DFS Alerts
Top Play of the Night?
DeMarcus Cousins should thrive on the interior against a Jazz team that should struggle, especially on the glass, without Rudy Gobert. They don’t have the horses to keep up with Cousins and Anthony Davis on the inside. They started Jonas Jerebko, Joe Ingles, and Derrick Favors in the frontcourt yesterday. Good luck stopping the dynamic duo with that group. Who’s going to come in to save the day? Ekpe Udoh? You get the picture. Cousins (and Davis) should absolutely smash here, and I am prioritizing getting them into my lineups in all formats. I’ll give a slight lean to Cousins for his upside, but we are largely splitting hairs between the two. The usage, opportunity, and minutes should be there.
Upside in a High Total Game
This is a risky proposition, but this is a GPP blurb after all. The Golden State/Orlando game projects to be the highest scoring game on the slate this evening, as the total has opened at a whopping 227 points. Orlando is an 11 point underdog at home, but they still carry a high team total of 108. Someone has to score those 108 points. This team has been a disaster, but none of the primary pieces will cost you a pretty penny. Simmons has seen increased opportunity in the starting lineup over the past few games, as veteran Terrence Ross has found the pine. However, he put up an absolute dud despite playing 30+ minutes the other night. He should be better in this matchup, and I also like teammate Evan Fournier in GPP formats. One of the two is going to have a big game – but it’s a matter of figuring out which guy is the top option. I’ll give Simmons an ever so slight edge.
Third Time's a Charm?
Bradley Beal has been a popular fantasy selection all week, and it just hasn’t worked out… yet. The entire starting unit struggled on Tuesday against the Timberwolves, and then Beal had to leave the game for a while on Wednesday thanks to an eye injury. He did return to finish that game, but eye injuries can be very tricky. Keep an eye on his status for tonight. If Beal ends up playing, I love the spot to pounce. His lack of production over the last two games combined with the injury scare and a matchup against Avery Bradley will serve to keep his ownership down, but he is going to bust out sooner rather than later. Remember, this is a guy with a 35% usage rate with John Wall off the floor. He won’t be quiet for long.
Continuing to Improve
It is easy to see that Lowry got off to a rough start this season, and it was largely due to his slump in field goal shooting. He turned on the jets in November and now appears poised to be a solid fantasy asset as the season moves forward. Tonight’s matchup is a solid one against an Indiana team that ranks ninth in the NBA in tempo and in the bottom half in defensive efficiency. With Victor Oladipo likely locking up DeMar DeRozan, Lowry draws the more favorable matchup against Darren Collison. The price tag is not outrageous, especially given Lowry’s performance in November. I’ll happily get some exposure to the Toronto point guard on my GPP rosters this evening.
Amir Johnson confirmed as starter in place of Joel Embiid (rest) on Thursday
Embiid had been ruled out in advance of last night’s contest for tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics due to rest and load management concerns, and he’ll join T.J. McConnell among the Philadelphia 76ers’ new additions to the inactives list for Thursday’s game. In Embiid’s absence, Amir Johnson will draw a spot start once again and has typically seen between 20-22 minutes of playing time in the previous games Embiid was rested, keeping him in consideration for tournaments in a revenge spot on an abbreviated five-game slate. That said, the clear beneficiary of Embiid’s unavailability is Ben Simmons, as the rookie “point guard” owns a +6.2% usage rate differential and leads the Sixers with a rate of 1.29 fantasy points per minute with Embiid off the court this season.
As reported by: Jay King via Twitter
Mario Chalmers (ankle), Chandler Parsons (knee), and Brandan Wright (groin) questionable for Friday
Chalmers and Parsons have both officially been listed as questionable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the San Antonio Spurs due to their respective right ankle and right knee injuries, while Brandan Wright has been upgraded to questionable with a right groin issue that has forced him to miss five consecutive games. Chalmers’ absence from the lineup was originally expected to be short-lived, as interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff had previously confirmed that Chalmers would play on Friday night, but the organization appears to be taking a more cautious approach with him and the aforementioned players from an injury reporting standpoint at the very least. If Chalmers is unable to suit up, Tyreke Evans would draw the start at point guard for the second time in as many games but didn’t end up seeing any additional playing time over his typical bench role. Obviously, we’re dealing with a relatively small sample with all of the aforementioned players off the court, but Evans, Ben McLemore, James Ennis, and JaMychal Green stand to benefit the most from Chalmers potential absence, as each own at least a +3.3% usage rate differential with him, Parsons, Wright, Mike Conley, and Wayne Selden off the floor this season.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Chandler Parsons, Brandan Wright Hassan Whiteside (sore knee) will remain out for Friday
Whiteside has been listed as out on the Miami Heat’s injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Charlotte Hornets with a sore left knee that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Bam Adebayo will likely draw the start at center once again in his absence but was largely underwhelming in 30 minutes of action, though the number of minutes he was allotted was certainly encouraging. Jordan Mickey has appeared in just three games all season for Miami, so it appears it will continue to be mainly Abedayo and Kelly Olynyk holding down the center spot while Whiteside’s is sidelined. While everyone gravitates towards Abedayo coming off a 30-minute spot start, Olynyk does make a lot of sense as a pivot in tournaments, considering he was able to outproduce Adebayo in just 25 minutes on Wednesday evening, despite coming off the bench. In fact, Olynyk 4averages 1.02 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.98 on FanDuel with Whiteside off the floor this season, fantasy production that lands him behind only James Johnson among the Heat’s regular rotation players on a per minute basis. Should Olynyk be able to get on the court for 25-30 minutes again, a reasonable and realistic expectation, he would be in prime position to exceed salary-based expectations across the industry on Friday’s slate, depending on his price tag.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Myles Turner (sore knee) questionable for Friday
Turner has officially been listed as questionable on the Indiana Pacers’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Toronto Raptors as he deals with a sore right knee. If Turner is unable to suit up, Domantas Sabonis will almost assuredly enter the starting lineup at center, just as he did earlier in the season when Turner missed two weeks due to a sore neck and a concussion, and Al Jefferson would be promoted to the primary backup center while T.J. Leaf would absorb some additional playing time as the backup power forward. Since Turner missed such an extended period of time earlier in the year, not one particular Pacers rotation player sees a significant increase in usage rate with him off the court, though Sabonis and Victor Oladipo lead the team with rates of 1.12 and 1.21 fantasy points per minute, respectively, in the aforementioned scenario, making them the primary daily fantasy targets from Indiana should Turner eventually be ruled out.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter Kevin Durant (ankle), Stephen Curry (hand), Klay Thompson (ankle), Andre Iguodala (knee), and David West (knee) questionable for Friday
Durant, Curry, Iguodala, and West have all been listed as questionable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Orlando Magic due to their respective ailments, while Klay Thompson is a new addition to the injury report and is also considered questionable with a sprained left ankle. This is obviously a difficult situation to break down currently without morning shootaround reports and the fact that we are more than a day in advance of the actual game, but if all, or some combination of the aforementioned players were to be ruled out tomorrow, there would clearly be a plethora of usage available for Draymond Green and the ancillary Warriors rotation pieces in a great matchup with a Magic squad that ranks 24th in defensive efficiency and play at the sixth-fastest pace in the NBA this season. So, it goes without saying that the Warriors’ injury situation will be the key news to monitor on Friday as we approach lock on the main slate.
As reported by: Warriors PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, David West Rodney Hood (ankle) and Raul Neto (hamstring) ruled out Thursday
Hood has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after previously being listed as questionable on the Utah Jazz’ injury report with a sore ankle that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Raul Neto has also been ruled out with a sore left hamstring. With Hood and Neto officially unavailable, Donovan Mitchell could now be in line for a heavier minute workload for Thursday’s contest, as he will continue to start at shooting guard and possibly also see time at the point guard spot when Ricky Rubio is off the floor. Alec Burks will now serve as the primary guard off the bench and has consistently seen 20-25 minutes of action on a nightly basis, even with Hood active, putting him firmly in play on an abbreviated slate. Somewhat surprisingly, Thabo Sefolosha leads the Jazz with a +5.7% usage rate differential with Hood, Neto, Rudy Gobert, and Joe Johnson off the court this season and could end up being an interesting contrarian punt option in tournaments with more minutes now available on the wing and still readily available at the four with Derrick Favors spending most of his time at center in Gobert’s absence.
As reported by: David Locke via Twitter Other tagged players: Raul Neto Kemba Walker (shoulder) and Jeremy Lamb (knee) questionable for Friday
Walker has been listed as questionable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Miami Heat with a left shoulder AC contusion that has already forced him to miss one game, while Jeremy Lamb is a new addition to the injury report with left knee bursitis and is also considered as questionable. Following Wednesday’s contest, head coach Steve Clifford expressed some major concern about whether Walker would be ready to go on Friday night, so he may be closer to doubtful than the actual questionable designation he was given by the team. If he’s unable to suit up, Michael Carter-Williams would likely draw his second start in as many games at point guard, despite struggling mightily in 32 minutes of action in his first start. Should Lamb be ruled out, Dwayne Bacon would step in as the primary reserve wing player off the bench and has been a significant beneficiary, along with Malik Monk, with both Walker and Lamb off the court, as each rookie owns at least +6.0% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Jeremy Lamb David Nwaba (ankle sprain) available to play Thursday
Nwaba will be available to play in tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets, according to Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg, after missing 11 consecutive games with a sprained right ankle. There has yet to be any word on whether Nwaba will be subject to a minute restriction Thursday night, but his presence in the rotation could eat into the high minute floors of Denzel Valentine and Justin Holiday on the wing, who both have already been confirmed as the starters at small forward and shooting guard respectively. Nwaba has averaged 21 minutes per game on the season, so it’s reasonable to expect that he could see somewhere in the range of 15-18 minutes in his return to the lineup, which could essentially leave Paul Zipser on the outside-looking-in at the rotation.
As reported by: the Chicago Bulls via Twitter Hope This Game Stays Close
The Cavs are rolling right now, and they’re 7.5 point favorites against the Hawks tonight. If this game stays close, expect Prince to play a lot of minutes, and he should be guarding LeBron all night. He played 36 minutes and had 28 fantasy points against the Cavs earlier this season, and I would be looking for the same type of game tonight. With Babbitt starting at the four tonight, Atlanta is wanting to go small, and with that, Prince is locked into his role tonight as long as he stays out of foul trouble.
A Lot Of Minutes In A Tough Matchup
Boston has been one of the best teams, if not the best team, on defense this season. With that being said, I really love the 76ers against them tonight. Without Embiid on the floor, every player gets a usage bump. The 76ers haven’t gone big without Embiid, and I don’t think Boston will force them to go big tonight. I like Simmons, Covington, and Saric to play big minutes, and if this game stays close, I think they all exceed expectations in this matchup.
Cash Game Lock
The Cavaliers have been blowing teams out left and right, but LeBron James has still managed to produce on a nightly basis. Tonight’s game against the Hawks has a 7.5-point spread, so we could see a full complement of minutes for James. He has the highest floor of any player in the slate and it makes sense to lock him into our cash game lineups on all sites. There is enough value that we can easily pay up for LeBron.
