DFS Alerts
Brook Lopez (rest) confirmed as the starter for Friday
Lopez will return after sitting out last night’s game against the Cavs. Lopez will likely see his ownership percentage low after not playing on Thursday. Brook has averaged 43.16 fantasy points on DraftKings against his brother in three matchups this season. Brook’s asking price has not been this low since mid-December, so he has some nice potential upside for this game.
As reported by: Mike Gallagher
Hassan Whiteside should dominate the paint without Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins is suspended for their match up with the Heat for receiving his 16th technical foul of the season. This is great news for Hassan Whiteside as he will have to deal with Kosta Koufos in the paint. Koufos should not pose any threat of stopping Whiteside as the Kings are already poor at defending the center position in the first place. Whiteside has been dominating coming off the bench for the Heat, and for some reason people are still scared away because he doesn’t start. He is coming into this game in tremendous form as he continually pays off for those who roster him.
Thaddeus Young and Bojan Bogdanovic will both be resting on Friday; Thomas Robinson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to start in their place
Thomas Robinson will be making his second start this week and is a nice tournament option against the Knicks. Robinson has exceeded value in both games he has played this week and has seen his salary only risen slightly. Robinson is still considered a punt option and should see 24-30 minutes.
As reported by: Andy Vasquez Other tagged players: Bojan Bogdanovic, Thomas Robinson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Jeremy Lin (back) will play tonight
Lin will come off the bench against the Sixers on Friday. The Hornets are currently favored by 14 points meaning Lin should see some extra burn tonight. Lin is a tournament option only and should be used minimally due to his low floor.
As reported by: Hornets PR Derrick Williams starting for Kristaps Porzingis; Jerian Grant starting for Jose Calderon
Williams and Grant have been confirmed as the starters and both are solid tournament options against the Nets. Brooklyn ranks 24th in DvP against point guards and 19th in DvP against power forwards on the season. Diving further, we see that the Nets rank 30th in DRE against PGs and 20th against PFs. Williams and Grant both have an asking price that is sub-$4k on both major sites, giving us an opportunity to have some major upside.
As reported by: NY Knicks Other tagged players: Derrick Williams, Kristaps Porzingis, Jose Calderon Kristaps Porzingis (shoulder) and Jose Calderon (quad) officially ruled out for Friday
Porzingis will miss his second consecutive game due to a strained shoulder. Derrick Williams is expected to start in his place but it has not been officially confirmed at this time. Jose Calderon is out indefinitely and Jerian Grant is likely to start in his place. We should have an official announcement on the starters soon.
As reported by: NY Knicks PR Other tagged players: Jose Calderon, Jerian Grant, Derrick Williams Jeremy Lin (back) expected to play tonight
Lin sat out Tuesday’s game against the Sixers with a bad back. The Hornets are hosting the Sixers again tonight, making Lin a viable tournament option. Lin’s ownership percentage will likely be low coming off an injury. Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum are better options against Philadelphia on Friday.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell Other tagged players: Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum Brandon Knight (hernia) is doubtful for Friday; Jon Leuer (ankle) has been ruled out
Knight is dealing with a hernia and is being listed as doubtful for Friday’s game against the Wizards. John Jenkins started last week for Knight and could draw the start again. Jenkins is nice tournament option if he starts and can exceed value easily. Ronnie Price also started ten games earlier this season when Knight was on the shelf. Price does not have a huge ceiling but is a viable option with his asking price basically at a minimum across the industry. Once Knight is officially announced out, we will find out his replacement. Expect Devin Booker to also see an increased workload with Knight out of the lineup. Booker has his 40+ fpts in three out of his last five games. Jon Leuer is out with an ankle injury, leaving Mirza Teletovic as the first Suns big off the bench. Teletovic was battling an illness today but is no longer on the injury report. Teletovic did not play against the Bucks on Wednesday. Before that absence, Teletovic was averaging 26.74 fpts in his last five games.
As reported by: Suns Basketball Other tagged players: Jon Leuer, John Jenkins, Ronnie Price, Mirza Teletovic Jae Crowder (rest) ruled out for Friday
Jae Crowder will be sitting out the second night of a back-to-back. Crowder played against the Blazers on Thursday after missing eight games due to an ankle injury. Expect Evan Turner to start but it has not been confirmed at this time. Turner made six starts when Crowder was out and averaged 30.36 fpts in over 30 minutes a contest. Turner is a viable tournament option against the Warriors on Friday. Turner had a huge game earlier this season against the Warriors, scoring 39.8 DKFP in 36 minutes. Look for an update announcing Crowder’s replacement soon.
As reported by: @Celtics Other tagged players: Evan Turner Kristaps Porzingis, Jose Calderon doubtful for Friday
Kristaps Porzingis is dealing with a ton of soreness in his shoulder and even mentioned that he could not lift it up. Porzingis is being listed as doubtful for Friday’s contest with the Nets. Derrick Williams will likely start in his place again. Williams started for Porzingis on Wednesday and played 35 minutes. Williams was able to put up 26 fantasy points on DraftKings and will look to build on that against the lowly Nets. Williams is a nice value play with his salary still sub-$4k on both major sites. Jose Calderon is dealing with a quad injury and it looks like he’ll miss this game. Jerian Grant is expected to start in his place but has not been confirmed at this time. Grant has had a couple games of 30+ fpts this season when given over 20 minutes. With Grant’s salary $3,300 on DK and $3,500 on FD, there is not much downside if he starts.
As reported by: NBA.com Other tagged players: Jose Calderon, Jerian Grant, Derrick Williams
Brook Lopez expected to play Friday; Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is questionable
Lopez is expected to return to the lineup tonight after resting last night against the Cavs. The Nets are clearly looking to the future and while that doesn’t exclude Lopez, his playing time isn’t as secure as it was earlier in the season as we saw back on the 29th when Lopez saw just 15 minutes of court time against Orlando. He remains a nice GPP target considering that his price has started to fall industry-wide, and he’ll have the upper hand in a match-up with his brother in New York. Assuming both Lopez and Thaddeus Young start, it would take Thomas Robinson and the other back-up bigs out of the DFS discussion. If Rondae Hollis-Jefferson isn’t able to go, look for Bojan Bogdanovic and Sean Kilpatrick to eat up his leftover playing time.
As reported by: NBA.com Other tagged players: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Andre Iguodala "probably not" playing tonight
Iguodala is unlikely to play tonight against the Celtics and there appears to be a real chance that he ends up missing most (if not all) of the remaining regular season games. Harrison Barnes will continue to see big minutes at the SF spot and he remains a viable punt play in a fast-paced match-up with the Celtics, although his ceiling still remains relatively low given his playing time.
As reported by: J.A. Adande Other tagged players: Harrison Barnes Dwyane Wade doubtful for Friday
Wade appears to be all but ruled out for tonight’s game with the Kings. His absence will lead to increased usage for a few players, most notably Goran Dragic, Josh Richardson and Joe Johnson. All three are viable options in any format – Richardson is most appealing on DraftKings, but he’s also viable on FanDuel at a sub $5K price tag. He’s been playing around 30 minutes a night even with Wade healthy. Joe Johnson likely benefits the most here relative to his typical usage, and it’s worth noting that he went off for 36.3 FD points in the last game that Wade missed (3/12 vs. Toronto). Dragic is an elite option in any format thanks to a dream match-up with a Kings backcourt that simply cannot defend either guard spot.
As reported by: Ira Winderman on Twitter Other tagged players: Joe Johnson, Josh Richardson, Goran Dragic Derrick Rose uncertain for Saturday; Taj Gibson looking doubtful
The Bulls have yet to comment on Rose’s status for tomorrow’s tilt with the Pistons. If he’s unable to go, Jimmy Butler will become a more valuable target, while a combination of E’Twaun Moore, Aaron Brooks and Justin Holiday would eat up the minutes left by Rose. With Taj Gibson unlikely to go, Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis both become intriguing upside targets with Mirotic coming in with the hot hand. Mirotic has played at least 37 minutes in each of the past two games and could conceivably push for a similar minutes total tomorrow.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson Other tagged players: Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic, Jimmy Butler Andrew Wiggins will play Friday
Wiggins is dealing with a sore neck but is fully expected to play tonight after being listed as probable. The Wolves are stuck in a match-up against a slow paced Jazz team, making them an unexciting team to target for DFS purposes on a full slate. Wiggins is no better than a deep GPP play.
As reported by: Darren Wolfson on Twitter