DFS Alerts
Piling On The Points
An important thing to note on this slate is that the mid-range of players is a relative dead zone. There aren’t a lot of screaming values in that area, so my general lineup building approach will involve paying up for two of the four studs on the slate (with those four players being Irving, George, Westbrook, and Leonard). Obviously, I am prioritizing Irving and George, but you aren’t necessarily doing it wrong with any combination of the floor. There should be more than enough value available in order to fit two of the studs, and it makes sense given the limited availability of mid-range options. As for George, he is averaging 34 actual points per game over the last seven contests, which is a seven point increase over his full season average. The minutes are secure, the role is obviously there, and the Thunder are rolling with seven straight wins. George doesn’t get the national headlines with Russell Westbrook dominating the news headlines, but George is absolutely thriving right now. You can certainly spend for two point guards with the Irving/Westbrook combination if you wish, but it makes more sense to me to prioritize Irving and George. That is the way I will go as of this moment.
Filling It Up
Although the injury-related DNP’s certainly were an issue in the month of January, Kyrie Irving played excellent basketball when he was on the court — besting his season averages by over two points and 1.5 assists per game during the month. He has looked dominant at times and deserves consideration as an elite option on a short slate. I was slow to come around to his improved, confident play, but that will be corrected now. Irving returned from another brief absence the other night against the Knicks and looked completely healthy, posting a 23/10/6 line over 36 impressive minutes. He has played at least 34 minutes in each of the last six games in which he has played, averaging 56 FD points and 58 DK points in those six contests. He still comes at a considerable discount from Westbrook, and Irving is my priority in cash games today. I think he will be very motivated for this nationally televised head-to-head battle, and a big game is in the works.
Dependent on Mike Conley's Injury Status
The reality is that the Knicks are by far the worst defensive team on the slate as they allow the second most points per 100 possessions (114.8) and the fifth highest effective field goal percentage (54.6%) in the league. Holiday’s role is already solidified with Kyle Anderson out and Garrett Temple doubtful, but Shelvin Mack would leap frog him as the top salary saver of the slate if Mike Conley is inactive.
Other tagged players: Justin Holiday
Derrick Rose (ankle) available to play Saturday
Rose has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets after missing three consecutive games due to a sore right ankle, while Jeff Teague will miss a sixth straight contest with a sore left foot. There’s been no official confirmation if Rose will be subject to a minute restriction, but Jerryd Bayless will stick in the starting lineup at point guard for at least one additional game following his stretch of great fantasy performances in an average of 40.1 minutes over the previous three games. However, if Rose is able to see anywhere near his usual minute allotment, he’d be an intriguing tournament target, since he, Andrew Wiggins, and Karl-Anthony Towns all own at least a +3.5% usage rate differential and experience a minimum of a +0.10 increase to their per minute production with Teague and Robert Covington off the court.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter
Deandre Ayton (ankle) will start Saturday; Dragan Bender (thumb) available to play
Ayton has officially been upgraded from probable and will start in Saturday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks after missing six consecutive games due to a sprained left ankle, while Bender has been cleared to play despite dealing with a sprained right thumb. Head coach Igor Kokoskov already confirmed with reporters that Ayton won’t be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back, which should end Bender’s brief run in the rotation after he logged just three minutes off the bench in Tuesday’s loss. The Suns are still without T.J. Warren and De’Anthony Melton, so Josh Jackson and Elie Okobo will continue to start at power forward and point guard, respectively, though Okobo has failed to play more than 22 minutes in either of the last two contests. Unsurprisingly, Devin Booker has been the main beneficiary with Warren and Melton off the court, as he owns a 34.8% usage rate and is averaging 1.32 DraftKings and 1.28 FanDuel points in this scenario.
As reported by: the Phoenix Suns via Twitter Other tagged players: Dragan Bender Klay Thompson (illness) will start Saturday
Thompson has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Saturday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers after missing one game due to an illness. There’s been no word if Thompson will be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back, but it seems unlikely he would be cleared to play if he wasn’t at or close to full strength. His return to the starting lineup will send Alfonzo McKinnie back to the bench to resume a reserve role following an uninspiring fantasy performance in 27 minutes of action in Thursday’s loss. As expected, in Thompson’s absence, both Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant absorbed additional usage in the starting unit, as they combined for a 76.6% usage rate, though Curry was far more effective and recorded 59.50 DraftKings and 52.80 FanDuel points in 38 minutes. However, the Warriors are massive favorites in tonight’s contest, reserving Curry, Durant, and the rest of the Warriors to tournament options only.
As reported by: Warriors PR via Twitter Kyle Kuzma (hip) and Josh Hart (knee) available to play Saturday
Kuzma and Hart have both officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors despite dealing with their respective ailments, while LeBron James and Tyson Chandler will be rested as part of their load management plans. James returned from a 17-game injury absence in Thursday’s overtime win and logged a whopping 40 minutes, which led head coach Luke Walton to admit to reporters during his pregame media availability that James woke up feeling “pretty sore” this morning, despite him never being listed on any variation of the team’s injury report throughout the day. In James’ absence, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope should rejoin the starting lineup after a one-game hiatus, but Brandon Ingram continues to thrive with James and Lonzo Ball off the court, as he owns a 27.4% usage rate (+3.4%) and is averaging 1.07 DraftKings and 1.07 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Brad Turner via Twitter LeBron James (rest) and Tyson Chandler (rest) out Saturday
James is a late addition to the Lakers’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to rest purposes following his return from a 17-game injury absence in Thursday’s win, while Chandler will also be rested after he accrued his highest minute total in the last seven games. James logged a whopping 40 minutes in that contest, which led head coach Luke Walton to admit to reporters during his pregame media availability that James woke up feeling “pretty sore” this morning, despite him never being listed on any variation of the team’s injury report throughout the day. In James’ absence, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope should rejoin the starting lineup after a one-game hiatus, but Brandon Ingram continues to thrive with James and Lonzo Ball off the court, as he owns a 27.4% usage rate (+3.4%) and is averaging 1.07 DraftKings and 1.07 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Tania Ganguli via Twitter Other tagged players: Tyson Chandler Mohamed Bamba (leg) out Saturday
Bamba is an extremely late addition to the Magic’s injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to a sore lower left leg. There appears to be some concern about the severity of the injury since the Magic already confirmed that Bamba will undergo further evaluation. In his absence, Khem Birch will likely step into the vacated backup center role once again, just as he did for the four games Bamba was sidelined earlier in the season.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter Otto Porter (toe) will start Saturday
Porter has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Saturday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks despite dealing with a sprained left big toe. Porter was limited to just 16 minutes in Wednesday’s win because of the aforementioned injury, but there’s been no report of a minute restriction or any type of limitations in tonight’s contest. Still, Porter has struggled mightily over the Wizards last six games, so he appears to be an easy player to avoid in daily fantasy formats given the uncertainty surrounding his health. Bradley Beal continues to shoulder the offensive load for this depleted Wizards squad, as he currently owns a 32.9% usage rate and is averaging 1.34 DraftKings and 1.32 FanDuel points per minute on the year, but he draws a difficult matchup with a Bucks team that ranks first in the NBA in defensive efficiency.
As reported by: the Washington Wizards via Twitter David Nwaba (ankle) available to play Saturday
Nwaba has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks after missing 18 consecutive games due to a sprained left ankle. Head coach Larry Drew did admit to reporters during his pregame media availability that Nwaba would probably but was unsure of how much, and he also disclosed that the training staff will monitor his minutes and level of conditioning.
As reported by: Spencer Davies via Twitter Eric Bledsoe (Achilles) out Saturday; Sterling Brown (wrist) will play
Bledsoe has officially been downgraded from probable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to a sore left Achilles tendon, while Brown will play despite dealing with a bruised right wrist. In Bledsoe’s absence, Tony Snell will join the starting lineup alongside Khris Middleton on the wing, and he logged 24 minutes in place of Malcolm Brogdon his most recent spot start. Unfortunately, Snell isn’t really in consideration as a value option on a full 11-game slate considering he has just a 14.5% usage rate on the year. Other than Brogdon and Giannis Antetokounmpo, it’s actually been Middleton that’s been the main beneficiary with Bledsoe off the court this season, as he owns a 31.0% usage rate (+5.9%) and is averaging 1.28 DraftKings and 1.23 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Ted Davis via Twitter Other tagged players: Sterling Brown Zach LaVine (ankle) and Wayne Selden (knee) will play Saturday
LaVine has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets after missing one game due to a sprained right ankle, while Wayne Selden has also been cleared to play despite dealing with a sore right knee. The return of LaVine to the starting lineup will likely send Ryan Arcidiacano back to the bench following a solid fantasy outing in 34 minutes of action in Wednesday’s win. Meanwhile, Jabari Parker is away from the team tending to a personal matter, so Bobby Portis should theoretically see an uptick in playing time at power forward with Wendell Carter Jr. also still sidelined. Additionally, with Parker and Carter Jr. off the court, LaVine owns a 35.7% usage rate (+3.3%) and is averaging 1.23 DraftKings and 1.20 FanDuel points per minute, making him an intriguing tournament target if he isn’t limited.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson via Twitter Other tagged players: Wayne Selden Ish Smith (groin) will play Saturday
Smith has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing 26 of the Pistons previous 28 games due to a right adductor injury. There’s been no confirmation if Smith will be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back, but his mere presence in the rotation should provide some stability in the second unit when Reggie Jackson is off the floor. Jackson has exceeded his salary-based expectations and averaged 35.8 minutes over the past three contests but that lofty minute floor may take a bit of a hit with Smith returning to the backcourt mix, as head coach Dwane Casey has shown tendencies to ride the hot hand on a game-to-game basis. Meanwhile, Blake Griffin was stellar in his first meeting with his former team, as he recorded a 39.1% usage rate and averaged 1.78 DraftKings and 1.80 FanDuel points per minute.
As reported by: James Edwards III via Twitter Last Man Standing
Ah, the Pelicans. What has this team become? Anthony Davis is hurt and wants out of town. Elfrid Payton is hurt. Nikola Mirotic is hurt and on the trade block. Julius Randle is hurt and might be on the trade block. E’Twaun Moore is hurt. Jahlil Okafor has become a $7,000+ priced option on the major sites. Welcome to the twilight zone. In any case, SOMEONE has to pick up minutes and usage for this team thanks to all the injuries. Outside of Jrue Holiday, there really isn’t an offensive creator on the squad. That is part of what makes Darius Miller much more interesting now. For reference, Miller took double digit shot attempts in three total games in October, November, and December. Now, he has taken double digit shot attempts in five straight games. He is becoming more involved in the offense simply out of necessity, and he’s going to play nearly 40 minutes if this game stays close. That combined with the injury situation should allow him to fall into 25+ fantasy points. This is nice access to a reasonably priced play, and while it feels uncomfortable calling Darius Miller a “safe” option, the circumstances warrant such treatment right now.