DFS Alerts
The Necessary PF Play On FanDuel
Given the fact that there are only four games on the FanDuel slate today, there is bound to be on weak position on the table. That undoubtedly seems to be power forward, and I don’t see how you avoid LaMarcus Aldridge at his $8,100 price point. We are always used to the Spurs being cautious with minutes, but LaMarcus Aldridge has already played 40 minutes in four games this season. With the team being much thinner these days in terms of talent, they are going to have to lean on him, and that’s going to increase his baseline production throughout the season. He’s an absolute lock for me in cash games on FanDuel given a matchup against the Magic combined with the weak nature of the PF position on this slate.
Thrown Into the Fire
Devin Booker returned from a hamstring injury his last game and was thrown right into the fire, seemingly facing no limitations and logging 35 minutes of run. Booker’s extended absence followed by mediocre fantasy performance has lowered his price tag from previous highs and we now have access to Booker and his ridiculous 33.2% usage rate the last two seasons for a discount. The matchup isn’t a favorable one for the Suns shooting guard but that worries me a bit less with the extreme amount of usage he’ll see trying to keep Phoenix competitive.
Climb Aboard the Chalk Wagon
With Jeff Teague already declared out and Derrick Rose questionable it’s looking like we’ll have the honor of once again jumping aboard the Tyus Jones chalk wagon. Jones played a massive 40 minutes on Friday night with Rose leaving early due to an injury and he’s simply too cheap for that type of expanded role. I don’t expect Jones to be a high usage player if Jimmy Butler is in the lineup but if Butler decides to sit Sunday’s contest out then Jones becomes an even better play.
Injuries Mean More Usage to Soak Up
Only Jimmy Butler knows if he’ll be playing on Sunday night, and if he doesn’t, that leaves the Wolves without their starting PG, starting SG, and potentially backup PG. That leaves a lot of usage to go around for Towns who has been more aggressive as of late topping 60 fantasy points in two of his last three games. Towns is a GPP only play if we don’t have information on Butler’s status prior to lock but would jump into the cash game discussion if Butler was confirmed inactive.
Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!
I don’t know what we’re going to get out of Aaron Gordon tonight, but what I do know is this….. For a guy that has tremendous upside, he’s about to end up in the do not roster column for a lot of the dfs community. I think that is a mistake. Especially when we’ are getting him at very depressed pricing across the industry tonight. Gordon still has 23% usage rate, is averaging .98 fpts per minute, and will play the minutes as long as the Magic keep it competitive. The Spurs have actually not been great on defense this year with a middle of the road DER and I think this is a time to attack with Gordon while the masses are filled with skepticism.
The Lowrosaurus Rex
Kyle Lowry has been absolutely fantastic this year and I don’t expect that to change tonight with Kawhi Leonard already ruled out. In games without Leonard this year Lowry sports a 28% usage rate. Even more impressive than that though, is his average of 1.52 fpts per minute. Lowry has been on a tear scoring over 40 fpts in 9 out of 10 games this season (is that crazy or what?!). As a result he seems to be priced appropriately, but without Kawhi on the floor tonight, I still think it’s a tad bit too low. In a game that should be played at one of the highest paces on the board Kyle Lowry is one of the top plays at any position.
Wesley Johnson will start ahead of Tim Frazier on Saturday
The Pelicans are still without Elfrid Payton due to a sprained right ankle, and head coach Alvin Gentry has opted to start Wesley Johnson at small forward in Saturday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs to primarily deal with DeMar DeRozan on the defensive end of the floor. New Orleans has quite a logjam at the forward positions with Darius Miller returning from injury, so it doesn’t appear likely that Johnson will be relied upon for heavy minutes despite getting the first crack at slowing down DeRozan this evening. This lineup change is probably just matchup-related, so it’d surprise no one if Frazier is right back in the starting lineup for the Pelicans next game if Payton misses more time.
As reported by: Will Guillory via Twitter Other tagged players: Tim Frazier
Anthony Davis (foot), Julius Randle (foot), and Darius Miller (quad) available to play Saturday
Davis has officially been cleared and will be available to play in Saturday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs after missing three of the last four games with a sprained right elbow, while both Julius Randle and Darius Miller are available off the bench. With Davis good to go, he likely won’t be limited to any type of minute restriction since he’s dealing with an upper-body injury and it’s more of a pain tolerance issue than anything else. His return to the starting lineup will send Jahlil Okafor back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role following two consecutive disappointing fantasy performances in 15.5 minutes per start. Meanwhile, Tim Frazier is expected to draw his third straight start at point guard for the injured Elfrid Payton, and while he hasn’t been fantastic, he’s certainly been serviceable for this high-powered Pelicans offense, keeping him viable as a long-shot tournament option on tonight’s slate.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Julius Randle, Darius Miller Donovan Mitchell (hamstring) will play Saturday; Alec Burks (hand) remains out
Mitchell confirmed with reporters during pregame warmups that he will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets after missing one game due to right hamstring tightness, while Alec Burks remains out with a fractured hand. Derrick Favors and Jae Crowder remain probable with their respective ailments but both are fully expected to play at this point. The return of Mitchell to the starting lineup will send Grayson Allen back to the bench to resume a reserve role following a disappointing fantasy performance in 27 minutes in his spot start. Without Burks available, Allen could maintain a nominal role in the rotation but has averaged just 7.8 minutes in his non-starts this season. Unsurprisingly, Mitchell leads the Jazz with a 32.1% usage rate while averaging 1.04 DraftKings and 1.01 FanDuel points per minute, keeping him firmly in play as a viable tournament option on tonight’s slate.
As reported by: Eric Walden via Twitter Other tagged players: Alec Burks Omari Spellman will start ahead of Vince Carter on Saturday
Head coach Llyod Pierce has officially announced that Spellman will start at power forward in Saturday’s matchup against the Miami Heat, which will send Vince Carter to the bench to assume a reserve role for at least one game. Pierce didn’t specify if that was a matchup-based lineup change, so it’ll be interesting to see if Spellman can lock down the starting power forward role while John Collins is still sidelined. Spellman has logged at least 20 minutes in each of the Hawks last three games, and he’ll be an intriguing tournament target for near minimum salary if he’s able to see his playing time rise into the upper-20s this evening. He hasn’t been a high usage player in the second unit but has still averaged 0.83 DraftKings and 0.81 FanDuel points per minute through seven games this season.
As reported by: Brad Rowland via Twitter Other tagged players: Vince Carter Justise Winslow will start in place of Goran Dragic (toe) on Saturday
Dragic was officially been downgraded from questionable this morning and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to a right toe injury. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has opted to start Justise Winslow at “point guard” as he’s done many times with Josh Richardson in the past when Dragic is unavailable, but Tyler Johnson still figures to play a key role in the backcourt rotation and may even be a better play for daily fantasy formats off the bench, as his projected usage is much higher in the second unit. This also means that Wayne Ellington could enter the rotation after not playing a single minute this season, though Winslow will obviously be the player to take on the biggest expanded role by occupying minutes at multiple positions.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Kawhi Leonard (ankle, rest) listed out for Sunday
Leonard has been listed as out in the most recent version of the Raptors’ injury report and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to what’s been classified as a jammed left ankle. Head coach Nick Nurse already confirmed with reporters following Saturday’s practice that the team plans to continue resting Leonard in one game of back-to-back sets until further notice, so his unavailability is likely more related to that than an actual serious injury. In his absence, either OG Anunoby or Norman Powell will likely draw the start at small forward, though Anunoby should see the most playing time of the two regardless of starting lineup. Unsurprisingly, Kyle Lowry has seen the largest boost in production with Leonard sidelined, as he’s averaged 1.52 DraftKings and 1.51 FanDuel fantasy points per minute with a 28.0% usage rate (+6.2%) without him on the court this season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Jaylen Brown (foot) will play Saturday
Head coach Brad Stevens confirmed with reporters during his pregame media availability that Brown will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers after missing one game with a sore right foot. There’s been no word of a minutes restriction, and his return to the starting lineup will send Semi Ojeleye back to the bench to resume his fringe, end of the rotation role following a solid showing in 22 minutes of action in his spot start. When the Celtics are at full strength, Kyrie Irving continues to just be a facilitator on offense, and he barely leads the team with a 26.2% usage rate while averaging 1.12 DraftKings and 1.10 FanDuel points per minute this season, making him an interesting fade candidate on tonight’s slate after two consecutive outstanding offensive performances.
As reported by: Adam Himmelsbach via Twitter A Cheap GPP Flier
Look, outside of the MIA cheap guys, there isn’t a tremendous amount of value here on this slate, but I think that Beasley could be in for a big night. The kid is talented in my opinion and he’s putting up close to 10 shots per game lately. He draws a matchup against the Jazz who are the defensive team that they once were and with Gobert eating up everything around the rim, you could see a spike in the usage of all the gaurds. I can’t recommend Beasley in cash, but I think he has the potential to put up 30 points tonight at near no ownership.
Big Cheapy
While Aminu has been a little hit or miss this year, but this is a spot where the chances are pretty darn good that he will pay off huge. Aminu has at least 28 minutes in the last 3 games and a matchup against the Lakers who have height at every single position, should increase his minutes. The Lakers have been one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA (-3.4 Rebounding Differential) and are playing at the 4th fastest pace in the league. Although Aminu didn’t payoff in their first matchup, he is still in the game with the highest Total on the slate and the Lakers are playing at the 4th fastest pace in the league. You can lock Aminu in for around 30 points with a possibility of 40