DFS Alerts
Trust the Coach's Son!
Malcolm Delaney is the obvious value choice again tonight, but I will highlight Austin Rivers here. We all know that Doc loves playing his son, and the playing time is going to be there with Milos Teodosic out indefinitely. Rivers was impressive in heavy minutes against the Jazz the other night, and this is a more favorable matchup. He is going to get 35 minutes per game and still carries a cheap price tag. Buy it while you can, because Rivers becomes uncomfortable to target once his price starts to creep higher.
Rookie of the Year?
It has certainly been an impressive start for De’Aaron Fox in a Kings uniform, and he is already earning more and more playing time on a nightly basis. He is capable of filling up all categories of the stat sheet in a Lonzo Ball type mold, and he won’t yet cost you as much as the heralded Lakers’ point guard. I actually like Fox with the second unit, where he is free to distribute the ball and lead the offense. Being on the second unit will also help him avoid Jrue Holiday and his solid defense for a good chunk of this game. If you are seeking GPP upside, Fox is a great option at a reasonable price tag, and he is trending toward 30+ minutes per game despite coming off the bench.
The Obvious Play
Oftentimes there is a player that you just “have to play” on short slates like the five gamer we have tonight. This evening, it sure looks like DeMarcus Cousins might be that guy. He has crushed with Anthony Davis on the court this year, and he obviously has the potential to crush with Anthony Davis off the court. Regardless of whether or not Davis goes in this game, Cousins has the safest floor and the highest ceiling that you will find at the big man positions. He’s a lock and load option in all formats, and there should be enough value out there to squeeze him in. Oh, and there’s that revenge game narrative too! Yes, please!
Devin Harris (personal) expected to play Wednesday, but ruled out for Thursday
Harris will play in tonight’s game against the Golden State Warriors after previously being listed as questionable on the Dallas Mavericks’ injury report as he continues to deal with a personal matter and will be afforded as much time as he needs with his family, according to Mavericks’ head coach Rick Carlisle. However, Harris will not travel with the team to Memphis for tomorrow’s second leg of a back-to-back set. With Harris unavailable again on Thursday, J.J. Barea and Yogi Ferrell will continue to see some additional playing time in the Mavericks backcourt and have alternated starts in the previous games Harris has missed, but should stay off of daily fantasy radars on Wednesday’s slate with Harris likely to see minutes in the backcourt rotation.
As reported by: Dwain Price via Twitter
Dion Waiters (sore ankle) will play Wednesday
Waiters will play and start in tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after previously being listed as questionable on the Miami Heat’s injury report with left ankle soreness. The Heat will already be without Hassan Whiteside for the third consecutive game and, in his absence, Jordan Mickey will start at the center spot once again, while James Johnson will assume the starting power forward responsibilities for Wednesday’s contest once again, meaning Kelly Olynyk will come off the bench for the third time in as many games. Josh Richardson figures to still be the biggest beneficiaries in terms of usage and production in the Heat’s starting unit sans Whiteside, while Olynyk will have more usage and rebounding opportunities playing primarily with the second unit, also making him an interesting daily fantasy tournament option on Wednesday’s slate despite the perceived difficult matchup.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter The Raptors-Warriors game total has increased 4.5 points since open, largest on Wednesday's slate
The game total in the matchup between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors has seen the largest increase of any game on Wednesday’s slate, up to 228.5 from their already-high 224 opening total. This obviously adds some appeal to players in this contest for daily fantasy formats since high implied point totals typically correlate to higher fantasy production pretty consistently. Some other totals on the move are significant decreases in the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers (down to 219 from 223) and Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets (down to 225 from 227) matchups, enough to raise some small concern, though not enough to move off of players in these aforementioned contests.
As reported by: VegasInsider.com via Twitter Other tagged players: Stephen Curry, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan Ersan Ilyasova (knee) questionable for Thursday; Marco Belinelli (Achilles) probable
Ilyasova has officially been listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Chicago Bulls with a strained left knee that has already forced him to miss one game. Meanwhile, Marco Belinelli has been added to the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report with an Achilles issue but is listed as probable and ultimately expected to play. Ilyasova’s potential absence would open up more minutes and opportunity for John Collins, who has averaged well over a fantasy point per minute this season, and even Mike Muscala, who started at power forward on Monday, in the Hawks’ frontcourt.
As reported by: KL Chouinard via Twitter Other tagged players: Marco Belinelli D'Angelo Russell (knee sprain) officially ruled out Wednesday
Russell tweaked his right knee during the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s loss to the Orlando Magic but was able to finish the game. He has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after previously being listed as doubtful on the Brooklyn Nets’ injury report with a sprained right knee. Spencer Dinwiddie will replace Russell in the starting lineup at point guard, allowing Isaiah Whitehead to enter the Nets backcourt rotation. Caris Levert, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Trevor Booker have seen the largest sample size with both Russell and Jeremy Lin off the court this season and have all been benefited from a positive usage differential in the aforementioned scenario. In fact, both Hollis-Jefferson and Booker own usage differentials of at least +8.1%, making them each intriguing tournament options on Wednesday’s slate with Russell officially sidelined. That said, the main issue with Nets players is playing time, as it’s rare any of them exceed 30 minutes with head coach Kenny Atkinson’s deep rotation.
As reported by: Anthony Puccio via Twitter Opportunity Because of Injury
With the news of Jimmy Butler being ruled out, Shabazz Muhammad should be in line for another start. He played 30 minutes last night against Indiana, and should be in line for 25+ minutes again tonight. Shabazz is min salary on both FanDuel and DraftKings. If you want to fit in some top options tonight, he’s my favorite punt option, and I like his chances for 6x on both sites.
Meyer Leonard (ankle) doubtful for Thursday
Leonard is officially listed as doubtful for tomorrow’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after suffering a right ankle injury in Tuesday’s contest. Even with Leonard likely unavailable, his absence does little to affect the rest of the Trail Blazers frontcourt rotation as he has seen just 17 minutes of action through four games this season. Ed Davis will continue to man a majority of the backup center minutes and is really the only tournament viable big man in Portland on a night-to-night basis and has eclipsed double-digit rebounds in two consecutive games off the bench.
As reported by: Jamie Hudson via Twitter Rodney Hood (leg) and Joe Ingles (illness) probable Wednesday
Hood has been upgraded to probable for tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns after being forced to miss two consecutive games with a strained left lower leg. Meanwhile, Joe Ingles is officially probable on the Utah Jazz injury report with gastric distress but is expected to play after making it through Tuesday’s contest without suffering a setback. Now that Hood is probable, Donovan Mitchell will presumably resume his normal bench role but has been the recipient of an inconsistent minute workload and Hood’s likely presence in the rotation just further murks how the Jazz wing minutes will be distributed. However, Ingles had been the main beneficiary of Hood’s absence and will see a substantial decrease in value if Hood is able to suit up like he is expected to this evening.
As reported by: Kyle Goon via Twitter Other tagged players: Joe Ingles Chandler Parsons (rest) ruled out Wednesday; Wayne Selden (quad) remains out
Parsons has officially been ruled out for the front-end of a back-to-back set for the Memphis Grizzlies and will not play in tonight’s against the Dallas Mavericks due to rest. Parsons has been limited to roughly 15 minutes of action per game in the early going, so his absence won’t have a major factor on the rest of the wing rotation as a whole. Dillon Brooks has averaged the third-most minutes behind Mike Conley and Marc Gasol on this Grizzlies squad so far this season but is coming off of a underwhelming 21-minute performance in Monday’s matchup with the Houston Rockets, raising some cause for concern if considering rostering him in daily fantasy formats even with Parsons resting. The Mavericks do rank dead last in rebounding rate through the first week of the season, which could allow Marc Gasol to eat on the glass with JaMychal Green still unavailable to play alongside him in the frontcourt.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Wayne Selden Dennis Schroder (ankle sprain) will remain out for Thursday
Schroder will not travel with the team and has officially been ruled out for tomorrow’s game against the Chicago Bulls after also missing Monday’s contest with a sprained left ankle. With Schroder unavailable, Malcolm Delaney can be expected to draw the start at point guard once again and could set up as one of the better early value options on Thursday’s slate depending on price. Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budneholzer also told reporters that we could see more of Josh Magette and Isaiah Taylor at backup point guard after the duo saw just a combined 13 minutes in the previous game. Schroder leads the Hawks in usage rate so far this season so there will be plenty of opportunities there for the taking for the rest of the starting unit and even Kent Bazemore off the bench. Additionally, Ersan Ilyasova’s status remains uncertain and his potential absence will open more minutes and opportunity for John Collins, who has averaged well over a fantasy point per minute this season, and even Mike Muscala, who started at power forward on Monday, in the Hawks’ frontcourt.
As reported by: KL Chouinard via Twitter Dwyane Wade (knee contusion) ruled out Wednesday
Wade has officially been ruled out and will not play in the second game of a back-to-back set tonight against the Brooklyn Nets with a reported left knee contusion. Wade recently moved to the bench for the Cleveland Cavaliers so his absence may not necessarily alter the starting lineup but it may force head coach Tyronn Lue to play Jose Calderon as the backup point guard and primarily ball handler behind LeBron James with Wade, Derrick Rose, and Isaiah Thomas all unavailable due to injury. As long as LeBron doesn’t end surprisingly resting, both he and Kevin Love will carry immense value in daily fantasy formats if the Nets are able to keep the game somewhat respectable for a majority of the game.
As reported by: Tom Withers via Twitter D'Angelo Russell (knee sprain) downgraded to doubtful Wednesday
Russell tweaked his right knee during the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s loss to the Orlando Magic but was able to finish the game. He has officially been listed as doubtful on the Brooklyn Nets; injury report and is not expected to play in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a sprained right knee. Spencer Dinwiddie will almost assuredly replace Russell in the starting lineup at point guard, enabling Isaiah Whitehead to enter the Nets backcourt rotation. Caris Levert, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Trevor Booker have seen the largest sample size with both Russell and Jeremy Lin off the court this season and have all been benefited from a positive usage differential in the aforementioned scenario. In fact, both Hollis-Jefferson and Booker own usage differentials of at least +8.1%, making them each intriguing tournament options on Wednesday’s slate should Russell officially be ruled out. That said, the main issue with Nets players is playing time, as it’s rare any of them approach 30 minutes with head coach Kenny Atkinson’s deep rotation.
As reported by: Brian Lewis via Twitter