DFS Alerts
Luis Scola to start at PF Wednesday against former team
Scola will draw the start at PF against the Pacers. Raptors coach Dwyane Casey is big on having players face their former teams, which provides a nice narrative for Scola on opening night. Toronto doesn’t have much depth in the front-court this year, so Scola could be a candidate for big minutes on opening night. Patrick Patterson will provide depth behind him, and it’s not hard to envision Scola playing a similar role as Amir Johnson last season. The Pacers front-court isn’t nearly as strong as it was last season, so don’t be scared away from what is typically thought of as a rough match-up. At $4,200 on FanDuel and $3,500 on DraftKings, Scola is a really nice against-the-grain GPP play.
As reported by: Candace Buckner on Twitter
Chris Copeland, Jerryd Bayless to start on Wednesday
Copeland and Bayless will join Khris Middleton, Greg Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams in the starting lineup on Wednesday. Copeland offers some solid value as a minimum price play, especially on sites that award a bonus for 3PM. He should see upwards of 22-24 minutes and could be a candidate to cross the 30 minute mark if his shot is falling. Bayless will likely play off the ball with MCW running the point, so his DFS value is somewhat tainted as he’s not a prototypical SG. Monroe, Middleton and MCW are all fine DFS plays tonight, with Middleton likely offering the best dollar per point value.
As reported by: @BucksPR on Twitter Hollis Thompson to start, Nik Stauskas available off the bench
With Robert Covington out and Nik Stauskas expected to play limited minutes off the bench, Thompson looks like a strong candidate to see 30+ minutes on Wednesday. While he wasn’t terribly productive last season with big minutes, Thompson will be one of the few offensively capable wing players for Philly, so he may be worth a look as a dart-throw GPP candidate if you are punting a SF/SG spot. Nerlens Noel is the prime DFS target for the Sixers, as he’s expected to play big minutes and contributes in nearly all stat categories.
As reported by: Keith Pompey on Twitter Hood, Neto confirmed starters for the Jazz
This was believed to be the case earlier today, but we finally have confirmation. Neto is an interesting DFS punt play in tournaments given that he’s at or near minimum price across the industry and will draw the start at PG. Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert are the top targets for DFS purposes among the Jazz starters.
As reported by: Aaron Falk on Twitter Marvin Williams, P.J. Hairston to start on Wednesday
Hornets coach Steve Clifford announced that Marvin Williams and P.J. Hairston will start at PF and SF Wednesday against the Heat. The PF situation is still very murky, and it doesn’t really matter much who starts between Williams and Cody Zeller, as each is expected to see a similar allotment of minutes. Hairston isn’t a viable DFS option with Kemba Walker, Al Jefferson and Nicolas Batum all healthy.
As reported by: @HornetsPR on Twitter Clint Capela, Joffrey Lauvergne are prime minimum priced targets
If you’re playing on DraftKings tonight, both Clint Capela and Joffrey Lauvergne are priced at the minimum $3,000. Both will start in their respective front-courts, and each is expected to see upwards of 25 minutes in what projects to be among the highest scoring games of the evening. Given how fast both teams play, we can expect this game to produce plenty of fantasy goodness. Capela is PF eligible on DK, while Lauvergne slots in as a center. Either player is an option in cash games, as both are expected to hit value based on price. Lauvergne has the slightly higher ceiling.
Khris Middleton to benefit from bevy of Bucks injuries
Khris Middleton is an excellent SF target tonight with the Greek Freak, Jabari Parker and O.J. Mayo out of the lineup. Middleton should play very heavy minutes against the Knicks at both SG and SF, and should be the second option on offense behind Greg Monroe. At $6,100 on FanDuel (where you are forced to roster two SFs) and $5,400 on DraftKings, Middleton is one of the top dollar-per-point plays of the day. He’s a cash game staple on FanDuel.
Anthony Tolliver back with the Pistons on Wednesday
Tolliver missed Tuesday’s game against Atlanta, but will be in uniform and active on Wednesday. Marcus Morris and Ersan Ilyasova both played big minutes last night (37 for Morris, 34 for Sova) with Tolliver out, with Stanley Johnson picking up 24 minutes off the bench. We expect Tolliver to see somewhere between 15-20 minutes tonight, which shouldn’t lead to much of a change with the Pistons rotation. Morris and Ilyasova should still see 28-30+ minutes each, with Stanley Johnson being a candidate for somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 minutes.
As reported by: Dave Pemberton on Twitter Kelly Olynyk serving one-game suspension Wednesday
Olynyk was suspended one game for his actions in last season’s playoffs (where he separated Kevin Love’s shoulder), and he’ll serve that tonight. That opens some things up in a very crowded Celtics front-court. Starters Tyler Zeller and David Lee may see an extra 3-4 minutes as a result, with Amir Johnson and Jared Sullinger also potentially picking up an extra sliver of playing time.
As reported by: Bob Cooney on Twitter Skiles announces Magic starting five
The Magic will start Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, Evan Fournier, Tobias Harris and Nikola Vucevic on Wednesday night. Per John Denton, Skiles said he was seriously considering starting rookie Mario Hezonja, who will likely play somewhere in the 20-minute range off the bench. It’s also worth noting that all 14 players on the Magic roster are healthy and available, but we can still expect a regular allotment of minutes for Payton, Oladipo, Harris and Vucevic.
As reported by: John Denton on Twitter Terrence Jones vastly underpriced on Wednesday
With Dwight Howard and Donatas Motiejunas out of action, Jones will be the leader of the front-court with Clint Capela also expected to eat up a good chunk of minutes. While Capela will be a solid contributor in terms of rebounds/blocks, Jones will be the go-to-guy in the post for the Rockets. Not only does Jones benefit from injuries to members of the Rockets front-court, he also steps into a great match-up with a defensively challenged Nuggets front-court. At $6,000 on FanDuel, Jones is looking like the top dollar-per-point play of the night at the PF position. His $6,200 price tag on DraftKings is also a tier or two too low.
Lillard in for a big bump in usage
With most of his 2014-2015 supporting cast out of town (LMA, Batum, Matthews, Lopez), Lillard will be the unquestioned go-to-guy on offense for the Blazers. He should be among the league leaders in usage rate and shot attempts (as well as turnovers), and he’s always been able to chip in healthy assist/rebound/steal totals. For those that tuned into the GS/NO game last night, it was obvious that neither Nate Robinson or Ish Smith had any prayer of keeping Steph Curry in check. Granted, Lillard is not quite on Curry’s level, but neither Robinson or Smith will be able to effectively defend him. Lillard is an elite option for tonight’s 14-game slate, both for cash games and tournaments.
Luke Babbitt doubtful for Wednesday
With Babbitt unlikely to play, the Pelicans will really need Dante Cunningham, who is also considered questionable (but appears to be likely to play). Alonzo Gee should also add depth on the wing for New Orleans, but Ryan Anderson will be the primary beneficiary from a DFS perspective as long as the Pelicans are shorthanded in the front-court.
As reported by: Brett Dawson on Twitter Rudy Gay with a "90% chance" to play tonight
He’s away from the team at the current point in time due to the birth of his child, but is tentatively expected to be in uniform tonight against the Clippers. In the event that Gay isn’t able to get back to the team in time, Marco Belinelli and Omri Casspi would fill the void at SF, while DeMarcus Cousins usage would rise. Cousins is still a very strong DFS play with or without Gay in the lineup.
As reported by: Bill Herenda on Twitter Cunningham clears concussion test, questionable for Wednesday
We still don’t have anything definitive on Cunningham’s status, but given how shorthanded the Pelicans are, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see him suit up and play a meaningful role. Cunningham doesn’t offer solid production on a per-minute basis though, and he can be ignored in DFS tonight on a huge 14-game slate.
As reported by: New Orleans Times-Picayune