DFS Alerts
The Last Time I Go Here For A While
If you don’t know, I’m a fan of Jeff Green, and I liked playing him whenever Dwyane Wade was out. Well tonight it’s looking like Green will have to play big minutes, and that makes him one of my favorite plays on the slate. The Cavs will likely have 10 guys tonight, but only seven of them have played minutes this season. Atlanta ranks 26th in defensive efficiency this season, and this could be a close game with them on a back-to-back. Cleveland has the second highest implied team total on this slate, which makes all these value plays very interesting.
The Lower-Owned Option In This Game
The Cavs are going to be the highest owned team on the slate tonight, and I don’t see a way you could fade them here. Osman is minimum salary and should be the lowest owned player on this team. He played 21 minutes last game with Wade out, and he could be forced to play 25+ minutes tonight. The Cavs will likely have 10 guys tonight, but only seven of them have played minutes this season. Atlanta ranks 26th in defensive efficiency this season, and this could be a close game with them on a back-to-back.
Russell Westbrook (ankle) and Carmelo Anthony (ankle) ruled out Thursday
Westbrook 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 Oklahoma City Thunder’s injury report with a sprained left ankle, while Carmelo Anthony will also be unavailable to play due to a sprained right ankle he sustained during the first half of Tuesday’s win. Patrick Patterson ended up replacing Anthony to begin the third quarter of that game and logged 29 minutes in relief, making him the leading candidate to start at power forward this evening, though Jerami Grant also saw an uptick in playing time, recording 35 minutes at both forward positions. As for Westbrook’s absence, Raymond Felton will almost certainly start at point guard and should be locked into a heavy minute workload as the only true point guard on the Thunder’s active roster. Unsurprisingly, with both Westbrook and Anthony off the court this season, Paul George owns a massive +15.1% usage rate differential, equating to a 42.6% usage rate overall, and he has averaged 1.27 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.22 on FanDuel in this scenario, elevating him to must play territory on the late slates in a plus matchup against a shorthanded Lakers squad.
As reported by: Royce Young via Twitter Other tagged players: Carmelo Anthony
Evan Turner (sore calf) available to play Thursday
Turner has officially been cleared to play and will suit up in Thursday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report with a sore left calf that had forced him to miss Monday’s loss. However, despite Turner’s availability, head coach Terry Stotts was noncommittal when asked by reporters during his pregame media presser if Turner would resume his normal role as the Trail Blazers starting small forward this evening. If Turner doesn’t start, Maurice Harkless would likely remain in the starting lineup for the second consecutive game, though with Shabazz Napier available off the bench on Monday, only logged 23 minutes in his previous start. Turner had struggled mightily prior to his injury absence and with the small forward and reserve backcourt minutes shaping up to be a full-blown timeshare between him, Harkless, Napier and Pat Connaughton, this appears to be a situation to avoid entirely in daily fantasy formats until further clarity is provided.
As reported by: Joe Freeman via Twitter Jonathon Simmons (ankle) will play Thursday; D.J. Augustin will start at point guard
Simmons has officially been cleared to play and will start in Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks after originally being listed as questionable on the Orlando Magic’s injury report with a sore right ankle that forced him to be a limited participant in this morning’s shootaround. Additionally, the Magic agreed to a trade earlier this afternoon that sends Elfrid Payton to the Phoenix Suns in an exchange for a 2018 second-round pick, effectively ruling him out of tonight’s game and means that D.J. Augustin will draw the start at point guard in his place. Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic also remain sidelined due to their respective ailments, and in Gordon’s absence, Mario Hezonja and Marreese Speights have alternated starts at power forward over the last five games, but regardless of starter, Hezonja has logged the most playing time of the two, eclipsing 25 minutes in every game. That said, the starters that still stand to benefit the most with Gordon and Payton unavailable are Simmons and Evan Fournier, as each owns at least a +4.4% usage rate differential with them off the court this season, while Fournier has averaged 1.11 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.06 on FanDuel in a limited sample size.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter Other tagged players: D.J. Augustin Draymond Green (dental), Shaun Livingston (elbow), and David West (calf) available to play Thursday
Green has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after previously being listed as probable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report due to a dental procedure, while Shaun Livingston and David West will also be available to play through their respective ailments following their earlier probable designations on the injury report. Additionally, Kevin Durant is no longer listed as questionable with a left-hand contusion and will play in tonight’s contest. So, despite four players appearing on the injury report, the only Warrior that will be inactive due to an injury is Jordan Bell, who remains without a firm timetable for his return. In the Warriors prior meetings with the Mavericks this season, Durant and Stephen Curry have unsurprisingly led the team with 31.1% and 33.4% usage rates, respectively, while each has averaged more than 1.53 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and FanDuel in these matchups.
As reported by: Warriors PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Shaun Livingston, David West Elfrid Payton traded to the Phoenix Suns for a second-round pick
The Orlando Magic have agreed to a trade to send Elfrid Payton to the Phoenix Suns in an exchange for a 2018 second-round pick, effectively ruling Payton out of Thursday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, meaning either Shelvin Mack or D.J. Augustin will draw the start at point guard in his place this evening. Jonathon Simmons was a limited participant but is still expected to play after previously being listed as questionable on the Orlando Magic’s injury report with a sore right ankle. Meanwhile, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic will remain sidelined due to their respective ailments, the latter needing to go through a few more practices before he’s cleared to return from a fractured index metacarpal in his left hand. In Aaron Gordon’s absence, Mario Hezonja and Marreese Speights have alternated starts at power forward over the last five games, but regardless of starter, Hezonja has logged the most playing time of the two, eclipsing 25 minutes in every game. That said, the starters that still stand to benefit the most with Gordon and Payton unavailable are Simmons and Evan Fournier, as each owns at least a +4.4% usage rate differential with them off the court this season, while Fournier has averaged 1.11 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.06 on FanDuel in a limited sample size.
As reported by: Adrian Wojnarowski via Twitter Harrison Barnes (ankle sprain) ruled out Thursday
Barnes has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Thursday’s game against the Golden State Warriors after previously being listed as questionable on the Dallas Mavericks’ injury report with a sprained left ankle that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. In his absence, Yogi Ferrell is likely to receive the starting nod at the shooting guard spot for the second time in as many games, a move that will slide Wesley Matthews over to small forward in head coach Rick Carlisle’s three-guard starting lineup he utilized for a large portion of the early season. Dwight Powell has started the past three games alongside Dirk Nowitzki in the frontcourt and is averaging 29 minutes per contest in those starts, while Maxi Kleber has assumed a reserve role and has been the recipient of sporadic playing time, averaging just 11 minutes over that span. Nowitzki’s ceiling is a bit capped given his typical minute allotment in the mid-20s, but both he and Ferrell each own at least a +7.6% usage rate differential with Barnes, Nerlens Noel, Dorian Finney-Smith, and the recently-traded Devin Harris off the court this season, while Nowitzki has averaged 1.12 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.09 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Bryan Gutierrez via Twitter Everyone gets a Free Square Tonight
Kyle O’Quinn chalk rarely works out, but I have a hard time seeing it fail tonight. Kristaps Porzingis is out for the season, Enes Kanter has been ruled out of tonight’s game, and the Knicks traded Willy Hernangomez to the Hornets. At minimum, O’Quinn should play 22+ minutes with a high usage rate. On the season, he averages well over 1.20 fantasy points per minute with Porzingis and Kanter off the floor. Take your free square in cash games and move on.
Taking Advantage of a Trade
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has had a subpar season by his standards. He has not shot the ball well and he has really struggled with consistency. With that said, we have to expect 30+ minutes from him tonight after the Lakers traded Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance. At a price point under $5,000, I like KCP’s chances to not only reach value, but potentially hit 6x-7x.
Emmanuel Mudiay traded to the Knicks in three-team deal; Doug McDermott to Mavericks; Devin Harris to Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, and Dallas Mavericks have agreed in principle to a three-way deal that will send Emmanuel Mudiay to the Knicks, Doug McDermott to the Mavericks, and Devin Harris to the Nuggets, while the trade also includes the swapping of second-round picks amongst the aforementioned teams.
As reported by: Adrian Wojnarowski via Twitter Other tagged players: Doug McDermott, Devin Harris Kevin Durant (hand contusion) will play Thursday
Durant has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after previously being listed as questionable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a left-hand contusion. Meanwhile, Draymond Green, Shaun Livingston, and David West all remain listed as probable due to their respective ailments. Despite the aforementioned player’s probable designations on the injury report, they all are presently expected to suit up and be available to play in tonight’s contest. In the Warriors prior meetings with the Mavericks this season, Durant and Stephen Curry have unsurprisingly led the team with 31.1% and 33.4% usage rates, respectively, while each has averaged more than 1.53 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and FanDuel in these matchups.
As reported by: Anthony Slater via Twitter Exploitable Matchup with a Potentially Larger Role
Brook Lopez hasn’t played many minutes this season, at least not consistently. However, the Lakers traded Larry Nance to the Cavaliers, which opens 20-24 minutes up in the frontcourt. These won’t all go to Lopez, but if he plays 26-28 minutes, he could be one of the top point-per-dollar producers available tonight. Steven Adams is a good low post defender, but he has struggled with stretch fives like Lopez. In their last meeting, Lopez put up 18 shots and scored 35 fantasy points.
Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye will be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to a trade that will send Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance to Cleveland in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, and a Cavaliers first-round pick.
As reported by: Adrian Wojnarowski via Twitter Other tagged players: Channing Frye Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance will be traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to a trade that will send Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance to Cleveland in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, and a Cavaliers first-round pick.
As reported by: Adrian Wojnarowski via Twitter Other tagged players: Larry Nance Jr.