DFS Alerts
James Ennis (hamstring) will play Saturday
Ennis has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Saturday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls despite dealing with a sore right hamstring. He was limited to just 19 minutes in his return to the starting lineup on Friday night, but that total was just a few minutes short of the 22-24 minutes he had been seeing in the Rockets first three games this season. Houston will be without Eric Gordon for tonight’s second leg of a back-to-back set, but as expected, James Harden was cleared to make his return from a three-game absence due to a left hamstring strain, and he’ll take over as the starting shooting guard with Gordon unavailable. Without Gordon leading the second unit, Carmelo Anthony, Gerald Green, and Michael Carter-Williams will serve as the primary reserves in head coach Mike D’Antoni’s rotation, while Isaiah Hartenstein, Marquese Chriss, and Gary Clark have all been nominal parts of the rotation in recent games.
As reported by: Alykhan Bijani via Twitter
Cheap Pivot off the Chalk
Holiday hasn’t been the best player in the world this year, but he is getting a decent amount of usage (18.4%) this year and has been getting a ton of minutes in every game that hasn’t been a blowout lately (36+ in 3 of last 4). He is averaging over double digit shots in his last four and I expect him to pop up around 15 in this matchup if it says close. There is a chance that this game turns into a blowout, but if the game stays close, Holiday becomes a great pivot off all the Heat chalk and could potentially get you 40 in this spot.
Huge Pace Bump
To quote the late 15th century philosopher Kanye West “too many Urkels on your team, that’s why yo Winslow”, as wins are meaningless in DFS, this quote makes no sense in this article, but I’m including it anyways. Justice Winslow hasn’t been a fantastic point per minute player this year (.84) but with Dragics 25.7% usage rate no longer in the offense today and with a matchup against the highest pace team in the NBA, I’m willing to overlook this. Winslow had 29 minutes in his last game, and although that isn’t garuteed in this game, if he ends up with mid to high 20s minutes today, he will almost automatically crush his value. With a 115 implied team total for the Heat and mostly low priced players, you shouldn’t worry about having too much exposure to Heat players on today’s slate.
The Obvious Play
Tyler Johnson really doesn’t get much of a usage bump this year (-.1%) or a point per minute bump (.07), with Dragic out, but what we can rely on here is him to get a pretty decent bump in minutes. This should dramatically raise his floor and ceiling here in this matchup against one of the fastest paced teams in the leauge here in ATL and I’m going all in because of that. I don’t care what his ownership is here, With a matchup against a rookie PG in Trae Young with a large boost in minutes is all you should need to hear. Lock in Johnson here and hope other people don’t.
Donovan Mitchell (hamstring) now probable Saturday; Alec Burks (hand) doubtful
Mitchell has officially been listed as probable on the most recent version of the Jazz injury report and appears likely to play in Saturday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets after missing one game due to right hamstring tightness, while Alec Burks was diagnosed with a fracture in his hand and is doubtful. 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: Tony Jones via Twitter Other tagged players: Alec Burks League's Second Worst Defense Takes The Court Tonight
New Orleans takes the court tonight in San Antonio, and the Spurs big men could be in for a big game. The Pelicans rank 29th in the league in points per game allowed overall, and are tied (with the Lakers) for the most points in the paint allowed per game. LaMarcus Aldridge could be a clear beneficiary tonight, and Rudy Gay could post a good game against the weak Pelicans defense as well. This game has the second-highest Vegas point total on the night and the Spurs are favored by 3.5 points.
Other tagged players: Rudy Gay
Low Usage Player, Increased Minutes
While I’m of the opinion that Josh Richardson benefits the most from Dragic’s absence from a usage stand point, Tyler Johnson should see a nice boost in opportunity in terms of raw minutes. Johnson will likely continue to be a low usage player (17.4% this season) deferring ball handling duties to Josh Richardson and Dwyane Wade but he’s cheap enough that I’m not overly concerned. Johnson and teammate’s Justise Winslow and Dwyane Wade are three of the top cash game value options on Saturday night.
Be Aggressive Be Be Aggressive
Josh Richardson is no longer cheap but still rates out as a positive value across the industry as the Heat wing is poised for a bigger role Saturday night with Goran Dragic already announced out. Richardson has been much more aggressive this season as his usage rate has jumped from 18.1% last year to 24.1% this season and has topped out above 27% when he’s been on the floor without Dragic.
Eric Gordon (leg) listed out Saturday; James Ennis (hamstring) listed questionable
Gordon has been listed as out on the most recent version of the Rockets’ injury report and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to a sore leg, while James Ennis, who was limited to 19 minutes in his return from injury on Friday, has been listed as questionable with a sore right hamstring for tonight’s second leg of a back-to-back set. As expected, James Harden has been cleared to play after missing three consecutive games because of a strained left hamstring, and he’ll take over as the starting shooting guard with Gordon unavailable this evening. Without Gordon heading the second unit, Carmelo Anthony, Gerald Green, and Michael Carter-Williams will serve as the primary reserves in head coach Mike D’Antoni’s rotation, while Isaiah Hartenstein, Marquese Chriss, and Gary Clark have all been nominal parts of the rotation in recent games.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: James Ennis III Contingent on Mitchell's Status
Ricky Rubio’s fantasy value is contingent on Donovan Mitchell’s status but I wanted to highlight Rubio as he would become a core cash game play with Mitchell out. Rubio posted a 22 point, 11 assist double-double in a more difficult matchup on Friday night and is priced too cheap for an expanded role if Mitchell is out.
Big Men Could Feast Tonight In High-Scoring Game
Portland is favored against the Lakers tonight by 3 points in the game with the highest Vegas point total on the slate. While Damian Lillard is certainly in play for this game, for GPPs it may be a good choice to look at the big men for the Trailblazers. The Lakers rank 28th in the league in opponent points scored, 23rd in rebounding differential, and most importantly, last in the league in points in the paint allowed. Jusuf Nurkic and Al-Farouq Aminu are affordable across DFS sites and could put up big scores against a Lakers team that has clear trouble in the paint.
Other tagged players: Al-Farouq Aminu Up To Core Status
Tyler Johnson is dirt cheap across the DFS landscape and will carry a much bigger role tonight with Goran Dragic out. The Heat aren’t going to give Dwyane Wade more minutes, so Dragic’s minutes will be divvied up among Johnson, Josh Richardson, and Justise Winslow. I would expect Johnson to start at the point, and he has a nice combination of floor and upside for this price.
Goran Dragic (toe) out Saturday
Dragic has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to a right toe injury. Head coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t announce who would replace Dragic in the starting lineup, but Tyler Johnson figures to be the most likely candidate to start at point guard, though it’s certainly possible Spoelstra opts to have Josh Richardson run the point and insert an extra wing player at either small forward or shooting guard as he’s done many times in the past. This would mean that Wayne Ellington could enter the rotation, and Justise Winslow would likely take on an expanded role in the rotation, especially since he’s spent some time serving as the pseudo backup point guard in the past when Dragic has been sidelined.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Reggie Bullock (ankle) out Saturday; Bruce Brown will start
As expected, Bullock has officially been downgraded from doubtful and will not play in Saturday’s matinee matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a sprained left ankle he sustained in the Pistons previous game. In his absence, Brown will draw the start at shooting guard and could be an intriguing tournament target after logging 28 minutes and starting the second half following Bullock’s exit. Reggie Jackson has actually seen the largest boost with Bullock off the court this season, as he owns a 33.2% usage rate (+6.8%) and is averaging 0.91 DraftKings and 0.89 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario. On top of that, he logged 35 minutes in Wednesday’s contest, raising his usually shaky minute floor with a capable backup point guard like Ish Smith behind him.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Other tagged players: Bruce Brown Wilson Chandler (hamstring) will play Saturday, will be limited to 10 minutes
Chandler has officially been cleared to make his Sixers debut and will play in Saturday’s matinee matchup against the Detroit Pistons after missing each of the first nine games with a strained left hamstring he sustained during the preseason. However, head coach Brett Brown confirmed that Chandler will be subject to a 10-minute restriction, equating to two five-minute stints in the first half. At first, Chandler’s presence in the rotation will likely only siphon minutes away from Amir Johnson and Landry Shamet, but as he gradually works back into game shape, Mike Muscala may begin losing some of the backup power forward minutes he had been accustomed to seeing in big lineup combinations as well.
As reported by: Kyle Neubeck via Twitter