DFS Alerts
Can We Trust the Bulls?
Part of the reason why late March NBA is so frustrating is because it’s difficult to get a read on the tanking teams. The Grizzlies are the worst at providing quality news, but the Bulls are up there too. The good news is that both Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine have been ruled out for tonight, and now Antonio Blakeney has been ruled out for the rest of the season. That leaves the team with very few options on the wing, especially since the coaching staff doesn’t seem keen on playing Jerian Grant or Justin Holiday for extended minutes. Valentine is the guy I want to focus on in tournaments. Remember, it was just earlier this week when he was one of the most popular plays on the board after his huge game last Saturday. Well, he let a lot of people down this week, so now everyone is gravitating in different directions. This could be the perfect time to hop back aboard, as I like his potential if he can grab 30-33 minutes tonight.
Dominating as the Season Winds Down
DeAndre Jordan continues to get over-looked on a nightly basis, but his production continues to soar. He is averaging 15.7 points and 18.8 rebounds per game in the month of March, both of which are substantially higher than his season averages. He is thriving without Blake Griffin around to hog up touches, and there’s no reason to abandon ship in a matchup against a Pacers team that really struggles with interior defense. Another 20+ rebound game is a real possibility here.
Stephen Curry (ankle) will play, as expected, Friday
Curry has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks after previously being listed as probable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a tweaked right ankle that had forced him to miss six consecutive games. Meanwhile, Draymond Green was already ruled out with a pelvic contusion he sustained during the first half of Monday’s contest, and Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson also remain sidelined with their respective ailments. Head coach Steve Kerr was noncommittal when asked if Curry would be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back, but based on prior instances, it’s unlikely that Curry will be severely limited from a minute standpoint. His return to the starting lineup will send Quinn Cook back to the bench and possibly out of the rotation entirely if Kerr doesn’t believe that he’s done enough to earn playing time over Shaun Livingston or the other reserve guards. Curry owns some outrageous usage and production statistics in the 48.5 minutes he’s played this season with Green, Durant, and Thompson off the court this season, making him an elite tournament target under the assumption he won’t be limited by his ailing ankle or the Warriors coaching staff this evening.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter
Dwyane Wade (hamstring strain) now questionable Friday
Wade participated in shootaround Friday morning and has officially been upgraded to questionable on the Miami Heat’s injury report for Friday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after previously being listed out in the game notes with a strained left hamstring that has already forced him to miss four consecutive games. Meanwhile, Hassan Whiteside will remain sidelined for the seventh consecutive game due to a strained left hip flexor, which should allow Bam Adebayo to continue starting at center. However, Adebayo logged just 13 minutes in his previous start as he’s given way to Kelly Olynyk off the bench when the Heat don’t need a double big lineup, similar to the situation they’ll face in tonight’s matchup with Oklahoma City Thunder, who start Carmelo Anthony at power forward and utilize Patrick Patterson and Jerami Grant as the backup bigs in their frontcourt. This means that Adebayo becomes a pretty easy player to avoid in all daily fantasy formats, while the potential return of Wade could eat into playing time of reserve wing players like Wayne Ellington, Rodney McGruder, and possibly even Justise Winslow.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Giannis Antetokounmpo (ankle sprain) officially ruled out Friday
Antetokounmpo didn’t travel with the Milwaukee Bucks to Chicago and has officially been ruled out for Friday’s game against the Bulls after previously being listed as doubtful on the injury report with a sprained right ankle he sustained during the first half of Wednesday’s loss. Jabari Parker ended up replacing Antetokounmpo in the starting lineup to begin the second half and finally eclipsed the 30-minute mark for the first time this season. That makes him the leading candidate to start in place of Antetokounmpo tonight and will be one of the top options for all formats on Friday’s slate if he’s able to see that type of playing time once again. That said, Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton have been the primary beneficiaries in the prior games Antetokounmpo has been sidelined this season, as both own at least a 28.0% usage rate with Antetokounpmo off this season, while Bledsoe leads the way with rates of 1.20 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.25 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Nick Friedell via Twitter Larry Nance (hamstring), Rodney Hood (back), and Tristan Thompson (ankle) questionable Friday; Kyle Korver (personal) remains out
Nance, Hood, and Thompson have all been listed as questionable on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ injury report for Friday’s game against the Phoenix Suns due to their respective ailments. Meanwhile, Kyle Korver is still away from the team dealing with a personal matter, and Cedi Osman remains sidelined with a strained left hip flexor. Jose Calderon ended up drawing the start at point guard in the Cavaliers previous game and logged 27 minutes, but if Hood is cleared to play, Calderon will be replaced in the starting lineup by Hood and likely relegated from the rotation altogether. Jeff Green has also played at least 33 minutes in each of the last four games with the Cavaliers decimated by injuries in the frontcourt, but his viability on Friday’s slate will depend solely on the status of Nance and Thompson, especially with Kevin Love back in the fold and recording 29 minutes in Wednesday’s comeback win.
As reported by: Dave McMenamin via Twitter Other tagged players: Rodney Hood, Tristan Thompson, Kyle Korver Paul Millsap (illness) questionable Friday
Millsap has been added to the Denver Nuggets’ injury report and is questionable for Friday’s game against the Washington Wizards due to an illness. Meanwhile, Gary Harris remains sidelined with a strained right knee that has now forced him to miss four consecutive games. This has allowed Will Barton to start the last three games in his place and is averaging 34 minutes per game over that span, including a blowout-shortened 25-minute outing against the Chicago Bulls in the previous game. When Millsap was sidelined for an extended period earlier in the season, Wilson Chandler started at power forward and Trey Lyles had a larger role in the rotation as the primary backup forward. However, with Harris unavailable, head coach Mike Malone will obviously have to utilize a different starting lineup combination if Millsap were to be ruled out closer to tipoff. Unsurprisingly, Barton, Jamal Murray, and Nikola Jokic have been the main beneficiaries with Millsap and Harris off the court this season, as each own at least a +2.2% usage rate differential, while Murray has seen the largest change in his production and is averaging 1.03 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.98 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Harrison Wind via Twitter Derrick Rose (ankle sprain) out at least two games
Rose didn’t travel with the Minnesota Timberwolves for their upcoming two-game road trip and has officially been ruled out of Friday’s game against the New York Knicks and Saturday’s matchup with Philadelphia 76ers due to a sprained right ankle. The Timberwolves are still without Jimmy Butler as he recovers from a torn meniscus, so as he typically does, head coach Tom Thibodeau will continue to rely heavily on his starting unit as Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and Nemanja Bjelica have consistently approached the 40-minute mark with Butler sidelined. In Rose’s absence, Thibodeau will almost certainly give Jeff Teague a longer leash than normal with the starters, while Tyus Jones will absorb the remaining available point guard minutes, though he’ll remain irrelevant for daily fantasy formats this evening.
As reported by: Ian Begley via Twitter This Power Forward is Finally Playing Big Minutes
The Bucks have been hesitant to play Jabari Parker big minutes, but he’s going to have a bigger role over the next three weeks and as the Bucks enter the first round of the playoffs. Giannis Antetokounmpo got hurt on Wednesday night and Parker ended up starting the second half and played 30 minutes. With Giannis doubtful, Parker should enter the starting lineup and potentially play 30+ minutes once again. Add in a matchup against the Bulls and Parker becomes an elite play in both cash games and tournaments.
War of Attrition
The Bulls are going to be without Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, and Antonio Blakeney tonight. Even if the Bulls don’t want to play Justin Holiday big minutes, they might not have a choice. He’s going to draw the start and I have a hard time seeing him play less than 25 minutes. He’s close to minimum salary across the industry and he gets to face a Bucks’ team that is missing their best player. This game has sneaky shootout potential and I’m willing to stack it in both cash games and tournaments.
From the G-League to the Starting Lineup in Under Two Weeks
Damion Lee made his NBA debut less than two weeks ago for a Hawks team looking for help in the backcourt since Kent Bazemore went down with an injury, and he has impressed enough to be inserted into the starting lineup in the last two games. Through his first five game, Lee is averaging 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 steals, and should see the start again tonight against Golden State. While Atlanta probably won’t win the game, Lee should benefit from facing Nick Young on defense instead of Klay Thompson, and at only $3,400 on DraftKings and $3,700 on FanDuel, Lee will be one of the best point-per-dollar plays on the slate if he is starting.
Time to Shine
Giannis Antetokounmpo is not expected to play tonight, yet the Bucks’ implied total is five points higher than their season average. This is crazy to think about. Basically, Giannis not playing opens up 50+ fantasy points in this lineup and then you add in the high team total. Khris Middleton is my favorite player to pay up for tonight, as he has a usage rate of 33% with Giannis off the floor this season. The Bucks are fighting for playoff positioning, so Middleton could push for 40 minutes in an elite matchup and in a game where he’ll need to shoulder the load offensively.
Injuries Creating Opportunity for this Veteran Scorer
Golden State should still be missing a trio of starters tonight, with Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green all out for the Warriors, meaning Nick Young should see another start tonight against Atlanta. With those three off the court, Young sees a 26.6% usage rate that is a 7.6% increase from his normal mark, and averages 0.8 fantasy points per minute. Shaggy P has averaged 37 minutes over his last four games, so if those numbers hold true tonight, Nick Young should be a salary bargain at $4,600 on DraftKings and $5,000 on FanDuel.
Don't Overlook This Forward's Increased Usage - Especially Because FanDuel and DraftKings Did
Giannis Antetokounmpo is Doubtful tonight for Milwaukee, which should create more opportunities across the team assuming the Bucks star misses the game. Which Milwaukee teammate has the biggest bump in usage with Giannis off the floor over the past three months? It’s actually John Henson, who sees a 5.6% usage increase (up to 21.3%) and averages over 1.0 fantasy points per minute with Antetokounmpo off the floor over the past three months. Unlike his fellow Milwaukee starters, Henson hasn’t seen a major increase in price for tonight, only costing $5,100 on FanDuel (up only $100 from last game) and $5,000 on DraftKings (actually down $100).
Bogdan Bogdanovic (sore hamstring) will start Thursday
Bogdanovic has officially been cleared to play and will start in Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks after previously being listed as probable on the Sacramento Kings’ injury report a sore left hamstring that had forced him to miss one game. Meanwhile, Zach Randolph and Garret Temple have already been ruled out due to their respective ailments, and Temple absorbed 23 minutes off the bench with Bogdanovic sidelined for the prior game, which should enable Buddy Hield to remain in an increased role off the bench. In Randolph’s absence, Skal Labissiere will be inserted into the starting lineup at power forward but that’s merely a formality, as he has seen more minutes than Randolph in each of the previous two games despite a reserve role. Unsurprisingly, Bogdanovic and Willie Cauley-Stein each own at least a +2.2% usage rate differential with Randolph and Temple off the court this season, while Bogdanovic has averaged 0.98 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.97 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Jason Jones via Twitter