DFS Alerts
Luc Mbah a Moute (knee) out Monday
Mbah a Moute has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a sore left knee that has forced him to miss all but four games this season, while Wilson Chandler remains sidelined with a strained right quad and has yet to make his Clippers debut since being acquired in the Tobias Harris trade prior to the deadline. Head coach Doc Rivers did disclose to reporters at his pregame media availability last night the Mbah a Moute was closing in on a return to the court, but it still remains unclear what his role would actually be in this Clippers rotation when healthy. Still, now that he’s unavailable, the minutes of Tyrone Wallace, Garrett Temple, and JaMychal Green would remain safe for at least one additional contest, though none of the three sees enough playing time on a consistent basis to be considered in daily fantasy formats on most slates.
As reported by: Andrew Greif via Twitter
Brandon Ingram (shoulder) questionable Monday; Tyson Chandler (neck) ruled out
Ingram is a late addition to the Laker’s injury report and is questionable for Monday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to shoulder discomfort, while Chandler has been ruled out because of a stiff neck, joining Lance Stephenson on the inactive list for tonight’s contest. Ingram is currently going through pregame warmups, so he does appear to have a chance to play despite the surprise injury designation. Head coach Luke Walton has been pretty adamant in recent days that he would like to shorten his rotation for their final playoff push and it’s unlikely that Stephenson would have made the cut with Reggie Bullock now in the fold on the wing and Josh Hart assuming the backup point guard responsibilities. As for Chandler, he’s either been a DNP-CD or played fewer than six minutes in all but one game since the All-Star break, so clearly his status is essentially irrelevant to the projections of the remaining frontcourt members and will allow Kyle Kuzma, LeBron James, JaVale McGee, Mike Muscala to continue absorbing all of the available minutes at the five-spot in tonight’s contest and for the foreseeable future.
As reported by: Dave McMenamin via Twitter Other tagged players: Tyson Chandler DeAndre Jordan (ankle) listed out Monday
Jordan has been listed as out on the latest version of the Knicks’ injury report and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings due to a sprained left ankle that has now forced him to miss five consecutive games, while Frank Ntilikina and Mario Hezonja remain sidelined with their respective ailments. Lance Thomas and Noah Vonleh have started at the power forward and center positions, respectively, in each of the last four contest, though Vonleh’s minutes have been sporadic and has largely given way to Mitchell Robinson off the bench. Luke Kornet had been another casualty of head coach David Fizdale’s fickle rotations, but he’ll draw the start alongside Vonleh in the frontcourt in tonight’s contest after logging 21 minutes off the bench in Sunday’s loss. Robinson has been stellar from a fantasy standpoint in Jordan’s absence, and he’ll continue to be a viable source of value if sees close to starters minutes, as he is averaging 1.29 DraftKings and 1.44 FanDuel points per minute with Jordan, Ntilikina, Hezonja, and all the departed former Knicks off the court this season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Anthony Davis (illness) will play Monday; Jahlil Okafor (ankle) ruled out
Despite previously being ruled out, head coach Alvin Gentry confirmed with reporters that Davis will play in Monday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz after missing one game due to rest purposes, while Okafor has been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play because of a sprained left ankle. Davis participated in shootaround this morning, so he appeared on track to play, and his confirmed availability will keep Cheick Diallo in a reserve role following a stellar fantasy performance in 22 minutes of action in Saturday’s win. Since Davis has been limited to 21 minutes in each of his previous three games, Diallo will be an intriguing tournament target, and he remains cheap enough to provide fantasy value across the industry, even if he’s projected for low-20s minutes like he’s played in the last two contests, one of which, both Davis and Okafor were available to play.
As reported by: Daniel Sallerson via Twitter Other tagged players: Jahlil Okafor Bryn Forbes (calf) will play Monday
Forbes has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Monday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets despite dealing with a right calf contusion. There’s been no report of a potential minute restriction for Forbes, and he managed to play 26 minutes in Saturday’s win after originally being questionable to suit up in that contest. Forbes continues to have a capped minutes ceiling with Derrick White and Patty Mills also competing for backcourt minutes, but he has flashed some upside at times relative to his low price tag across the industry, which does leave him in consideration as punt option in tournaments most nights. Additionally, head coach Gregg Popovich will continue to roll with his big starting lineup that features LaMarcus Aldridge and Jakob Poeltl in the frontcourt, which keeps Rudy Gay in a reserve role for the time being, and Poeltl has averaged 30.1 minutes per game in his two most recent starts at center.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter John Collins (illness) officially out Monday
Collins has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to flu-like symptoms that have now forced him to miss three consecutive games, while Taurean Prince remains away from the team and will miss a second straight contest for personal reasons. The Hawks will be without Omari Spellman for at least the next four weeks because of a sprained right ankle, so with Collins unable to suit up, Alex Len should receive the starting nod alongside Dewayne Dedmon in the frontcourt once again, and he obliterated his salary-based expectations in 27 minutes of action in his spot start in Sunday’s win. The sample size with Prince, Collins, and all of the departed former Hawks off the court is still relatively limited, but in that time, both Dedmon and Kent Bazemore experience a minimum of a +0.14 increase to their per minute fantasy production, though Dedmon sees the largest usage boost at +3.7% that equates to a 22.0% usage rate overall in this scenario.
As reported by: Brad Rowland via Twitter Hassan Whiteside (hip) will play Monday; Goran Dragic (calf) ruled out
Whiteside has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Monday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks after missing three consecutive games due to a strained left hip, while Dragic will sit for a second straight contest with a strained left calf. However, despite Whiteside being cleared, head coach Erik Spoelstra did disclose to reporters during his pregame media availability that he’s unsure how much Whiteside will actually play in tonight’s contest. It remains unclear if the reasoning behind this proclamation is related to a potential minute restriction for Whiteside or if it’s more of reflection on how well Bam Adebayo has played over the previous four games, as he easily exceeded his salary-based expectations and logged at least 28 minutes in all three of his most recent spot starts. As for Dragic, he still hasn’t surpassed the 25-minute mark since returning from an extended injury hiatus, but his unavailability will enable Dwyane Wade to assume most of the ball-handling responsibilities when Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson are off the floor this evening.
As reported by: Tim Reynolds via Twitter Other tagged players: Goran Dragic Treveon Graham (back) officially out Monday
Graham has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to a sore back. Graham has started each of the previous six games at power forward, but he’s been a nominal starter, at best, since he’s failed to eclipse the 20-minute mark in any of these contests. In his absence, Rodions Kurucs and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson are candidates to enter the starting lineup, but Kurucs may be the current favorite to receive the starting nod after he was solid from a fantasy perspective in 28 minutes of action off the bench in Saturday’s loss. However, head coach Kenny Atkinson is notorious for utilizing a deep rotation, so Kurucs or Hollis-Jefferson are nothing more than punt options in tournaments since no Nets player has averaged north of 30 minutes per game over the last five contests.
As reported by: Brian Lewis via Twitter Luc Mbah a Moute (knee) questionable Monday
Mbah a Moute has been listed as questionable for Monday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a sore left knee that has forced him to miss all but four games this season, while Wilson Chandler remains sidelined with a strained right quad and has yet to make his Clippers debut since being acquired in the Tobias Harris trade prior to the deadline. Head coach Doc Rivers did disclose to reporters at his pregame media availability last night the Mbah a Moute was closing in on a return to the court, but it still remains unclear what his role would actually be in this Clippers rotation when healthy. Still, if he’s unable to suit up, the minutes of Tyrone Wallace, Garrett Temple, and JaMychal Green would remain safe for at least one additional contest, though none of the three sees enough playing time on a consistent basis to be considered in daily fantasy formats on most slates.
As reported by: Tomer Azarly via Twitter Low Owned Tournament Play
There’s a lot of value for tonight’s 7-game slate, which should lead to lower ownership on a couple of guys. With Prince ruled out, I’m going right back to the well with DeAndre Bembry. He’s still really cheap on DraftKings and FantasyDraft. He has at least 20 fantasy points in four straight games and played 24 minutes against the Bulls with Prince out last night. He shot 1 for 8 in that game, so the upside is certainly there at this price.
Tyson Chandler (neck) questionable Monday; Lance Stephenson (toe) ruled out
Chandler has officially been downgraded to questionable for Monday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a stiff neck, while Stephenson will miss a third straight contest with a sprained left toe. The news of Stephenson’s unavailability doesn’t do much to impact the Lakers rotation, as head coach Luke Walton has been pretty adamant in recent days that he would like to shorten his rotation for their final playoff push and it’s unlikely that Stephenson would have made the cut with Reggie Bullock now in the fold on the wing and Josh Hart assuming the backup point guard responsibilities. As for Chandler, he’s either been a DNP-CD or played fewer than six minutes in all but one game since the All-Star break, so clearly his status is essentially irrelevant to the projections of the remaining frontcourt members and will allow Kyle Kuzma, LeBron James, JaVale McGee, Mike Muscala to continue absorbing all of the available minutes at the five-spot in tonight’s contest and for the foreseeable future.
As reported by: Tania Ganguli via Twitter Other tagged players: Lance Stephenson Jahlil Okafor (ankle) doubtful Monday
Okafor has officially been downgraded to doubtful for Monday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to a sprained left ankle, while Anthony Davis was able to participate in shootaround this morning but remains questionable with an illness. Davis appears on track to return from a one-game absence for rest purposes, but if both he and Okafor are unable to suit up, Cheick Diallo may be called upon to start alongside Julius Randle in the frontcourt in tonight’s contest. Since Davis has been limited to 21 minutes in each of his previous three games, Diallo will be an intriguing tournament target regardless of Davis’ availability, and Diallo remains cheap enough to provide fantasy value across the industry, even if he’s projected for low-20s minutes like he’s played in the last two contests, one of which, both Davis and Okafor were available to play.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Elite Defensive Player and Offensive Rebounder
I always get a kick out of looking at Mitchell Robinson’s defensive and rebounding stats. Block Percentage: 5.8% (99th percentile), Steal Percentage: 1.9% (90th percentile), Offensive Rebounding: 13.7% (94th percentile)…Foul Percentage 7.3% (3rd percentile). Robinson is an absolutely elite defensive player and offensive rebounder when he can stay on the court. In Robinson’s defense, he has done a better job at staying out of foul trouble lately but his high foul rate is always a concern when considering him in cash games. DeAndre Jordan’s (currently Q) return to the lineup would likely lower Robinson’s ownership while having little influence on Robinson’s actual role as he’s continued to come off the bench with DAJ out.
Defensive Prowess
Jakob Poeltl has drawn a start each of the last two games for the Spurs with Rudy Gay moving to the bench. Poeltl has totaled 60 minutes of action in his two starts and topped 24 DK points/28 FD points in each start. Poeltl’s defensive prowess (blocks + steals) have helped inflate his fantasy totals on FanDuel but he’s a strong play across the industry as he remains underpriced for a starting role.
Differentiate Your Lineup
The Center position appears to be the top spot to differentiate your lineup on Monday night as it seems like the consensus will be to save salary at the position. Paying up at the position will naturally lead to unique lineup construction which is valuable in GPPs. The Spurs have been strong against opposing big men this season but poor defensively as a unit as they rank bottom eight in both points per 100 possessions allowed and effective field goal percentage allowed. Jokic has struggled with foul trouble recently but has one of the highest ceilings on the slate as long as he’s able to stay on the court.