DFS Alerts
Bobby Portis (elbow) questionable Saturday
Portis is a late addition to the Bulls’ injury report and is questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a right elbow injury. There wasn’t any indication that Portis was dealing with an elbow ailment following Friday’s loss, so his inclusion on the injury report does raise a bit of a red flag since the Bulls may opt to rest him on on the second leg of a back-to-back after his lengthy injury absence because of a sprained right ankle. However, Portis has averaged just 18.5 minutes in his first three games back, so his potential absence won’t have too significant of an impact on the remainder of the frontcourt rotation, though Jabari Parker could rejoin the rotation in this scenario and absorb a majority of the vacated minutes at power forward in the second unit.
As reported by: Daniel Greenberg via Twitter
Tony Parker (rest) officially out Saturday
Parker has officially been downgraded from doubtful, as expected, and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings due to rest purposes on the second leg of the Hornets’ current back-to-back set, and he’ll join Cody Zeller on the inactive list for tonight’s contest. Parker has only missed four games all season, and in those instances, Devonte’ Graham typically steps into his vacated role in the rotation and is coming off of a solid fantasy outing the last time Parker was sidelined in 22 minutes of action off the bench. The absence of Parker also solidifies the minute floor of Kemba Walker, and he could be an intriguing tournament target considering he leads the Hornets with a 32.8% usage rate and is averaging 1.25 DraftKings and 1.22 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Ish Smith (groin) not expected to play Saturday
Smith is still technically listed as questionable, but head coach Dwane Casey stated that he doesn’t think Smith will play in Saturday’s matinee matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a torn right adductor muscle. The Pistons didn’t hold a shootaround or walkthrough this morning because of the early tip-off, so it sounds as if Casey would like Smith to go through a practice or at least some type of team activity prior to returning from a lengthy injury absence. Meanwhile, Blake Griffin will return to the starting lineup, as expected, after being rested on the second leg of a back-to-back set in Thursday’s loss, which will send Luke Kennard back to the bench to resume a reserve role following an uninspiring fantasy outing in 23 minutes of action in his spot start.
As reported by: Keith Langlois via Twitter Stock Could Rise
Taj Gibson is a fringe cash play due to a low price tag and strong matchup but his stock could rise even further if Karl-Anthony Towns is unable to play on Saturday night. KAT tweaked his ankle on Friday and is currently listed as questionable against the Pelicans. Gibson makes for a strong play on FanDuel where you’re required to play two PF’s and gives you strong double-double bonus equity for cheap on DraftKings.
Keep Your Eye on Booker's Status
The most recent update on Devin Booker is that he has a “slim” chance to play on Saturday night. If he’s unable to suit up, secondary Suns options like De’Anthony Melton enter the cash game discussion. It is Melton who has benefited the most from Booker’s absence this season as his usage rate increases 3.4% and averages 4+ more fantasy points with Booker off the court. You’ll need to keep your eyes on Booker’s status as Melton becomes a much less attractive play if Booker suits up.
Point Donovan
Point Donovan didn’t disappoint on Friday night, pouring in 33 points and adding 9 assists in 33 minutes of court time. Mitchell will once again be in line for a bigger workload on Saturday night and his biggest obstacle may be avoiding a blowout as the Jazz are 11-point home favorites against the Bulls. Encouragingly, Mitchell did log 33 minutes of action in last night’s 113-95 blowout so I’m not overly concerned about Mitchell getting enough minutes to pay off his price tag.
Derrick Rose (ankle) questionable Saturday
Rose has officially been listed as questionable on the Timberwolves’ injury report for Saturday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sprained right ankle that recently forced him to miss six consecutive games, while Karl-Anthony Towns wasn’t included on the injury despite rolling his ankle and briefly going to the locker room during Friday’s loss. Rose was limited to 28 minutes in his first game under interim head coach Ryan Sauders, as he opted to utilize a 10-man rotation in yesterday’s contest, something former head coach Tom Thibodeau rarely did. Because of this, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if some of the starters’ minutes are scaled back on the second leg of a back-to-back set, which would allow Anthony Tolliver to take on a slightly larger role in the rotation, regardless of Rose’s availability, after recording just five minutes in the previous game.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Hassan Whiteside (illness) listed out Saturday
Whiteside has been listed out on the most recent version of the Heat’s injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to an illness. When Whiteside was sidelined for five games earlier the season, Bam Adebayo started at center and was largely effective from a fantasy perspective in just under 30 minutes per start. The Heat’s offensive prospects are far from ideal in this spot versus Memphis, but Adebayo still averages 1.01 DraftKings and 1.04 FanDuel points with Whiteside and Goran Dragic off the court this season, which keeps him firmly in consideration for daily fantasy formats on tonight’s slate. Another potential beneficiary is Josh Richardson, as he owns a 27.4% usage rate (+3.0%) and has averaged 0.99 DraftKings and 0.96 FanDuel points per minute in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report The Top Priority To Spend Up On
One of the biggest reasons why it is a priority to play Royce O’Neale tonight is that it gives you access to pay up for one of the most expensive players on the slate. It’s a close call between Anthony Davis and Russell Wesbrook, and you’re really not operating incorrectly no matter who you choose between the two. After all, Westbrook just dropped a 24/13/24 triple-double against these same Spurs two days ago (with the benefit of double overtime). Both Westbrook and Davis are elite options tonight, but you can’t choose both. That being said, I’ll put my dollars behind Davis on this slate. The Wolves/Pelicans game has a massive 235 Vegas total and a one point spread, so we should see a competitive, high scoring game. In addition, Karl-Anthony Towns could possibly be sidelined for the Wolves. The Gibson/Saric combination is not going to slow down the New Orleans big man. It’s hard to believe, but Davis has actually picked UP his production since the calendar turned to 2019, as he is averaging 32 points, 15.5 rebounds, and three blocks per game over four January contests. He did not play in the last head-to-head meeting between these teams, but expect him to make up for lost time with a massive game tonight.
Hard To Pass On The Value
The Utah Jazz parade continues! There really isn’t much to say about this one, other than that O’Neale provides much needed salary relief on a slate where reliable value is hard to come by. The Jazz rolled out an eight man rotation on Friday while the game was in doubt. O’Neale played a team high 40 minutes and took TWELVE three point attempts in the game. The usage is not exciting, and there isn’t a massive 50 fantasy point ceiling or anything like that with O’Neale, but he should get there. Any time a player is priced under $4,000 on both main sites and is going to play 36-40 minutes, we almost have to consider him in DFS cash games. Most players can simply stumble their way into value in that many minutes at that price. On a slate that lacks slam dunk value barring additional injury news, O’Neale has to be considered a core piece out of principle. He had a 30 fantasy point game on Friday and should be a near lock to at least give you 23-25 fantasy points, which operates just fine given his price tag. A matchup against the Bulls certainly doesn’t hurt the outlook, either.
An Elite Point Per Dollar Play
The Jazz are a mess with injuries in the backcourt right now. Ricky Rubio and Dante Exum went down, thrusting Raul Neto into the starting point guard role. Then, earlier this week, Neto went down. The Jazz simply have no point guards left on the roster. Donovan Mitchell played the role last night and will continue to do so until one of the true point guards returns. Donovan Mitchell is averaging 30 actual points per game over Utah’s last four contests, as his involvement in the offense has spiked thanks to all of the team’s injuries. His 32-33% usage rate for the season has gone up to 36% without Ricky Rubio, and it has risen to almost 40% without Rubio, Exum, and Neto. As I mentioned, he pretty much exclusively ran the point last night and was spectacular. The price tag has come up a little for tonight’s game, though it’s still in the low to mid $8,000 levels on FanDuel and DraftKings. That’s still manageable, and it’s hard to overstate how much larger of a role Mitchell has with the other bodies that are missing. Somehow, the Jazz still have an implied team total around 106 and are ten point favorites against the Bulls tonight. I suppose that speaks to just how poor the Bulls are. In any case, Mitchell should be your first priority in cash game builds tonight. The floor is rock solid with all the injuries, and there is a solid ceiling as well. After a 57-58 fantasy point performance last night, we need to take advantage while the price tag is not outrageous.
Shaun Livingston (knee) will play Friday
Livingston has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls after missing the previous game due to a sore left knee. In his absence, Quinn Cook assumed his role in the rotation and was serviceable from a fantasy perspective in 16 minutes of action off the bench. However, Cook will likely return to playing nominal minutes at the end of the rotation with Livingston cleared to play this evening. The Warriors are presently massive 15-point favorites over the Bulls, so the only way Cook even comes close to seeing significant playing time is if Livingston and the Golden State starters sit for all, or most, of the fourth quarter in tonight’s contest.
As reported by: Logan Murdock via Twitter Darren Collison (leg) available to play Friday
Collison has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the New York Knicks despite continuing to deal with a sore right leg that’s limited him to an average of 24 minutes over the Pacers’ previous two contest, while Myles Turner will miss his fourth consecutive game with a sore right shoulder. In Turner’s absence, Domantas Sabonis will almost certainly receive the starting nod at center once again and is coming off of a third straight serviceable fantasy performance in just 27 minutes of action in Wednesday’s blowout loss. Anytime Turner or Sabonis have been sidelined this year, Kyle O’Quinn has joined the rotation as the primary backup center and has averaged 17.4 minutes over the last three games, so he’s always worth a look in tournaments at his inexpensive salary across the industry since he is averaging 1.28 DraftKings and 1.34 FanDuel points per minute in limited run this season.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter Joel Embiid (ankle) officially out Friday
Embiid has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play Friday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to a sore left ankle he tweaked during Wednesday’s loss, while Amir Johnson has already been ruled out because of a migraine but J.J. Redick will play after missing two consecutive game because of back tightness. Furkan Korkmaz has started the previous two games in place of Redick on the wing and was solid from a fantasy perspective in an average of 25 minutes over that span, but he’ll head back to the bench to resume a reserve role with Redick likely to return to the starting lineup this evening. In Embiid and Johnson’s absences, the center minutes will almost entirely be absorbed by Mike Muscala and Jonah Bolden, though head coach Brett Brown has experimented some with Ben Simmons manning the five spot in smaller lineup combinations as well. However, Jimmy Butler has been the overwhelming beneficiary with Embiid off the court, as he owns a 32.1% usage rate (+7.7%) and is averaging 1.42 DraftKings and 1.46 FanDuel points per minute in a 205.0 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Kyle Neubeck via Twitter J.J. Redick (back) available to play Friday
Redick has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks after missing two consecutive games due to back tightness, while Joel Embiid and Amir Johnson have already been ruled out with their respective ailments. Furkan Korkmaz has started the previous two games in place of Redick on the wing and was solid from a fantasy perspective in an average of 25 minutes over that span, but he’ll head back to the bench to resume a reserve role with Redick likely to return to the starting lineup this evening. In Embiid and Johnson’s absences, the center minutes will almost entirely be absorbed by Mike Muscala and Jonah Bolden, though head coach Brett Brown has experimented some with Ben Simmons manning the five spot in smaller lineup combinations as well. However, Jimmy Butler has been the overwhelming beneficiary with Embiid off the court, as he owns a 32.1% usage rate (+7.7%) and is averaging 1.42 DraftKings and 1.46 FanDuel points per minute in a 205.0 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Jessica Camerato via Twitter