DFS Alerts
Otto Porter will play Saturday
Otto Porter will play Saturday against Toronto, after being label a game-time decision earlier in the day. He missed the Wizards last regular season game with a calf injury. Porter is only in play for GPPs Saturday. The value of Kelly Oubre is hurt with Porter back in the lineup.
As reported by: Eric Smith via Twitter
Fred VanVleet ruled out Saturday
Fred VanVleet will miss Toronto’s 1st game of the playoffs against the Wizards, with an shoulder injury. With Fred VanVleet not suiting up, Delon Wright will see some extra minutes, and is one of the top values on this Saturday’s slate. Norman Powell will also likely enter the rotation today for the Raptors.
As reported by: Blake Murphy via twitter Andre Iguodala will start at Point Guard on Saturday
The Warriors will shake up their lineup a bit for their 1st round playoff game against the Spurs. Andre Iguodala will start at point guard and Quinn Cook will head to the bench. Obviously, this increases the value of Iguodala, and hurts the value of Cook. This is kind of shocking considering how well Cook has been playing, but Iguodala always raises his game up at playoff time.
As reported by: Shams Charania via twitter Banged Up Team Leads To More Opportunity
With Portland banged up this should lead to more opportunities for Amiinu. He is going to see a ton of minutes and is way too cheap around the industry. I love targeting the Pelicans on defense and Aminu should really thrive in this game environment. He is currently lock in on both my cash game lineups on FanDuel and DraftKings.
Mike Scott will play Saturday, Otto Porter a game-time decision
The Wizards will have Mike Scott in the lineup for game 1 of their series versus Toronto today. Scott suffered a head injury last game, but he passed the concussion protocol. Scott isn’t a DFS option, as he will see somewhere between 16-20 minutes. Otto Porter will be a game-time decision, he is dealing with a calf injury. He missed the last regular season game for the Wizards. If he can’t go, Kelly Oubre will start for Porter, and be a very viable play.
As reported by: Chris Miller via Twitter Cash Game Value Play
There are obviously a lot of star players to pay up for in the playoffs, and the dynamic of DFS shifts drastically. We no longer have the easy value picks as a result of players “resting” as we get to this stage. As such, we have to lower our standards for value plays a little bit. Aminu stands out as a solid option today, as he will play heavy minutes in the absence of Harkless. This is also an up-tempo matchup against the Pelicans, and Aminu matches up better with a guy like Mirotic than anyone else in the Portland frontcourt. If he plays 34-38 minutes today, he should be a lock to hit value at this affordable price point.
Another Core Play Based on Affordability
Saric was slowed down a little bit toward the end of the season because of a minor injury, but he should be good to go for the playoffs. While we don’t necessarily love targeting a matchup against the Heat, there is plenty of opportunity available for the Philadelphia big man. Joel Embiid has already been ruled out for today, and we have seen Saric put up some big games in Embiid’s absence. The price tag is a little cheaper than I expected (especially on FanDuel), and the Sixers are rolling. Saric is a great mid-range play in all formats.
Price Makes Him a Core Play
Lowry is a core play today for one reason: the price tag. Period. The Toronto star players are under-priced, likely based on their rest/limited minutes over the final few games of the regular season. Use this to your advantage, and both Lowry and DeRozan should make their way onto a lot of cash game rosters today. This Raptors/Wizards series should produce some close games, and I don’t mind loading up some star players from each side.
Still the Stud to Pay For
Yes, I realize that the matchup isn’t great for Durant and company against the Spurs. However, Stephen Curry remains out, and there is a real chance that the Warriors could get tested in this series without him. Durant’s usage goes from 32% to 36%+ with Curry off the floor this year, and you know he won’t mind taking over in a playoff game. Even against the Spurs, Durant will be the first guy I look to spend up for on my Saturday NBA rosters.
Time For Playoff Minutes
At the start of the playoffs, I look for star players that took a bit more of a backseat in terms of usage and minutes in the regular season, a player that will ramp it up for the playoffs. Kyle Lowry is a great choice. He gets a great matchup versus John Wall in a fast-paced game and will play those extra 5-6 minutes in the playoffs that he didn’t in the regular season, which makes him amazing value at a reduced price tag.
No Embiid Gives Me Opportunity
With Joel Embiid ruled out, Hassan Whiteside has the opportunity to put up big numbers in Game 1. Amir Johnson and Richaun Holmes are no Embiid defensively, which should allow him to control the paint and have a ton of usage. Now of course, this is Hassan Whiteside and he can be benched at a moment’s notice, but the upside of 50 fantasy points is very possible, and that makes him the epitome of a strong GPP play.
Matchup Should Force Big Minutes
With Mo Harkless still out, the PF rotation of Aminu and Ed Davis would be expected to continue; however, this is just a really poor matchup for Ed Davis to play minutes. Nikola Mirotic is a stretch four, so Ed Davis will struggle to cover him at the perimeter, which opens to the door for Aminu to potentially play 34-38 minutes. That would make him a steal at this price tag.
It's Playoff Time!
Andre Iguodala has had a bunch of knee issues this year that have caused him to miss games, but it’s playoff time now. I fully expect Iguodala to approach 30 minutes now that we’ve hit the postseason, and at this cheap price tag, that makes him a great GPP play. His usage should also rise with Stephen Curry still out of action.
Value Play To Help With Lineup Construction
Kyle Anderson is a great cash game play on both sites. This is a big boost in pace for the Spurs and Kyle Anderson should benefit a ton. In his four games against the Warriors this year Anderson is averaging 35.5 DraftKings points per game. I understand this Warriors team hasn’t been the same all year long but, it just shows how well this game environment fits Anderson. I also think there are great reasons to play him on both sites. On FanDuel we HAVE to play two small forwards, and this helps get rid of a roster spot at one of the ugliest positions on the board. On DraftKings it gets rid of the small forward position, and $4600 is just WAY too cheap. Kyle Anderson is a cash game lock for me on Saturday’s slate.
Buy Low While You Can
Kyle Lowry is simply too cheap around the industry at $6800 on FanDuel and $7000 on DraftKings. He has struggled this year against the Wizards, only averaging 28.3 DraftKings points per game. That won’t scare me because in 20 games against John Wall, Lowry is averaging 36.9 DraftKings points per game. I hope people see the poor performances this year and stay away. I also hope that his known postseason struggles keep people off of Lowry. In 52 postseason games, he is averaging only 29.7 DraftKings points per game. He even knows how much he has struggled in the postseason, so much so that he came out and said, “Game 1 is our Game 7.” I love this spot for Lowry and he will be on all my cash game lineups tonight on FanDuel because I have to play two point guards. I like him on DraftKings and I should roster him, but with the type of flexibility roster construction has, there is a chance I could go another route.