DFS Alerts
Bargain Priced On DK/FDRAFT
There’s nothing special about this matchup against the Pistons, but the Wizards are bizarrely much more affordable on DK/FDRAFT than they are on FanDuel. Wall seems particularly cheap on those two sites, likely as a result of the illness which cost him one game and rendered him ineffective in the last game. However, he should be back to full speed after a few days off, and he will undoubtedly be one of the higher-owned options on this slate on DK/FDRAFT. If you need more of a value piece, don’t be afraid to pivot to Jeff Green. Outside of a blowout loss in the last game where the whole team was bad, Green has been filling in nicely for the injured Otto Porter. Porter has already been ruled out for tonight’s game, so Green should continue to be a reasonable value, especially at $4,200 on DK and $8,500 on FDRAFT. Wall’s high usage and Green’s cheap price tag both have them squarely on the cash game radar.
A Great Price on FD
It’s rare that a stud-priced player is cheaper on FanDuel than on DraftKings, but that’s what we have with Karl-Anthony Towns this evening. He’s sporting a usage rate close to 30% and is scoring over 50 fantasy points per 36 minutes since the Jimmy Butler trade, and he offers a nice combination of a high floor and a solid ceiling. The primary benefit here is a matchup against the Bulls, who have absolutely no prayer of containing strong interior players at this point. In the first meeting between these two teams, Towns played 37 minutes and messed around on his way to 35 points, 23 rebounds, and six assists before fouling out. That’s… a pretty good day. Not surprisingly, the Bulls rank dead last in our “Defense vs. Archetype” tool against versatile big men, and Towns should have his way once again in the rematch. He’s a fantastic play at this bargain FanDuel price tag.
On The Rise
Kurucs is quietly becoming a key cog in the Brooklyn rotation, and his minutes have steadily been on the rise this month. He has been starting in place of the injured Allen Crabbe, and he is averaging 20 points and 6.5 rebounds per game over 34 minutes in the last two contests. It’s obviously a small sample size, but he looks more confident and has been taking more shots on the offensive end, too. His size often creates mismatches on the wing, and this could be a sneaky shootout between the Nets and Hornets. Both teams are below average defensively and don’t mind running, making Kurucs a safe cash game value with Crabbe confirmed out again.
Gets A Bump With Lowry Likely Out
Fred VanVleet gets a solid upgrade any time Lowry sits. If we fire up a CourtIQ query with Lowry out, we see that VanVleet sports a 3% increase in usage rate to go along with about three additional fantasy points per 36 minutes. However, the primary benefit is simply based on the fact that he will play more minutes. In the four games this year where Lowry has been OUT and VanVleet has been IN, VanVleet has averaged 35 minutes per game. That’s about ten minutes above his season average. VanVleet is about a fantasy point per minute player, so we can set a base projection in the 33-36 fantasy point range if Lowry is out. At his current sub-$6,000 price tag on FD/DK, that makes him a no brainer mid-range option on this Wednesday slate.
The Top Play
The only person that can stop Anthony Davis right now is Anthony Davis. When he’s not making trips to the locker room, he is flat out dominating on the basketball court. While there are a lot of things that aren’t certain on today’s slate, we can be certain that Davis has the highest floor/ceiling combination for production if he’s on the floor for his usual allotment of minutes. He has five consecutive games with 25+ points and 10+ rebounds. That’s a remarkable feat in today’s NBA, and he’s also adding four assists, almost two steals, and over two blocks per contest. That’s an additional 14-18 fantasy points per game depending on what site you play on. He’s averaging in the mid-60’s in terms of fantasy points per 36 minutes with Nikola Mirotic out, and nobody on the Mavericks is capable of slowing him down on the interior. There will be enough value out there tonight to where we can lock in Davis and build from there.
I Like This Game To Stay Close
It’s always risky taking players with low usage rates, but I really like D.J. Augustin tonight against the Suns. This game opened at 208 and is now up to 210 with the Orlando Magic being five-point favorites. Augustin doesn’t typically get any run in blowout games, but he typically plays over 30 minutes in close games. He played 28 minutes against the Suns in Phoenix earlier this season and scored 28 fantasy points. He’s extremely cheap across the industry and makes for an interesting punt play on FD.
Consider players against this weak defensive team tonight
The Pacers are a team to look at tonight, facing an Atlanta team that ranks second-to-last in the league in points allowed per game. Center Myles Turner has seen an increased role recently, averaging 15.8 ppg and 11.8 rpg over his last five games, and could have an easy time against Atlanta’s injury-slowed interior defense. Victor Oladipo and Darren Collison are also players to consider, facing off against Hawks rookie guard Trae Young who has one of the lowest DRPM defensive ratings in the league.
Other tagged players: Victor Oladipo, Darren Collison
I'll Just Keep Playing This Guy
I feel like I talk and play Jackson more than most, but I feel like he continues to be under priced. Washington ranks 28th in total defensive efficiency this season, and they rank 28th against point guards. They’re also allowing the most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards this season. Jackson has been playing well lately, and I’m hoping we see that continue tonight against this bad Washington defense.
Increased Minutes Because Of Injury
With Otto Porter Jr. already ruled out for tonight’s game, Jeff Green should continue to play 25+ minutes. They’re going to need size against the Pistons tonight, which makes me like more minutes for Green tonight. I’m not worried about the blowout game against the Pacers last time out, Washington played an OT game against the Suns the night before. I like him more on DraftKings and FantasyDraft.
Should Continue To Fill In
With Allen Crabbe already ruled out for tonight’s game, I’m going right back to the well on Rodions Kurucs. He’s done a great job filling in for Crabbe, outside of the game against the Lakers where he got into foul trouble. He’s played at least 28 minutes in four of the last six games and has at least 20 fantasy points in all of those four games. He has attempted 26 shots over the last two games and is coming off his best all-around game of the season.
Multiple Pieces in Play From This High Scoring Game
The game with the highest Vegas point total – by far – is the Kings – Clippers matchup in Los Angeles tonight, with that game’s 228 point total 10 points higher than the next-highest game. The first place I would look if trying to fit pieces from this game into a GPP lineup is the highest scorer for each team, Buddy Hield (20.4 ppg) from Sacramento and Tobias Harris (21.6 ppg) from the Clippers. The bench unit for Los Angeles should also be a factor, with Lou Williams (17.4 ppg) and Montrezl Harrell (15.3 ppg) standing out as the team’s third and fourth-leading scorers respectively. If looking for a value play, Nemanja Bjelica is averaging 10.9 ppg and 5.9 rpg for Sacramento, and is underpriced at the small forward position across sites tonight.
Other tagged players: Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Nemanja Bjelica, Buddy Hield Jamal Crawford (knee) out Wednesday
Crawford has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to a sore left knee. Crawford has seen a dramatic reduction in his role ever since Kelly Oubre made his Suns debut, logging fewer than 16 minutes in two of the last three games, so his absence won’t have too severe of an impact on the remainder of the rotation with Troy Daniels likely to assume a large majority of his vacated minutes on the wing. As for Oubre, his minutes have been all over the place in his first three games as a member of the Suns, playing as little as 20 and as many as 42 minutes over that span, which relegates him to the status of purely a tournament option despite the affordable price tag across the industry.
As reported by: Gerald Bourguet via Twitter
Omari Spellman (hip) upgraded to probable Wednesday
Spellman has officially been upgraded from doubtful and is probable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers after missing eight consecutive games due to a sore right hip, while John Collins managed to participate in shootaround and is likely to play in tonight’s contest despite dealing with a sprained right ankle. Alex Len has settled into a high-teens minutes role off the bench of late, so his probable absence should solidify the minute floor of Dewayne Dedmon as the starting center, while Spellman and Collins will also likely spend some time at the five when he’s off the floor. Dedmon remains relatively inexpensive on DraftKings, and he appears to be a solid value option, but it’s actually been Collins that has been the main beneficiary with Len and Taurean Prince off the court, as he owns a 28.1% usage rate (+3.1%) and is averaging 1.27 DraftKings and 1.21 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Kevin Chouinard via Twitter Derrick Rose (ankle) will play Wednesday
Rose will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls barring a setback during pregame warmups, according to head coach Tom Thibodeau, after missing one game due to a sore left ankle. With Jeff Teague still sidelined for at least another week, Tyus Jones ended up drawing the start at point guard in Sunday’s win and was serviceable from a fantasy perspective in 32 minutes of action, but he’ll now head back to the bench to resume the normal reserve role that’s kept him limited to the mid-teens in terms of minutes in recent games. Rose continues to lead the Timberwolves with a 31.5% usage rate and is averaging 1.07 DraftKings and 1.06 FanDuel points per minute with Teague off the court, which keeps him firmly in play for tournaments for the remaining duration of Teague’s aforementioned injury absence.
As reported by: Chris Hine via Twitter Alex Len (back) unlikely to play Wednesday; John Collins (ankle) likely to play
Len is now listed as doubtful on the Hawks’ injury report and is unlikely to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to a strained back, while Collins managed to participate in shootaround and is likely to play in tonight’s contest despite dealing with a sprained right ankle. Len has settled into a high-teens minutes role off the bench of late, so his probable absence should solidify the minute floor of Dewayne Dedmon as the starting center, while Collins and Omari Spellman will also likely spend some time at the five when he’s off the floor. Dedmon remains relatively inexpensive on DraftKings, and he appears to be a solid value option, but it’s actually been Collins that has been the main beneficiary with Len and Taurean Prince off the court, as he owns a 28.1% usage rate (+3.1%) and is averaging 1.27 DraftKings and 1.21 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Chris Vivlamore via Twitter Other tagged players: John Collins