DFS Alerts
Raul Neto (groin) available to play Wednesday
Neto has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns after missing 12 consecutive games due to a strained left groin. Neto has largely been a non-factor in the Jazz rotation for most of the season, but he should serve as a backup point guard in some capacity while Dante Exum remains sidelined with a sprained left ankle. That role shouldn’t equate to a substantial amount of playing time, but Neto’s presence should be enough to demote Grayson Allen from the rotation and could even eat into Ricky Rubio’s minute floor on a night-to-night basis depending on the matchup. However, Mitchell has been spending a lot more time as the point guard with Rubio off the floor, so it’s certainly possible head coach Quin Snyder opts to leave the rotation unchanged even with Neto back in the fold.
As reported by: Andy Larsen via Twitter
Wizards will trade Otto Porter to the Bulls for Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker
According to Yahoo Sports’ Shams Charania, the Washington Wizards are sending Otto Porter to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker, which will effectively rule all three out of their former teams’ respective matchups on Wednesday evening. In Porter’s absence, Jeff Green will almost certainly enter the starting lineup alongside Trevor Ariza in the Wizards frontcourt, and he’s already consistently been logging minutes in the low-30s with Porter available, so he should theoretically be in line for a sizable minute workload in tonight’s contest. As for the Bulls, their frontcourt rotation is a bit more difficult to figure out sans Portis and Parker, but Lauri Markkanen and Robin Lopez should logically have higher minute floors with depleted depth at their positions and certainly in the realm of possibility that Christiano Felicio enters the rotation in a significant role for the first time in quite a while.
As reported by: Shams Charania via Twitter Other tagged players: Bobby Portis, Jabari Parker Julius Randle (ankle) will play off bench Wednesday; Nikola Mirotic (ankle) ruled out
Randle has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play off the bench in Wednesday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls after missing six consecutive games due to a sprained right ankle, while Nikola Mirotic will remain sidelined, as expected, with a strained right calf. The Pelicans are still without Anthony Davis, Elfrid Payton, and E’Twaun Moore, so Frank Jackson and Darius Miller will remain in the starting lineup for at least an additional game with Randle having his minutes monitored. This news will enable Kenrich Williams to continue starting alongside Miller in the frontcourt following a solid fantasy performance in 35 minutes of action in Wednesday’s win. In this scenario, Randle will be an intriguing tournament option if he isn’t too severely limited, as he owns a 30.8% usage rate (+3.3%) and is averaging 1.41 DraftKings and 1.36 FanDuel points per minute with Davis, Mirotic, Payton, and Moore off the court this season.
As reported by: Andrew Lopez via Twitter Other tagged players: Nikola Mirotic Jamal Murray (ankle) will play Wednesday; Paul Millsap (ankle) ruled out
Murray has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets after missing six consecutive games due to a sprained left ankle, while Paul Millsap will join Gary Harris on the Nuggets’ inactive list for yet another contest. There’s been no word if Murray will be subject to a minute restriction or if he’ll immediately take over his typical starting point guard role from Monte Morris, who’s logged at least 37 minutes and exceeded his salary-based expectations in three of the last four games.
As reported by: Chris Dempsey via Twitter Other tagged players: Paul Millsap Wayne Selden (knee) will play Wednesday
Selden has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans despite dealing with a sore left knee, while Kris Dunn was previously cleared to play after also missing Monday’s practice with a pelvic contusion. There’s been no reported minute restriction for either Selden or Dunn, so they’ll presumably see close to their normal minute allotments as part of the starting lineup for tonight’s contest. Head coach Jim Boylen did disclose that he’ll likely give some playing time to the newly acquired Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot off the bench, but he gave no indication who may be in danger of losing their role in the wing rotation. Selden has played at least 35 minutes in three of the last four games, but his minuscule 15.0% usage rate and his average of 0.59 DraftKings and 0.57 FanDuel points per minute as a member of the Bulls makes him a difficult player to trust in any fantasy format.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson via Twitter Allen Crabbe (knee) listed as available Wednesday
Crabbe has been upgraded from probable to available on the most recent version of the Nets’ injury report and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets after missing 26 consecutive games due to a sore right knee. There’s been no reported minute restriction for Crabbe thus far, but given the length of his absence, it would seem likely he’d be eased back into game action. Joe Harris wasn’t included on the injury report, and he’ll presumably usurp Shabazz Napier from the starting lineup following Napier’s serviceable fantasy performance as a spot starter in 28 minutes of action in Monday’s loss. Theo Pinson and Mitch Creek combined for 42 minutes off the bench in that contest, so one or both of them could find themselves outside of the rotation with Harris available and Crabbe likely playing a limited role in the second unit in his return.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Shots Available On This Team Tonight
Devin Booker is expected to miss tonight’s game, which means there should be shots available for the Suns tonight in their matchup with Utah. Looking at CourtIQ, without Booker on the court this season, Josh Jackson gets a 2.6% usage increase and averages 0.98 fantasy points per minute, while Kelly Oubre sees a 1.9% usage bump and a 1.09 fantasy points per minute average. Deandre Ayton is also an option to consider with a 2.5% usage increase and a 1.18 fantasy point per minute average with Booker off the court, however he draws a difficult defensive matchup against Utah center Rudy Gobert.
Other tagged players: Josh Jackson, Deandre Ayton
Target 3-Point Shooters On This Team Tonight
The Washington – Milwaukee game has the a high 230 point total tonight, tied for the second-highest on the night, and while Giannis Antetokounmpo is the first name people will think of with the Bucks sitting as 11 point favorites, there are several other players to target from this game as well. The Bucks rank last in the league in 3PM allowed this season, giving up a league-high 12.6 3PM per game, so targeting the Wizards’ best long distance shooters could pay off tonight. Trevor Ariza leads the team with 7.8 3-pointers attempted since being traded from Phoenix, and Washington’s leading scorer, Bradley Beal, ranks second on the team in 3-pointers attempted with 7.2 attempts per game.
Other tagged players: Trevor Ariza, Giannis Antetokounmpo Devin Booker (hamstring) listed out Wednesday
Booker has been listed out on the most recent version of the Suns’ injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz after previously being listed as questionable due to a tight left hamstring. The Suns are still without T.J. Warren and De’Anthony Melton as well, so Kelly Oubre is the most logical candidate to enter the starting lineup in Booker’s place, though he’s already logged at least 30 minutes off the bench in each of the Suns last six games and leaves very little room for an increase in minute floor. Oubre does stand to benefit from an increase in usage sans Booker (+2.0%), but Josh Jackson has actually been the main beneficiary with him, Warren, and Melton off the court, as he owns a 28.8% usage rate (+4.6%) and is averaging 1.23 DraftKings and 1.25 FanDuel points per minute in a 152.4 minutes sample size.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Too Cheap On DraftKings
Tim Hardaway Jr. will be making his debut in Dallas tonight, and should be able to make an instant impact on this team. Charlotte ranks 21st in defensive efficiency against shooting guards, and they’ve really struggled with scoring wing players all season. I project him around 30 minutes, which gives him a nice floor and upside in this spot. He missed two games because of the trade, and his price came way down on DraftKings and FantasyDraft.
Right Back To The Well
Kenrich Williams received his first career start against the Pacers on Monday and continued to be a great fantasy option. He finished with 30+ fantasy for the third time in his last four games. He shot 23% from the field on Monday, and really showed us a floor game. I still don’t think he’s priced where he should be on DraftKings and FantasyDraft. Williams has played at least 30 minutes in four straight games. Randle is questionable to play, but everyone else is still out, which should make it a fifth straight game over 30 minutes for Williams.
Increased Opportunity
All of the Spurs are in play tonight, but Jakob Poeltl is my favorite “punt” option among the group. He’s extremely cheap across the industry, and I just don’t see the Spurs playing Gasol over 20 minutes. If this game doesn’t stay close, Poeltl should be blow out proof, which is another reason I really like him in this spot. He’s averaging 1.08 fantasy points per minute with Aldridge, DeRozan, and White off the floor this season.
The Shot Attempts Will Be There
We don’t have a large sample size with Aldridge, DeRozan, and White off the floor this season. In 264.2 minutes, Marco Belinelli has a 26.6% usage rate and he’s averaging right at a fantasy point per minute. It’s always about minutes with Belinelli, but with those three guys out, I don’t see a way for Belinelli to play under 25 minutes in this game. He’s going to put up his shots, and is one of my favorite value plays on this slate.
Tony Parker (back) officially out Wednesday
Parker has been added to the Hornets’ injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to a strained back. Parker has missed seven games to this point in the season, and in those contests, Devonte’ Graham has typically stepped into the backup role behind Kemba Walker at point guard. Unfortunately, with Graham largely out of the rotation most nights, he should absorb most, if not, all of Parker’s vacated minutes in the second unit, which leaves very little else for anyone else in the rotation to benefit. To make matters worse, Graham can’t be realistically considered in any daily fantasy formats on a seven-game slate considering his capped minutes ceilings in the high-teens or low-20s in a mostly healthy Hornets rotation.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Anthony Davis will be active but won't play Wednesday
Davis has been medically cleared to play, but the Pelicans will hold him out until Thursday’s trade deadline passes, effectively ruling him out of Wednesday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls, while Julius Randle will be a game-time decision and Nikola Mirotic remains doubtful with their respective ailments. The Pelicans are still without Elfrid Payton and E’Twaun Moore, so Frank Jackson and Darius Miller should remain in the starting lineup for at least an additional game regardless of Randle’s availability. If Randle is able to play, Kenrich Williams is the likeliest candidate to head back to the bench to resume a reserve following a solid fantasy performance in 35 minutes of action in Wednesday’s win. In that scenario, Randle would be an intriguing tournament option if he isn’t limited, as he owns a 30.8% usage rate (+3.3%) and is averaging 1.41 DraftKings and 1.36 FanDuel points per minute with Davis, Mirotic, Payton, and Moore off the court this season.
As reported by: Andrew Lopez via Twitter