DFS Alerts
P.J. Tucker (shoulder) questionable Wednesday
Tucker has officially been listed as questionable on the Rockets’ injury report for Wednesday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a right shoulder stinger, while Russell Westbrook will be available after resting in the first leg of this back-to-back set on Tuesday evening. Tucker was considered questionable heading into yesterday’s loss as well, and he went on to record 38 minutes of action, so it seems reasonable to expect he will be good-to-go in tonight’s contest barring some kind of setback. As for Westbrook, he is always in consideration for tournament formats on a nightly basis, as he has a 33.0% usage rate, a 32.8% assist rate, and is averaging 1.32 DraftKings and 1.28 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Jamie Goldberg via Twitter
Jayson Tatum (knee) out Wednesday
Despite originally being listed as probable, Tatum has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to a sore right knee, while Daniel Theis remains questionable with right knee soreness that has already forced him to miss one game, Head coach Brad Stevens didn’t disclose to reporters at shootaround who would replace Tatum in the starting lineup, but Marcus Smart or Semi Ojeleye appear to be the likeliest candidates, though even if Ojeleye draws the start, he won’t be viable for daily fantasy formats with a volatile minute floor and a horrendous average of 0.45 DraftKings and 0.44 FanDuel points per minute on the season. The actual beneficiaries with Tatum off the court have been Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter, as they each own a minimum of a +3.0% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.17 more fantasy points per minute over the normal season-long statistics.
As reported by: Jared Weiss via Twitter Digging Deep for Nuggets
Paul Millsap should be out again tonight, and that means Jerami Grant should continue to see an uptick in minutes. He has drawn the start for the last 3 games and has played 31+ minutes per game. Grant will contribute some points and rebounds, but his signature stat is the block, as he has 5 blocks in these last 3 starts. If we hit the right side of variance on that stat, Grant becomes a fantastic play at this low price tag.
He Went to Jarrett
Over the last 8 games it appears that Minnesota is turning Jarrett Culver loose. He is averaging 32 minutes per game and putting up 15 points/5.6 rebounds/2.6 assists and some really nice steal numbers (1.4 per game). Culver has also taken double digit field goal attempts in all 8 games. The price is still in the bargain range, so he makes for a solid salary saver tonight.
Kristaps Porzingis (knee, illness) officially out Tuesday
As expected, Porzingis is has been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a sore right knee that has already forced him to miss seven games and is more likely to return in tomorrow’s second leg of a back-to-back set. In his absence, Delon Wright and Maxi Kleber have essentially alternated starts of late, depending on the matchup, but J.J. Barea and Justin Jackson have also made appearances in the first unit over this span. It comes as no shock that Luka Doncic has been especially stellar with Porzingis off the court this season, as he owns a 39.3% usage rate, a 48.3% assist rate, an 18.2% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.85 DraftKings and 1.73 FanDuel points per minute in a 472.7 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Tim Cato via Twitter Larry Nance Jr. (knee) will play Tuesday
As expected, Nance Jr. will play in Tuesday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing two weeks due to a sore left knee, while Kevin Love was ruled out for rest purposes and Ante Zizic remains sidelined with an illness. Head coach John Beilein already confirmed with reporters that Nance will be limited to around 24 minutes in his first game back, but even though he’s unlikely to handle a full starters’ workload, he’ll still be the leading candidate to receive the start at power forward this evening. Nance has been a solid fantasy point per minute contributor this season and throughout his career, so he’ll be a viable value option in all formats barring some kind of in-game setback with his knee. However, Cedi Osman has benefitted the most with Love, Zizic, and Kevin Porter Jr. off the court this season, he has an 18.8% usage rate and is averaging 0.94 DraftKings and 0.90 FanDuel points per minute in a 175.0 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Chris Fedor via Twitter Jae Crowder (hip) out Tuesday; Kyle Anderson (foot) and Brandon Clarke (thumb) available
Crowder has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets due to a sore right hip, while Anderson and Clarke will be available to play despite dealing with their respective ailments. Head coach Taylor Jenkins already confirmed with reporters at his pregame media availability that Anderson will receive the starting nod at small forward in Crowder’s absence, and he has averaged 24.1 minutes in his two most recent spot starts with Crowder sidelined this season. Anderson contributes in enough box score categories that he manages to average 0.90 DraftKings and 0.92 FanDuel points per minute with Crowder off the court, but Clarke and Jaren Jackson Jr. have benefitted the most, as they each own a minimum of a +3.7% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.11 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long statistics.
As reported by: Chris Herrington via Twitter Other tagged players: Kyle Anderson, Brandon Clarke Donovan Mitchell (illness) will play Tuesday
As expected, Mitchell will play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets after missing one game due to an illness, while Mike Conley remains sidelined and will miss his 13th straight game with a strained left hamstring. In Mitchell’s absence, Emmanuel Mudiay ended up receiving the starting nod at point guard and was excellent from a fantasy perspective in 30 minutes of action in Sunday’s win, but he was still outperformed by Jordan Clarkson, who tallied 23 real points in just over 34 minutes off the bench. Mitchell has continued to thrive as the lead ballhandler in the first unit with Conley sidelined, as he owns a 31.0% usage rate and is averaging 1.14 DraftKings and 1.10 FanDuel points per minute with him off the court this season.
As reported by: David Locke via Twitter Frank Ntilikina (groin) listed out Tuesday; Mitchell Robinson (toe) listed available
As expected, Ntilikina won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a sore groin that has now forced him to miss two games, while Robinson and Reggie Bullock have been cleared to play despite dealing with their respective ailments. In his absence, Kadeem Allen assumed the backup point guard responsibilities with Dennis Smith Jr. still sidelined, and he was solid for fantasy purposes in just 17 minutes of action. The Knicks are also still without Marcus Morris, so Bullock should draw another start at small forward in tonight’s contest, and he has now logged at least 27 minutes in three of the previous four games. Bullock has a low floor for daily fantasy formats, but he has been an adequate contributor in his 165.4 minutes this season, as he has an 18.1% usage rate and is averaging 0.84 DraftKings and 0.85 FanDuel points per minute thus far.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Mitchell Robinson Wilson Chandler (hamstring) out Tuesday
Chandler has been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to left hamstring tightness, while Garrett Temple was already ruled out with a right knee contusion that has forced him to miss two of the previous three games. With Kyrie Irving returning from a lengthy injury layoff and further clogging up head coach Kenny Atkinson’s rotation, Chandler was limited to just 18 minutes off the bench in Sunday’s blowout win, which leaves very little available playing time for other members of the second unit. Atkinson also decided to utilize a two-point guard starting lineup in Irving’s first game back, and if Dinwiddie continues to share more time on the floor with Irving moving forward, his overall fantasy production is likely to take a massive hit, as he owns just a 21.8% usage rate, a 19.2% assist rate, and is averaging 0.97 DraftKings and 0.92 FanDuel points per minute in the 151.4 minutes he’s played with Irving on the court this season.
As reported by: Brian Lewis via Twitter Kevin Love (rest) and Ante Zizic (illness) out Tuesday; Larry Nance Jr. (knee) expected to play
Love and Zizic have officially been ruled out of Tuesday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Los Angeles Clippers due to their respective ailments, while Nance Jr. is expected to return from a two-week absence recovering from a sore left knee. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Nance, but even if he isn’t able to handle a full starters’ minute workload, he’ll still be the leading candidate to receive the start at power forward this evening. Nance has been a solid fantasy point per minute contributor this season and throughout his career, so he’ll be a viable value option in all formats barring some kind of severe restriction on his expected playing time. However, Cedi Osman has benefitted the most with Love, Zizic, and Kevin Porter Jr. off the court this season, he has a 18.8% usage rate and is averaging 0.94 DraftKings and 0.90 FanDuel points per minute in a 175.0 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Chris Fedor via Twitter Other tagged players: Ante Zizic, Larry Nance Jr. Kristaps Porzingis (knee) unlikely to play Tuesday
Porzingis is still technically listed as questionable, but ESPN’s Tim MacMahon is reporting that he is unlikely to play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a sore right knee that has already forced him to miss seven games and is more likely to return in tomorrow’s second leg of a back-to-back set. In his absence, Delon Wright and Maxi Kleber have essentially alternated starts of late, depending on the matchup, but J.J. Barea and Justin Jackson have also made appearances in the first unit over this span. It comes as no shock that Luka Doncic has been especially stellar with Porzingis off the court this season, as he owns a 39.3% usage rate, a 48.3% assist rate, a 18.2% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.85 DraftKings and 1.73 FanDuel points per minute in a 472.7 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Tim MacMahon via Twitter Reggie Bullock (thigh) listed available Tuesday
As expected, Bullock will be available to play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks despite dealing with a left thigh contusion, while Frank Ntilikina was already downgraded to doubtful due to a sore groin that has already forced him to miss one game. In his absence, Kadeem Allen assumed the backup point guard responsibilities with Dennis Smith Jr. still sidelined, and he was solid for fantasy purposes in just 17 minutes of action. The Knicks are also still without Marcus Morris, so Bullock should draw another start at small forward in tonight’s contest, and he has now logged at least 27 minutes in three of the previous four games. Bullock has a low floor for daily fantasy formats, but he has been an adequate contributor in his 165.4 minutes this season, as he has an 18.1% usage rate and is averaging 0.84 DraftKings and 0.85 FanDuel points per minute thus far.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Forgot About Dray Day
Draymond Green makes the cash cut for me tonight based on the fantastic price tags we are getting on him: $6K on Draftkings and $5.9K on FanDuel are tantalizing prices. Some of his inconsistencies this season have stemmed from injuries, but he appears to be healthy right now. Since sitting out his most recent game, he has returned to average 7.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and his patented 3.7 steals+blocks per game in those three contests. Those numbers mixed with a few real-life points is perfectly on par with what we want from him in a cash game, and he has that hint of GPP upside also.
Dallas Stars Should Shine
Luka Doncic is obviously going to be one of the higher projected players on any slate and always viable for cash. His price tag is significantly cheaper on FanDuel than it is on DraftKings, and the RotoGrinders ownership team also projects him at a whopping 40%+ owned in games today. Luka is always a great play, but specifically on FanDuel for cash games on this slate.