DFS Alerts
Rudy Gay (ankle) officially out Saturday
Gay has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a sprained left ankle, while Lonnie Walker was previously ruled out, as expected, with a sprained right ankle. The Spurs are already without Derrick White for a fourth straight contest, so head coach Gregg Popovich will likely be forced to start either Dante Cunningham or Jakob Poeltl depending upon how he prefers to match up defensively with the duo of Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors in the Jazz frontcourt. The continued absence of White in conjunction with Gay and Walker’s unavailability will afford Bryn Forbes and Patty Mills extended run at the guard positions, while Marco Belinelli should absorb some extra playing time on the wing. However, DeMar DeRozan has been the main beneficiary with Gay, White, and Walker off the court, as he owns a 36.1% usage rate (+5.6%) and is averaging 1.34 DraftKings and 1.36 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Jabari Young via Twitter
News Related Bump
Giannis Antetokounmpo is not going to play for the Bucks tonight, so we get a nice bump for virtually all of the other players on the team. Khris Middleton will be my priority focus in cash games. He rested last night and should be good to go for this one, and CourtIQ shows us that he gets a huge bump when Giannis is off the floor. In those instances, Middleton owns a 34% usage rate and scores nearly 50 fantasy points per 36 minutes. That’s incredible efficiency and a huge bump in his production — as it is a nearly 9% usage increase and a 10 fantasy point increase per 36 minutes. The price tag is not overly outrageous here, and Middleton is a great mid-range target. I love the balanced build given the layout of this evening’s slate. Eric Bledsoe is also a strong play and can be used in all formats.
Rudy Gay (ankle) doubtful Saturday; Lonnie Walker (ankle) ruled out
Gay has officially been downgraded from probable to doubtful on the Spurs’ injury report for Saturday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a sprained left ankle, while Lonnie Walker has been ruled out, as expected, with a sprained right ankle. The Spurs are already without Derrick White for a fourth straight contest, so head coach Gregg Popovich will likely be forced to start either Dante Cunningham or Jakob Poeltl depending upon how he prefers to match up defensively with the duo of Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors in the Jazz frontcourt. The continued absence of White in conjunction with Gay and Walker’s unavailability will afford Bryn Forbes and Patty Mills extended run at the guard positions, while Marco Belinelli should absorb some extra playing time on the wing. However, DeMar DeRozan has been the main beneficiary with Gay, White, and Walker off the court, as he owns a 36.1% usage rate (+5.6%) and is averaging 1.34 DraftKings and 1.36 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Jabari Young via Twitter Other tagged players: Lonnie Walker IV Jahlil Okafor (ankle) questionable Saturday; E'Twaun Moore (quad) probable
Okafor has officially been listed as questionable on the Pelicans’ injury report for Saturday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a sprained left ankle that’s already forced him to miss one game, while Moore is listed as probable with a left quad contusion that’s kept him sidelined for six straight contests. Anthony Davis wasn’t included on this version of the injury report, but the Pelicans announced earlier in the week that Davis would be rested for one leg of back-to-back sets, so he should be considered doubtful to suit up until there’s further clarification. Julius Randle returned from a six-game injury hiatus earlier in the week, and he procured a solid fantasy performance in 31 minutes off the bench in Wednesday’s win, which increases the likelihood he returns to the starting lineup alongside Davis or Okafor in the frontcourt. On top of that, Randle is poised to be a significant beneficiary of Davis’ potential absence, and he should be needed for more than the 24 minutes he logged in Friday’s win given the matchup with a sizable Grizzlies frontcourt.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Other tagged players: E'Twaun Moore Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) out Saturday
Antetokounmpo has been added to the Bucks’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup due to a sore right knee, while Nikola Mirotic is listed as doubtful with a left calf strain that has already forced him to miss eight consecutive games. Khris Middleton wasn’t included on the latest injury report and appears set to return from a one-game absence as part of a load management plan, but since Antetokounmpo is unavailable, Tony Snell should stick in the starting lineup for another game following a predictably dismal fantasy performance in 20 minutes of action in Friday’s win. Clearly, he can be easily ignored for daily fantasy formats given his low minute ceiling and abysmal 14.1% usage rate on the year. However, Middleton and Eric Bledsoe have thrived with Antetokounmpo off the court this season, as they each own at least a +5.6% usage rate differential and experience a minimum of a +0.25 increase to their per minute fantasy production in this scenario.
As reported by: Dante Marchitelli via Twitter Unleashed
Dennis Smith Jr has been unleashed in New York and is coming off a career high 31-point game last night against Detroit. DSJ remains underpriced for his role with his new team and the only thing that would hold him back from being one of the best cash game plays at the PG position on Saturday would be the return of Emmanuel Mudiay.
Never Super Sexy
Marvin Williams is never a super sexy play but he stands out as one of the stronger cash game value options on the slate. The Hornets will travel to Atlanta to take on a Hawks team that plays at the fastest pace and allow the fourth most points per 100 possessions (114) and the fourth highest effective field goal percentage (54.8%) in the league. The PF1 position is locked up by Lauri Markkanen but Williams can be used as PF2 to free up some cap space.
Cleared Out
It’s the Lauri Markkanen show right now in Chicago as the Bulls traded away both Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis at the trade deadline to Washington. Markkanen will be given all the minutes he can handle and gets a very favorable home matchup against the Wizards on Saturday night. The Wizards allow the fifth most points per 100 possessions (113.1), the second highest effective field goal percentage (55%), and the third highest offensive rebounding rate (29.5%) in the league. Markkanen’s price tag is slowly creeping up but he’s been a consistent fantasy producer and has shown plenty of upside to pay off his current tag.
Thriving With A Change Of Scenery
Speaking of players who have benefited from trade deadline deals, we can also add Dennis Smith Jr. to that category. David Fizdale’s rotations have been virtually impossible to predict all year long, but it does seem like he is going to give Dennis Smith plenty of consistent run. He has played 40 and 35 minutes over the last two games, piling up lines of 25/5/6 and 31/2/8 in those games. He has taken 40 total shots in those two contests, and he was very aggressive on Friday as he got to the free throw line 19 times. Everything is in place for him to be the offensive leader of this team, and this seems like a scenario where a change of scenery is definitely going to help his fantasy output. As was the case with Markkanen, I expect Smith to be priced around $1,000 higher than his current level before too long. For now, he remains a core play, even though tonight’s matchup against the Raptors isn’t 100% ideal. The opportunity and reasonable price tag are too much to ignore.
Just Too Cheap
Get in while you still can, as Markkanen is about to be a lot more expensive than he is right now. This is a situation where the DFS price tags have not adjusted for the trade deadline moves, as Markkanen is going to benefit tremendously from the fact that the Bulls traded away both Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker. Markkanen has shown upside in spurts throughout the season, and we are about to see that a lot more during the second half of the year. He has played an average of 36 minutes per game over the last six contests, and that number has gone up to 39.5 minutes in the two games since Portis and Parker were traded. He is averaging 24 points and 14 rebounds in those six games. The Bulls also draw a matchup with the defensively-challenged Wizards tonight. The stars are all aligning for Markkanen, and he will likely be priced around $1,000 higher than this on every site before long. Take advantage of the discount while we can still get it.
E’Twaun Moore (quad) and Jahlil Okafor (ankle) out Friday
Moore has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a left quad contusion that’s now forced him to miss six consecutive games, while Okafor has been ruled out with a sprained right ankle despite previously being deemed available to play. Anthony Davis is set to return to game action following a lengthy absence, so his presence will send Okafor back to the bench to resume a reserve role even though Davis is expected to have his minutes scaled back and be rested for one leg of every back-to-back set for the remainder of the season. Julius Randle returned from a six-game injury hiatus in Wednesday’s win, and he procured a solid fantasy performance in 31 minutes off the bench, which increases the likelihood he returns to the starting lineup alongside Davis in the frontcourt. On top of that, Randle is poised to be a significant beneficiary of Davis’ decreased minute allotment, in addition to Okafor being unable to suit up this evening.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Jahlil Okafor Jerryd Bayless (toe) out Friday; Jeff Teague (foot) will play off the bench
Bayless has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sore right toe, and he’ll join Derrick Rose, Tyus Jones, and Robert Covington on the Timberwolves’ inactive list, while Teague has been cleared to return from an eight-game absence because of a sore left foot. However, head coach Ryan Saunders already confirmed Teague will come off the bench in his first game back, likely signaling he’ll be subject to some kind of minute restriction. This means that Isaiah Canaan will start at point guard, while Teague and Andrew Wiggins should absorb all of the backup point guard minutes after Bayless logged at least 35 minutes in each of the last five games prior to his injury. Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns have been the primary beneficiaries with Bayless, Rose, and Covington off the court, as they each own at least a +8.5% usage rate differential and experience a minimum of a +0.24 increase to their per minute fantasy production in this scenario.
As reported by: Alan Horton via Twitter Other tagged players: Jeff Teague Devin Booker (hamsting) out Friday
Booker has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a tight right hamstring that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while T.J. Warren and De’Anthony Melton remain sidelined with their respective ailments. Tyler Johnson is available to make his Suns debut, but he’ll come off the bench for the time being, as head coach Igor Kokoskov has opted to stick with Elie Okobo as the starting point guard for at least one additional game. This means that Dragan Bender will draw a second straight start at power forward following a dismal fantasy performance in just 14 minutes of action in Wednesday’s loss, and both he and Okobo will have volatile minute floors moving forward with Johnson and Kelly Oubre lurking on the bench.
As reported by: Kellan Olson via Twitter Luka Doncic (thigh) active Friday
Doncic has officially been upgraded from questionable and is active for Friday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks despite dealing with a right thigh contusion. Meanwhile, Justin Jackson is available to make his Mavericks debut after being acquired in the trade that sent Harrison Barnes to the Sacramento Kings, but head coach Rick Carlisle wouldn’t commit to Jackson actually seeing minutes with the second unit. There are a few different routes Carlisle can take with his starting lineup in tonight’s contest, but Tim Hardaway Jr. or Dwight Powell appear to be the likeliest candidates to receive the starting nod depending on how Carlisle decides to match up with this athletic Bucks squad.
As reported by: Brad Townsend via Twitter Joel Embiid (illness) will play Friday
Embiid has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets despite battling an illness, while J.J. Redick wasn’t included on the Sixers’ injury report and is set to return from a one-game absence due to an illness. Philadelphia made a flurry of moves prior to the trade deadline, and Tobias Harris, James Ennis, Mike Scott, and Boban Marjanovic are all available to make their Sixers debuts in tonight’s contest, though Jonathon Simmons won’t make his debut until the matinee against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday afternoon.
As reported by: Kyle Neubeck via Twitter