DFS Alerts
Hawks Sunday Injury Report - Alex Poythress ruled out, Kent Bazemore questionable and Alex Len probable
The Hawks have a number of players on their Sunday Injury Report, with Alex Poythress already ruled out due to an ankle injury, Kent Bazemore questionable with an ankle injury of his own and Alex Len probable despite a sore back. Len now is competing for minutes with a healthy John Collins, but should see his normal compliment of minutes. Deandre Bembry and Kevin Huerter figure to be the primary beneficiaries if Bazemore isn’t able to suit up, with Taurean Prince locked into heavy minutes as well with Poythress already on the shelf.
Other tagged players: Kent Bazemore, Alex Len
Multiple Players Could See Increased Usage On This Roster
With Chris Paul resting tonight, GPP players may want to take a look at the entire Houston roster to see who will benefit from the increased minutes and usage. James Harden and Eric Gordon seem like the most obvious players to benefit, with Harden having a 42.3% usage rate with Paul off the court this season and Gordon likely to slide into the starting lineup. James Ennis and P.J. Tucker could also benefit from increased usage in the starting lineup, and Michael Carter-Williams could even see some value minutes.
Other tagged players: James Harden, Eric Gordon, P.J. Tucker, James Ennis III
Terry Rozier listed as questionable Saturday due to knee injury
Terry Rozier is listed as questionable for Saturday’s matchup with the Mavs due to a knee injury. If Rozier were unable to suit up, Marcus Smart would likely see a bump in minutes as he would serve as the primary backup point guard. Kyrie Irving also may see more minutes than usual if Rozier can’t go and the game stays close, as he only had to play 20 minutes last night in a blowout of the Hawks.
Gordon Hayward ruled out Saturday vs Mavs due to ankle injury
Gordon Hayward has been ruled out Saturday vs the Mavs due to an ankle injury. Hayward logged 22 minutes off the bench last night, but will be held out of action today to nurse the sore ankle. The good news for the team is that Al Horford is not on the injury report today and will suit up after missing last night with a knee injury of his own. Hayward’s absence will open up some extra minutes for Marcus Morris and Semi Ojeleye, while ensuring Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown see their usual compliment of minutes as well.
Beaten-Down Team Has Highest Implied Point Total on the Night
The Washington Wizards have had an extremely tough start to the season, putting up a 6-12 record and a terrible -5.9 point differential, but the team is favored by a point tonight at home in the game with the highest Vegas point total of the evening. John Wall seems like an attractive target as the player on the Wizards side who will have the ball in his hands the most, but Markieff Morris could be a target as well in his new role coming off the bench. In two games with the second unit, Morris has averaged 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists as he plays a bigger role in the offense off the bench.
Other tagged players: Markieff Morris Added Opportunity With Paul Resting
Updated at 2 PM – I am elevating Gordon and Harden to core play status with Paul resting for Houston. There is some blowout risk against Cleveland, and I don’t think you need to play both in the same lineup, but find a way to fit one in there in cash games.
Other tagged players: James Harden
A Fine Price Tag on FD
I view Capela and Aldridge as relative equals tonight, so I am letting salary be my differentiating factor here. On FD, I’ll give Aldridge the edge. He has been forced to play a major role with all the injuries up front in San Antonio, and he has even been manning the five spot at times. He took 25 shots and piled up a 33 point, 14 rebound outing in last night’s close win over the Pacers, and his presence up front will be needed tonight in a difficult matchup against the Bucks. There’s a small worry in the back of my mind about potential rest on the tail end of a back-to-back, but the Spurs don’t have enough frontcourt depth to afford that at this point. We have seen stranger things from Coach Pop before, though, so we do need to keep an eye on this. Assuming Aldridge plays tonight, he’s a fine option on FD at a reasonable $8,100 price.
A Surging Big Man
I view Capela and Aldridge as relative equals tonight, so I am letting salary be my differentiating factor here. On DK/FDRAFT, I’ll give Capela the edge. He has been absolutely fantastic for the Rockets of late, scoring three consecutive massive double-doubles. He is averaging 26 points and 17 rebounds per game over those three contests, and the minutes have been soaring higher, too. He is absolutely in a groove right now, and he should continue to dominate against a Cavaliers team that has virtually nothing in terms of interior talent. Who is going to stop Capela on the glass in this game? The DK/FDRAFT price has not been adjusted for his recent play, and I’ll gladly snag that discount in all formats.
Solid Value
It is somewhat risky to include two core cash game plays as options from the same game which could very well get out of hand, but Durant and Bogdanovic are likely the only two pieces from that game that I will include in my cash game lineup. Don’t go loading up on four or five players from the SAC/GS game in cash, as it’s simply not necessary. However, Bogdanovic is simply too cheap to ignore. We need reliable value on this slate, and he provides it. His play-making ability is not lost on the coaching staff for the Kings, and his minutes have slowly been rising now that he is healthy. He played a season-high 30 minutes and took 19 shot attempts in the last game, and he has also scored in double figures in five straight. It should only be a matter of time before he is playing more consistent minutes than Shumpert and Bjelica, and this could be one of our final times to buy low. I like the point per dollar potential here.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (ankle) listed as questionable for Sunday
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is listed as questionable for Sunday’s matchup with the Hawks due to an ankle injury. Jeremy Lamb and Miles Bridges have been the primary beneficiaries of Kidd-Gilchrist’s absence, with both seeing extended minutes at the small forward position.
Dwight Howard (glute) questionable for Saturday
Dwight Howard is officially questionable for Saturday’s matchup with the Pelicans due to a glute injury. Howard was held out of action yesterday due to the injury and it appears it may keep him from suiting up today as well. Thomas Bryant has been starting in Howard’s absence, and has seen about 18-20 minutes of action but with limited productivity. Markeiff Morris has been the other primary beneficiary of Howard being off the court, seeing 29 minutes last night as the team ran out smaller lineups throughout the game.
Tony Parker (rib) ruled out Sunday
Tony Parker has already been ruled out for Sunday’s matchup with the Hawks due to a rib injury. Parker’s absence doesn’t dramatically affect the Hornets rotation, but look for Devonte Graham and Dwayne Bacon to see extra court time off the bench in Parker’s absence.
Stay out of Foul Trouble
Oubre has drawn a start in the last two games with Dwight Howard sidelined but has largely disappointed due to foul trouble. With Howard unlikely to play again on Saturday night, Oubre is in line for another start in a game that is expected to have a plethora of points. New Orleans and Washington are the third and sixth fastest paced teams in the league and the total for this game is the highest of the slate by a wide margin at 240. Oubre is cheap enough where he rates as an extremely strong point per dollar option as long as he’s able to stay out of foul trouble.
Pau Gasol ruled out Saturday due to foot injury
Pau Gasol has officially been ruled out Saturday due to a foot injury. Gasol hasn’t taken the court since November 4th, and today will mark the 11th consecutive contest he has missed due to the injury. Look for Lamarcus Aldridge to continue to see as many minutes as he can handle, with Jakob Poeltl and Dante Cunningham seeing additional run as well with the team so thin at the power forward and center position in Gasol’s absence.
Monster Usage
Durant continues to show monster usage with Steph Curry and Draymond off the court as he’s posted a 38.8% usage rate in such a scenario over the last two seasons. Even if Draymond is able to play on Saturday night, this still sets up as a favorable spot for Durant against a Sacramento team that plays at the second fastest pace in the league and ranks middle of the pack in terms of defensive efficiency.