DFS Alerts
Joel Embiid (knee) out Sunday; Amir Johnson will start
Embiid has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a sore left knee. In his absence, Amir Johnson will enter the starting lineup at center, but he’s largely been out of the rotation of late and saw just 16 minutes as a starter the last time Embiid was sidelined. Instead, it was Mike Muscala who provided the most fantasy value off the bench, smashing his salary-based expectations in 30 minutes of action in that contest. Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler has thrived in his brief time with the Sixers without Embiid on the court, as he owns a 34.3% usage rate (+9.9%) and is averaging 1.43 DraftKings and 1.46 FanDuel points per minute in a decent 222.8 minutes sample size, making him an elite option for all formats on an abbreviated five-game slate.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter Other tagged players: Amir Johnson
Paul George (quad) will play Sunday
George has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks after missing one game with a bruised right quad, while Alex Abrines remains sidelined with an illness and Terrance Ferguson has been cleared to play following his absence from Saturday’s practice. The return of George to the starting lineup will send Dennis Schroder back to the bench to resume his normal sixth-man role after he logged a whopping 39 minutes as the starter alongside Russell Westbrook in the backcourt in Friday’s win. Abdel Nader also saw a drastic increase in playing time with both George and Abrines unavailable, but he’ll likely see that role reduced significantly considering he’s yet to eclipse the 10-minute mark in any game this season.
As reported by: Erik Horne via Twitter DeAndre Jordan (knee) will play Sunday; Wesley Matthews (foot) officially out
Jordan has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Sunday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder despite dealing with a bruised left knee, while Wesley Matthews will miss his second consecutive game due to a sore right foot. Dennis Smith Jr. returned to the starting lineup for Friday’s loss and managed to play 30 minutes in his first game action in over two weeks, so he should be expected to be a full-go moving forward. With Matthews sidelined, Maxi Kleber drew his second straight start at power forward and has logged more than 24 minutes and exceeded salary-based expectations on both occasions. There aren’t any substantial usage beneficiaries with Matthews off the court this season, but Harrison Barnes does own a 27.8% usage rate (+1.8%) and is averaging 0.98 DraftKings and 0.96 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Tim MacMahon via Twitter Other tagged players: Wesley Matthews Derrick Rose (ankle) and Jeff Teague (ankle) officially out Sunday
Rose has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to a sprained right ankle he sustained during Friday’s overtime loss, while Teague will miss his seventh consecutive game with left ankle inflammation. In their absences, Tyus Jones and Jerryd Bayless will likely handle all of the point guard minutes, as they did the last time both Rose and Teague were unavailable, and Jones should draw another spot start following his serviceable fantasy performance in 32 minutes of action last weekend. However, the clear beneficiary with Rose and Teague off the court has been Andrew Wiggins, as he owns a 32.5% usage rate (+7.0%) and is averaging 1.23 DraftKings and 1.21 FanDuel points per minute in a 91.8 minutes sample size during the post-Jimmy Butler era in Minnesota.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Jeff Teague James Johnson (illness) out Sunday; Derrick Jones Jr. (migraine) and Wayne Ellington (illness) available to play
Johnson has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to an illness, while Jones Jr., Ellington, and Udonis Haslem are all available to play following their original questionable designations on the Heat’s injury report. There’s been no confirmation of who will replace Johnson in the starting lineup, but either Jones Jr. or Kelly Olynyk appears to be the likeliest candidates depending on head coach Erik Spoelstra’s desired lineup combination, though Jones Jr. did replace him to begin the second half of Friday’s win. As for Ellington, he doesn’t figure to be a key factor in the rotation even with Johnson unavailable, as he has totaled just 15 minutes in the Heat’s last seven games while also accruing four DNP-CDs over that same span.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Other tagged players: Derrick Jones Jr., Wayne Ellington, Udonis Haslem Just Too Cheap
I don’t have to explain too much in regards to what C.J. McCollum has done over his past few years in the leauge in Portland. He has steadily improved and has always been a dynamic scorer. While he may be scoring dependent his pricing across the league is egregiously low, and we need to strike while the iron is hot. Philly has not been as good on defense this year and in this spot (even on a B2B) i think McCollum has a shot at an upside game here.
Glenn Robinson III (ankle) active but unlikely to play Sunday
Robinson has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic after missing eight consecutive games due to a sprained left ankle. However, head coach Dwane Casey did disclose to reporters during his pregame media availability that it’s unlikely for him to see playing time right from the outset given the current state of the rotation. This news solidifies the roles of Bruce Brown and Luke Kennard in the aforementioned rotation, and Brown has logged at least 21 minutes as the starting shooting guard in each of the Pistons last two games. Kennard also recorded 21 minutes in Friday’s loss, but that can mostly be attributed to the blowout, and he’ll likely experience a severe reduction in playing time with starters likely to see their normal minute allotments this afternoon.
As reported by: Vincent Ellis via Twitter JaVale McGee (illness) upgraded to probable Sunday
McGee has officially been upgraded from questionable to probable for Sunday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings after missing seven consecutive games due to an illness, though he’s still expected to be a game-time decision despite the upgrade in status. McGee managed to participate in shootaround this morning, so he appears to be firmly on track to return to the Lakers starting lineup, which will send Ivica Zubac back to the bench and possibly out the rotation entirely if McGee and Tyson Chandler resume splitting the center minutes right from the outset. Kyle Kuzma continues to be the clear beneficiary with LeBron James and Rajon Rondo sidelined, as he owns a 33.0% usage rate (+8.5%) and is averaging 1.20 DraftKings and 1.15 FanDuel points per minute with them off the court this season.
As reported by: Kyle Goon via Twitter Best for GPP's Unless No Embiid
Jimmy Butler shouldn’t be used in cash games unless we get clarification that Joel Embiid is out against the Trailblazers. If we do get that clarification, Butler becomes one of the top options of the slate as he’s the owner of a 33.5% usage rate in 235.3 Embiid-less minutes this season. Additionally, Butler is averaging nearly 11 more fantasy points per 36 minutes without Embiid on the court.
Massive Boost
I don’t like writing up a bunch of players from the same team but do think it’s important to hammer home that you want exposure to this Lakers team until pricing adjusts to life without LeBron. Brandon Ingram disappointed last game as he got into early foul trouble but he’s seen the biggest increase in fantasy value with LeBron off the court this season. With Bron off the court, Ingram averages 10.33 more FanDuel points and 10.14 more DraftKings points per 36 minutes. That’s a massive boost in value for a player that is still affordably priced across the industry.
Main Cog
The Lakers are still underpriced for life without LeBron James. Lonzo played 43 minutes on the second leg of a back-to-back with no LeBron and Rondo as he’s become a main cog of the Lakers offense alongside Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram. Ball is averaging 5.53 more DK points and 3.95 more FD points per 36 minutes with Bron off the court this season and is one of the top point per dollar plays on the slate.
Paul Millsap (toe), Jamal Murray (ankle), and Malik Beasley (ankle) available to play Saturday
Millsap has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns after missing eight consecutive games due to a fractured right big toe, while Murray and Beasley are also available to play following their original injury designations on the injury report. The Nuggets will still be without Gary Harris and Will Barton, so Millsap will likely replace Mason Plumlee in the starting lineup, and Plumlee would head back to the bench to resume a reserve role after logging at least 29 minutes in each of the Nuggets last four games. However, Millsap will likely be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back, so his presence won’t have too much of an impact on the remainder of the rotation from the outset. Additionally, Nikola Jokic continues to thrive with Harris and Barton off the court, as he owns a 30.1% usage rate (+3.1%) and is averaging 1.50 DraftKings and 1.48 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Katy Winge via Twitter Other tagged players: Jamal Murray, Malik Beasley Dillon Brooks (knee) and Joakim Noah (heel) available to play Saturday
Brooks has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics despite dealing with a sore left knee, while Noah is available to play following his original probable designation because of a sore right heel. Mike Conley was finally removed from the Grizzlies injury report altogether, so he appears to be fully recovered from a nagging hamstring injury and has logged at least 32 minutes in each of the last four games. On the other hand, Brooks has yet to eclipse the 15-minute mark in his first two games since returning from a lengthy injury absence, and Noah was limited to only 11 minutes in his return from a three-game hiatus, which removes both of them from consideration in daily fantasy formats for the foreseeable future.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Joakim Noah Ante Zizic (knee) out Saturday
Zizic has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to a sore right knee that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while David Nwaba and Tristan Thompson each remain sidelined, though Thompson is expected to return to action at some point this upcoming week. There’s been no update on Rodney Hood, who is still listed as questionable with a sore left Achilles tendon, and if he’s unable to suit up, the Cavaliers would be down to just nine available players once again, just as they were in Friday’s loss. This enabled Channing Frye and Jaron Blossomgame to enter the starting lineup, while Larry Nance was relegated to the bench but was still allotted 29 minutes compared to the 18 minutes Frye recorded as the nominal starting center. Blossomgame managed to play 33 minutes in that contest, but he still isn’t a high priority value target for any format since he has just an 11.9% usage rate and is averaging only 0.68 DraftKings and 0.69 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Chris Fedor via Twitter Dewayne Dedmon (knee) officially out Saturday; Alex Len (back) and Alex Poythress (ankle) available to play
Dedmon has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a sore left knee, while Alex Len, Alex Poythress, and Miles Plumlee will all be available to play despite originally being listed as questionable on the Hawks’ injury report with their respective ailments. With Dedmon unavailable, Len will enter the starting lineup at center, but there’s been no word if he’ll be subject to a minute restriction after missing two consecutive games because of a strained back. This will also likely allow Omari Spellman to rejoin the frontcourt rotation after playing just seven total minutes and accruing a DNP-CD in the Hawks last two games. With Dedmon and Taurean Prince off the court this season, John Collins has thrived from a fantasy production standpoint and is averaging 1.48 DraftKings and 1.46 FanDuel points per minute with a 24.5% usage rate in a 123.1 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Kevin Chouinard via Twitter Other tagged players: Alex Len, Alex Poythress, Miles Plumlee