Spencer Hawes Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections
Malcolm Brogdon (back) will start for Bucks tonight with a minutes limit; Spencer Hawes ruled out
Brogdon will play and start in tonight's game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously missing five consecutive games with a sore back. He'll have a minute restriction of 25-30 minutes in tonight's contest, which is just slightly lower than his normal minute allotment. Additionally, Spencer Hawes has been ruled out for rest purposes but has consistently been seeing minimal playing time, so his absence does not do much to alter the Bucks frontcourt rotation. All of Hawes' minutes will likely be siphoned to John Henson, who is expected to play 20-25 minutes this evening, putting him in play as a punt option in tournaments. However, there is a plethora of value already available on this slate, so individual lineup construction should dictate which value plays round out tournament options on Monday's slate.
John Henson (thumb) ruled out for tonight
Henson will miss Friday's game with the Hawks, which will leave the Bucks a little shorthanded in the front-court. Spencer Hawes is likely to pick up minutes in the teens with Henson on the shelf, and it's not out of the realm of possibility for Terrence Jones to enter the rotation. Either way, the Bucks are going to have trouble with Dwight Howard down low given the current state of the front-court, so this news only further increases Howard's upside. Greg Monroe could also seen a slight uptick in playing time, but his playing time tends to be erratic.
Spencer Hawes active and available to make Bucks debut tonight
Hawes is officially active for tonight's game against the Los Angeles Lakers and might play off the bench, according to Bucks' head coach Jason Kidd. Additionally, Thon Maker will draw the start at power forward, replacing the injured Jabari Parker, who was recently diagnosed with a torn ACL in his left knee. This Milwaukee frontcourt situation is going to be one to avoid until we get a general idea of Kidd's frontcourt rotation sans Parker and with the addition of Hawes and Roy Hibbert, who is still unavailable this evening. On a nine-game slate with other decent value options available, the opportunity cost is too high to try and pinpoint the correct Bucks big man to target, even in tournaments.
Spencer Hawes and Roy Hibbert will NOT make their Bucks debut tonight
Hawes and Hibbert will not be available to play in tonight's game against the Phoenix Suns despite already being with the team in Arizona. Bucks head coach Jason Kidd stated that he preferred that the two big men get a full practice under their belts before seeing game action with their new team. It's difficult to project exactly how the frontcourt rotation will shake out once Hawes, Hibbert, John Henson, and Greg Monroe are all competing for playing time. Thon Maker is also in the mix for minutes off the bench, so clearly this is a situation to avoid going forward until we get a reasonable idea of Kidd's rotation. However, he's shown the willingness to change that up at a moment's notice consistently in the past.
Hornets and Bucks pull off three-person trade (Plumlee for Hawes/Hibbert)
It's a trade that doesn't have a lot of DFS impact (despite Hawes being a viable value option at times) as reports have surfaced that the Bucks have traded Miles Plumlee to the Hornets for Spencer Hawes and Roy Hibbert in what is likely a move made for financial reasons. It could open up a bigger role for Greg Monroe but that remains to be seen as he has thrived in his current placement in the rotation.
Ivica Zubac, Marvin Williams highlight tonight's value options in the frontcourt
We touched on some of the value at the PG/SG/SF spots earlier, so let's look at what's available in the front-court to help you fit in guys like James Harden, John Wall or Russell Westbrook. At PF, Marvin Williams remains intriguing thanks to a mixture of Portland's porous defense and Cody Zeller's absence. While Zeller's absence furthers the upside of Spencer Hawes in a much greater capacity, it still slightly helps to secure Williams' minutes against a Portland team that utilizes a stretch four. Ryan Anderson sits at $5,000 on both major sites and provides extremely solid GPP value at that price tag. He's played at least 35 minutes in each of the Rockets past three games and is shooting 50% over his past five games. At center, we'll want to look at Ivica Zubac and Spencer Hawes. Zubac is the sexier play given that he's still relatively unknown and has put up some monstrous numbers in limited minutes this season. In the three games in which he's seen at least 26 minutes, Zubac has posted at least 29 FPs. Hawes figures to see around 25 minutes of court time against a Portland team that struggles to defend and rebound, making him a suitable tournament target. Zubac is priced about $1K cheaper on both major sites which makes him the preferred cash game target between the two. It's also worth noting that Tarik Black saw 30 minutes of playing time with Julius Randle out against the Jazz, but it's currently unclear who will start tonight. If Black does get the nod, he's a potential GPP punt, but he doesn't possess the same per minute upside as either Zubac or Hawes.
Cody Zeller OUT tonight for Charlotte
The Hornets big man will miss tonight's game against Portland and likely will sit out tomorrow night as well. It'll mean more playing time for the big man trio of Roy Hibbert, Spencer Hawes, and Frank Kaminsky with the latter two being viable DFS value options. The biggest boost according to CourtIQ though goes to Kemba Walker who averages .07 fpts/minute more with Zeller off the court. Walker already has a plus match up against the Blazers team that is bottom five in the league in fantasy points allowed per game.
Cody Zeller (quad), Frank Kaminsky (nose), and Jeremy Lamb (foot) all questionable for Wednesday
Cody Zeller is questionable due to a quad contusion. If Zeller is unable to play, Roy Hibbert will likely start in his place. Hibbert is not a high-end DFS option and will likely not play over 20 minutes against the uptempo Warriors. Spencer Hawes would be an extremely enticing play if both Kaminsky and Zeller were to sit. Jeremy Lamb has been upgraded to questionable and his status will likely be further updated after shootaround tomorrow.
Cody Zeller likely OUT for Hornets tonight
Yet another player battling illness, the Charlotte Hornets big man missed shootaround today and the team has stated he is unlikely to play tonight when they face Houston. Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes stand to benefit the most from Zeller's absence but both are risky, low-floor options.
Cody Zeller (illness) questionable and Nicolas Batum (knee) doubtful for Tuesday
Cody Zeller is being listed as questionable due to an illness and if he misses the game expect Roy Hibbert to start in his place. Hibbert is not a strong fantasy option but Spencer Hawes has proven to be a threat with Zeller out of the lineup. Nicolas Batum is expected to miss all of this week and Jeremy Lamb will likely start in his place. Lamb continues to be an elite fantasy option with Batum out of the lineup. The only thing to watch out for his salary spike. Stay tuned for more updates from the Hornets.