DFS Alerts
Tristan Thompson (illness) expected to play Tuesday
Thompson was listed as questionable, but head coach John Beilein expects him to play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons after missing one game due to an illness, while Kevin Porter Jr. and Larry Nance Jr. remain sidelined with their respective ailments. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Thompson, so he’ll presumably be fine to assume his normal role as the starting center, which will send Ante Zizic back to the bench to following his phenomenal fantasy performance in 25 minutes of action in Sunday’s loss. Following Porter’s exit from Sunday’s loss, Exum and Brandon Knight went on to play a large portion of the second half, which should allow Knight to assume the third guard role that had belonged to Porter and Jordan Clarkson prior to being traded.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter
Richaun Holmes (shoulder) and Marvin Bagley III (foot) doubtful Tuesday; Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle, ilness) officially out
Holmes and Bagley III have officially been listed as doubtful on the Kings’ injury report for Tuesday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns, while Bogdanovic will miss a third straight game because of a sore right ankle and illness. With Holmes and Bagley unlikely to suit up, Sacramento will be extremely thin in the frontcourt and may result in Harry Giles III receiving his first start of the season after logging at least 15 minutes off the bench in three of the previous five games. In Bogdanovic’s absence, Trevor Ariza has been up-and-down for fantasy purposes, but he has played at least 32 minutes off the bench and has even closed ahead of Nemanja Bjelicia with the regular starters in two straight contests. No one Kings player has separated himself from the rest with Holmes, Bagley, and Bogdanovic off the court together this season, but De’Aaron Fox does have a 34.0% usage rate, a 31.6% assist rate, and is averaging 1.14 DraftKings and 1.05 FanDuel points per minute in a 71.7 minutes sample size.
As reported by: the Sacramento Kings via Twitter Other tagged players: Marvin Bagley, Bogdan Bogdanovic Marcus Morris (neck) downgraded to doubtful Tuesday
Morris has officially been downgraded from probable to doubtful for Tuesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a sore neck, while Elfrid Payton is back with the team and will play after missing one game due to personal reasons. In Morris’ likely absence, either Reggie Bullock or Kevin Knox should receive the start at small forward, but Bullock has clearly been ahead of Knox in the rotation of late and logged 25 minutes in Sunday’s loss. With Payton and Dennis Smith Jr. sidelined, Frank Ntilikina received the start at point guard and was mediocre for fantasy purposes in just over 28 minutes of action, while Kadeem Allen stepped into the backup point role logged 20 minutes with the second unit in that contest. Prior to his absence, Payton had recorded at least 30 minutes in four of the Knicks previous five games, so he’ll remain in consideration for tournament formats on most daily fantasy slates, as he owns an 18.1% usage rate, a 32.9% assist rate, and is averaging 1.01 DraftKings and 1.02 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: NY_KnicksPR via Twitter Two Bench Players to Target Tonight
Fred VanVleet is out for Toronto tonight, and with Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol already out, there should be increased opportunity for a number of players. I have my eye on a couple of bench players for Toronto, Terence Davis and Chris Boucher. With VanVleet, Siakam, and Gasol all off the court for Toronto, Davis and Boucher rank first and third on the team in minutes respectively, with Davis averaging .77 fantasy points per minute and Boucher averaging 1.24 fantasy points per minute.
Other tagged players: Terence Davis
Injuries Could Increase Minutes for this Frontcourt Duo
Bogdan Bogdanovic has already been ruled out for Sacramento, and with Richaun Holmes and Marvin Bagley both questionable, there could be plenty of minutes to go around in the Sacramento frontcourt. Two players I’ll be targeting are Nemanja Bjelica and Trevor Ariza. Both Bjelica and Ariza should see solid minutes even if Holmes plays, but with Holmes, Bagley, and Bogdanovic all out last night, Ariza scored a season-high 18 points, while Bjelica put up 8 points with 10 rebounds despite some foul trouble.
Other tagged players: Trevor Ariza LeBron James (illness) expected to play Tuesday; Avery Bradley (ankle) will play
LeBron James (illness) expected to play Tuesday
As reported by: Dave McMenamin via Twitter Other tagged players: Avery Bradley Danilo Gallinari (calf) and Nerlens Noel (ankle) out Tuesday
Gallinari has officially been ruled out of Tuesday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Brooklyn Nets due to a right calf contusion, while Noel will miss a second straight game with a sprained left ankle. Gallinari recently missed four games towards the end of December, and in those contests, Darius Bazley received the starting nod at power forward and averaged 23.7 minutes per game over that span, making him the most likely candidate to rejoin the starting lineup again this evening. In Monday’s loss, Mike Muscala assumed the backup center role behind Steven Adams, logging just under 13 minutes, so it’s possible he could see a slight bump in minutes if head coach Billy Donovan opts to play him alongside Adams for any period of time, but it’s just as likely that someone like Abel Nader enters the rotation to help fill the void left by Gallinari’s absence. Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder have benefitted the most with Gallinari and Noel off the court, as they each own a minimum of a +2.4% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.08 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long statistics.
As reported by: Steve McGehee via Twitter Other tagged players: Nerlens Noel Elfrid Payton (personal) available to play Tuesday
Payton is back with the team and will be available to play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers after missing one game due to personal reasons, while Marcus Morris remains probable with a sore neck. With Payton and Dennis Smith Jr. sidelined for Sunday’s loss, Frank Ntilikina received the start at point guard and was mediocre for fantasy purposes in just over 28 minutes of action, while Kadeem Allen stepped into the backup point role logged 20 minutes with the second unit in that contest. Prior to his absence, Payton had recorded at least 30 minutes in four of the Knicks previous five games, so he’ll remain in consideration for tournament formats on most daily fantasy slates, as he owns a 18.1% usage rate, a 32.9% assist rate, and is averaging 1.01 DraftKings and 1.02 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: NY_KnicksPR via Twitter Bargain Bin Player with Big Minutes
If you are looking for a player near the bottom of the salary list that has a chance to still produce decent point totals, the rookie is jumping out. He has averaged 33 minutes per game over the last 3 games and hit double-digit points in each contest. The big man has also averaged 8.6 rebounds over that time frame, and the price is still very affordable on each site.
Rolling with Raptors
Kyle Lowry has a top 5 projection tonight on all sites while checking in at a massive discount from the players listed above him. We love to have guaranteed minutes in cash games, and Lowry has been impeccable in that column recently. Since returning from his injury on December 3rd, Lowry has averaged 39+ minutes per game over a span of 17 contests.
Lauri Markkanen (ankle) available to play Monday
Markkanen has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks despite dealing with a sprained left ankle, while Chandler Hutchison will be active following his original probable designation with a sore right shoulder. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Markkanen, so he’ll presumably be fine to assume his usual role as the starting power forward in the Bulls first unit. However, if Markkanen is limited in any way, Thadeus Young would likely benefit from additional playing time, and he has already logged at least 20 minutes off the bench in eight of the previous 10 games. Young doesn’t exactly excel in any one area, but he is a solid all-around contributor and has a 21.8% usage rate to go along with an average of 0.90 DraftKings and 0.89 FanDuel points per minute with Markkanen off the court this season.
As reported by: Chuck Swirsky via twitter Tim Hardaway Jr. (hamstring) available to play Monday
As expected, Hardaway Jr. will be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls after missing three games due to strained left hamstring, while Kristaps Porzingis remains sidelined with a sore right knee. Head coach Rick Carlisle surprisingly turned to J.J. Barea as the starter alongside Luka Doncic in the backcourt the last two games, but Seth Curry ended up receiving more playing time than Delon Wright and Jalen Brunson on both occasions, and with Hardaway able to suit up, all four will likely assume a diminished role this evening. It comes as no shock that Doncic has benefitted the most with Porzingis off the court, and he continues to have a 39.7% usage rate, a 48.6% assist rate and is averaging 1.98 DraftKings and 1.87 FanDuel points per minute in a 336.2 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Chuck Cooperstein via Twitter Jamal Murray (finger) and Paul Millsap (knee) available to play Monday
As expected, Murray and Millsap will be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks despite dealing with a sprained right finger and a left knee contusion, respectively. Millsap recently was sidelined for three games with his aforementioned injury, but he’s managed to log at least 23 minutes in each of his three games since returning. If head coach Michael Malone sticks to his word of wanting to give Michael Porter Jr. around 25 minutes a night moving forward, it’s going to be tough for Millsap to ever be allocated more than 20-25 minutes on a game-to-game basis. Murray may be a bit overpriced on daily fantasy sites for tonight’s nine-game slate, but he’s always in consideration for tournament formats with his 25.3% usage rate, 22.2% assist rate, and an average of 1.02 DraftKings and 1.00 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: the Denver Nuggets via Twitter Other tagged players: Paul Millsap Bradley Beal (leg) out Monday; Ian Mahinmi (finger) available to play
Beal has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to a sore right lower leg that has now forced him to miss five of the last six games, while Mahinmi is available to play despite dealing with a right finger injury. In his most recent absence, Jordan McRae received the starting nod at small forward and had his first disappointing fantasy performance in 29 minutes of action in Saturday’s win, while Gary Payton II continued his downward trend in playing time, logging just 11 minutes of action. Payton has gradually ceded playing time to a McRae and Troy Brown Jr., and McRae now has a 29.8% usage rate, a 20.0% assist rate, and is averaging 1.28 DraftKings and 1.22 FanDuel points per minute with Beal and the other injured Wizards off the court this season.
As reported by: the Washington Wizards via Twitter Other tagged players: Ian Mahinmi Cam Reddish (wrist) and Damian Jones (adductor) available to play Monday; Jabari Parker (illness) officially out
As expected, Reddish and Jones will be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets, while Parker will miss a second straight game due to an illness and lingering shoulder issue. In Reddish and John Collins’ absences, head coach Lloyd Pierce opted to go big in the frontcourt by starting Damian Jones and Bruno Fernando at center and power forward, but Jones was still limited to less than 10 minutes of action, virtually guaranteeing that he won’t be in the rotation with Collins expected to return this evening. Collins has flashed some incredible upside in his five games since returning from a 25-game suspension, and in his 308.9 minutes this season, he owns a 23.4% usage rate, a 16.6% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.24 DraftKings and 1.25 FanDuel points per minute.
As reported by: Brad Rowland via Twitter Other tagged players: Damian Jones, Jabari Parker