DFS Alerts
Victor Oladipo will play Saturday vs the Hawks
Victor Oladipo will play Saturday vs the Hawks. Oladipo was initially listed as questionable due to a knee issue, but has been confirmed as active. Look for Oladipo to handle his usual workload in a pace-up matchup vs Atlanta.
OG Anunoby (wrist) and CJ Miles (groin) both ruled out Saturday for the Raptors
OG Anunoby (wrist) and CJ Miles (groin) have both been ruled out Saturday for the Raptors. The team will be extremely shorthanded Saturday with Anunoby and Miles now ruled out, and Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell already ruled out as well. Look for Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka to get as many minutes as they can handle at small and power forward respctively, with Danny Green, Delon Wright and even Fred Vanvleet benefitting from all of the inactive Toronto players.Those playing should have no problem putting up points against a woeful Bulls defense.
Other tagged players: C.J. Miles Dwight Powell listed as probable Saturday for the Mavs
Dwight Powell is now listed as probable Saturday for the Mavs, despite initially being listed as questionable due to a knee injury. It appears Powell is on track to play and see his normal workload off the bench against a depleted Warriors team that will be missing both Steph Curry and Draymond Green.
Zach LaVine listed OUT Saturday for Bulls due to illness
Zach LaVine has officially been listed as out Saturday for the Bulls due to illness. Lavine’s absence is a huge blow to the Bulls offense as a whole, and opens up a lot of usage for the remaining Bulls starters. Shaquille Harrison and Cameron Payne figure to pick up most of the minutes vacated by Lavine, with Ryan Arcidiacono and Antonio Blakeny also getting plenty of run out of the guard positions for the Bulls.
Alex Poythress starting Saturday for the Hawks
Alex Poythress is starting Saturday for the Hawks, likely taking the spot of Taurean Prince who is out due to an achilles issue. Poythress has played over 20 minutes in each of the Hawks last two contests, and makes for an interesting punt option for Saturday’s DFS slate.
Victor Oladipo is a game-time decision Saturday
Updating a previous report, Victor Oladipo is officially a game-time decision Saturday due to a knee injury. If Oladipo is unable to suit up, it would lock Darren Collison, Corey Joseph and Tyreke Evans into heavy workloads handling the point guard and shooting guard positions for the Pacers. The Pacers find themselves in the most pace-up position of any team on the slate against the Hawks, so the remaining guards all make for interesting value options should Oladipo be unable to play.
Aaron Gordon is a game-time decision Saturday
Updating a previous report, Aaron Gordon is officially a game-time decision Saturday due to his ankle injury. If Gordon were to miss the game it would open up a lot of minutes at the PF position, with Jarrell Martin and Wesley Iwundu the most likely beneficiaries of the additional run due to Jonathan Isaac remaining on a minutes limit. Gordon is also a high-usage player, so the rest of the Magic starters would see a bump in usage as well in Gordon’s potential absence.
Zach LaVine uncertain to play Saturday due to illness
Zach LaVine is uncertain to play Saturday due to an illness. If Lavine were to miss it would obviously be a huge blow to the Bulls offense as a whole, and open up a lot of usage for the remaining Bulls starters. Shaquille Harrison and Cameron Payne would figure to pick up most of the minutes vacated by Lavine if he’s unable to suit up, with Ryan Arcidiacono and Antonio Blakeny also getting plenty of run out of the guard positions for the Bulls.
Seth Curry (knee) and Maurice Harkless (knee) both will not play Sunday for the Blazers
Seth Curry (knee) and Maurice Harkless (knee) both will not play Sunday for the Blazers. Evan Turner and Al-Farouq Aminu will continue to be locked into minutes in the high 20’s to low 30’s with both Curry and Harkless sidelined.
Other tagged players: Maurice Harkless Avery Bradley (ankle) will not play Saturday vs Nets
Avery Bradley has been ruled out Saturday vs the Nets due to an ankle injury. Bradley has been out since November 2nd due to the injury, and while it appears he is trending towards making his return soon it will not be today against Brooklyn. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will continue to see extended run at the shooting guard position in Bradley’s absence.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle) is available to play Saturday vs the Clippers
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is available to play Saturday vs the Clippers after missing the Nets previous game due to an ankle injury. Look for Hollis-Jefferson to see his normal workload against the Clippers in a game where the Nets have a 109 projected team total.
Pau Gasol will not play Sunday due to foot injury
Pau Gasol has been ruled out Sunday due to a foot injury. Gasol’s absence will mean a minutes bump for Jacob Poeltl and Lamarcus Aldridge, especially with Davis Bertans currently in the concussion protocol as well. Dante Cunningham may also pick up a few additional minutes as a result of Gasol’s absence.
Top Value
Jonas Jerebko will never be a massive usage player, but he is quietly having a decent season for the Warriors. As such, he has started the last two games that Draymond Green has missed, and he has played an average of 26 minutes in those contests. The last one was especially productive, as he piled up 14 points and 13 rebounds against the Hawks. Green and Curry have both been ruled out again tonight, which means we can pencil in Jerebko as part of the starting unit. There should be plenty of opportunity to go around, and Jerebko is still priced below $4,000 on both the major sites. He has scored an average of 32 fantasy points per 36 minutes this season, and the primary appeal here is that his minutes are more secure. Again, he’s not necessarily going to see a usage boost, but we can pencil him in for around 22-24 fantasy points if he can see 26 minutes again, and that’s a perfectly fine floor for this salary tag. Jerebko is a fine cash game value on this slate.
Opportunity Knocks
I must admit that Ball has co-existed with LeBron James much better than I expected, but the problem has been that Ball has essentially been splitting minutes evenly with Rajon Rondo. The path is now clear with Rondo out for about a month due to injury. Ball played 32 minutes the other night in the game where Rondo got injured, putting up an 11/6/3 line in that one. We can probably pencil Ball in for around that kind of playing time again tonight, and he has been a solid fantasy point per minute performer this season with Rondo off the floor. On FanDuel, Ball is averaging 34.4 fantasy points per 36 minutes in those situations. On DraftKings, Ball is averaging 34.9 fantasy points per 36 minutes (per CourtIQ). Even if his shot isn’t falling and things go wrong, he can do enough on the court to scrape his way to around 25 fantasy points, and the ceiling probably sits at 45+. There’s both cash game and GPP appeal with Ball sitting at a very affordable price tag.
Top Option On The Board
This is the clear-cut top play for me on this slate. None of Sacramento’s guards are equipped to slow James Harden down, and this is a huge pace up game for Houston. The Rockets (surprisingly) rank 29th in the league in tempo this year, while the Kings rank second behind only the Hawks, so we know we have a positive there. Additionally, Harden leads the league in usage rate, and momentum is building for Houston after their big win over Golden State on Thursday. Harden has taken 86 shot attempts over the last four games, but he has made just 31 of them… for a shooting percentage of 36%. That has largely been the reason that his fantasy point totals have still been lower by his standards, and some positive regression with his shot will happen at some point. A matchup against the up-tempo Kings is a great possible spot for that to occur, and the Rockets have an implied team total of 116 points. Expect a huge game from Harden if this one stays close, and there is enough value out there to where we can comfortably start with Harden tonight.