DFS Alerts
An Elite Matchup Tonight
Cousins faces off against the Sixers tonight, who are still without Embiid and Boban. The Sixers really have no one to matchup with Cousin’s size and skill. With Klay out tonight Cousins may have to shoulder a little more of the workload. In this soft matchup with Cousins size and footwork down low, look for them to feed Cousins down on the block early and often.
Run It Back
When a 23/11/11 triple-double, 60.25 DK point/54.7 FD point game can be considered somewhat of a “disappointment” you know that player has a ridiculous floor + ceiling combination. That was Westbrook’s line in OKC’s game against Philadelphia without Paul George and Westy will get a chance to run it back without George in Saturday’s road matchup against San Antonio. The mighty have fallen as the Spurs are no longer a matchup to avoid but rather a matchup to exploit as they allow the sixth most points per 100 possessions and the seventh highest effective field goal percentage in the league. We know the usage and minutes will be there for Westbrook which provides the highest floor of the night, his ceiling is merely a matter of if his shot is falling or not.
The Matchup Is Much Better Than You Think
The Spurs come into a pace up spot tonight against the Thunder. With Paul George out of the lineup I really think Derozan can take advantage of the Thunder on the offensive end. Derozan has a usage rate of 27.2 which leads the Spurs. With the matchup being a lot weaker look for Derozan to be able to get to the basket at will and get any shot he wants.
Paul George (shoulder) out Saturday
George has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to a sore right shoulder that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. In his absence, Markieff Morris ended up drawing the start at power forward, and he was more than serviceable from a fantasy perspective despite logging just 19 minutes in Thursday’s loss. This will be just the third game George has missed all season, and in both previous instances, Dennis Schroder played at least 34 minutes regardless of a bench or starting role, so he’ll be a tremendous value option for all formats on tonight’s eight-game slate. Not only does Schroder project for an increase in playing time, but also owns a 34.0% usage rate (+7.2%) and is averaging 1.13 DraftKings and 1.07 FanDuel points per minute with George off the court this season.
As reported by: Erik Horne via Twitter
Klay Thompson (knee) and Kevon Looney (pelvic) out Saturday
Thompson has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a sore right knee, while Kevon Looney has also been ruled out with a sore right pelvis. The Warriors will receive some reinforcements with Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala slated to return to the lineup for tonight’s contest, but Alfonzo McKinnie will still remain in the starting lineup for at least one more game, and he was relatively mediocre in 24 minutes of action in his most recent spot start in Thursday’s loss. Unsurprisingly, both Durant and Stephen Curry have been the largest beneficiaries with Thompson off the court this season, as they each own at least a +7.2% usage rate differential and experience a minimum of a +0.14 increase to their per minute fantasy production, though Curry does lead the way with a massive 43.7% usage rate overall in this scenario.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter Other tagged players: Kevon Looney Wes Iwundu (quad) questionable Saturday
Iwundu has officially been listed as questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to a right quad contusion, but head coach Steve Clifford expects both him and Evan Fournier to play in tonight’s contest despite dealing with their respective ailments. Fournier missed Friday’s practice because of an illness, so assuming he isn’t limited, he should see his typical minute allotment of 30-35 minutes this evening. As for Iwundu, he’s also seen an uptick in playing time following the departure of Jonathon Simmons to Philadelphia via trade and has logged at least 22 minutes in each of the Magic’s previous three games. However, Iwundu remains an extremely low-usage player (13.9%) and is averaging just 0.63 DraftKings and 0.64 FanDuel points per minute on the season, eliminating him from consideration on a near-nightly basis.
Dragan Bender will start ahead of Josh Jackson on Friday
Head coach Igor Kokoskov has opted to go with a big starting lineup for Friday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, and he’ll start Dragan Bender at the power forward spot to better matchup with Anthony Davis and Julius Randle on the defensive end of the floor. This change will send Josh Jackson to the bench to assume a reserve role for at least one game, but he should still see significant minutes with Bender unlikely to warrant a starters’ minute workload this evening. Meanwhile, Devin Booker has managed to log at least 33 minutes in all five games since returning from a two-game injury absence, though he’s been a bit inconsistent from a fantasy perspective, exceeding his salary-based expectations on just one occasion over that span. However, the Pelicans have been one of the most positive fantasy matchups in the NBA since fully embracing their tanking efforts, so Booker could be an intriguing tournament target on tonight’s seven-game slate and still leads the Suns with a 31.7% usage in the previous five games, despite the recent efficiency struggles.
As reported by: the Phoenix Suns via Twitter Other tagged players: Josh Jackson John Collins (illness) out Friday
Collins has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to flu-like symptoms. Collins has been solid from a fantasy perspective recently, and he’s managed to log at least 30 minutes in each of the previous four games, something head coach Lloyd Pierce didn’t consistently permit earlier in the season. However, with Collins unavailable, Omari Spellman will likely enter the starting lineup at power forward, though it’s certainly possible Pierce opts to go small by inserting Kent Bazemore alongside Kevin Huerter on the wing and sliding Taurean Prince down to the four-spot. On top of that, Prince has also been the main beneficiary with Collins off the court this season, as he owns a 23.9% usage rate (+2.3%) and is averaging 1.02 DraftKings and 0.98 FanDuel points per minute in a 362.8 minutes sample size.
Lance Stephenson (toe) upgraded to questionable Friday
Stephenson was originally ruled out, but he’s officially been upgraded to questionable for Friday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a sprained he sustained during Wednesday’s win. Prior to head coach Luke Walton shaking up his starting lineup and rotation in that contest, Stephenson had been limited to fewer to 20 total minutes over the Lakers previous three games, so if he’s unable to suit up, Josh Hart would likely take on an expanded role in the second unit and serve as the primary backup to Rajon Rondo at point guard. Speaking of which, Walton seems to be going all-in on this small-ball lineup starting lineup for the time being, and he already confirmed that he will stick with Kyle Kuzma and LeBron James at center and power forward, respectively, while Rondo will man the point and was fantastic from a fantasy perspective in 38 minutes of action in his first game back with the starting unit.
As reported by: Dave McMenamin via Twitter Terry Rozier (knee) listed as available Friday
Rozier had his status upgraded on the most recent version of the Celtics’ injury report and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards after missing one game due to a sore left knee, while Daniel Theis has been cleared despite dealing with a sore right knee. Even with Aron Baynes still sidelined, Theis has seen diminished playing time recently, as\nd he’s been limited to 10 or fewer minutes off the bench in three of the Celtics previous four games. As for Rozier, his return will lower the minute floor and ceilings of Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward after each logged at 27 minutes with the second unit in Wednesday’s loss. Kyrie Irving has been thrust into heavy minutes in recent games, but with Boston seemingly in a prime position to take advantage of a Wizards squad that ranks 26th in defensive rating, head coach Brad Stevens should be able to keep Irving’s playing time in check this evening.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Don't Overlook His High Price Tag
The Bulls get a pace-up matchup tonight against the Hawks, and in Markkanen’s last 10 games he has scored 20+ points while grabbing 9+ rebounds. He may get overlooked tonight because of his price jump, but in this matchup he is well worth it. The Bulls are really hurting at the power forward and center positions, so look for Lauri to play big minutes again tonight and continue his high usage.
Keep Running Hot, Rookie
Tonight, Trae Young goes up against a Bulls team that struggles defensively. Young has been on fire his last five games, scoring 30 points or more in 3 of them while handing 8 assists or more in all 5. His minutes have also been up since the All-Star break, averaging around 36 minutes per game. I think with Jeremy Lin out of the picture they have really let the rookie go, so look for Young to continue being the focal point of the offense once again.
A Sweet High-Scoring Matchup
This matchup has the highest team total on the board, which really sets up well for Lou Williams. In the month of February, he has had the second highest usage rate in the league at 33.8 percent, and the Kings are coming off of an overtime loss to the Bucks while giving up 141 points. Both of these teams play at an extremely high pace, so look for Sweet Lou to get up a bunch of shots.
John Collins (illness) questionable Friday
Collins has officially been added to the Hawks’ injury report and is questionable for Friday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to flu-like symptoms. Collins has been solid from a fantasy perspective recently, and he’s managed to log at least 30 minutes in each of the previous four games, something head coach Lloyd Pierce didn’t consistently do earlier in the season. However, if he’s unable to suit up, Omari Spellman would likely enter the starting lineup at power forward, though it’s certainly possible Pierce opts to go small by inserting Kent Bazemore alongside Kevin Huerter on the wing and sliding Taurean Prince down to the four-spot. Prince has also been the main beneficiary with Collins off the court this season, as he owns a 23.9% usage rate (+2.3%) and is averaging 1.02 DraftKings and 0.98 FanDuel points per minute in a 362.8 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Chris Vivlamore via Twitter Devin Booker (toe) will play Friday
Booker has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans despite dealing with a sprained left big toe he sustained during Thursday’s practice. Booker has managed to log at least 33 minutes in all five games since returning from a two-game injury absence, but he’s been a bit inconsistent from a fantasy perspective, exceeding his salary-based expectations on just one occasion over that span. However, the Pelicans have been one of the most positive fantasy matchups in the NBA since fully embracing their tanking efforts, so Booker could be an intriguing tournament target on tonight’s seven-game slate and still leads the Suns with a 31.7% usage in the previous five games, despite the recent efficiency struggles.
As reported by: Kellan Olson via Twitter