DFS Alerts
Think Ahead When Picking Players From This High-Scoring Game
Anthony Davis should be a popular play tonight, despite his high price tag, playing at home with the Pelicans carrying the highest implied point total on the slate. Savvy GPP players will already be preparing for the inevitable Davis first-quarter injury, however, and will be targeting Davis’ New Orleans teammates. Elfrid Payton posted a triple-double in the Pelicans first game but is still only $5,800 on DraftKings and $11,900 on FantasyDraft, while Nikola Mirotic and Jrue Holiday are under-priced across sites tonight. This game could see a ton of points with its Vegas point-total nine points higher than any other game on the slate, and there should be enough opportunity to go around tonight in New Orleans.
Other tagged players: Jrue Holiday, Elfrid Payton
Don’t Overlook the Well-Priced Players On This Underdog Team
There was a bit of uncertainty with Sacramento’s starting lineup coming into this season and that has created some site-specific buying opportunities, especially with the team playing in the game with the highest Vegas point total tonight. De’Aaron Fox is an appealing Point Guard on FanDuel priced at only $6,500, while Willie Cauley-Stein ($6,300 DraftKings / $12,800 FantasyDraft) and Buddy Hield ($5,600 DraftKings / $11,100 FantasyDraft) are underpriced on DK and FantasyDraft. The Kings are 10-point underdogs tonight, but don’t forget that New Orleans ranked 29th in the league in scoring defense last year, which should create scoring opportunities for the Kings, even on the road tonight.
Other tagged players: Willie Cauley-Stein, De'Aaron Fox Delon Wright (adductor) out Friday; OG Anunoby (eye) will play
Wright will remain sidelined for a second consecutive game to begin the season and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to a strained left adductor. In his absence, Fred VanVleet should continue seeing some extra playing time off the bench and logged just under 26 minutes in the Raptors season opener on Wednesday evening. His minute ceiling in this spot could be even higher given the plethora of guards and wings the Celtics are able to deploy on a nightly basis, increasing the chances that this game goes small for extended stretches. With head coach Nick Nurse already conceding that he “probably won’t” utilize the same starting lineup as Wednesday, this is clearly a situation to avoid Jonas Valanciunas in all formats, as the Raptors starters project to be Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, OG Anunoby, and Serge Ibaka since Boston is likely to continue running out a frontcourt consisting of Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, and Al Horford for the foreseeable future, if not all season.
As reported by: Michael Grange via Twitter Other tagged players: OG Anunoby
Maurice Harkless (knee) will play Thursday
As expected, Harkless will be available to play in Thursday’s season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers following his original probable designation due to a sore left knee that hampered him throughout the preseason. During his pregame media availability, head coach Terry Stotts declined to name his starting lineup, which may or may not include Harkless. However, following Wednesday’s practice, Stotts did disclose that Harkless will be subject to a 15-20 minute restriction given his lack of playing time in the preseason. Jake Layman is also a candidate to start at small forward if Harkless comes off the bench, but the Trail Blazers utilize so many players on the wing that it’s difficult to really hone in on one specific player as a value option in daily fantasy tournament formats.
As reported by: Tim Bontemps via Twitter Wayne Ellington (ankle) and Justise Winslow (hamstring) out Thursday
Despite being upgraded to questionable earlier in the day, Ellington has officially been ruled out for Thursday’s matchup with the Washington Wizards, and he’ll join Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, and James Johnson among the Heat’s inactives. With Ellington unavailable, Rodney McGruder and Derrick Jones Jr. remain candidates to start at the forward positions once again and likely will do so. Jones Jr. was limited to only 17 minutes due to foul trouble on Wednesday, but he could be relied upon more heavily if the Wizards try to run more small ball lineup configurations to force Hassan Whiteside off the floor. However, unsurprisingly, Whiteside, Goran Dragic, and Josh Richardson soaked up a majority of the usage in the starting unit in Wednesday’s contest, keeping them as the preferred Heat options for all formats on tonight’s three-game slate.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Other tagged players: Justise Winslow Mike Muscala (ankle) will be "out for a while"
Muscala was originally listed as doubtful for Thursday’s matchup with the Chicago Bulls, but head coach Brett Brown disclosed during his pregame media availability that Muscala will be “out for a while” and that he’s not currently sure what his timetable for return will look like. With Wilson Chandler also expected to be sidelined for at least the next couple of weeks, T.J. McConnell and Landry Shamet will have the first shots at extended minutes in Brown’s rotation, though McConnell would likely be the main beneficiary of more consistent small-ball lineups from the outset. Additionally, rookie big man Jonah Bolden is unlikely to crack the frontcourt rotation in the early going following an underwhelming preseason, so Ben Simmons and Robert Covington should absorb the reserve minutes available at power forward when Dario Saric is off the floor, clearing the way for the aforementioned McConnell and Shamet to be allotted more playing time in small-ball and possibly three-guard lineup combinations.
As reported by: Rich Hofmann via Twitter Dwight Howard (piriformis) out Thursday
Howard continues to deal with a piriformis ailment and has officially been ruled out for Thursday’s season opener against the Miami Heat. He was upgraded to questionable earlier in the day, but the team still believes he needs more practice time before being cleared to play, despite full participation in three straight practices. In his absence, Ian Mahinmi will almost assuredly draw the start at center alongside Markieff Morris in the frontcourt, while Jason Smith would step into the reserve center role. However, head coach Scott Brooks had been experimenting with small ball lineups more often during the preseason, so it would not be shocking if Jeff Green sees significant burn at the five in these lineup configurations, which makes him, Otto Porter, and Kelly Oubre more intriguing options if Washington is able to keep Hassan Whiteside contained or off the floor entirely.
As reported by: Chris Haynes via Twitter Lock and Load Value at Point Guard
While the Bulls have a difficult road matchup in a potential blowout, Kris Dunn and Denzel Valentine have both been ruled out of tonight’s game. This opens up close to 50 minutes in the rotation and a chance for Cameron Payne to start at point guard. In 14 starts last season, Payne averaged 9.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.2 blocks/steals. Assuming this game stays competitive, he has a chance to play 30 minutes and he’s basically free across the industry ($4,000 on FanDuel and $3,600 on DraftKings).
Recency Bias at its Finest
Markelle Fultz was chalk on opening night against the Celtics. It was an awful matchup, especially for a guard that doesn’t shoot the ball particularly well. Boston has one of the best defenses in basketball and have tremendous wing defenders. After letting everyone down, Fultz will be an afterthought tonight. I’ll go right back to the well on DraftKings ($4,500) at low ownership. This is a significantly better matchup, both in terms of his scoring upside and his peripheral statistic upside. Add in a chance for garbage time and this sets up beautifully for Fultz.
Wayne Ellington (ankle) upgraded to questionable Thursday; Dion Waiters and James Johnson remain out
Ellington was originally considered doubtful along with Justise Winslow for Thursday’s matchup with the Washington Wizards, but he’s now been officially listed as questionable with a sore left ankle. Miami is already scheduled to be shorthanded with Waiters and James Johnson unavailable for the second consecutive game, but even if Ellington is cleared to play closer to tipoff, Rodney McGruder and Derrick Jones Jr. would remain candidates to start at the forward positions once again. Jones Jr. was limited to only 17 minutes due to foul trouble on Wednesday and may be restricted to a similar minute allotment once again if Ellington is able to make his return this evening. However, unsurprisingly, Goran Dragic, Josh Richardson, and Hassan Whiteside soaked up a majority of the usage in the starting unit, keeping them as the preferred Heat options for all formats on tonight’s three-game slate.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Other tagged players: Dion Waiters, James Johnson Dwight Howard (piriformis) listed as questionable Thursday
Howard continues to deal with a piriformis ailment and has officially been listed as questionable for Thursday’s season opener against the Miami Heat. He was originally considered unlikely to play, but after participating fully in three straight practices, he appears to be trending in the right direction to be available this evening. If for some reason Howard is unable to suit up, Ian Mahinmi would more than likely draw the start at center alongside Markieff Morris in the frontcourt, while Jason Smith would step into the reserve center role. However, head coach Scott Brooks had been experimenting with small ball lineups more often during the preseason, so it would not be shocking if Jeff Green sees significant burn at the five in these lineup configurations, which makes him, Otto Porter, and Kelly Oubre more intriguing options should Howard be unavailable.
As reported by: Candace Buckner via Twitter I'm Kicking Punts Over Here
I’m still playing around with different strategies on the new FanDuel “drop a player” scoring, and tonight I’m going to punt with McGruder over there. Miami gets the first back-to-back on the season, and they had to travel from Orlando to Washington. It doesn’t sound like any of the four players that were out last night will be back tonight, so McGruder should see 30+ minutes again. He took nine shots last night, and five of those were three-pointers. He shot 22% from the field and still put up 18 FanDuel points. I’m going to take him at min salary, and if he shoots the ball well, he might not even be my “punt” play.
Taking The Floor
Covington shot the ball pretty badly in the opener against Boston, but he still played 34 minutes in that game. He was very active on Tuesday night, as he finished with 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block on top of his 8 points. Covington is still cheap on DraftKings and FantasyDraft, so I don’t mind taking him as a higher floor option in this matchup. He was 2-for-7 from three-point land and 3-for-10 from the field. If he shoots a little better tonight, look for him to push 30 fantasy points in this matchup.
Let's Roll The Dice
I’m expecting Bobby Portis to be popular tonight, and with Markkanen out, he’s a really solid play. I’m always looking for tournament pivots off of popular plays, and tonight I like Wendell Carter Jr. as a pivot off Porter. He impressed so much that he’s starting over Robin Lopez tonight. In the preseason he averaged 7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 21 minutes per game. I think we see him play 25-28 minutes tonight, and if the game gets out of hand, I would assume the rookie would still get his minutes. I don’t expect a lot of people to be on him, and on a three-game slate, I’m willing to roll the dice.
Early Day Injury News
I’d be lying if I said I was even considering Payne until the Kris Dunn news came out, but now he’s one of the top value plays on the slate. He will draw the start against the 76ers tonight, and he should play 25-30 minutes if this game stays close. Payne started 14 games last season and averaged 9.4 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in 26 minutes. I’ll take that production for his price across the industry. Payne averaged .93 fantasy points per minute last season, and had a 20% true usage rate.