DFS Alerts
Bam Adebayo (groin) upgraded to probable Tuesday
Adebayo has been upgraded from questionable to probable for Tuesday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to 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 a seven-man rotation at the moment with both Meyers Leonard and 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
Battle of the Best Big Men
On a four-game slate, it is imperative to get a superstar (or two) on your cash game roster. You won’t survive if a player goes off for 50+ on a short slate, as you have limited opportunities to make that ground up elsewhere. I’m leaning toward Joel Embiid as my premier superstar on this slate. He will be in the best game environment of the night and has had little trouble in previous games with Nikola Jokic. Over the last three matchups with Jokic as the opposing center, Embiid has averaged 18 points, 13.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 3 steals/blocks per game. He is priced in the same area as the other superstars on this slate, so he is the star I am playing in cash games.
Take Advantage Of This Price
The pricing on Yahoo is much sharper than other sites tonight, but they missed the price on Kent Bazemore. He’s by far my favorite value play on Yahoo tonight and will likely be one of the highest owned players on the site. With Rodney Hood out, Bazemore ended up playing 36 minutes against the Thunder, and should continue to see around 30 minutes a game. His usage will not be as high with the starters, but he will play more minutes and he’s $10 on Yahoo.
Kyle Anderson (heel) officially out Monday
As expected, Anderson won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a sore right heel that has now forced him to miss five games, while Ja Morant will make his return to the starting lineup after being sidelined just over a week due to a sore back. The Grizzlies without Brandon Clarke in tonight’s contest, so Solomon Hill and Dillon Brooks should continue to have elevated minutes floors, even though it won’t be quite as high with Jae Crowder cleared to play through an illness following his original questionable designation on the injury report. As for Morant’s workload, head coach Taylor Jenkins already confirmed to reporters at shootaround that Morant will be a “full-go” and won’t be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Jae Crowder (illness) available to play Monday
Crowder has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors despite dealing with an illness, while Ja Morant will make his return to the starting lineup after missing just over a week due to a sore back. The Grizzlies are also expected to be without Kyle Anderson and Brandon Clarke in tonight’s contest, so Solomon Hill and Dillon Brooks should continue to have elevated minutes floors, even though it won’t be quite as high with Crowder now available. As for Morant’s workload, head coach Taylor Jenkins already confirmed to reporters at shootaround that Morant will be a “full-go” and won’t be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back.
As reported by: Michael Wallace via Twitter Andrew Wiggins (thumb) and Jeff Teague (ankle) will play Monday
Wiggins and Teague have officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Monday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Phoenix Suns, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Shabazz Napier are also available once again despite being listed as probable in each previous four games. Even in a blowout loss on Sunday night, both Wiggins and Teague managed to log close to a full workload in terms of minutes and weren’t even pulled until three minutes remained in the fourth quarter. So, they should be expected to be a full-go in tonight’s contest barring some sort of in-game setback or unforeseen cautiousness from the Timberwolves to manage their workloads.
As reported by: Dane Moore via Twitter Other tagged players: Jeff Teague Aron Baynes (calf) will play "some minutes" Monday
As expected, Baynes will play in Monday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing four games due to a strained left calf, while Dario Saric and Mikal Bridges are also available to play in tonight’s contest. Head coach Monty Williams did disclose to reporters at his pregame media availability that Baynes will play “some minutes”, and the team plans to ease him back into action smartly In Baynes’ absence, Frank Kaminsky had started at center in each of the last four games, and even though his minutes were sporadic at times, he was generally serviceable for fantasy purposes. Since Baynes is on a minute restriction, Kaminsky should still have an increased role in the frontcourt rotation for at least more game, but his price tag across the daily fantasy industry is too elevated for him to be considered in any format this evening.
As reported by: Gerald Bourguet via Twitter Fred VanVleet (knee) out Monday; Norman Powell will start
VanVleet has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to a right knee contusion. VanVleet was forced to exit Sunday’s loss midway through the second quarter, and he was replaced briefly by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson before Terence Davis subbed in to finish the half alongside Kyle Lowry in the backcourt. However, with VanVleet unable to suit up, Norman Powell will receive the starting nod at the shooting guard position, and he would pretty regularly approach or exceed the 30-minute mark as a starter when Lowry was sidelined with an injury earlier in the year. Pascal Siakam has still been the main beneficiary with VanVleet off the court this season, as he owns a 33.3% usage rate and is averaging 1.32 DraftKings and 1.26 FanDuel points per minute in a 128.3 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Blake Murphy via Twitter Derrick Favors (personal) officially out Monday; Jahlil Okafor will start
Favors is back with the team, but he has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons after missing a substantial amount of time due to personal reasons. Head coach Alvin Gentry confirmed with reporters during his pregame media availability that Jahlil Okafor will start at center, while Kenrich Williams will replace Lonzo Ball in the starting lineup following a few inconsistent fantasy performances as a starter over the Pelicans previous three games. 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: Pelicans PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Jahlil Okafor Coby White (hamstring) will play Monday
As expected, White will play in Monday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors despite dealing with right hamstring tightness, while Chandler Hutchison remains out with a sprained right shoulder. White is coming off of a solid fantasy performance in 32 minutes of action in Sunday’s overtime loss, so it would seem unlikely he will have his minutes limited in tonight’s second leg of a back-to-back set. White ended up closing the fourth quarter with the other starters over Tomas Satoransky yesterday, which led to his increased minutes total, but it remains unclear if that will be a trend moving forward. White continues to have a solid rookie campaign, as he has a 23.9% usage rate and is averaging 0.87 DraftKings and 0.82 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Patrick Patterson (back) will start Monday
Patterson has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Monday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Indiana Pacers despite dealing with back spasms, while Kawhi Leonard, JaMychal Green, Landry Shamet, and Rodney McGruder were all previously ruled out. McGruder received the starting nod on the wing the last time Leonard was unavailable, but head coach Doc Rivers has opted to go big by starting Patterson at the power forward position this time around. Ever since Paul George made his season debut, he, Harrell, and Williams have all seen a minimum of a +2.8% usage rate increase and are averaging at least +0.16 more fantasy points per minute over there season averages with Leonard off the court.
As reported by: Jovan Buha via Twitter Dario Saric (back) and Mikal Bridges (finger) listed available Monday
As expected, Saric and Bridges will be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves despite dealing with their respective ailments, while Aron Baynes is still likely to return from a four-game absence due to a strained left calf. In his absence, Frank Kaminsky has started at center in each of the aforementioned contests, and even though his minutes were sporadic at times, he was generally serviceable for fantasy purposes.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Mikal Bridges Marcus Smart (eye) out Monday; Gordon Hayward (hand) available to play
Smart has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to an eye infection, while Hayward will be available to play after missing a month with a fractured left hand. There haven’t been any reports of a potential minute restriction for Hayward thus far, so he’ll presumably be close to a full-go in tonight’s contests and has an excellent chance to rejoin the Celtics’ starting lineup with Smart sidelined. Barring an unforeseen limitation, Hayward will virtually be a “free square” on DraftKings, where he is mistakenly priced, as he owns a 22.9% usage rate, 20.2% assist rate, and is averaging 1.16 DraftKings and 1.11 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Chris Forsberg via Twitter Other tagged players: Gordon Hayward Andrew Wiggins (thumb) and Jeff Teague (ankle) questionable Monday
Wiggins and Teague have been listed as questionable for Monday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Phoenix Suns, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Shabazz Napier continue to be listed as probable due to their respective ailments, despite suiting up in each of the previous four games. Even in a blowout loss on Sunday night, both Wiggins and Teague managed to log close to a full workload in terms of minutes and weren’t even pulled until three minutes remained in the fourth quarter. So, they should be expected to be ready to go in tonight’s contest barring some sort of setback postgame or unforeseen cautiousness from the Timberwolves to hold them out this evening.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Jeff Teague Ja Morant (back) will play Monday; Jae Crowder (illness) questionable
As expected, Morant will play in Monday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors after missing just over a week due to a sore back, while Crowder has been downgraded to questionable because of an illness. The Grizzlies are also expected to be without Kyle Anderson and Brandon Clarke in tonight’s contest, so Solomon Hill and Dillon Brooks could be in line for a significant increase to their minute floors if Crowder is unable to suit up this evening. As for Morant’s workload, head coach Taylor Jenkins already confirmed to reporters at shootaround that Morant will be a “full-go” and won’t be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Jae Crowder