DFS Alerts
Lauri Markkanen (elbow) listed probable Saturday
Markkanen has been upgraded to probable and appears to be on track to make his season debut in Saturday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets after missing every game to this point with a sprained right elbow. There’s been no word if Markkanen will start or if he’ll be subject to a minute restriction in his return, but his presence in the rotation will almost certainly cut into the minute floors of Jabari Parker and Chandler Hutchison at the power forward position. Markkanen appears to be fairly priced on DraftKings given the uncertainty surrounding his role right out the gate, but he checks in at the stone minimum on FanDuel and could easily pay off his salary, even if he’s limited, considering he averaged 0.98 DraftKings and 0.96 FanDuel points per minute last season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report
Direct Beneficiary
Joe Harris missed Friday’s game with an adductor injury and has already been ruled out Saturday night. Spencer Dinwiddie was the direct beneficiary of Harris’ absence on Friday as Dinwiddie was inserted into the Nets starting lineup. Dinwiddie had a so-so fantasy performance in Friday’s double-OT loss but gets a much better matchup on Saturday against the Washington Wizards who allow the second most points per 100 possessions in the league and the third highest effective field goal percentage.
Keep Pace
John Wall is kind of a fringe cash option that could see lower than expected ownership due to a string of poor recent fantasy performances. The Wizards as a team have been absolutely horrible and their fast pace (sixth fastest in the league) combined with poor defense leads to high scoring games in which the Wiz need to keep pace with their opponents. Saturday’s contest against the Nets has the second highest total on the slate (227) and despite this being a back-to-back for Washington, Wall should be well rested after sitting most of the second half of last night’s game due to a blowout.
Joe Harris (adductor) remains out Saturday
Harris has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to left adductor tightness that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Harris surprisingly leads all active Nets players with just over 29 minutes per game, so his absence certainly opens up a plethora of playing time on the wing. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has started ahead of Jared Dudley at power forward in the previous three contests, which has kept DeMarre Carroll in a bench role and has limited him to fewer than 20 minutes in five of the last seven games. Head coach Kenny Atkinson will likely opt to go small once again by starting Spencer Dinwiddie alongside D’Angelo Russell in the backcourt, and Dinwiddie remains an intriguing tournament target with a higher minute floor, as he owns a 29.3% usage rate (+4.7%) and is averaging 1.14 DraftKings and 1.o6 FanDuel points per minute with Harris and Caris LeVert off the court this season.
As reported by: Brian Lewis via Twitter Top Play on the Slate
Even though Harden does seemingly take a hit with Chris Paul back, we have question marks with all the top players — from blowouts for some to Kevin Durant taking a hit with Curry back for the Warriors. Harden will continue to captain this Houston team and owns ridiculous averages for the year of 31 points, six rebounds, and nine assists per game… and he also leads the league in steals. He had a 23/7/10 line last night despite Paul’s return, a matchup against the Spurs, and a blowout that didn’t require Harden to play in the fourth quarter. Tonight’s matchup is a better one against a Bulls squad that ranks below average in defensive efficiency. In my opinion, Harden is the safest high-end starting point for cash games this evening.
The Buy-Low Window Is Slamming Shut
The buy-low window is about to close with Carter. Game log watchers will be concerned about his playing time of late, but that was almost entirely a function of foul trouble. Carter finally managed to keep himself out of foul trouble last night, and he piled up 28 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks in a relatively difficult matchup against the Pistons. As long as he can stay on the court, he’s a steal at these prices. Remember, he was priced about $1,500 to $2,500 higher than this (depending on site) when he was humming earlier in the year. The minutes are not in question when he is not in foul trouble. While that foul trouble potential does add risk in cash games, I’m willing to take that chance at this price and on this relatively ugly slate.
Still A Reliable Value
The Pacers will be without Victor Oladipo for an extended period now, which means we can count on bigger minutes for the other Indiana guards moving forward. The Pacers have been hesitant to play Tyreke Evans for huge minutes, and we can count on about 25-28 consistent minutes for Joseph. He has matched or exceeded 20 fantasy points in seven of the last eight games, and that’s a very reasonable floor for this price tag. In addition, the Pacers draw a fantastic pace up matchup against the Kings tonight. Indiana ranks 27th in the league in tempo, while Sacramento ranks 2nd. This will naturally add more possessions than the Pacers are used to. On a slate that lacks a ton of great plays, I’m fine with Joseph as a value pick at point guard.
Gary Harris (ankle) will play Friday
Harris has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Friday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers after missing two consecutive games with a sore left ankle. His return to the starting lineup will send Torrey Craig back to the bench to resume a reserve role following some mixed results from a fantasy perspective in an average of 28 minutes per game in his two spot starts. Prior to Harris’ injury, Craig had been a DNP-CD in three of the Nuggets previous four games, so he shouldn’t be expected to have a significant role in head coach Michael Malone’s rotation moving forward, if at all. Harris will likely be tasked with defending Damian Lillard, so he’ll be an intriguing mid-range tournament target on tonight’s slate, assuming he isn’t hampered by any lingering effects of the aforementioned ankle injury.
As reported by: Chris Dempsey via Twitter Maxi Kleber (knee) out Friday
Kleber has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a sore right knee, while Dwight Powell and Dennis Smith Jr. remain listed as questionable but are ultimately expected to play. Kleber typically sees minutes in the high-teens off the bench, so a majority that playing time will likely be absorbed by Powell and Dorian Finney-Smith in the second unit. However, neither are realistically in consideration for daily fantasy formats on a sizable 11-game main slate. On the other hand, Smith Jr. managed to record 31 minutes in his return from a one-game absence last time out, hinting that he shouldn’t be limited this evening. Smith Jr. will typically be in play for tournaments on most nights he sees that type of run, as he is still second on the Mavericks with a 26.4% usage rate this season.
As reported by: Mike Trudell via Twitter Aaron Gordon (back) will start Friday
Gordon has surprisingly been upgraded from questionable and will start in Friday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns after missing one game with lower back tightness, while Jonathon Simmons has also been cleared to play despite missing shootaround due to an illness. Jonathan Isaac started at power forward in place of Gordon in the Magic’s previous games and has finally eclipsed the 30-minute mark in two consecutive games, making him a fine value option at his price tag on tonight’s slate despite a mediocre 18.0% usage rate, as he typically does most of his damage by racking up peripheral statistics. Assuming Gordon isn’t limited or suffers an in-game setback, he’ll firmly be in play as a contrarian tournament target in a matchup with a depleted Suns squad, as he continues to average 1.03 fantasy points per minute this season.
As reported by: John Denton via Twitter Devin Booker (toe) listed out Friday
Despite never being listed on the Suns’ injury report, Booker has now been ruled out of Friday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to a left great toe injury, while T.J. Warren was already ruled out in advance of tonight’s contest with a sore right ankle. With Warren unable to suit up, Josh Jackson will enter the starting lineup alongside Trevor Ariza in the frontcourt, while Ryan Anderson could finally rejoin the rotation following seven consecutive DNP-CDs. Additionally, Ellie Okobo will draw a second straight start at point guard following a phenomenal fantasy performance for his price in 32 minutes of action his last time out. The release of Isaiah Canaan should theoretically enable Mikal Bridges to consistently see close to starters’ minutes moving forward, but head coach Igor Kokoskov has had a short leash with the rookie, restricting him to 23 minutes or fewer in each of the Suns’ last two games, something he shouldn’t be able to do with both Booker and Warren unavailable this evening.
As reported by: Evan Sidery via Twitter Jonathon Simmons (illness) will play Friday
Simmons didn’t participate in shootaround Friday morning, but he will play in Friday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns despite battling an illness, while Aaron Gordon is still a game-time decision with lower back tightness that’s already forced him to miss one game. However, Gordon confirmed with reporters that he doesn’t want to rush back only to reaggravate his injury further, which makes it seem likely he’ll sit out of tonight’s contest since Orlando has three days off before their next scheduled game. Jonathan Isaac started at power forward in Gordon’s place last time out and finally has eclipsed the 30-minute mark in two consecutive games. Since Isaac will remain in the starting lineup if Gordon is ruled out, he makes for a fine value option on tonight’s slate despite a mediocre 18.0% usage rate, as he typically does most of his damage by racking up peripheral statistics.
As reported by: John Denton via Twitter Jeff Green (back) will start Friday
Green has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Friday’s matchup against Philadelphia 76ers despite dealing with a sore lower back, while Otto Porter was already ruled out in advance of tonight’s contest due to personal reasons. Now that Green is cleared to play, he will enter the starting lineup at power forward in place of Porter, even though Markieef Morris has logged at least 32 minutes off the bench in each of the last two games. Morris has been seeing the majority of his playing time at center behind nominal starter Thomas Bryant, so head coach Scott Brooks clearly prefers to keep him in a sixth-man role than begin the game with the starting unit. Still, Morris has a 22.5% usage rate (3.4%) and is averaging 1.01 fantasy points per minute with Porter and Dwight Howard off the court this season, only adding to his tournament appeal this evening.
As reported by: the Washington Wizards via Twitter Spencer Dinwiddie will start for Joe Harris (adductor) on Friday
Harris was officially downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to left adductor tightness. Harris surprisingly leads all active Nets players with just over 29 minutes per game, so his absence will certainly open up a plethora of playing time on the wing. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has started ahead of Jared Dudley at power forward in the previous two contests, which has kept DeMarre Carroll in a bench role and has limited him to fewer than 20 minutes in five of the last six games. Head coach Kenny Atkinson has opted to go small by starting Spencer Dinwiddie alongside D’Angelo Russell in the backcourt, and Dinwiddie will be an interesting tournament target with higher minute floor, as he owns a 31.1% usage rate (+6.3%) and is averaging 1.26 DraftKings and 1.19 FanDuel points per minute with Harris and Caris LeVert off the court this season.
As reported by: Michael Gallagher via Twitter Hamidou Diallo (ankle) available to play Friday
Diallo was originally listed as out on the Thunder’s injury report, but head coach Billy Donovan confirmed that he will be available to play in Friday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks after missing three consecutive games due to a sprained left ankle. The Thunder are still without Terrance Ferguson, so Alex Abrines will draw a second straight start at shooting guard following a dismal fantasy performance in 27 minutes of action in Wednesday’s win. Diallo still hasn’t gone through a full practice, so Donovan did mention that he’ll likely only use him in certain situations throughout the game, meaning Diallo’s presence shouldn’t have much of an impact on the remainder of the wing rotation this evening.
As reported by: Royce Young via Twitter