DFS Alerts
Tim Hardaway Jr. (hamsting) listed probable Monday
Hardaway Jr. has been upgraded from questionable to probable on the latest Mavericks injury report for Monday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to a strained left hamstring that had forced him to miss three games, while Kristaps Porzingis remains sidelined with a sore right knee. Head coach Rick Carlisle surprisingly turned to J.J. Barea as his 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 on track to play, 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: NBA Official Injury Report
T.J. McConnell (ankle) listed available Monday
McConnell has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets despite dealing with a sprained right ankle, while Malcolm Brogdon remains sidelined with a sore lower back. In Brogdon’s absence, McConnell has been serving as the primary backup point guard behind Aaron Holiday, but with Edmond Sumner returning in Saturday’s loss and logging just over 16 minutes action, McConnell won’t be relied upon to absorb the 25 minutes he had seen in each of the Pacers previous three games. No Pacer, in particular, see a substantial boost to their usage and production with Brogdon off the court, but Holiday and Myles Turner have benefitted the most, as they each own a minimum of a +1.7% 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: NBA Official Injury Report Jrue Holiday (elbow) out Monday
Holiday has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a left elbow contusion, while Zion Williamson continues to be sidelined because of a right knee scope despite returning to practice early last week. Head coach Alvin Gentry hasn’t yet disclosed who will replace Holiday in the starting lineup, but Josh Hart, Kenrich Williams, and E’Twaun Moore appear to be the leading candidates, though Hart’s minute floor is unlikely to be swayed by the starting lineup decision since he frequently logs minutes in the upper-20s even when Holiday is active. Surprisingly, no one Pelicans player sees a substantial increase in usage or production with Holiday off the court, but other than Hart, it’s been Brandon Ingram that has benefitted the most, as he has a 30.6% usage rate, a 26.7% assist rate, and is averaging 1.33 DraftKings and 1.25 FanDuel points per minute in a 307.8 minutes sample size.
As reported by: the New Orleans Pelicans via Twitter Here We Go Again
With Kemba already ruled out, Smart has a really strong floor across the industry. Smart is averaging 1.00 fantasy points per minute with Kemba off the floor this season. Add in a matchup against Washington and his 30-35 minutes, and he has a really strong projection for this game. We hate trusting Marcus Smart, but it’s hard not to in this spot.
Fantasy Gold Mine
Jayson Tatum broke my heart in Kemba Walker’s first game out against the Hawks when he failed to top 30 fantasy but he rebounded in a nice way the next day posting a 28/7 line against the Bulls. Tatum remains the player that has seen the biggest boost in usage (+6.3%) with Walker off the court this season and has already been more aggressive with a career high 27.6% usage rate. The Wizards continue to be a fantasy gold mine for opposing players as they play at the fourth-quickest pace and own the league’s worst defensive rating (116.2) and represent an extremely favorable matchup for Tatum and the Celtics as a whole.
Bogdan Bogdanovic (illness, ankle) officially out Monday
As expected, Bogdanovic won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to an illness and a sore right ankle that has now forced him to miss two games, while Marvin Bagley III continues to be sidelined by a sprained left foot. In his absence, Trevor Ariza was relatively disappointing for fantasy purposes but he did end up receiving 32 minutes off the bench with the second unit and even closed ahead of Nemanja Bjelicia with the regular starters during Saturday’s loss. No one player, in particular, sees a significant usage or production increase with Bogdanovic and Bagley off the court, but Bjelica is the best fantasy producer of the three players that stand to benefit from additional playing time, as he is averaging 1.02 DraftKings and 1.00 FanDuel points per minute in a 591.0 minutes sample size.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Lauri Markkanen (ankle) listed questionable Monday
Markkanen was originally doubtful but is now listed as questionable on the latest Bulls injury report for Monday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to a sprained left ankle, while Chandler Hutchison will be active following his previous probable designation with a sore right shoulder. Markkanen didn’t participate in shootaround, but he did disclose to reporters that he will go through pregame warmups before a decision on his status is made for tonight’s contest. If Markkanen is unable to suit up, head coach Jim Boylen already confirmed that Thadeus Young will receive the start at power forward, and he has already logged at least 20 minutes off the bench in eight of the previous 10 games, likely giving his a stable minute floor as a potential starter this evening. Young doesn’t 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: NBA Official Injury Report Jabari Parker (illness) doubtful Monday; Cam Reddish (wrist) probable
Parker has been downgraded from questionable to doubtful for Monday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to an illness, while Reddish is now probable with a sprained right wrist that forced him to miss one game. 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: Cam Reddish Jamal Murray (finger) and Paul Millsap (knee) probable Monday
Murray and Millsap have been added to the Nuggets’ injury report and are now probable for Monday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to 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, which likely makes his and Murray’s injury designations more a precaution than anything else. 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 Marvin Williams (nose) out Monday
Williams has been added to the Hornets’ injury report and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to a surgical procedure on the nasal fracture he sustained during Thursday’s win. Williams has taken on a lesser role in head coach James Borrego’s frontcourt rotation of late with P.J, Washington returning from an extended injury layoff, and Williams has been limited to fewer than 15 minutes in four of the Hornets previous five games. In his absence, there’s a number of players that become candidates to join the rotation, but none of Nicols Batum, Cody Martin, or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are likely to receive enough minutes to become relevant for daily fantasy formats on tonight’s nine-game main slate.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter John Collins (back) expects to play Monday
Collins confirmed with reporters at shootaround that he expects to play in Monday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets after missing one game due to a back contusion, while Jabari Parker has been downgraded to doubtful and Cam Reddish upgraded to probable with their respective ailments. In Collins and Reddish’s 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 likely 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: Chris Kirschner via Twitter Alex Caruso (calf) expected to play Sunday
Head coach Frank Vogel previously referred to Caruso as a game-time decision, but he is expected to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons after missing one game due to right calf tightness, while Anthony Davis will start, as expected, following his customary probable designation on the Lakers injury report. In Caruso’s absence, Troy Daniels rejoined the rotation but was limited to just nine minutes of action as Vogel opted to spread out most Caruso’s vacated minutes to his more established rotation members. As for Caruso, he’s settled into a consistent role in the mid or high-teens in terms of minutes off the bench, so he’s rarely in consideration for daily fantasy formats, especially since he’s only averaging 0.67 DraftKings and 0.69 FanDuel points per minute on the season thus far.
As reported by: Eric Pincus via Twitter Jeff Teague (knee), Treveon Graham (illness), and Noah Vonleh (glute) available to play Sunday
Teague, Graham, and Vonleh have all been upgraded from questionable and are available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Karl-Anthony Towns will miss a 10th straight contest with a sprained left knee despite Minnesota continuing to list him as questionable prior to every game. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Andrew Wiggins, so he should displace either Kelan Martin or Jarrett Culver from the starting lineup and Culver’s role will likely drastically decrease after logging at least 32 minutes in each of the Timberwolves previous three games now that Teague, Graham, and Vonleh are available as well. Wiggins unsurprisingly leads Minnesota with a 31.3% usage rate with Towns off the court, but Robert Covington has actually benefitted the most from a production standpoint, as he is averaging 1.04 DraftKings and 1.05 FanFuel points per minute in a 400.8 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Treveon Graham, Noah Vonleh Andrew Wiggins (illness) available to play Sunday; Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) remains out
Wiggins has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers after missing four games due to an illness, while Towns will miss a 10th straight contest with a sprained left knee despite Minnesota continuing to list him as questionable prior to every game. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Wiggins, so he should displace either Kelan Martin or Jarrett Culver from the starting lineup and Culver’s role will likely drastically decrease after logging at least 32 minutes in each of the Timberwolves previous three games now that Jeff Teague, Treveon Graham, and Noah Vonleh are available to play. Wiggins unsurprisingly leads Minnesota with a 31.3% usage rate with Towns off the court, but Robert Covington has actually benefitted the most from a production standpoint, as he is averaging 1.04 DraftKings and 1.05 FanFuel points per minute in a 400.8 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Jon Krawczynski via Twitter Other tagged players: Karl-Anthony Towns Jimmy Butler (back) out Sunday; Derrick Jones Jr. will start
Butler has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers due to lower back soreness, while Justise Winslow will remain sidelined with a lower-back bone bruise despite his original questionable designation on the Heat injury report. Butler has missed four games this season, but in the only game where both he and Winslow were unavailable, Goran Dragic ended up receiving the start at the point alongside Kendrick Nunn in the backcourt. Dragic logged just under 34 minutes in that contest, which is a sizable increase over his usual minute allotment off the bench in head coach Erik Spoelstra’s rotation. However, Spoelstra has opted to start Jones Jr. at the small forward position with Kendrick Nunn assuming the point guard responsibilities when Dragic isn’t on the floor. Tyler Herro remains cheap on daily fantasy sites and could be a low-key beneficiary with Butler sidelined, as he owns a 27.4% usage rate and is averaging 0.93 DraftKings and 0.84 FanDuel points per minute with Butler and Winslow off the court this season.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Other tagged players: Derrick Jones Jr.