DFS Alerts
Chalk of the Night
Obviously, Lillard is going to carry immense popularity in all formats tonight in a home matchup against Brooklyn. With the fast pace that the Nets play at combined with their lackluster defense, Lillard should post a massive game here. There is blowout risk to some degree, but Lillard is an obvious play for all contest types.
Steven Adams (calf contusion) questionable Friday
Adams has been listed as questionable on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s injury report for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers with a right calf contusion he sustained late in Thursday’s loss. If Adams is unable to suit up, the Thunder would find themselves shorthanded in a potential mismatch in the frontcourt against Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, putting the Clippers big men in prime position to dominate the glass. The Thunder could go in several different directions at the starting center spot if Adams is ruled out, but Jerami Grant and Patrick Patterson would likely see extended playing time either way with Oklahoma City being forced to roll with small ball lineups more often in hopes of counteracting the Clippers likely size advantage. That said, the players that have been the biggest beneficiaries with Adams off the court this season have been Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony, as each of them owns at least a +6.9% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario, while Westbrook leads the team with a 43.1% usage rate and produces roughly 1.60 fantasy points per minute.
As reported by: Erik Horne via Twitter
Al Horford (concussion) upgraded to questionable Friday
Horford has officially been upgraded to questionable on the Boston Celtics’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being ruled out with a concussion and lingering concussion symptoms. There’s no doubt that a midday upgrade is promising for his availability on Friday night but the Celtics didn’t hold a team shootaround this morning, so we will likely have to wait until closer to tipoff to get a confirmed update on Horford and Jayson Tatum, who left Wednesday’s contest with a sore right ankle and remains questionable. If Horford is able to suit up, Aron Baynes projected fantasy value would undoubtedly take a hit after having a career game in just 23 minutes of action on Wednesday evening.
As reported by: A. Sherrod Blakely via Twitter Tyson Chandler (back spasms) ruled out Friday
Chandler has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic after previously being listed as questionable on the Phoenix Suns’ game notes with a sore back caused by back spasms that have now forced him to miss two consecutive games. With Chandler unable to suit up once again, Alex Len would almost certainly draw the start at center in his place for the second time in as many games with newly-acquired Greg Monroe still sidelined with a sore left calf. Len has historically been extremely productive when given starters’ minutes but will need to stay out of foul trouble against Nikola Vucevic in order to have a realistic shot at paying off his price tag in tournaments and could see reduced ownership after letting down seemingly the entire daily fantasy community on Wednesday night’s slate of games.
As reported by: Josh Robbins via Twitter Mirza Teletovic (sore knee) ruled out Friday
Teletovic has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after previously being listed as doubtful on the Milwaukee Bucks’ game notes with a sore left knee that is likely to keep him sidelined for more than just Friday’s contest. Teletovic averages just over 15 minutes per game, but with Eric Bledsoe set to start and make his Bucks debut, head coach Jason Kidd may just decide to go “small” more often, meaning that Teletovic’s absence likely won’t affect any minute allocations in the frontcourt. This lineup change will send Malcolm Brogdon to the bench to assume a sixth-man role off the bench, and while Bledsoe won’t have a strict minute restriction in his debut, his playing time will be monitored by the Bucks coaching staff considering he has not played in an actual game for a few weeks. Until we have a sample of how the minutes will be divided between Bledsoe, Brogdon, and likely Tony Snell, it should be best to just avoid the Milwaukee backcourt until further notice.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter Eric Bledsoe will start and make his Milwaukee debut Friday
Bledsoe will play and start in tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs and will make his Milwaukee Bucks debut following Tuesday’s trade that sent him from the Phoenix Suns for Greg Monroe and future draft pick considerations. This lineup change will send Malcolm Brogdon to the bench to assume a sixth-man role off the bench, and while Bledsoe won’t have a strict minute restriction in his debut, his playing time will be monitored by the Bucks coaching staff considering he has not played in an actual game for a few weeks. Until we have a sample of how the minutes will be divided between Bledsoe, Brogdon, and likely Tony Snell, it should be best to just avoid the Milwaukee backcourt until further notice.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter Other tagged players: Malcolm Brogdon Austin Rivers (ankle sprain) remains questionable, "50-50" to play Friday
Rivers remains listed as questionable on the Los Angeles Clippers’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a sprained left ankle he sustained during Thursday’s practice but, according to head coach Doc Rivers, is “50-50” to suit up for Friday’s contest. With Patrick Beverley and Danilo Gallinari already ruled out, the Clippers could find themselves super thin at the guard positions, if Rivers is unable to play, and Wesley Johnson will almost certainly start at small forward once again in Gallinari’s absence, while Jawun Evans will likely draw the start at point guard alongside Austin Rivers (if he plays) in the Clippers backcourt. Johnson played well in his 33 minutes of action in the Clippers’ previous matchup with the San Antonio Spurs and is in the conversation as a value option on Friday’s slate. That said, Blake Griffin is approaching must play status in all formats, as he owns a massive +10.2% usage rate differential with Beverley, Gallinari, and Milos Teodosic off the court this season while producing approximately 1.75 fantasy points per minute, which would enable him to easily exceed value across the industry.
As reported by: Erik Horne via Twitter We Can See this One Coming from a Mile Away
Every once in a while, the stars all align for us in daily fantasy. We see a perfect spot for a player and it works out just as planned. Aaron Gordon is at his best when in transition. He is incredibly athletic, he can get to the rim, and he can create turnovers on defense. A matchup against the Suns should suit his game perfectly, as Phoenix is ranked second in pace of play and 29th in points allowed per game. I can’t fade Gordon in such a good spot.
The More Injuries the Merrier for this Power Forward
Marcus Morris is no longer on a minute restriction, which is good news for the Celtics and good news for his fantasy production. Boston has already ruled out Al Horford and Jayson Tatum is questionable at best. Even if Tatum suits up, Morris should be in line for a larger workload tonight. He has scored at least 25 fantasy points in back to back games and should set a season-high in terms of minutes.
Loading Up on the Late Game
The Blazers are large favorites tonight against the Nets, but even with the potential blowout, we have to like them for DFS. The Nets are ranked first in pace of play and dead last in points allowed per game. Portland has the highest implied total on the board and with Al-Farouq Aminu out, Turner should be locked into 28-32 minutes. That’s plenty of time for him to reach value in a dream matchup at home.
Stanley Johnson (hip) and Jon Leuer (ankle) unlikely to play Friday
Johnson and Leuer are both still officially listed as questionable on the Detroit Pistons’ injury report but both forwards are unlikely to play in tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, according to head coach Stan Van Gundy, due to a sore right hip flexor and a sprained left ankle, respectively. Anthony Tolliver has ended up being the beneficiary of some of Johnson’s playing time during the last two games, but Reggie Bullock will start a small forward for the second time in as many games and did very little from a fantasy standpoint in Wednesday’s contest, despite playing 33 minutes. That said, head coach Stan Van Gundy doesn’t exactly have a consistent, set rotation, making it difficult to really pinpoint which player will receive the starters’ minutes on a night-to-night basis. In Leuer’s absence, Eric Moreland has served as the backup center behind Andre Drummond but remains out of consideration in daily fantasy formats with Drummond soaking up such a large majority of the center minutes in the Pistons frontcourt rotation.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Other tagged players: Jon Leuer Treveon Graham (thigh contusion) ruled out Friday
Graham has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics after previously being listed as questionable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with a thigh contusion. Graham has averaged just over 20 minutes per game this season, but a lot of that increased playing time is due to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist missing six games dealing with a personal matter. Kidd Gilchrist is set to make his return in tonight’s contest, so Graham’s absence likely has no effect on the current rotation for this game as Kidd-Gilchrist will start and basically step directly into his minutes, though Kidd-Gilchrist’s exact minute allotment has yet to be determined. His return to the starting lineup will send Dwayne Bacon back to the bench to resume a reserve role, while Jeremy Lamb will move back over to shooting guard and his minutes and production will also likely to take a hit with an extra body available on the wing once Kidd-Gilchrist and Graham are both active in the same matchup.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell via Twitter Just Avoid the Fouls!
With Mike Muscala and Ersan Ilyasova sidelined, the opportunity is going to be there for John Collins. He’s one of the few healthy bodies in the Atlanta frontcourt. The problem is that fouls are a major issue for him, and foul trouble tends to limit his court time on a nightly basis. Collins committed five fouls in just 16 minutes against the Celtics on Monday. That issue prevents him from being a safe cash game play, but the upside is there for GPP contests. He is averaging over ten points and almost eight rebounds per contest this year despite playing just 20 minutes per game. In short, he is over a fantasy point per minute player, and 25+ minutes are available if he can stay out of foul trouble. Give Collins a look as a risk/reward GPP option here tonight.
Cleaning the Glass
One of the things that surprised me when I looked at today’s slate was how affordable Dwight Howard remains on every site. I know he’s not the flashiest fantasy player at this stage of his career, but the production is still very solid. He ranks fourth in the NBA in rebounding, behind only Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan, and DeMarcus Cousins. That’s pretty good company, and he is no slouch with averages of 15 points and over 13 rebounds per game. This is a fun matchup between Howard and Al Horford and the surging Celtics, who have won ten games in a row. Howard tends to get motivated for games like this, and he has the potential to be the top point-per-dollar center on tonight’s slate.
Spending for the Upside
The Thunder/Clippers contest is the marquee matchup on this Friday night slate, and I like the matchup for Blake Griffin. His size will prove to be a difference against the strong defenders that the Thunder can throw out there, and this should be a game that trends toward a high-scoring, close contest. A lot of the high dollar plays on tonight’s slate have difficult matchups (Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. the Spurs, for example), making it easier to pay up for a guy like Griffin instead of a higher salaried player. Griffin hasn’t gotten a lot of attention this year, but he continues to put up steady lines with averages of 23 points and over eight rebounds per contest. I think he will show up for the big game tonight and put up an eye-opening performance.