DFS Alerts
Mike Conley (soreness) doubtful Sunday; Justin Holiday (knee) questionable
Conley has officially been listed as doubtful on the Grizzlies’ injury report for Sunday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to general soreness, while Holiday is listed as questionable with a sore right knee. Avery Bradley is listed as probable because of a sore right knee and sore right wrist, but he managed to log 32 minutes in Saturday’s win despite dealing with the aforementioned ailments, so he’ll more than likely be joined by Delon Wright in the Grizzlies’ starting backcourt this evening. The last time Conley was sidelined, Wright ended up receiving the starting nod at point guard and was serviceable from a fantasy perspective in 35 minutes of action in that contest.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Justin Holiday
Otto Porter (rest) out Sunday; Zach LaVine (back) will play
Porter has been added to the Bulls’ injury report and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to rest purposes, while LaVine has been cleared to play despite dealing with a sore lower back. In Porter’s absence, head coach Jim Boylen did admit to reporters during his pregame media availability that Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot will likely receive the starting nod at small forward once again, and he was more than serviceable from a fantasy perspective in 28 minutes of action in his previous spot start.
As reported by: Cody Westerlund via Twitter Other tagged players: Zach LaVine Luc Mbah a Moute (knee) out Sunday
Mbah a Moute has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the New York Knicks due to a sore left knee that’s kept him sidelined for a majority of the season. His continued unavailability will provide clarity on the frontcourt rotation in the second unit, and both JaMychal Green and Garrett Temple should be free to resume their normal roles in the high-teens in terms of minutes off the bench for at least one additional contest, though head coach Doc Rivers did confirm that Mbah a Moute is getting closer to returning.
As reported by: Tomer Azarly via Twitter Paul George (shoulder) listed out Sunday
George has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a sore right shoulder that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. In his absence, Markieff Morris and Dennis Schroder have alternated starts, but Schroder remains the likeliest candidate to receive the starting nod in tonight’s contest, and he’s averaged 32.6 minutes regardless of role over the previous two games, putting him in consideration as potentially elite value option for all formats on tonight’s four-game slate. Not only does Schroder project for a continued increase in playing time, but also owns a 33.9% usage rate (+7.0%) and is averaging 1.12 DraftKings and 1.06 FanDuel points per minute with George off the court this season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report DeAndre Jordan (ankle) listed out Sunday
Jordan has been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a sprained left ankle that has now forced him to miss four consecutive games, 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 three contest, though Vonleh’s minutes have been sporadic and has largely given way to Mitchell Robinson off the bench. Another casualty of head coach David Fizdale’s fickle rotations is Luke Kornet, who has picked up two DNP-CDs over this span after logging at least 28 minutes in two of the previous four games. On the other hand, 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 Ante Zizic (concussion) and Tristan Thompson (foot) listed out Sunday
Zizic has been listed as out on the most recent version of the Cavalier’s injury report and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to a concussion that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Thompson remains sidelined with a sore left foot and is still without a timetable for a return. However, Cleveland will see some reinforcements with Kevin Love set to return from a one-game absence for rest purposes, and he’ll almost certainly reclaim his typical spot in the starting frontcourt, which will send with Marquese Chriss or Larry Nance back to the bench to resume a reserve role, though both are likely to see similar minutes regardless of starting lineup.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Tristan Thompson Opportunity Knocks
Kawhi Leonard is resting for the Raptors today, and naturally this news came out of nowhere. Anunoby started the last time Leonard was out, but his DFS outcomes are too risky for him to be considered a core play. The bumps go to Lowry, Ibaka, and Siakam, though the two bigs are a little more risky with Marc Gasol now in the mix. I’d rank my interest level as Lowry > Siakam > Ibaka, and I’ve added Lowry as a core option. He scores almost eight additional fantasy points per 36 minutes with Leonard off the floor this year.
Kawhi Leonard (rest) out Sunday
Leonard has been added to the Raptors’ injury report and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to rest purposes, the third time he’s done so in the previous eight games, as Toronto is attempting to manage his minute workload as they gear up for a potentially deep run in the playoffs. With Fred VanVleet still sidelined because of left thumb surgery, head coach Nick Nurse has opted to start three different players in Leonard’s place in those contests, and OG Anunoby was the lastest to draw the start at small forward but was relatively ineffective from a fantasy perspective in 24 minutes of action. Given the current state of the starting lineup and rotation overall, Pascal Siakam appears to be the main beneficiary with Leonard and all of the departed former Raptors off the court, as he owns a 28.6% usage rate (+7.6%) and is averaging 1.35 DraftKings and 1.36 FanDuel points per minute, though Kyle Lowry does average 1.30 DraftKings and 1.31 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Blake Murphy via Twitter Minutes Stabilized
Kevin Love’s per minute production has never been a problem but his lack of minutes as he returns from a toe injury has. The days of minute concerns seem to be gone as Love’s minutes have stabilized in the high 20’s and there seems to be some upside on those minutes on Sunday as Ante Zizic is questionable with a concussion. Love is averaging over 1.30 fantasy points per minute this season and while a matchup against the Magic is a tough one, we don’t have a lot of Forward options to choose from on Sunday’s small 4-game slate. Love is far from a “cash game lock” but is a strong option if you’re looking for a PF eligible player in his price range.
A Bit Flat
Bobby P’s insertion into the Wizards starting lineup has fallen a bit flat as the monster fantasy production he was posting off the bench has failed to follow him into his starting role. A few mediocre fantasy games has brought Portis’ price tag back to a mid-tier price range we can exploit as Portis is arguably the top point per dollar option at the PF position on Sunday’s slate. Portis will be tasked with defending KAT but as long as he’s able to stay out of foul trouble he should be able to return strong value on his price tag.
One Man Show
Beal has been a one man show for the Wizards this season as he’s having a career year in John Wall’s absence. Beal has posted career bests in every major statistical category and his 28.4% usage rate on the season (30.4% without Wall on the court) tops his career average by 2.9%. Beal’s massive offensive responsibility in a high paced offense has lead to some monster fantasy games. Sunday’s favorable home matchup against the Timberwolves is the premier game to target on the main slate as the total is set 20+ points higher than every other game on the slate and Beal is the best way to grab exposure to the game.
Evan Turner (knee) out Sunday
Turner has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets due to a sore left knee that has now forced him to miss four consecutive games, while Enes Kanter wasn’t included on the Trail Blazers’ injury report and is set to return from a one-game absence. With Turner unavailable, Seth Curry has managed to log at least 19 minutes off the bench in two of the previous three games, but once Turner is cleared to play, it’s almost a certainty that one of them will find themselves on the outside of the rotation and a candidate to receive a DNP-CD on a nightly basis. Additionally, the availability of Kanter will likely demote Meyers Leonard from the rotation after a dismal fantasy performance in 19 minutes of action in Friday’s loss.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl via Twitter D.J. Augustin (ankle) questionable Sunday
Augustin has officially been listed as questionable on the Magic’s injury report for Sunday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a sprained right ankle he sustained during the first half of Saturday’s win. Augustin confirmed with reporter’s following the game that he was going to do everything he could to play in tonight’s second leg of a back-to-back set, but if he’s unable to suit up, head coach Steve Clifford already iterated that he’ll likely start Jerian Grant at point guard to keep Isaiah Briscoe in his typical role off the bench.
As reported by: John Denton via Twitter Attacking A High Total
Part of the reason why this slate is so challenging is because there isn’t much in the way of reliable value. We might get some value in OKC if Paul George is out again — and that’s certainly something we need to monitor. Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder carry a lot more appeal if George is sidelined again. If every OKC player is active, this spot is less exciting in a boring matchup against the Grizzlies. For now, I’ll opt for Jeff Teague as my second core option, though Schroder is definitely a candidate if George sits. Teague has battled injuries all year and has admittedly had a poor season, but he seems healthy now and is coming off a strong performance in his last game. He put up a 13/6/5 line against the Pacers, and this is a better matchup against the defensively-challenged Wizards. They rank in the bottom third in our defense vs. archetype tool against players like Teague, and I expect Teague to be a safe option here.
Upside At A Difficult Position
One game stands out among the group tonight, and that is the MIN/WAS game, which has a preliminary Vegas total of 238 points. No other game on the slate has a total above 219. It’s not often where you see one game that has a total nearly 20 points above any other game on the slate. That is clearly the game we want to start with for core plays.
My inclination right now is to start with Beal, who has been on fire of late and also fills a shooting guard position that doesn’t have a lot of great options tonight. Positional scarcity is certainly a viable consideration on this slate, and that adds to Beal’s appeal. He has averaged 35 points, six rebounds, and six assists over his last four games and is an elite option here.