DFS Alerts
Sneaky Elite Play at Center
Any projection model that uses usage rate as a significant weight will routinely undervalue Rudy Gobert. His usage rate is significantly lower than the other centers at his price point, but that shouldn’t be a concern. Gobert isn’t a player that is going to create his own shots. He’s going to dominate the glass, rack up steals and blocks, and hopefully get a lot of easy looks at the rim. He draws a favorable matchup tonight against Karl-Anthony Towns (below-average defender) and the Wolves, who are ranked 24th in efficiency against centers this season.
Jonathan Isaac (sore ankle) will play Friday
Isaac has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Friday’s game against the Detroit Pistons after previously being listed as probable on the Orlando Magic’s injury report with a sore right ankle that had forced him to miss 26 consecutive games. Isaac will assume his former bench role in his game back and, according to head coach Frank Vogel, is expected to be limited to only 15 minutes off the bench. Even in a limited role in the forward rotation, the presence of Isaac will thrust some uncertainty in the playing time of Mario Hezonja and possibly even Aaron Gordon, though Vogel has consistently emphasized with reporters that he wants to allocate Hezonja plenty of minutes in the rotation. So, it’ll be interesting to see if Vogel opts to tighten the rotation with Isaac now available and how the minutes end up being dispersed amongst the forwards and wings.
As reported by: Josh Robbins via Twitter
Ride the Hot Hand at Small Forward
The Bulls have a lot of young talent on their roster. So much so that they have decided to rest the likes of Jerian Grant, Justin Holiday, and Robin Lopez. Denzel Valentine has taken full advantage of his increased role, averaging 29 minutes and 26 fantasy points over his last three games. He’s a safe bet to play 28-30 minutes again tonight and the matchup is certainly in his favor. While the Mavericks play at a slow pace, they are ranked 21st in defensive efficiency and dead last in rebounding differential. It’s worth noting that Valentine has racked up 19 rebounds in the last two games alone.
Paying up at Shooting Guard
A matchup against the Thunder doesn’t look great on paper, but there’s a lot to like when it comes to Devin Booker. We’ll start with his current form — over his last five games, he has averaged 39 minutes and 45 fantasy points. With T.J. Warren questionable, Booker could realistically play 40 minutes in a game where his usage will be off the charts. The fact that the game is being played in Phoenix helps, as does the fact that the Thunder are without their best perimeter defender in Andre Roberson. Surprisingly enough, the Suns’ implied total is actually four points higher than their season average.
Increased Minutes Because Of Injury
It doesn’t sound like Gallinari is going to play tonight, and the Clippers have not come to an agreement with two-way player Tyrone Wallace. Harrell has been played solid minutes for the Clippers, and he played at least 21 minutes in the last three games without Gallinari. He has at least 25 fantasy points in four of the last five games. I like his chances to play 20+ minutes tonight, and that should be enough to score 25+ fantasy points.
Taking Advantage Of The Current Opportunity
Trey Burke has played at least 24 minutes in three straight games. They said they wanted to get the young guys more minutes, and Burke has really taken advantage of the opportunity. He has at least 30 fantasy points in each of the three games since the All-Star break, and has a great matchup tonight. This game is projected as one of the highest scoring games on the slate, and both teams have implied team totals 5+ points higher than their season average.
Skal Labissiere (ankle sprain) will start Thursday
Labissiere has officially been cleared to play and will start in Thursday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets after previously being listed as probable on the Sacramento Kings with a sprained right ankle he sustained during the first half of Tuesday’s loss. The return of Labissiere to the starting power forward spot will send Zach Randolph back to the bench to assume a reserve role after logging 28 minutes in a surprise start his last time out. That said, it’s certainly possible that Randolph doesn’t play at all in tonight’s contest, as the Kings and head coach Dave Joerger has been sporadically resting veteran players without disclosing those plans publicly prior to tipoff. This makes it difficult to project Randolph, Garrett Temple, Kosta Koufos, and Vince Carter on a nightly basis, and they should be largely avoided for daily fantasy purposes until further notice.
As reported by: Jason Jones via Twitter Jeff Green (sore back) available to play Thursday
Green has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after previously being listed as questionable on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ injury report with lower back soreness that had forced him to miss one game. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers also announced that J.R. Smith will be suspended for one game due to detrimental conduct and will serve that suspension in tonight’s contest. Head coach Tyronn Lue stated that Smith will be back with the team for Friday’s practice and will return to the starting lineup for the Cavaliers next matchup on Saturday evening. However, in his absence, Rodney Hood will draw the start at shooting guard and could be in line for some extra playing time after averaging 29 minutes off the bench over the last two games, while Kyle Korver should be a safe bet to reach at least the 25-minute mark he’s logged in two straight contests given the Cavaliers lack of depth at the wing positions.
As reported by: Maria Ridenour via Twitter J.R. Smith (suspension) ruled out Thursday
The Cleveland Cavaliers have suspended J.R. Smith one game for conduct detrimental to the team and will serve the aforementioned suspension in Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, effectively ruling him out for tonight’s contest. Head coach Tyronn Lue stated that Smith will be back with the team for Friday’s practice and will be back in the starting lineup for the Cavaliers next matchup on Saturday night. However, in his absence, Rodney Hood will draw the start at shooting guard and could be in line for some extra playing time after averaging 29 minutes off the bench over the last two games. Meanwhile, there’s yet to be an official update on Jeff Green, who remains questionable with a sore lower back that has already forced him to miss one game, and if he’s unavailable, Kyle Korver should be a safe bet to reach at least the 25-minute mark he’s logged in two straight contests given the Cavaliers lack of depth at the wing positions.
As reported by: Jason Lloyd via Twitter Big Minutes in a Pace-Up Matchup
Justise Winslow isn’t a flashy play by any means. We typically don’t go out of our way to target him in DFS, but that should change tonight. Not only does he have an elite matchup against the Lakers, but he should see a healthy boost in playing time with both Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington out. If you look at recent rotations, those two typically play around 56-60 minutes per game. I’d expect Winslow to soak up 6-8 of those minutes, which puts his minute projection in the 28-30 range. He’s a steal at this price point.
All the Minutes He Can Handle
Josh Richardson is one of the many Heat players that I will be forcing into my lineups tonight. In fact, you won’t find a single lineup of mine without at least three Heat players on it. With Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington out, Richardson should play 35 minutes at a minimum. His price has come down across the industry, he draws an exploitable matchup against the Lakers, and his per-minute production has been solid over the last five games.
Who is Ready for Another Stack?
The Grizzlies’ stack worked wonders last night against the Suns and we have a chance to rinse and repeat the process tonight with the Heat. Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington have both been ruled out, which opens up plenty of minutes in the rotation and usage in the offense. The Heat also benefit from playing the Lakers, who are ranked first in pace of play this season. Dwyane Wade is coming off of a strong game on Tuesday night and he’ll look to back it up on a night where he should play minutes in the mid to upper-20s.
He's Not a Sexy Play, But The Value Is There
This short slate leaves a bit to be desired on the value front, so we have to take what we can get. Redick has returned for the Sixers and appears to be playing without a minutes restriction at this point. He draws a matchup here against a Cavs team that has had all sorts of defensive lapses this season, too. While the Cavs are better with their new acquisitions, they are by no means a defensive powerhouse. Redick could very easily knock down a handful of threes tonight, and he’s one of my favorite values in GPP formats.
An Elite Mid-Range Play In All Formats
There is opportunity to be had with Miami tonight. Not only will they be without both Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington, but they also draw a favorable pace up matchup against the Lakers. Goran Dragic and Josh Richardson should get massive boosts here, while even Dwyane Wade becomes a viable value play as well. While the CourtIQ numbers don’t suggest a major per minute difference with Ellington and Johnson off the floor, we can’t forget about the fact that the Heat draw the Lakers this evening, and there are also more minutes available for the active players. Dragic is my favorite play of the group, but I will be overweight on all the Miami guards/wings tonight.
Tyler Johnson (quad) and Wayne Ellington (quad) ruled out Thursday
Johnson has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers after previously being listed as questionable on the Miami Heat’s injury report with a left quad contusion that forced him to miss Wednesday’s practice, while Wayne Ellington has been ruled out with a left quad contusion he also sustained during Tuesday’s win following his original doubtful designation on the injury report. During his media availability at shootaround this morning, head coach Erik Spoelstra did mention that he prefers to keep Dwyane Wade primarily in the second unit, which means that someone like Kelly Olynyk is likely to start in place of Johnson, and this hypothetical move would slide Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson to the small forward and shooting guard spots, respectively. Even in his normal bench role, Wade may set up as an intriguing tournament option on Thursday’s slate, as he owns a massive 42.3% usage rate with Johnson and Ellington off the court this season, albeit, in an extremely limited sample size. That said, it does indicate his high probability of seeing increased usage when on the floor and should be in line for at least some additional run since Rodney McGruder logging just nine minutes in his return from a left leg stress fracture, and he appears likely to continue having his minutes monitored.
As reported by: Tom D'Angelo via Twitter Other tagged players: Wayne Ellington