DFS Alerts
Alex Len (ankle) and Tyler Ulis (quad) expected to play Friday
Len and Ulis are both expected to play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers after previously being listed as questionable on the Suns’ injury report with their respective ailments. Both Len and Ulis project to see significant minutes off the bench and are presumably integral parts of this Suns’ rotation, though it was difficult to get a better grip on how head coach Earl Watson plans to utilize his roster going forward given the massive blowout loss against the Portland Trail Blazers the other night. However, Watson was adamant about using the same starting unit as the season opener this evening, which means Marquese Chriss is expected to come off the bench once again after seeing just 12 minutes in the previous game.
As reported by: Craig Grialou via Twitter Other tagged players: Tyler Ulis
Zach Randolph (oral surgery) upgraded to probable Friday; Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle) ruled out
Randolph has officially been upgraded to probable for tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after previously being listed as questionable on the Kings’ injury report as he recovers from oral surgery that forced him to miss the season opener, while Bogdanovic will miss his second straight game with a sprained right ankle. In his return, Randolph is expected to slot in as the Kings’ starting power forward alongside Willie Cauley-Stein in the frontcourt. With Randolph almost assuredly available, Skal Labissiere would be relegated to the bench and see his playing time diminished, hurting his value significantly. Kings head coach Dave Joerger has been adamant about utilizing a 10-man rotation, so Buddy Hield and Willie Cauley-Stein may be the Kings’ players with the most appeal in daily fantasy formats given their minute floors Kings offense, especially with Bogdanovic ruled out for the second time in as many games.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Other tagged players: Bogdan Bogdanovic Raul Neto (hamstring) will play Friday
Neto will play in tonight’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves after previously being listed as questionable on the Jazz’ injury report with a sore hamstring that kept him sidelined for the season opener against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. With Dante Exum’s season in jeopardy following shoulder surgery, Neto is firmly entrenched as the Jazz’ backup point guard but could be brought along slowly as he works his way back from this hamstring injury. If that’s the case, Ricky Rubio could see extended minutes at point guard, with Donovan Mitchell and Alec Burks also competing for some backup minutes at the point, in what sets up to be a fantastic individual matchup for Rubio against Jeff Teague and in a revenge spot versus his former team.
As reported by: Tony Jones via Twitter DeAndre Bembry (wrist contusion) questionable Friday
Bembry has officially been listed as questionable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets due to a right wrist contusion. However, despite the questionable tag, he is reportedly more likely to play than not. However, Bembry’s playing status is likely a moot point, as head coach Mike Budenholzer rolled with a deep 12-man rotation, limiting most of the Hawks’ daily fantasy appeal moving forward if that trend continues. In fact, Dennis Schroeder was the only player to eclipse the 26-minute mark in terms of playing time and is the only realistic tournament target on this Hawks roster at the moment.
As reported by: KL Chouinard via Twitter Draymond Green (knee) and Andre Iguodala (back) will play Friday
Green and Iguodala participated in the Golden State Warriors’ shootaround this morning and will play in tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans despite both being listed as questionable with their respective ailments. With Iguodala and Green able to suit up, Nick Young, Patrick McCaw, and Jordan Bell will see a significant decrease in playing time as Iguodala and Green are typically key cogs in the Warriors’ notorious “death lineup” to close out games and Green should see close to his typical starter minutes as well. Green’s MRI results came back negative and he has progressed rather rapidly over the last couple days, clearing his path to play in Friday’s game after initially being considered doubtful with a strained left knee.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter Other tagged players: Andre Iguodala Chris Paul (knee) will remain out Saturday
Paul is still dealing with a bruised left knee and will not play tomorrow night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks in what will be the second consecutive game missed by the start point guard. With Paul unable to suit up, James Harden and Eric Gordon would both may approach must play territory depending on their price tags across the industry. Gordon will likely start at shooting guard once again, while Harden would presumably revert back to his 2016-17 usage and assist rates at what may be a much cheaper cost than normal, making him an extreme value, despite his lackluster performance sans Paul on Wednesday evening. Demetrius Jackson acted as the backup point guard behind Harden in that contest, and even though it’s a small sample, Clint Capela was the clear beneficiary of Paul’s absence in terms of fantasy production and will draw an exploitable matchup with Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks frontcourt.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen via Twitter Devin Harris (personal) misses shootaround, status uncertain for Friday
Harris hasn’t been given a definitive designation on the Dallas Mavericks’ injury report but his availability for tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings is unclear as he deals with a personal matter. Given the nature of head coach Rick Carlisle’s comments, it would seem unlikely that Harris will be available to play Friday evening. The Mavericks may activate Gian Clavell from the G-League, though that roster move has yet to be confirmed. If Harris misses time, the majority his minutes would likely be allotted to Dennis Smith Jr., Yogi Ferrell, and J.J. Barea off the bench, equating to a slight uptick in playing time to some or all of the aforementioned guard trio.
As reported by: Earl K. Sneed via Twitter Stanley Johnson (back spasms) misses shootaround Friday, playing status uncertain
After missing Thursday’s practice, Johnson was absent from this morning’s shootaround and his playing status for tonight’s game against Washington Wizards remains unclear due to back spasms. Stanley saw a team-high 40 minutes in Wednesday’s season opener, and if he is unable to suit up, Jon Leuer would likely be inserted into the Pistons’ starting lineup at power forward, sliding Tobias Harris over the small forward spot. Harris will almost assuredly see more minutes at small forward which will allow Henry Ellenson, Eric Moreland, and possibly even Boban Marjanovic to see more significant roles off the bench in the Pistons’ forntcourt rotation.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Marcus Smart (ankles) officially questionable Friday, but unlikely to play
Smart is listed as questionable on the Boston Celtics’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after rolling both his ankles in Wednesday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite the questionable designation, both Smart and head coach Brad Stevens told the media following shootaround that Smart is unlikely to suit up for Friday’s contest. With Smart presumably unavailable, the Celtics will be extremely thin at the wing positions Marcus Morris still unable to play and Gordon Hayward likely out for the remainder of the season. This will leave Terry Rozier or Aron Baynes as the likeliest candidates to draw the start in Smart’s place, though Rozier will be the beneficiary of a heavy dose of playing time regardless of starting status, while Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will continue to see big minutes at their respective positions given the Celtics current lack of depth.
As reported by: Jay King via Twitter Myles Turner (sore neck) downgraded to doubtful Friday
Turner has officially been downgraded to doubtful for tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers after previously being listed as questionable on the Pacers’ injury report with a sore neck. Turner and the Pacers were involved in a wildly fast-paced matchup with the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, which makes their starters extremely intriguing daily fantasy targets moving forward if head coach Nate McMillan continues to deliver on his promise of wanting to push the pace more this season. Should Turner be unable to suit up, Domantas Sabonis will draw the start at center and see extended minutes, while Thaddeus Young looks to be the primary beneficiary from a production standpoint with T.J. Leaf and Al Jefferson being thrust into additional playing time in the frontcourt as well. Despite coming off the bench and not playing in the previous game, Jefferson may end up being the more interesting daily fantasy option at center for Indiana given the matchup against a more traditional big man like Nusuf Nurkic on the opposing side.
As reported by: Scott Agness via Twitter Getting The Opportunity Early
Larry Nance received the start at power forward last night, and I would expect him to start again tonight. He was one bright spot for the Lakers last night, and ended up 7 for 11 from the floor. He was a guy that could potentially average a double-double if he got the playing time, and with 29 minutes on opening night, it’s looking like the playing time opportunity is going to be there. The Suns looked awful against the Blazers, and they’re going to be a bottom five team this season. This one could be ugly, but there is a lot of value on both sides of the ball tonight.
I'm Just Going to Shoot
The Lakers and Suns could be an ugly game to watch, but it creates some solid value for GPPs. With KCP suspended one more game, I expect Clarkson to shoot the ball a lot again tonight. Clarkson only played 23 minutes against the Clippers last night, but he was able to put up 16 shots in those 23 minutes. With the Lakers on a b2b, we could potentially see him play more minutes tonight. He’s also cheap because the sites didn’t adjust for him yet.
My Favorite Value Play
The Orlando Magic are in a great spot tonight against the Nets. This game has one of the highest totals on the slate, and both of these teams have high implied team totals. The Magic played six guys over 28 minutes on opening night, and seem to have a very tight rotation to start the season. Ross filled the stat sheet on opening night, and was able to put up 11 shot attempts. There isn’t a ton of value on DraftKings or FanDuel tonight, and I absolutely love this price tag on Terrance Ross. This is a pace up spot against bad defense, lock and load with Ross tonight.
Jump On Now
Marco Belinelli very quietly put up 14 shots against Dallas is 26 minutes. With this second unit being weak, I really like Belinelli off the bench. He played the most minutes off the bench for the Hawks, and if his shot is falling, he’s going to get playing time. He’s cheap on DraftKings and Fanduel tonight, and he’s one of my favorite GPP pivots off the chalk value options tonight.
I'm Going to Play A Lot of Minutes
Malcolm Brogdon played 41 minutes on opening night, and with his ability to guard multiple positions, I expect him to continue to play a lot of minutes. I doubt he plays over 40 minutes again, but I’d be shocked if he plays under 35 minutes if this game stays close. There isn’t a lot of value tonight, and I think Brogdon is a smart value play against Derrick Rose defense.