DFS Alerts
Pivot Off The Other Value Plays
If you read my stuff, or listen to the Morning Grind, you know I love to find pivot plays from the chalk value options. It doesn’t always work out, but when it does, it’s usually a real big edge. Rodney Hood has missed the last five games, and Burks has at least 20 fantasy points in three of those games. I don’t see him going for 40 anytime soon, but I think he’s very capable of going for 30+ in this spot. The Jazz get one of the biggest bumps in pace on the slate, and they’re implied team total is 6.3 points higher than their season average. If Burks plays 25+ minutes tonight, he could be the best value on both DraftKings and FanDuel at very low ownership.
Potential To Play Extra Minutes Tonight
Brook Lopez will be playing in Brooklyn for the first time since the trade to the Lakers, and if it’s anything close to the first matchup, Lopez is in for a great night. In the first meeting between these two teams in LA, Lopez went 13 for 23 from the field in 30 minutes, and finished the game with 58.5 fantasy points. His minutes have been down in this loaded front court, but he did play 20 minutes against his brother last week. It’s a very risky play, and he could easily get 15 minutes and burn you. With that said, he’s one of my favorite GPP plays tonight.
Channeling his Inner Beast Mode
Dwight Howard finally looks like the dominant player that we’ve been expecting him to be for the last few years. Over his last five games, he is averaging over 50 fantasy points per game. He has a dream matchup against the Pacers, who are one of the worst teams in basketball at defending the center position.
Huge Boost in Usage and Fantasy Production
DeMarcus Cousins is such a dominant force that his absence opens the door for a number of players. Anthony Davis is the obvious candidate, but Jrue Holiday also sees a massive boost. With Cousins off the floor this season, Holiday has a 34% usage rate while averaging 1.33 fantasy points per minute.
Will Barton to start on Thursday
Denver will start Barton and Chandler against the Thunder on Thursday. Malone will mix and match his starting lineup while Plumblee is out. Darrell Arthur will come off the bench on Thursday against the Thunder
As reported by: Harrison Wind on Twitter Other tagged players: Wilson Chandler, Darrell Arthur
Maurice Harkless questionable for Friday
Harkless is dealing with a sore lower back and is listed as questionable ahead of Friday’s game vs. the Raptors. Jusuf Nurkic and Meyers Leonard are probable and should play. Nurkic is the only player amongst the three to have any significant fantasy impact. Nurkic gave the team a bit of a scare with his injury on Wednesday, but for now, he appears fine and ready to play.
As reported by: Casey Holdahi Twitter Other tagged players: Jusuf Nurkic, Meyers Leonard Gary Harris will play on Thursday
As expected Gary Harris ( ankle) will play tonight vs. the Thunder. Coach Malone also confirmed that team will most likely use someone other than Darrell Arthur at power forward. With Mason Plumlee out do to injury the team could go a few different ways in terms of creating a starting roster. The Nuggets are one of the deeper teams in the league and have the pieces to play the matchup game in terms of a starting roster.
As reported by: Aniello Piro Twitter Shaun Livingston ruled out for Friday
Livingston will miss Friday’s game for personal reasons. The Warriors should have very little trouble against the Kings on Friday, so Livingston’s absence will have almost no effect on the outcome. The team expects Kevin Looney to play on Friday after missing Tuesday’s game with an illness.
As reported by: Warriors Twitter Chris Paul is active for tonight, while Eric Gordon has been ruled out
As expected Chris Paul will play tonight, and the news could not have come at a better time. The Rockets have battled injuries a bunch this season and tonight they will miss both Trevor Ariza and Eric Gordon. The Rockets draw a tough matchup on the road vs the Spurs tonight, so having a healthy Chirs Paul back will help dampen the blow of missing both Ariza and Gordon. Coach D’Antoni has played a very tight 8 man rotation this season, so we should expect to see a similar scenario this evening.
As reported by: Paul Garcia Twitter Other tagged players: Eric Gordon Rodney Hood ruled out Friday
Hood will sit for the sixth straight game due to a lower left leg contusion and at this point, it’s unclear when he will return to the court. With Hood out, Royce O’Neale should continue to get some run as he has filled in nicely over the last few games. There is a chance that Hood sits until after the all-star break, as there are rumors that he could be on the trading block.
As reported by: Andy Larsen Twitter Deyonta Davis available to play Thursday
A few hours ago it appeared that the Grizzlies would be severely short-handed for tonight’s game vs. the Pistons. Now the team will have Davis, James Ennis, and JaMychal Green on this second night of a back to back. Ennis has been unavailable the last seven games with various injuries, Green missed the past five games, and Davis missed Wednesday’s loss due to soreness in both knees. The return of Davis has no real impact in terms of DFS, he will simply act as a body that can eat a few minutes if needed.
As reported by: Grizzlies Twitter C.J. Miles out for Thursday
Miles will miss his second straight game tonight with a sore right knee. A Toronto bench that is already down a man will be a little thin in a matchup vs. the Wizards. Fred VanVleet is not with the team due to the birth of his child, so it looks like Norman Powell will absorb a few more minutes off the bench for the Raptors.
As reported by: Chris Miller Twitter James Ennis and JaMychal Green are available to play tonight
With a mounting injury list, the addition of Ennis and Green as available options is a welcome sign for a Grizzlies team on the second night of a back to back. The addition of Green and Ennis makes it harder to trust the minutes of both Jarell Martin and or Dillion Brooks. With a few more healthy bodies the team could spread out minutes amongst the frontcourt tonight.
As reported by: Michael Wallace Twitter Other tagged players: JaMychal Green Willie Cauley-Stein listed as day to day
Cauley-Stein returned to practice today but is considered day to day with right knee bone bruise. The Kings are hopeful to get Cauley-Stein back on the court after missing the last two games with the injury. With a practice now under his belt, Cauley-Stein’s is on track to play vs the Warriors, which means Kosta Koufos and Zach Randolph would have less appeal. Koufus has played well in his two starts without Cauley-Stein averaging almost 35 DK points per game.
As reported by: James Ham Twitter Other tagged players: Kosta Koufos, Zach Randolph Dennis Schroder questionable for Friday
Schroder is officially listed as questionable for a Friday matchup vs. the Celtics. Seen sitting on the bench with a wrap on his shoulder during Wednesday’s game, Schroder admitted to being very sore after the game thus making him questionable for tomorrow. If Schroder is unable to go the team would most likely look to start Malcolm Delany.
As reported by: Michael Cunningham Twitter