DFS Alerts
Dirk Nowitzki and Dwight Powell are listed as probable
Nowitzki and Powell are both probable with left knee injuries.
Other tagged players: Dwight Powell
J.J. Barea is listed as questionable
Barea is questionable for Friday’s game against Minnesota for personal reasons.
As reported by: Mavs.com No Embiid, No Problem
Joel Embiid is a monster on the floor. He has a massive usage rate and he racks up all categories on a stat sheet. When he’s out, it opens up minutes, usage, and rebounds for the rest of the Sixers. Dario Saric is a lock play for me at power forward and I will be pairing him with Ersan Ilyasova. Not only is this a revenge game (vs. the Hawks), but he should see minutes in the high 20s with a higher than normal usage rate.
Chris Paul, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and Trevor Ariza are listed as questionable
Paul (left hip), Mbah a Moute (knee) and Ariza (right elbow) all listed as questionable for Friday’s game against Phoenix.
As reported by: NBA Other tagged players: Luc Mbah a Moute, Trevor Ariza Opportunity Without Embiid
The Sixers are going to be without Joel Embiid for the rest of the regular season, so opportunity knocks for Dario Saric. On the whole, he sees the largest boost for this team with Embiid off the floor. CourtIQ tells us that Saric sees a 4% boost in usage and scores four additional fantasy points per 36 minutes in these situations. He will also probably play a handful of extra minutes. Saric is one of my favorite mid-range plays on the board tonight.
Kevin Love is listed as questionable
Kevin Love is questionable with a concussion for Friday’s game against the Pelicans.
As reported by: NBA Joel Embiid has been ruled out
Analysis coming soon.
Paying up at Point Guard
The popular move tonight will be to pay up for one of the studs in the Cavaliers-Pelicans game (either LeBron James or Anthony Davis). While both are elite plays in their own right, the Thunder need a win and are facing a Nuggets’ defense that is bottom three at defending point guards. Westbrook’s price is significantly cheaper than both LeBron and Davis, yet he has a similar floor and a similar ceiling. Even better, small forward and power forward are loaded with options, which usually isn’t the case.
Ready to Battle for a Playoff Spot
The Pelicans still need every win they can get, as they are fighting for positioning in the Western Conference and have not yet clinched a playoff spot. They also draw a decent matchup against a Cavs team that is often deficient on the defensive end. This game has a very high total and is the most likely shootout game of the night. Fire up Holiday with confidence, and it helps that his price is not at the premium that it was a couple weeks ago.
Lock and Load Value Play
Taylor isn’t any great shakes as a basketball player at this level, but he should see extended run again tonight with Dennis Schroder doubtful to play. The lower minutes the other night were largely a result of first half foul trouble, and he still finished with a 20/2/8 line. On a tanking Hawks squad, there’s no reason why he won’t continue to get minutes, so fire him up with confidence as a value pick.
Thon Maker (groin strain) officially ruled out Thursday
Maker has officially been ruled out of Thursday’s matchup with the Golden State Warriors, according to interim head coach Joe Prunty, but his absence will have a minimal impact on the Milwaukee Bucks frontcourt rotation, as he’s averaged just 16 minutes per game over his last five contests. Tyler Zeller has seen his playing time plummet during that span, but he’ll be in line for a marginal increase in his role with Maker unable to suit up for the second consecutive game. The Bucks also have Marshall Plumlee lurking at the end of the bench poised to steal a few minutes form Zeller, while Giannis Antetokounmp consistently sees time at the five spot in small-ball lineup combinations, something Prunty can turn to more often if the game flow and matchups dictate.
As reported by: the Milwaukee Bucks via Twitter
LaMarcus Aldridge (knee contusion) "probably" will play Thursday
In typical Gregg Popovich fashion, the San Antonio Spurs told reporters during his pregame media availability that Aldridge “probably” will play in Thursday’s matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder despite a left knee contusion. Assuming Aldridge is active and ready to go, he’ll almost certainly continue to start at center in Popovich’s new-look small-ball starting lineup combination that features Kyle Anderson and Danny Green at power forward and small forward, respectively. Aldridge still leads the Spurs with a 32.2% usage rate and an average of 1.20 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.21 on FanDuel with Kawhi Leonard off the court. However, he’s been held a bit in check by the Thunder this season, averaging just 30.50 fantasy points on DraftKings and 30.10 on FanDuel in his two previous games against them.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter Blake Griffin (ankle contusion) ruled out Thursday
Griffin is a late scratch from Thursday’s matchup with the Washington Wizards due to a right ankle contusion. There’s yet to be any word from the Detroit Pistons or head coach Stan Van Gundy on who his replacement will be in the starting lineup, though Anthony Tolliver appears to be the leading candidate and briefly started at power forward during the transition period when Griffin was acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers before the trade deadline. Reggie Jackson finally saw his playing time increase to 28 minutes in Monday’s win, and he remains severely underpriced across the industry if he’s going to continue logging those type of minutes as the primary ballhandler and initiator of the offense with Griffin sidelined. Jackson also owns a +6.9% usage rate differential in his limited time with Griffin off the court, but Andre Drummond has recorded a +3.7% usage rate differential while averaging 1.48 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.54 on FanDuel in a much larger sample size, making him a great target for all formats on tonight’s slate.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Hassan Whiteside (hip) and Bam Adebayo (ankle) available to play Thursday
Whiteside made it through a full practice on Wednesday and will play in Thursday’s matchup with the Chicago Bulls after missing nine consecutive games with a strained left hip flexor, while Bam Adebayo will also be available to resume his normal reserve role as the backup center. Their availability will also relegate Jordan Mickey from the rotation entirely following his 22-minute spot start in Tuesday’s win. Prior to his injury, Whiteside would rarely play more than 26-28 minutes, so he shouldn’t be expected to all of a sudden step into some high volume role that was atypical even when he was fully healthy. That said, he possesses the type of per minute upside that he could easily exceed his depressed price point across the industry in that time, putting him in consideration as a longshot tournament target.
As reported by: Tom D'Angelo via Twitter Other tagged players: Bam Adebayo