DFS Alerts
Jamal Murray is questionable tonight
Jamal Murray suffered an ankle injury during Friday nights win and reportedly could have finished the game if needed vs The Suns. Murray has stated that he wants to play tonight, but if the team decides to rest him, then Monte Morris would likely draw the start becoming a value play across the industry.
As reported by: Harrison Wind Twitter Other tagged players: Monte Morris
Damian Lillard expected to rest tonight vs Atlanta
In what looked like a somewhat straight forward slate in terms of impactful injury news, Chris Haynes reports that The Trailblazers are expected to sit Damian Lillard tonight for rest. Looking forward we can probably expect teams to rest key players vs a very poor Hawks team, and even without Lillard, the team should have no problem taking care of business at home. If Lillard were to sit, the extra offensive output should filter through C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic. Accessory players Evan Turner and Jake Laymen should also see bumps and could be considered decent sources of salary relief on the slate. Seth Curry could start in the absence of Lillard and would also be a great value option across the industry.
As reported by: Chris Haynes Twitter Other tagged players: CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, Evan Turner, Jake Layman, Seth Curry Heavy Favorite Looking To Light Things Up From Downtown Tonight
Atlanta visits Portland tonight with the Trailblazers 10.5 point favorites, and that could mean big games from Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, or both. Atlanta ranks last in the league in points allowed per game, giving up 117 points per contest, and 27th in the league in 3-pointers allowed per game. Lillard and McCollum are Portland’s two leading scorers, and both are dangerous from downtown with Lillard hitting 2.8 3PM per game and McCollum averaging 2.1 3PM per contest.
Other tagged players: Damian Lillard
Garrett Temple out Saturday, Omri Casspi doubtful
Already down wing players Kyle Anderson and Dillon Brooks the Memphis Grizzlies have listed Garrett Temple out tonight with a left shoulder sprain. Omri Casspi would be the person with the most to gain in the absence of Temple, but he is now listed as doubtful on the injury report leaving the team down multiple players for tonight’s game vs The Pacers. The minutes normally taken by Temple would have been mostly distributed to Caspi, but now that he is doubtful the team could look to JaMychal Green if they want to go big or Shelvin Mack if they decide to run three guards and go small. We should have some clarity closer to tip about potential starters for The Grizzlies.
As reported by: Grizzles PR Twitter Other tagged players: Omri Casspi, JaMychal Green, Shelvin Mack Jimmy Butler is officially out Saturday
After a specialist confirmed a wrist sprain, Jimmy Buttler will miss tonight’s game vs The Nuggets. Already down Joel Embid, the team will look for Ben Simmons to carry the load against The Nuggets tonight. Corey Brewer should continue to start in the absence of Butler and once again becomes a decent source of value on the slate. Mike Muscala is the most likely candidate to fill in for Embid tonight and has performed very well in the past when in this situation. While J.J Reddick should see a bump in usage with two of the three starts off the court, Ben Simmions will be the biggest benefactor in terms of available opportunity. In games where both Butler and Embid have missed Simmons has seen his usage jump almost 7% this season.
As reported by: Chris Haynes Twitter Other tagged players: Mike Muscala, Joel Embiid, Corey Brewer, Ben Simmons Likeliest Candidate
Muscala is the likeliest candidate to replace Joel Embiid in the 76ers starting lineup, although it’s a situation worth monitoring as Brett Brown has thrown us curveballs in the past. Even in a tough matchup, Muscala rates as one of the top value plays on the slate as long as he’s able to stay on the court for 25+ minutes. On DraftKings you have the ability to play both Muscala and Nikola Jokic which seems like the preferred approach. On FanDuel you’ll have to choose between the two. I don’t think there is any “wrong” choice here and it really just comes down to your preferred approach to lineup construction. My initial lean is to pay up for Jokic and save elsewhere.
Minutes + Workload
With Joel Embiid out and Jimmy Butler doubtful, the 76ers offense is set to run through Ben Simmons on Saturday night. This doesn’t stand out as a favorable matchup for Simmons but the minutes and workload should be there as Simmons has seen his usage rate jump 5% with both Embiid and Butler off the court this season. Nikola Jokic is the priority spend in cash games but there appears to be enough value on the slate where pairing Simmons with Jokic is a practical approach.
Top Overall Play
With Joel Embiid out, the 76ers are left with some combination of Mike Muscala, Amir Johnson, and Jonah Bolden to defend Nikola Jokic who will return from his 1-game suspension on Saturday night. That’s a matchup that favors Jokic who may already be in line for a bigger workload as Jamal Murray left Friday’s game with an ankle injury and was seen in a walking boot. Even if Murray is able to go, it sounds like he won’t be near 100% which should mean more offensive responsibility for the Nuggets big man who is Saturday’s top overall play.
Rudy Gobert (hamstring) will start Friday
Gobert has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Friday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves despite dealing with a sore right hamstring, while Dante Exum, Raul Neto, Thabo Sefolosha, and Tony Bradley all will remain sidelined with their respective ailments. There’s been no word if Gobert will be subject to any sort of minute restriction in tonight’s contest, but if he’s limited in any way, Derrick Favors would be in a tremendous position as a contrarian tournament option. Gobert hasn’t missed a game all season, so there’s a bit of guesswork involved in projecting the frontcourt minutes with him limited, but Ekpe Udoh would likely join the rotation and serve as the backup center if this situation comes to fruition this evening. Still, there’s no debating the Favors has been the main beneficiary with Gobert off the court, as he owns 21.5% usage rate and is averaging 1.30 DraftKings and 1.33 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: the Utah Jazz via Twitter
Richaun Holmes (foot) out Friday
Holmes has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to a sprained right foot that’s now forced him to miss four consecutive games, while Deandre Ayton and De’Anthony Melton were already ruled out in advance with their respective ailments. The absence of Ayton will enable Dragan Bender to draw a fourth straight start at center, and he’s been relatively effective from a fantasy perspective in an average of 29 minutes of action through his first three spot starts. Quincy Acy had played between 8-10 minutes off the bench in five of his first six games as a member of the Suns, but he’s been inconsistent in his extended run behind Bender in the frontcourt rotation. With Melton unavailable, Kelly Oubre will be in line for an increase in playing time himself, and he owns a 27.4% usage rate (+2.9%) with an average of 1.15 DraftKings and 1.16 FanDuel points per minute with Ayton, Melton, and T.J. Warren off the court this season.
As reported by: Duane Rankin via Twitter Derrick Rose (ankle) and Jeff Teague (foot) out Friday
Rose has officially downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a sore right ankle he began experiencing during Thursday’s win, while Teague will miss a third consecutive game with a sore left foot. In their absences, Jerryd Bayless should be needed as a spot starter at point guard after playing at least 28 minutes and exceeding his salary-based expectations in each of the last two games. Without Rose available for the second half last night, Jared Terrell and Andrew Wiggins served as the backup point guards, which makes Wiggins an intriguing tournament target on tonight’s slate with both Rose and Teague sidelined, as he owns a 32.5% usage rate (+6.1%) and is averaging 1.08 DraftKings and 1.05 FanDuel points per minute with them off the court this season.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Jeff Teague Larry Nance Jr. (knee) will play off the bench Friday
Nance has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play off the bench in Friday’s matchup against the Miami Heat after missing eight consecutive games due to a sprained MCL in his right knee. There’s been no word if Nance will be subject to a strict minute restriction, but the fact that he’s coming off the bench behind Ante Zizic at center should indicate to the likelihood he won’t come close to approaching his normal minute allotment in interim head coach Larry Drew’s rotation. Zizic has played at least 31 minutes as a starter in three of the Cavalier last five games, and despite being largely effective from a fantasy standpoint, he should see that minute floor greatly diminished with Nance back in the fold, even in a possibly limited fashion.
As reported by: Spencer Davies via Twitter Tony Parker (rest) out Friday
Parker will still be active and in uniform for the Hornets, but he won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to rest purposes. Parker has missed five 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, 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, neither Parker or Graham can be realistically considered in any daily fantasy formats in a 10-game slate considering their capped minutes ceilings in a healthy Hornets rotation.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Garrett Temple (heel) available to play Friday
Temple has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings despite dealing with a sore right heel, while Joakim Noah is back with the team and will be available off the bench after missing three consecutive games due to personal reasons. Temple started and logged 37 minutes in Wednesday’s loss, so he doesn’t appear to be too hampered by the aforementioned heel injury that’s landed him on the injury report for two straight contests. The Kings like to run out lineup combinations with Willie Cauley-Stein and Marvin Bagley III manning the frontcourt on a consistent basis, so Jaren Jackson Jr. could be interesting tournament target in the mid-range, as he’s recorded a 24.3% usage rate and averaged 1.25 DraftKings and 1.35 FanDuel points per minute in the Grizzlies three prior meetings with the Kings this season.
As reported by: Omari Sankofa II via Twitter Jabari Parker (knee) available to play Friday
Parker has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing one game due to a strained right patellar tendon. Parker has played at least 17 minutes in four of his last five games, so he appears to have begun to carve out a noteworthy role in head coach Jim Boylen’s rotation. Meanwhile, Bobby Portis will rejoin the starting lineup following a subpar fantasy performance in 33 minutes of action in Wednesday’s loss, which will send Robin Lopez back to the bench to resume a reserve role. Not only will Portis likely see typical starters’ minutes in an exploitable matchup up with an undersized Clippers frontcourt, but he also owns a 26.8% usage rate and is averaging 1.19 DraftKings and 1.13 FanDuel points per minute with Wendell Carter Jr. off the court.
As reported by: Cody Westerlund via Twitter Other tagged players: Bobby Portis, Robin Lopez