DFS Alerts

Mike Conley (thigh) questionable Monday

Conley has been added to the Grizzlies’ injury report and is questionable for Monday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a sore left thigh, while Joakim Noah remains listed as doubtful with a sore right knee. Conley did manage to go through shootaround this morning, so he appears likelier to play than not, but if he is unable to suit up, Delon Wright would almost certainly rejoin the starting lineup alongside Tyler Dorsey in the backcourt, and he’s been the recipient of heavy minutes when both Conley and Avery Bradley have been sidelined simultaneously. However, given their pricing discrepancies around the industry, Tyler Dorsey will be the preferred option of the two in cash game formats, and Dorsey has recorded a 21.2% usage rate with an average of 0.97 DraftKings and 0.88 FanDuel points per minute with Conley and Bradley off the court in 105.7 minutes sample since the trade deadline.

Defense Doesn't Matter

Ok, I lied. Defense does matter. But usage matters too. Booker has posted a career best 34.1% usage rate this season and it would be unsurprising to see him dominate the ball even more as a thinned out Phoenix rotation has the tall task of taking on the Jazz in Utah. Booker shot the ball 27 times in Saturday’s contest and I would expect Booker to shoulder another huge offensive workload on Monday night despite the difficult matchup. Sometimes volume trumps efficiency and Booker’s expected volume is worth taking a shot on in GPPs.

Increased Minutes Because Of Injury

Seth Curry has been playing really well and should continue to get the minutes with CJ McCollum out. He’s played 32, 28, and 25 minutes in the last three games. Curry also has double-digit points in each of those games, and over 19 fantasy points in all three games. He’s one of my favorite cheap plays across the industry for tournaments tonight.

Aftermath

Somewhat sneakily in the aftermath of CJ McCollum’s injury, Seth Curry has found a solidified role in the Trailblazers rotation as he’s averaged 28.3 minutes and ~ 25 fantasy points over the last three games. Despite his increased role, Curry’s price has remained largely stagnant. Curry has shown a decent floor for his price over the recent 3-game stretch and there’s still room for a ceiling game if he gets hot from deep or Lillard finds himself in foul trouble.

Finding Value in Memphis

Thanks to all of the injuries to the Grizzlies’ wing players, Tyler Dorsey has been given a chance to shine. His production has been volatile game-to-game, but we can project him to play around 30 minutes tonight against the Thunder. Over his last four games, Dorsey has averaged 26 minutes and 23 fantasy points. The Thunder have struggled to contain shooting guards this season and we have a serious lack of value in tonight’s four-game slate.

Let's Keep this Hot Streak Going

The Grizzlies have played solid basketball over the last few weeks, even though they have been short-handed. They are expected to be without Joakim Noah tonight, which really opens the door for Jonas Valanciunas. He has been in tremendous form over his last four games, averaging 33 minutes and 49 fantasy points. We often think of Steven Adams as an elite defender, but that hasn’t been the case this season. Over the last 10 games, the Thunder are ranked 28th in efficiency against centers.

Keep Firing this Point Guard Up in All Formats

Damian Lillard is priced at a premium across the industry, but that’s because he has averaged 55 fantasy points over his last four games. With CJ McCollum off the floor this season, Lillard has seen an 8% usage bump and a 0.32 FP/min boost. Those are massive increases that easily offset the small uptick in price. The Nets have been tough on point guards recently, but this should be one of the better game environments on the schedule this evening.

High Leverage Position

The strength of the Center position combined with it being the least flexible position (can only play one on FanDuel, two on DraftKings) typically leads to it being the position with the highest leverage opportunities and Monday night is no different. Despite the best on paper matchup of the slate, Rudy Gobert is projected to come in at a fraction of the ownership of guys like Jonas Valanciunas and Jusuf Nurkic. Blowout is the biggest concern surrounding Gobert as the Jazz are 15-point home favorites but the upside for Gobert is undeniable and the floor is solid as well as he’s tallied at least 44 fantasy points in two games versus Phoenix this season.

NBA Injury Rundown - Monday, 3/25

Philadelphia 76ers – James Ennis III (Q), Furkan Korkmaz (O)

Memphis Grizzlies – Joakim Noah (D), Avery Bradley (O), Jaren Jackson Jr. (O), CJ Miles (O), Kyle Anderson (O)

Phoenix Suns – Josh Jackson (Q), Tyler Johnson (O), T.J. Warren (O), Kelly Oubre (O)

Utah Jazz – Dante Exum (O)

Brooklyn Nets – Allen Crabbe (O)

Portland Trail Blazers – C.J. McCollum (O)

Kevon Looney (arm) available to play Sunday

Looney has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons despite dealing with a right forearm contusion, while DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Iguodala have already been ruled out for rest purposes on the second leg of a back-to-back set. In Cousins’ absence, Andrew Bogut will receive the starting nod at center, just as he has done so in the two most recent games Cousins has been sidelined, but he’s averaged just 16 minutes as a member of the starting unit in those contests. The remaining vacated frontcourt minutes could be absorbed by a number of reserve players, and Looney still hasn’t seen an uptick in playing time even with Cousins unavailable of late. Ever since Cousins made his Warriors debut, Stephen Curry has been a clear beneficiary with him off the court, as he owns a 35.2% usage rate (+5.8%) and is averaging 1.46 DraftKings and 1.37 FanDuel points per minute in a solid 502.3 minutes sample size.

LeBron James (knee) available to play Sunday; Reggie Bullock (foot) ruled out

James has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings despite dealing with a left knee contusion, while Bullock is a late addition to the Lakers’ injury report and will be unavailable with a right foot plantar fasciitis. The Lakers are also without Josh Hart because of right knee tendinitis, so Kentavious Caldwell-Pope appears to be the last man standing to start alongside James on the wing, and he’s still managed to record at least 33 minutes in each of the previous two games in a reserve role. Head coach Luke Walton surprisingly utilized just an eight-man rotation in Friday’s loss, which enabled Alex Caruso to play a whopping 34 minutes off the bench, making him an intriguing value option on tonight’s four-game slate if he can accrue anywhere close to that minute total this evening.

Anthony Davis (back) will start Sunday

Davis has officially been upgraded from probable and will start in Sunday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets despite dealing with lower back spasms, while Jrue Holiday and E’Twaun Moore continue to be sidelined due to their respective ailments. The Pelicans’ front office has stayed true to their word in regards to limiting Davis’ playing time, and he’s consistently been limited to 20-22 minutes per game when active. This does minimalize his impact on the remainder of the frontcourt rotation, but Jahlil Okafor has typically started and been the main beneficiary in terms of minutes when Davis is sidelined and will now only have a nominal role behind Davis and Julius Randle in the second unit. Since his price tag has been depressed across the industry, Davis still remains in consideration as tournament target on a nightly basis, as he still leads the Pelicans with a 29.2% usage rate and is averaging 1.81 DraftKings and 1.87 FanDuel points per minute since the conclusion of the All-Star break.

Jayson Tatum (back) out Sunday; Gordon Hayward (concussion) and Aron Baynes (ankle) available to play

Tatum has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to a bruised right lower back he sustained during Saturday’s win, while Hayward and Baynes have been cleared to play after missing time with their respective ailments. The Celtics will also be without Al Horford and Robert Williams III, so Jaylen Brown will likely draw the start alongside Marcus Smart on the wing despite Hayward being available, and he’s already managed to log at least 30 minutes in three of the Celtics previous six games, giving him a substantial minutes floor with Tatum unable to suit up. On the other hand, with Baynes set to return, he’ll likely draw the start at center in Horford’s place, but he shouldn’t be expected to see extended run considering the aforementioned injury and the fact he’s failed to eclipse the 16-minute mark in six of his last nine contests, which means Daniel Theis and Guerschon Yabusele could absorb meaningful minutes with the second unit this evening.

Luke Kennard (knee) and Thon Maker (shoulder) listed as probable Sunday

Kennard has been listed as probable on the most recent version of the Pistons’ injury report for Sunday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a sore left knee, while Maker is also listed as probable with a sore right shoulder. More often than not, the Pistons don’t update the status of probable reserve players prior to tipoff, so it’s unlikely the availability of Kennard and Maker will be confirmed at an actionable time. Fortunately, Kennard has been wildly inconsistent from a fantasy perspective of late, and Maker has typically been limited to minutes in the mid-teens when both Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond have been active and healthy enough to play a full complement of minutes, which at least keeps them virtually irrelevant as individual daily fantasy options on tonight’s four-game slate.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (ankle) will start Sunday

Antetokounmpo has officially been upgraded from questionable after going through pregame warmups and will start in Sunday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers despite dealing with a sprained right ankle, while Malcolm Brogdon, Donte DiVincenzo, and Pau Gasol all remain sidelined with their respective ailments. In Brogdon’s absence, Tony Snell has started the three previous games alongside Khris Middleton on the wing, and he’s surprisingly been mostly serviceable from a fantasy perspective in an average of 21.7 minutes of action over that span, though Ersan Ilyasova has also benefitted from a depleted Bucks roster and has logged at least 25 minutes in each of last two contests. Unsurprisingly, Antetokounmpo has been the primary beneficiary with Brogdon and Nikola Mirotic off the court since the NBA trade deadline, as he owns a 37.2% usage rate (+4.1%) and is averaging 1.96 DraftKings and 1.90 FanDuel points per minute in a 157.5 minutes sample size.