DFS Alerts
Corey Brewer will start ahead of Josh Huestis on Thursday
It was only a matter of time, and Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan has made the starting lineup change official by announcing during his pregame media availability that Corey Brewer will at shooting guard in Thursday’s game against the Phoenix Suns, a move that will send Josh Huestis back to the bench to assume a reserve role. Brewer saw his playing time increase all the way up to 23 minutes off the bench in his second game as a member of the Thunder, and he will likely see that number continue to rise with Donovan continuing his search to find someone that can fill the role of Andre Roberson, who is sidelined for the rest of the season with a ruptured left patellar tendon, in the starting unit. The extended run for Brewer is likely to come at the detriment of Terrance Ferguson and Alex Abrines and it would be unsurprising to see one or both wing players relegated from the rotation entirely if Brewer is able to put a stranglehold on the starting shooting guard position moving forward.
As reported by: Brett Dawson via Twitter Other tagged players: Josh Huestis
Pivot Off The Chalk
I expect a lot of people to pay up for Westbrook and another stud on tonight’s slate, and it’s starting to look like Jamal Crawford is going to be chalk tonight. Manu is usually either really good or really bad, which makes him an excellent pivot off Crawford here. He usually plays 24 to 28 minutes, while Manu is likely to play around 20 minutes. Crawford has only gone for more than 20 fantasy points twice in his last 10 games, while Manu has gone for at least 20 four times in that same span.
Higher Floor Than Most
I’m a tournament player, so I’m not always looking for high-floor options, but on this five-game slate, it makes a lot of sense to target someone with a reliable floor. With Pau Gasol out tonight, I could see this game going small, and Mills has played at least 29 minutes and has at least 19 fantasy points in four of the last five games. The Spurs receive the biggest pace bump on the slate, which should benefit a guard like Mills.
Andre Iguodala (wrist sprain) officially ruled out Thursday
Iguodala has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Thursday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after previously being listed as doubtful on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a sprained left wrist, while Jordan Bell was already ruled out due to a sprained right ankle he sustained during Tuesday’s win. Additionally, David West remains doubtful with a cyst on his right arm that has already forced him to miss one game. Kevon Looney had appeared in just one game and totaled five minutes for Golden State since the All-Star break, but in the absence of West, ended up togging 15 minutes off the bench, essentially stepping directly into West’s role in the frontcourt rotation. With Iguodala unable to suit up, Looney may end up seeing slightly more playing time than that, and both Omri Casspi and Nick Young are likely to absorb extended minutes on the wing with the second unit since Patrick McCaw is still sidelined with a fractured left wrist.
As reported by: Connor Letourneau via Twitter Rebounding From a Dud
Walker was flat out terrible as a popular pick the other night, and when you combine that with his elevated price tag, the ownership will flock in other directions tonight. It’s very easy to pivot up to Curry or Westbrook at point guard tonight. While I do love Westbrook, I think Walker is a viable risk/reward pivot in GPPs (especially if you think the OKC game will turn into a blowout). We know he has a lot of upside, and this is a solid pace up game for Walker and the Hornets.
An Intriguing Potential Shootout?
The Celtics/Wolves game really intrigues me tonight. Even though we don’t usually target players against the Celtics, it’s hard to ignore that this game has a healthy 217 total and a three point spread. At first glance, there’s not a lot of great “punt” value on this slate, so give Jamal Crawford a look. He is playing steady minutes as the sixth man with Jimmy Butler sidelined, and he’s capable of getting hot and knocking some shots down. The floor is very low, so this is reserved generally for you GPP players out there, but I like his chances of making value at this price tag.
The Obvious Spend Tonight
If you are looking to fit a stud into your cash game or GPP lineups this evening, Westbrook is the obvious choice. We know he already brings a massive ceiling to the table, and this is a mouth-watering matchup against a Suns team that plays fast and doesn’t offer much in the way of defensive resistance. The only possible argument to make against him is the risk of a blowout, but that’s a small enough risk to where I cannot fade him entirely. Even though Westbrook will surely have high ownership, I’m starting most of my lineups with him here.
Marco Belinelli (groin tightness) listed questionable Thursday
Belinelli has been listed as questionable in the latest updated version of the Philadelphia 76ers’ game notes for Thursday’s game against the Miami Heat due to right groin tightness. While game notes can unreliable from time-to-time, it is safe to say that the availability of Belinelli is at least in some doubt until his status is updated by the team or head coach Brett Brown later in the day. Belinelli has been serving as the Sixers primary sixth-man off the bench, averaging just over 25 minutes per game, which has siphoned away playing time from T.J. McConnell and essentially relegated Justin Anderson and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot from the rotation entirely. However, if Belinelli is eventually ruled out, McConnell would likely see an increased role and one of Anderson or Luwawu-Cabarrot would rejoin the wing rotation to absorb any unclaimed minutes left behind by Belinelli this evening.
As reported by: NBA.com Game Notes You Know it's a Strange Slate if this Shooting Guard is on my Radar
Nicolas Batum is typically not a player that I like to target in DFS. He always seems overpriced and his inconsistency drives me crazy at times. However, it’s hard to ignore the lethal combination of his form and matchup. Over his last five games, Batum has averaged 33 minutes and 37 fantasy points. Tonight he squares off against the Nets, who are one of the worst defensive teams in the entire league.
Big Minutes in a Potential Shootout
The Suns and Thunder is my favorite game of the slate to stack, both for cash games and tournaments. T.J. Warren is surprisingly cheap across the industry, despite his terrific form. Over his last five games, he has averaged 40 minutes and 34 fantasy points per contest. He’s going to be chalky, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to cash games.
Guaranteed Minutes in a Home Game
Nemanja Bjelica was a superb value play the first few games after Jimmy Butler went down with his injury. His salary has now caught up to his new role as the starting power forward. While a matchup against the Celtics looks difficult on paper, the Wolves have a fairly high implied total of 107.5 points. Bjelica is a safe bet to play 35 minutes and I’m a fan of his ability to fill up all areas of the stat sheet.
Skal Labissiere (sore knee) available to play Wednesday
Labissiere has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Wednesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after previously being upgraded from questionable to probable on the Sacramento Kings’ injury report with a sore right knee. Meanwhile, Willie Cauley-Stein was held out of Tuesday’s practice and has already been ruled out of tonight’s contest with a strained lower back that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. Kosta Koufos has started each of the past two games at center and logged 25 minutes in each start, though Labissiere and Zach Randolph have alternated starts at power forward over that span, and Randolph is coming off of a DNP-CD that has become the norm for several Kings veterans. There continues to be no warning or detectable pattern from head coach Dave Joerger on when players will rest, and even though Koufos has played significant minutes in two straight games, Joerger told reporters during his pregame media availability that he will start at center for the third time in as many games alongside Randolph in the frontcourt.
As reported by: Kayte Christensen via Twitter Jarell Martin (knee) ruled out Wednesday
Martin has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls after previously being listed as questionable on Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report with a sore right knee that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. The Grizzlies are still without Tyreke Evans, Andrew Harrison, and Mario Chalmers because of their respective ailments, while Ben McLemore was removed from the injury report entirely and Chandler Parsons is currently away from the team tending to a personal matter. Xavier Rathan-Mayes ended up logging 25 minutes in his Grizzlies debut as the backup point guard behind Kobi Simmons and it would be far from surprising if he saw at least similar run with how shorthanded the team is in the backcourt, but particularly at point guard. Additionally, Wayne Selden remains on a minute restriction and has yet to eclipse 14 minutes in the two games since returning from injury, just further adding to the potential floor and ceiling of Rathan-Mayes if he can continue to eat into the minute share of Simmons at point guard.
As reported by: Rob Fischer via Twitter Joe Johnson (illness) and Nene (rest) ruled out Wednesday
Johnson has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks after previously being listed as questionable in the latest updated version of the Houston Rockets’ game notes with an illness that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Nene will be rested on the second night of a back-to-back set and is not available to play. They’ll join Ryan Anderson and Brandan Wright on the Rockets’ inactive list, both of whom have missed five straight games due to their respective ailments. The aforementioned absences won’t have an effect on the starting lineup, but it will test the depth at multiple positions and allow Tarik Black to enter the rotation as the primary backup behind Clint Capela at center. With Johnson still sidelined, Gerald Green will continue to absorb a majority of his minutes on the wing after logging 18 minutes off the bench in Tuesday’s win.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen via Twitter Other tagged players: Nene Hilario Tyler Zeller (sore hip, back) officially ruled out Wednesday
Zeller has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Wednesday’s game against the Houston Rockets after previously being listed as doubtful in the Milwaukee Bucks’ game notes with a sore back that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Matthew Dellavedova will remain sidelined for the 12th straight contest due to a sprained right ankle and there is still no timetable for his return to action. With Zeller sidelined, Thon Maker will likely remain in a significantly larger role as the primary backup center behind John Henson after logging 18 minutes, while Henson should see his playing time elevated back into the upper-20s with one less warm body in the frontcourt. Shabazz Muhammad finally managed to see the court for the first time as a member of the Bucks on Monday night, recording six minutes, and it’ll be interesting to see if he begins to siphon playing time away from Tony Snell and Sterling Brown as he becomes more accustomed to interim head coach Joe Prunty’s playbook and builds a report with his new teammates.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter