DFS Alerts
Sneaky Value
Don’t sleep on Zach Collins. Over the last four games for Portland, he’s averaging 27 fantasy points over 22 minutes per game. That’s incredible efficiency, and he’s shown off some fantasy upside when minutes have been there for him. Even though Terry Stotts is absolutely maddening as a coach from a DFS perspective, he has no choice but to continue to give Collins more run. The price tag remains very affordable, and tonight’s game against New Orleans is one where they will need more interior presence. It should also be one of the higher scoring games of the night. Collins is a great GPP value here.
Bouncing Back from a Tough Stretch
Osman struggled a bit toward the end of October, but he finally bounced back to life with a solid performance in the last game, and he’s going to need to be a big part of this offense with Kevin Love sidelined for a month or more. His current stats have been worse with Love off the floor, but I’m willing to attribute most of that to small sample size at this point. In any case, Osman is largely going to be ignored in the mid-range on this slate, and I like him as a speculative risk/reward GPP option. There’s potential.
Fantasy Goodness Awaits
A few years ago, we would have just completely ignored a Kings/Hawks game for DFS purposes. Oh, how times have changed! Both teams rank inside the top five in the NBA in pace so far this season, and we should expect plenty of possessions in this one. Trae Young has not been bashful at all at the outset of his NBA career, and I expect him to be very aggressive tonight. While efficiency may be a problem, there’s huge GPP upside here. He has been taking 15 shots per game and racking up 6-7 assists as well, so the ball is in his hands a lot, and that’s great news in a matchup against the Kings.
A Nice Contrarian Option
Irving has largely been a disappointment so far this season, but perhaps this is a spot where he can get things rolling. This is a big nationally televised game at home against the undefeated Bucks, and this might be a spot where we see the Celtics rise up and have a big game. In addition, Jaylen Brown appears to be truly questionable for this game, and CourtIQ tells us that Irving’s usage increases by 3% and he has scored ~ 8 additional FPTS per 36 minutes without Brown on the floor this year.
Tim Frazier will start ahead of Solomon Hill on Wednesday
Frazier will start at point guard in Wednesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors, which will send Solomon Hill back to the bench to resume a reserve role. With Darius Miller and Elfrid Payton already confirmed as inactive, Hill should continue to see significant playing time with the second unit, though he still only logged 19 minutes in the Pelicans previous game. Julius Randle and Jahlil Okafor alternated starts at center in Anthony Davis’ absence, but both will head back to the bench to resume reserve roles with Davis making his return to the starting lineup this evening. Jrue Holiday continues to be the main beneficiary with Payton sidelined, as he’s taken over as the primary playmaker in the starting unit and is averaging 1.26 DraftKings and 1.24 FanDuel points per minute with a 28.6% usage rate with him off the court.
As reported by: Jim Eichenhofer via Twitter Other tagged players: Solomon Hill
T.J. Warren will start ahead of Ryan Anderson on Wednesday
This move has been a long time coming for Phoenix, and Warren will finally receive the starting nod in Wednesday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs over Ryan Anderson at power forward. Even off the bench, Warren was already seeing more minutes, so a change in role won’t necessarily inflate his allotted playing time. With Isaiah Canaan sidelined, Ellie Okobo will start at point guard and was stellar in 30 minutes of action on Sunday following Canaan’s exit in the first quarter, which immediately vaults him towards the top of the board of value options on tonight’s slate. Okobo has recorded a modest 20.6% usage rate with Booker and Canaan off the court this season, but he’s still averaging 0.96 DraftKings and 0.87 FanDuel points per minute, thanks mainly to a significant increase in his assist rate in this scenario,
As reported by: Evan Sidery via Twitter Other tagged players: Ryan Anderson Anthony Davis (elbow) will play Wednesday
Davis has officially been cleared and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors after missing two consecutive games with a sprained right elbow, while Julius Randle remains probable with plantar fasciitis but should be fully expected to play at this point. However, Darius Miller is still doubtful and Elfrid Payton has already been confirmed out, which should allow Solomon Hill to draw a second consecutive start at small forward, though he still only logged 19 minutes in the Pelicans previous game. Randle and Jahlil Okafor alternated starts at center in Davis’ absence, but both will head back to the bench to resume reserve roles with Davis making his return this evening. Jrue Holiday continues to be the main beneficiary with Payton sidelined, as he’s taken over as the primary point guard in the starting unit and is averaging 1.26 DraftKings and 1.24 FanDuel points per minute with a 28.6% usage rate with him off the court.
As reported by: Will Guillory via Twitter Tyus Jones experienced foot soreness while warming up and is a late scratch Wednesday
Jones experienced soreness in his right foot while warming up and has been ruled out for Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz. Unfortunately, this news wasn’t relayed to Timberwolves beat reporters until after the game’s scheduled lock time, so Jones is unable to be removed from lineups on late-swap eligible contests. Those that were lucky to avoid the Jones landmine should benefit from a full complement of minutes for Derrick Rose and Josh Okogie in the backcourt, while James Nunnally could step into the role as the primary reserve wing/guard.
As reported by: Kyle Ratke via Twitter Andrew Wiggins (quad) active Wednesday
Wiggins is officially active and available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz after missing three consecutive games due to a right quad contusion, while Jeff Teague will be in uniform but won’t play as previously reported. Josh Okogie has started at shooting guard the past three games with Wiggins sidelined and is coming off of a stellar 30-minute performance on Monday night. Derrick Rose has also been a significant beneficiary sans Wiggins, exceeding salary-based expectations each of the last three games, and he’ll draw the start at point guard alongside Okogie in the backcourt with both Teague and Butler unavailable to play. However, a starting role may not necessarily lead to a drastic increase in playing time for Rose since Thibodeau has already expressed his desire to keep him at 26-28 minutes a night, and if that holds true, it means Tyus Jones would be an interesting tournament pivot with a chance to receive pseudo starters’ minutes at near minimum salary across the industry.
As reported by: Chris Hine via Twitter Alec Burks (hand) out Wednesday
Burks was briefly upgraded to questionable earlier in the afternoon, but he’s officially been ruled out for Wednesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a sprained left hand, while both Derrick Favors and Jae Crowder were cleared to play following their original injury designations. Crowder started at power forward in place of Favors in the Jazz previous game and logged 34 minutes en route to surpassing salary-based expectations, but he’ll almost certainly head back to the bench to resume his typical sixth-man role with Favors returning from a one-game absence. However, his playing time shouldn’t be expected to dip drastically, as Favors has averaged just 21.6 minutes through five games this season, enabling Crowder to see more minutes in each contest the two have both been active.
As reported by: Eric Walden via Twitter Jordan Bell (calf) listed as available Wednesday
Bell is listed as available on the most recent version of the Warriors injury report and will presumably play in Wednesday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans despite dealing with a left calf contusion. Bell’s role in the rotation has increased in the last four games, but he’s still only averaged 14.5 minutes over that stretch, so he’ll remain irrelevant for daily fantasy formats as long as Golden State remains at full strength. Additionally, Shaun Livingston remains sidelined with a sore right foot and will allow Alfonzo McKinnie to continue seeing an expanded role in the second unit with Andre Iguodala primarily running the point when Stephen Curry is off the floor.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Anthony Davis (elbow) plans to play Wednesday
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports is reporting that Davis plans to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors after missing two consecutive games with a sprained right elbow, while Julius Randle is still listed as probable with plantar fasciitis but should be fully expected to play at this point. However, Darius Miller remains doubtful and Elfrid Payton has already been confirmed out, which should allow Solomon Hill to draw a second consecutive start at small forward, though he still only logged 19 minutes in the Pelicans previous game. Randle and Jahlil Okafor alternated starts at center in Davis’ absence, but both will head back to the bench to resume reserve roles with Davis on track to return this evening. Jrue Holiday continues to be the main beneficiary with Payton sidelined, as he’s taken over as the primary point guard in the starting unit and is averaging 1.26 DraftKings and 1.24 FanDuel points per minute with a 28.6% usage rate with him off the court.
As reported by: Chris Haynes via Twitter Injuries Opening Up Starting Opportunity For This Second-Round Rookie
With Devin Booker and Isaiah Canaan both expected to miss tonight’s game due to injuries, Elie Okobo should get his first start for Phoenix tonight. Okobo was the first pick of the second round in this past April’s draft, and played professionally in France prior to the draft. Okobo was impressive in extended minutes a few nights ago against Oklahoma City, scoring 18 points to go along with 7 assists and 5 rebounds, and is near-minimum price across the industry.
Devin Booker (hamstring) and Isaiah Canaan (ankle) out Wednesday; Josh Jackson (toe) probable
As expected, Booker will remain sidelined for Wednesday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to a strained left hamstring, while Isaiah Canaan has officially been downgraded from questionable to out with a sprained left ankle. Josh Jackson has been upgraded to probable, and he appears on track to start a third consecutive game at the shooting guard spot, though he’s largely been a disappointment thus far from a fantasy perspective. With Canaan sidelined, Ellie Okobo is expected to start at point guard and was stellar in 30 minutes of action on Sunday following Canaan’s exit in the first quarter, which immediately vaults him towards the top of the board of value options on tonight’s slate. Okobo has recorded a modest 20.6% usage rate with Booker and Canaan off the court this season, but he’s still averaging 0.96 DraftKings and 0.87 FanDuel points per minute, thanks mainly to a significant increase in his assist rate in this scenario,
As reported by: Gina Mizell via Twitter Other tagged players: Isaiah Canaan, Josh Jackson Jae Crowder (ankle) and Derrick Favors (knee) will play Wednesday
Crowder and Favors have been upgraded from probable and questionable, respectively, and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, while Alec Burks has been ruled out due to a bruised left hand following his original questionable designation. Crowder started at power forward in place of Favors in the Jazz previous game and logged 34 minutes en route to surpassing salary-based expectations, but he’ll almost certainly head back to the bench to resume his typical sixth-man role with Favors returning from a one-game absence. However, his playing time shouldn’t be expected to dip drastically, as Favors has averaged just 21.6 minutes through five games this season, enabling Crowder to see more minutes in each contest the two have both been active.
As reported by: Eric Woodyard via Twitter Other tagged players: Derrick Favors