DFS Alerts
Marcus Smart (eye, illness) out Wednesday
Smart has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to an eye infection and illness that has now forced him to miss two games, while Robert Williams III remains sidelined with a sore left hip. In Smart’s absence, Gordon Hayward ended up receiving the start alongside Jayson Tatum at the forward positions, and he was able to log 26 minutes in his first game back from a lengthy injury layoff, even with sitting out the entire fourth quarter of Monday’s blowout win. Hayward is more appropriately priced on all sites this time around, but he’s still firmly in play, as he is expected to see more minutes and is averaging 1.15 DraftKings and 1.10 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Jared Weiss via Twitter
Eric Paschall (hip) expects to play Wednesday
Paschall is still listed as questionable, but he confirmed with reporters at shootaround that he feels fine and should be able to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the New York Knicks despite dealing with a sore left hip. Paschall ended up exiting midway through the fourth quarter of Monday’s loss, which enabled Alec Burks to close the game alongside the rest of the Warriors starting unit, and he did not disappoint from a fantasy perspective in 30 minutes of action. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Paschall, but if he is limited, Burks could be an interesting tournament target since he is averaging 0.95 DraftKings and 0.94 FanDuel points per minute this season.
As reported by: Logan Murdock via Twitter Markelle Fultz (illness) listed questionable Wednesday
Fultz has been added to the Magic’s injury report and is now listed as questionable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to an illness. There wasn’t any update on Fultz’s condition following shootaround this morning, so the mid-day downgrade appears to be a bad sign for his availability for tonight’s contest. If he’s unable to suit up, D.J. Augustin would more than likely rejoin the starting lineup, and he’d be a viable value option on an 11-game main slate considering he and Fultz essentially split the point guard duties when they aren’t on the floor together. Michael Carter-Williams has carved out a solid role in the mid-teens in terms of minutes on the wing, but he’d likely shift over to backup point guard if Fultz is unavailable, potentially allowing Wes Iwundu to rejoin the rotation.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Kyle Kuzma (ankle) out Wednesday
Despite being listed as probable, Kuzma has been ruled out of Wednesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to a sprained left ankle, while Rajon Rondo remains questionable with a strained left hamstring that has already forced him to miss one game. Kuzma was able to play the final 16 minutes of Sunday’s blowout win, so more than likely, the Lakers’ decision to hold him out of tonight’s contest is more precautionary than anything else. Kuzma typically subs in for JaVale McGee at the later stages of the first quarter, so Dwight Howard could be a low key beneficiary of increased playing time with Anthony Davis likely spending more time at the power forward position. Howard is averaging 1.09 DraftKings and 1.13 FanDuel points per minute, but his viability on tonight’s 11-game slate would be improved if Rondo is also unavailable this evening.
As reported by: Kyle Goon via Twitter Derrick Favors (conditioning) out Wednesday
Favors has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks as he continues to work on his conditioning following a lengthy absence due to a personal matter. In his most recent absence, Jahlil Okafor received the start at the center position but was limited to just 22 minutes because of consistent foul trouble, so he certainly has an upside for more playing time despite Jaxson Hayes also recording 21 minutes off the bench in that contest. Head coach Alvin Gentry continues to be inconsistent with his center rotation with Favors sidelined, but Okafor is a solid fantasy producer and is cheap enough to be considered in all formats this evening.
As reported by: Andrew Lopez via Twitter Giannis Antetokounmpo (quad) out Wednesday
Antetokounmpo has been added to the Bucks’ injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sore right quad tendon. This will be the first game Antetokounmpo has missed this season, so his replacement in the starting lineup is still to be determined, but Ersan Ilyasova appears to be the likeliest candidate since Antetokounmpo primarily defends the opposing team’s power forward. While Ilyasova should be one of the primary beneficiaries in terms of playing time, Eric Bledsoe, Khris Middleton, Donte DiVincenzo, and Brook Lopez all see a minimum of a +5.4 increase in usage rate with Antetokounmpo off the court and average at least +0.19 more fantasy points per minute over their season averages, making each of them viable options on tonight’s 11-game main slate.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter Iman Shumpert (knee) upgraded to questionable Wednesday
Shumpert has officially been upgraded from doubtful and is now questionable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets due to a sore left knee. Shumpert has settled into an extremely consistent role off the bench in head coach Kenny Atkinson’s rotation ever since making his Nets’ debut in mid-November, and he’s logged at least 18 minutes in all but two games over this stretch. Shumpert has been the direct substitute for Joe Harris most nights, so if he’s unable to suit up, it’s possible that Harris and Garrett Temple see elevated minute floors in tonight’s contest, though a mid-day upgrade in status is usually a positive sign for a player’s availability.
As reported by: the Brooklyn Nets via Twitter Marvin Williams (knee) remains out Wednesday; Nicolas Batum (hand) doubtful
Williams won’t play in Wednesday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Brooklyn Nets due to a sore right knee that has now forced him to miss three games, while Batum is doubtful because of left-hand discomfort. Head coach James Borrego has now utilized a condensed rotation in two straight games, and every starter other than Bismack Biyombo was allocated at least 36 minutes in Tuesday’s win, which has limited Batum, Malik Monk, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to reduced roles off the bench. Kidd-Gilchrist will more than likely remain in the rotation in place of Williams, while at least one of Dwayne Bacon, Cody Martin, or Caleb Martin could absorb the minutes likely to be vacated by Batum this evening.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Nicolas Batum Upside Potential At Home
Kyrie Irving remains sidelined, while Iman Shumpert is also likely out tonight. This leaves the team thin at the guard spots. Dinwiddie continues to run the show with a 29% usage rate and around 43 fantasy points per 36 minutes over the last four weeks. There are options here in a plus matchup against Charlotte, as the Nets have an implied team total around 114 points. Dinwiddie gets less attention now that his DFS price tag has been adjusted for his role, but there’s upside here at likely reasonable ownership.
Sneaky Value
Mike Conley is out again, which means the Jazz will turn to guys like O’Neale and Ingles for extra minutes, while Donovan Mitchell moves to the point. This hasn’t been the best move for the team, as Mitchell chucked 25 shots and only dished out three assists in the last game. They would likely benefit from using Mudiay more as a point guard, but I am not the coach of the team. Perhaps Ingles is the sneaky beneficiary here, as he led the team in assists the last time out. I like him as a sneaky value in GPP formats on this large slate.
Cheap Hawk Ready to Soar
Hunter is fresh off of a 40-minute game last night in which he scored 28 real life points. He contributes around 4 rebounds per game and sprinkles in assists, blocks and steals too. When Hunter hits his shots and creeps up around that 20-point mark is when he ends up being a great play, and a matchup with Chicago should be favorable for him at these cheap price tags.
Bam Adebayo (groin) and Derrick Jones Jr. (illness) available to play Tuesday
As expected, Adebayo will be available to play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks despite dealing with a right groin contusion, while Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow remain sidelined with their respective ailments. Miami did recall KZ Okpala and Daryl Macon from the G-League for depth purposes, but they are highly unlikely to see playing time with head coach Erik Spoelstra utilizing primarily an eight-man rotation at the moment with Chris Silva consistently logging fewer than 15 minutes on a nightly basis. No regular Heat rotation players see a significant usage increase with Winslow and Dragic off the court together this season, but Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn have both been consistent producers in this scenario, as they each average at least 0.88 DraftKings and 0.83 FanDuel points per minute.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Other tagged players: Derrick Jones Jr. Josh Richardson (hamstring) will play Tuesday
As expected, Richardson will play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets after missing five games due to a tight right hamstring. Head coach Brett Brown wouldn’t get into specifics at his pregame media availability, but he did confirm that Richardson will be on a minute restriction of some kind. In his absence, Furkan Korkmaz logged more than 22 minutes in three of the previous five games, but he could find himself on the fringe of the regular rotation, once Richardson is at full strength, with the emergence of Matisse Thybulle and James Ennis III in the second unit. Richardson has a 21.6% usage rate and is averaging 0.91 DraftKings and 0.89 FanDuel points per minute on the season, so he may still be a viable option in tournament formats for his price tag on an abbreviated four-game slate.
As reported by: Kyle Neubeck via Twitter Derrick Jones Jr. (illness) downgraded to questionable Tuesday
Jones Jr. has officially been downgraded to questionable for Tuesday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to a stomach illness, while Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow remain sidelined with their respective ailments. Miami did recall KZ Okpala and Daryl Macon from the G-League for depth purposes earlier today, but they are highly unlikely to see playing time with head coach Erik Spoelstra utilizing primarily an eight-man rotation at the moment with Chris Silva consistently logging fewer than 15 minutes on a nightly basis. No regular Heat rotation players see a significant usage increase with Winslow and Dragic off the court together this season, but Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn have both been consistent producers in this scenario, as they each average at least 0.88 DraftKings and 0.83 FanDuel points per minute.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Josh Richardson (hamstring) now listed probable Tuesday
Richardson has been upgraded from questionable to probable on the Sixers’ injury report for Tuesday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to a tight right hamstring that has forced him to miss five games. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Richardson in his likely return, so he’ll almost certainly replace Furkan Korkmaz in the starting lineup for tonight’s contest. Korkmaz logged more than 22 minutes in three of the previous five games, but he could find himself on the fringe of the regular rotation, if Richardson isn’t limited, with the emergence of Matisse Thybulle and James Ennis III in the second unit. Richardson has a 21.6% usage rate and is averaging 0.91 DraftKings and 0.89 FanDuel points per minute on the season, so he could be a viable option in tournament formats for his price tag on a four-game slate.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report