusion, while Luol Deng remains listed as doubtful with a sore left Achilles that has already forced him to miss four consecutive games. Even with Deng unavailable for the previous four contests, Gorgui Dieng has totaled just 15 minutes in garbage time, and head coach Ryan Saunders seems to prefer going smaller at the power forward position than his predecessor, Tom Thibodeau, as Anthony Tolliver and Keita Bates-Diop have both seen playing time ahead of Dieng over this span. Tolliver hasn’t been particularly effective from a fantasy perspective, but he has logged at least 19 minutes in five of the Timberwolves’ last eight games and figures to be a mainstay in the rotation for the continued duration of Deng’s absence.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Reasonable Value
I am a bit torn on this pick, because it does feel to some degree like point chasing. That’s what my brain is trying to tell me. On the other hand, though, there is the simple fact that Marvin Williams has been playing like a solid fantasy performer over the past few weeks. That culminated with a 30 point outburst last night against the Wizards, AND Michael Kidd-Gilchrist got hurt last night. I know it’s not glamorous, but we don’t have much for value on this short five game slate, and for now, I’m fine with Williams at a price tag around $5,000 on FD/DK and $9,000 on FantasyDraft. It’s a solid value for your cash games, and he will likely play 30+ minutes again tonight. If major injury news breaks that gives us some better value, I am fine with pivoting off this pick, but it’s Williams for now.
Expect A Bounce Back Game
The Washington/Minnesota game is an obvious target for us on a five game slate. The Vegas total is 242 with a seven point spread, so hopefully we can get a close contest. If that is the case, there could be plenty of fantasy goodness to go around. Over the last eight games, these teams rank 6th (Washington) and 9th (Minnesota) in tempo. Like Towns, Beal had a fine all around game with a 22/7/8 line when these two teams met just last weekend, and that game ended up featuring 256 total points in regulation. Beal is averaging 22 shot attempts per game over the last seven contests for the Wizards, and I am willing to bank on him shooting better than the woeful 4-for-21 performance he put up last night against the Hornets. Expect a bounce back game, and he’s a great high-end target for cash game builds on this short slate.
Smash Spot
Since the beginning of February, Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 31 actual points per game, which is a full seven points above his season average. This is not a small sample size alert. We’re dealing with a 13 game sample here, and the totals even include one game where he got injured in the first half and didn’t play after halftime. Simply put, he is thriving on a disappointing team. There’s no reason to expect that trend to reverse tonight in a favorable matchup against the Wizards. Washington ranks in the bottom third of the league in virtually every defensive metric, and that includes a rank of 22nd in our Defense vs. Archetype tool against verstaile big men. Towns is a mismatch for the likes of Portis and Parker on the interior, and this is an obvious smash spot for a player who is absolutely locked in right now. This one’s a no brainer for me tonight. There are very few centers to pay up for on this slate, which also adds to the appeal for Towns. If he outscores every other center on the slate by 20 fantasy points (which is possible), it will be hard to win without him. Towns logged a 28/10/7 line against this very team a week ago, and I expect a similar (or better) line tonight. He’s the focal point of my cash game builds, and I will have plenty of GPP exposure as well.
Jeremy Lamb (hamstring) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (knee) probable Saturday; Tony Parker (rest) ruled out
Lamb and Kidd-Gilchrist have officially been listed as probable for Saturday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a sore left hamstring and a strained left knee, respectively, while Parker will be rested on tonight’s second leg of the Hornets’ current back-to-back set. Parker’s playing time has been a bit inconsistent of late in head coach James Borrego’s ever-shifting rotation, and he’s played more than 14 minutes in just three of the previous eight games. In his absence, either Shelvin Mack or Devonte’ Graham will likely assume the backup point guard responsibilities, though both have been the recipients of a long stretch of DNP-CDs and Mack has totaled just 23.8 minutes since signing with Hornets for the remainder of the season prior to the All-Star break. Additionally, Kidd-Gilchrist broke his string of three straight DNP-CDs in Friday’s win, but he was still only limited to seven minutes off the bench, leaving plenty of doubt in regards to his status in the rotation moving forward.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Tony Parker