DFS Alerts
Derrick Rose (adductor) listed out Monday; Reggie Jackson (back) and Markieff Morris (hip) listed questionable
As expected, Rose has been listed out on the latest Pistons’ injury report and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a strained left adductor he sustained towards the end of the second quarter of Sunday’s win, while Jackson and Morris are listed as questionable with their respective ailments. Jackson ended up replacing Rose in the starting lineup to begin the second half of that contest, but if he’s unable to suit up, Bruce Brown would likely take over the primary ballhandling and playmaking responsibilities in the first unit and is coming off of a phenomenal fantasy performance in 38 minutes of action off the bench in the previous game. Unsurprisingly, Jackson and Brown haven’t just benefitted from increased playing time with Rose sidelined, as they each see a minimum of a +1.2% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.10 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long numbers with Rose, Luke Kennard, and Blake Griffin off the court.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Reggie Jackson, Markieff Morris
Great Value Play Across The Industry
It’s pretty clear-cut for me today Jackson is the top value option on this slate. Considering his price across the industry, he’s going to be my highest owned player. Rose has a massive usage rate, and Drummond doesn’t see a massive increase with Rose off the floor. Drummond does see an increase in FPPM, but his usage really only goes up about 2%. Jackson is averaging over a fantasy point per minute over the last month since returning from injury.
Ricky Rubio (ankle) probable Monday; Tyler Johnson (knee) and Ty Jerome (calf) ruled out
Rubio has officially been listed as probable on the Suns’ injury report for Monday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to a sore right ankle that forced him to miss one game, while Jerome and Johnson will join Dario Saric, Cameron Johnson, Aron Baynes, and Frank Kaminsky on the inactive list for tonight’s contest. In Rubio’s absence, Elie Okobo ended up receiving the start at point guard, but he was absolutely atrocious for fantasy purposes in just over 26 minutes of action, whereas, Jevon Carter was much more effective in his 27 minutes off the bench in Sunday’s blowout loss. However, Devin Booker has actually benefitted the most with Saric, Baynes, and Kaminsky off the court this season, as he owns a 31.9% usage rate, a 35.2% assist rate, and is averaging 1.42 DraftKings and 1.34 FanDuel points per minute in a 308.1 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Gina Mizell via Twitter Other tagged players: Tyler Johnson, Ty Jerome Marcus Smart (thigh) officially out Monday; Enes Kanter (hip) available to play
As expected, Smart has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to a right thigh contusion, while Kanter will be available to play after missing five games with a right hip contusion. This will be the first time Smart and Kemba Walker have both been unavailable for the same game this season, so it’s a bit unclear how head coach Brad Stevens will handle the point guard position, but Brad Wanamaker appears to be the overwhelming candidate to join the starting lineup and is coming off of a stellar fantasy performance in 26 minutes of action off the bench in Saturday’s win. When Wanamaker is on the bench, Stevens would either be forced to rely upon one of his rookie guards like Carsen Edwards or Tremont Waters as the backup point guard or he could utilize a non-traditional lineup with Gordon Hayward or Jaylen Brown manning the point, which would lead to more playing time for the reserve wings and forwards.
As reported by: the Boston Celtics via Twitter Other tagged players: Enes Freedom Davis Bertans (neck) a game-time decision Monday
Bertans is a new addition to the Wizards’ injury report and will be a game-time decision for Monday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to neck tightness, while Rui Hachimura and Moritz Wagner weren’t included on the injury report and are slated to return in tonight’s contest. Hachimura and Wagner may be subject to minute restrictions in their first game back, but if Bertans is cleared to play, Washington will have a mostly healthy frontcourt for the first time in quite a while and should cut into the playing time of Thomas Bryant and Ian Mahinmi this evening. This makes the ancillary members of head coach Scott Brooks rotation tough to target on a 10-game slate, but Bradley Beal still remains in consideration for all daily fantasy formats since he has a 33.1% usage rate, a 28.5% assist rate, and is averaging 1.30 DraftKings and 1.25 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: the Washington Wizards via Twitter Marcus Morris (illness) questionable Monday; Julius Randle (quad) and Frank Ntilikina (groin) probable
Morris has been added to the Knicks’ injury report and is now questionable for Monday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to an illness, while Randle and Ntilikina have been upgraded to probable despite dealing with their respective ailments. The Knicks will have the services of Elfrid Payton for tonight’s contest following his one-game suspension, so he’ll more than likely replace Dennis Smith Jr. in the starting lineup after Smith was relatively underwhelming for fantasy purposes in 27 minutes of action in Saturday’s win. Smith has still been ahead of Ntilikina in the guard rotation of late, and he’ll presumably resume the backup point guard duties for the time being even with Ntilikina on track to return from a one-game injury absence. None of the New York starters see a substantial boost in usage or production with RJ Barrett off the court, but Randle still leads the team with a 28.4% usage rate, a 17.2% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.18 DraftKings and 1.14 FanDuel points per minute in a 531.0 minutes sample size.
As reported by: NY_KnicksPR via Twitter Other tagged players: Julius Randle, Frank Ntilikina Daniel Gafford (thumb) will play Sunday
Gafford has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Sunday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors after missing two weeks due to a dislocated right thumb, while Kris Dunn was already ruled out with a right knee injury he sustained in the opening moments of Friday’s loss. Chandler Hutchison ended up replacing Dunn following his early exit, and he went on to record a solid fantasy performance in just under 22 minutes of action, though Ryan Arcidiacono received the start alongside Tomas Satoransky and Zach LaVine to begin the second half of the aforementioned contest. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Gafford, so if he’s able to approach the 25-minute mark in terms of playing time, he’ll be an intriguing tournament target since he is averaging 0.85 DraftKings and 0.94 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson via Twitter Ricky Rubio (ankle) and Ty Jerome (calf) out Sunday; Tyler Johnson (knee) available
Rubio has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a sore right ankle, while Jerome is a late addition to the Suns’ injury report and won’t be available because of left calf soreness. Head coach Monty Williams already disclosed to reporters at his pregame presser that Elie Okobo will receive the starting nod at point guard, which essentially leaves Tyler Johnson and Jevon Carter as the only backups at the guard positions and someone like Jalen Lecque could see reserve minutes at the wing and forward positions. There’s not a significant sample size with Rubio and all of the injured Suns off the court, but in that limited time, Devin Booker and Kelly Oubre Jr. have benefitted the most, as they each see a minimum of a +6.0% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.25 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long numbers.
As reported by: Duane Rankin via Twitter Other tagged players: Ty Jerome, Elie Okobo Giannis Antetokounmpo (hamstring) available to play Sunday
Antetokounmpo has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns despite dealing with a sore right shoulder that recently forced him to miss one game, while Geroge Hill remains sidelined with a strained left hamstring. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Antetokounmpo, so he should be fine to handle his usual minute workload in today’s contest, and he continues to lead the Bucks with a massive 37.5% usage rate, 33.4% assist rate, 20.7% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.88 DraftKings and 1.84 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far, keeping him in consideration for tournament formats, at a bare minimum, on a nightly basis.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter Loading Up Players From High Point Total Game
The NBA slates are slightly different across sites today, but one thing that is a constant is the New Orleans – Houston matchup that carries a 246 over/under that is the highest I can recall seeing. With Houston favored by 5 points at home, the team has a 125.5 implied point total, and I’ll be loading my cash games with Rockets on all sites. I particularly have my eye on combining the Houston guard duo of Russell Westbrook and James Harden, with Westbrook averaging 32.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg, and 8.2 apg in the month of January and Harden putting up 35 points and 16 rebounds in his last game after a recent slump. Danuel House is also appealing, have drawn the start for the injured Clint Capela in two of the Rockets’ last three games.
Other tagged players: Russell Westbrook, Danuel House Jr.
Potential Spike In Usage
I am writing this on very late Saturday night / super early Sunday morning, meaning we don’t yet know the status of Giannis, who is questionable. He left the last game early with hamstring soreness and while this is pure speculation on my part, I would think it’s more likely he rests this game than plays. Of course that could all change, but given this assumption, I’d consider the trio of Eric Bledsoe, Khris Middleton and Ersan Ilyasova all strong plays. Bledsoe is my favorite option and he’s be close to a lock for me in all formats, as CourtIQ shows he averages 1.5 fantasy points per minute when both Giannis and George Hill (who is also out) are off the court. I may untag Bledsoe if Giannis suits up, but for now I’m viewing him as someone I’d want to be overweight on if Giannis can’t go.
Center In Smash Spot
The Bulls continue to allow the 4th most fantasy points to opposing centers, and with both Marc Gasol and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson out, this is a spot where Serge Ibaka should continue to see big minutes and smash this Bulls front court. Ibaka remains affordable across the industry and on DraftKings specifically, his price even dropped by $700 despite putting up 30+ fantasy points now in four straight games.
Dewayne Dedmon (illness) officially out Saturday
As expected, Dedmon has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to flu-like symptoms, while Marvin Bagley III and Richaun Holmes remain sidelined with their respective ailments. This means that Harry Giles III will have to join the starting lineup at the center position, but he’s typically had a fragile minute floor whenever the three aforementioned big men have been sidelined, and he has still only logged more than 17 minutes twice the entire season. Head coach Luke Walton already confirmed with reporters at his pregame presser that newly-signed center, Eric Mika, will be thrust immediately into the rotation, but it seems unlikely he’d be allocated big minutes after just signing a 10-day contract earlier in the day. The extra body in the frontcourt makes it difficult to successfully target Mika, Giles, or any other Kings’ centers in daily fantasy formats this evening.
As reported by: Jason Anderson via Twitter Tony Bradley (knee) out Saturday
Bradley has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a sprained right knee that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Mike Conley will rejoin the starting lineup following a one-game absence for rest purposes in Thursday’s loss. Conley has appeared in just six games since returning from a lengthy injury layoff, but he’s seen his playing time ramp up over the last few contests and has logged at least 21 minutes in each of his previous two games. His presence in the lineup will still send Emmanuel Mudiay back to the bench to resume a reserve role after a pretty dismal fantasy performance in 16 minutes of action with Conley sidelined last time out. As for Bradley’s absence, Ed Davis should remain in the backup center role, and his playing time will be directly correlated to how many minutes Rudy Gobert receives this evening.
As reported by: Eric Walden via Twitter PJ Washington (ankle) scratched Saturday
Despite originally being confirmed in the Hornets starting lineup, Washington is a late scratch and won’t play in Saturday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to a sprained right ankle. In his absence, Marvin Williams will receive the starting nod at the power forward position, and he is typically already allotted between 15-20 minutes off the bench in head coach James Borrego’s frontcourt rotation even when Washington is active. Unfortunately, this news cames several minutes the lock time because Williams or someone like Cody Zeller would have been intriguing tournaments on the late slates across the daily fantasy industry, as Zeller has a 21.0% usage rate, a 16.3% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.07 DraftKings and 1.06 FanDuel points per minute with Washington off the court this season.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter