DFS Alerts
Dennis Smith Jr. (oblique) out Thursday; Mitchell Robinson (illness) probable
Smith Jr. has been added to the Knicks’ injury report and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to a strained left oblique, while Robinson is now probable and Marcus Morris remains questionable with a sore left Achilles that’s already forced him to miss one game. The absence of Smith won’t have too much of an impact on the overall rotation, but it will give interim head coach Mike Miller one less option to potentially siphon playing time from Elfrid Payton, who has now logged at least 27 minutes in both games as the starting point guard. There hasn’t been any confirmation if Mitchell Robinson will remain in the starting lineup at the center position, but even in a starting role, he was limited to just 23 minutes in Monday’s loss despite a relatively solid fantasy performance.
As reported by: Mike Vorkunov via Twitter Other tagged players: Mitchell Robinson
LeBron James (rib) and Anthony Davis (knee) will start Wednesday; Kyle Kuzma (ankle) available
As expected, James and Davis have been cleared to play and will start in Wednesday’s Christmas Day matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, while Kuzma will be available off the bench after logging 22 minutes in Sunday’s loss, his first game back from an extended injury layoff. There haven’t been any reports of potential minute restrictions for James or Davis, so they should be expected to be able to handle their normal minute allocations in tonight’s contest. With James unavailable last time out, Rajon Rondo ended up receiving the starting nod at point guard, and he was solid for fantasy purposes in 28 minutes of action. James has the better price of the two Lakers stars on most daily fantasy sites, and he continues to lead the team with a 32.6% usage rate, a 48.9% assist rate, and is averaging 1.54 DraftKings and 1.49 FanDuel points per minute thus far on the year.
As reported by: Brett Dawson via Twitter Other tagged players: Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma Glenn Robinson III (ankle) will play Wednesday
As expected, Robinson III will play in Wednesday’s Christmas Day matchup against the Houston Rockets after missing one game due to a sprained right ankle, while the Warriors recalled Ky Bowman from the G-League, and he’ll be active for tonight’s contest with Kevon Looney unavailable. Head coach Steve Kerr already confirmed with reporters that Robinson will replace Alec Burks in the starting lineup following his phenomenal fantasy performance in just over 34 minutes of action in Monday’s win. This means that Damion Lee will continue to start alongside D’Angelo Russell in the backcourt, and he’s dramatically stepped up his production since joining the starting lineup and is currently averaging 0.86 DraftKings and 0.82 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Logan Murdock via Twitter Gordon Hayward (foot) will play Wednesday
As expected, Hayward will play in Wednesday’s Christmas Day matchup against the Toronto Raptors after missing three games due to a sore foot. Head coach Brad Stevens already confirmed with reporters that Hayward won’t have a strict minutes limit, but he also added that Hayward shouldn’t be expected to see minutes in the upper-30s, which isn’t abnormal since Hayward is averaging 30.6 minutes this season. The return of Hayward will send Semi Ojeleye back to the bench to resume a reserve role, but even as a starter in Sunday’s win, Ojeleye logged just 11 minutes compared to the 22 minutes rookie Grant Williams was allocated off the bench. Hayward is appropriately priced on daily fantasy sites, but he’ll remain viable for tournaments considering he owns a 22.7% usage rate and is averaging 1.09 DraftKings and 1.05 FanDuel points per minute thus fay on the year.
As reported by: Jared Weiss via Twitter Fly Away Pelican
Since returning from injury 12 games ago, Lonzo Ball has played 28 minutes per game and filled the stat sheet. He averages 9.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 stocks, and has also sprinkled in 1.7 three-pointers per game over that stretch. Ball’s price is still suppressed on this slate, so he makes for a very safe floor play.
Golden State Value
Still with an affordable salary around the sites, Damion Lee checks in as a great source of value on Christmas Day. Over the last 5 games Lee has averaged nearly 30 minutes per game, and he has turned that court time into 14.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3 assists per game. This is also a solid matchup against Houston.
Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle) active but won't play Monday
Despite originally being reported as active, Bogdanovic won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets due to a sore right ankle that has now prevented him from playing in three straight games. With Bogdanovic sidelined for Saturday’s loss, head coach Luke Walton utilized an insanely tight eight-man rotation with every player other than Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes logging between 25-30 minutes of action. However, in prior games Bogdanovic was unavailable, both Justin James and Yogi Ferrell saw significant run with the second unit, even if it wasn’t enough playing time to make them viable for daily fantasy formats. Additionally, Walton has also opted to finally move Marvin Bagley III into the starting lineup over Nemanja Bjelica, and Bagley has had a respectable start to his season with an average of 1.10 fantasy points per minute to go along with a 26.3% usage rate thus far.
As reported by: Craig Ackerman via Twitter Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) and Shabazz Napier (illness) out Monday
Towns has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a sprained left knee that has now forced him to miss four games, while Napier is also unavailable because of an illness. The recent emergence of Napier as Minnesota’s starting point guard has really hindered the playing time of Jarrett Culver and Josh Okogie, so with Napier unable to suit up, they will likely see an increase in playing time, and Culver or Jeff Teague would be the leading candidates to rejoin the starting unit. With Towns sidelined, Gorgui Dieng finally saw a normal starters’ workload in Saturday’s loss, logging just over 36 minutes of action, and he’ll be an elite tournament option if he plays anywhere near that amount of time this evening.
As reported by: Chris Hine via Twitter Other tagged players: Shabazz Napier Carmelo Anthony (knee) will play Monday
Head coach Terry Stotts confirmed with reporters that Anthony will play in Monday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans after missing one game due to a left knee contusion. Stotts also disclosed that Anthony won’t be subject to a minute restriction in his return, so he should be expected to handle his usual allotment of minutes in tonight’s contest, which will send Anthony Tolliver back to the bench to resume a minimal reserve role following dismal fantasy performance in 22 minutes of action in Saturday’s win.
As reported by: Sean Highkin via Twitter Joel Embiid (illness) will start Monday; Raul Neto (illness) available
Embiid has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Monday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons despite dealing with an illness, while Neto is also battling an illness and will be available to play in tonight’s contest. However, Neto was a DNP-CD in Saturday’s win and appears to have ceded the backup point guard role to Trey Burke for the time being. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Embiid, so he’ll presumably be fine to handle his normal allotment of minutes, which will keep Norvel Pelle and Kyle O’Quinn in minimal-to-nonexistent reserve roles this evening. Obviously, Embiid is a viable tournament option anytime he laces them up, and he continues to lead the Sixers with a 32.0% usage rate, a 22.9% assist rate, and is averaging 1.51 DraftKings and 1.49 FanDuel points thus far on the year.
As reported by: Serena Winters via Twitter Other tagged players: Raul Neto Bruce Brown (calf) out Monday
Brown has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, while Luke Kennard was already ruled out with bilateral knee soreness. Head coach Dwane Casey disclosed to reporters that Thon Maker will start ahead of Andre Drummond as punishment for missing shootaround this morning. In Griffin’s absence, Markieff Morris has started the last two games at power forward, and he managed to log at least 31 minutes on both occasions en route to a couple of solid fantasy performances. Other than Langston Galloway and whoever starts at point guard, Derrick Rose has benefitted the most with Brown and Kennard off the court, as he owns a 32.6% usage rate, a 45.5% assist rate, and is averaging 1.36 DraftKings and 1.35 FanDuel points per minute in a 219.5 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Jonas Valanciunas (foot) will start Monday
Head coach Taylor Jenkins confirmed with reporters that Valanciunas will start in Monday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs after missing one game due to a sore right foot. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Valanciunas, so he’ll presumably be fine to handle his normal minute allotment in tonight’s contest, which will send Solomon Hill back to the bench to resume a reserve role following a serviceable fantasy performance in 28 minutes of action in Saturday’s win.
As reported by: Rob Fischer via Twitter Marcus Morris (Achilles) and Taj Gibson (illness) out Monday
As expected, Morris won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to a sore left Achilles, while Gibson also won’t be available because of an illness. Kevin Knox received the starting nod at small forward in both games Morris has missed this season, averaging 22.4 minutes per start, and he’ll draw the start once again while Mitchell Robinson will take over at the center position in Gibson’s place. However, Knox has logged at least 21 minutes off the bench in each of the previous four games under interim head coach Mike Miller, so he clearly has extra minutes upside than under the old coaching regime. Other than Knox, it’s been Julius Randle that’s benefitted the most with Morris off the court, as he owns a 29.3% usage rate and is averaging 1.17 DraftKings and 1.10 FanDuel points per minute in a 239.7 minutes sample size.
As reported by: NY_KnicksPR via Twitter Other tagged players: Taj Gibson Malcolm Brogdon (hamstring) out Monday
Brogdon has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to a sore left hamstring, while Domantas Sabonis and Jeremy Lamb have been cleared to play despite their original questionable designations. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Sabonis or Lamb, so they should be able to handle their usual allotment of minutes in tonight’s contest. In Lamb’s absence, Aaron Holiday ended up starting both games alongside Malcolm Brogdon in the backcourt, and he was mostly serviceable from a fantasy perspective on both occasions, logging at least 30 minutes each time. Other than Holiday’s increased playing time, Myles Turner has been an indirect beneficiary with Brogdon off the court this season, as he owns a 20.3% usage rate, a 12.2% rebound rate, and is averaging 1.04 DraftKings and 1.07 FanDuel points per minute in a 182.6 minutes sample size.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter Blake Griffin (illness), Derrick Rose (knee), and Christian Wood (knee) available to play Monday
Head coach Dwane Casey confirmed with reporters that Griffin, Rose, and Wood are available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, while Bruce Brown remains questionable and Luke Kennard was already ruled out with bilateral knee soreness. In Griffin’s absence, Markieff Morris has started the last two games at power forward, and he managed to log at least 31 minutes on both occasions en route to a couple of solid fantasy performances. If Brown is able to suit up, he’ll be an interesting tournament target for daily fantasy formats, as both he and Rose average at least +0.13 more fantasy points per minute with Kennard off the court over their season-long numbers, while Rose leads the way with a 31.6% usage rate and a 49.1% assist rate.
As reported by: Vincent Ellis via Twitter Other tagged players: Derrick Rose, Christian Wood