DFS Alerts
Heavy Lifting
A depleted Pelicans team will once again rely on Jrue Holiday to do the heavy lifting on Monday night in a tough home matchup against the Pacers. The Pacers are still a strong defensive team despite the loss of Oladipo but Holiday’s usage and minutes trump any sort of drop in efficiency related to the matchup. Holiday certainly isn’t the “best” spend of the slate but the Pels guard has a top four ceiling on Monday night and will be one of the lower owned high priced options.
Starting Again
Washington has the highest team total on the slate as they host an Atlanta Hawks team that is terrible defensively. The Hawks allow the fourth most points per 100 possessions in the league and the second highest effective field goal percentage (54.8%). Porter is back in the starting lineup for the Wizards which should at the very least help solidify his minutes. Porter’s rates my take a slight hit spending more time on the court with Beal but he still projects for more usage than he was seeing in the starting lineup at the beginning of the season with Wall out for the remainder of the year. Porter has shown upside in the 50’s which is strong for his still deflated price tag.
Soft Spot
I have a bit of a soft spot for Myles Turner and I’ve been waiting for him to step up a bit in Victor Oladipo’s absence. It looks like he may have finally turned a corner as he’s posted consecutive 31+ fantasy point performances and has been playing more aggressively. Turner and the Pacers get a favorable matchup on Monday night against one of the fastest paced teams in the league that allows the seventh most points per 100 possessions (112.3). To no surprise, the Pelicans have been even worse defensively without Anthony Davis this season as they allow 113.4 points per 100 possessions and a 53.4% effective field goal percentage with AD off the court.
Eric Gordon (leg) officially out Monday
Gordon has quickly been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns due to right leg discomfort, but head coach Mike D’Antoni already confirmed that the injury is more of a maintenance issue and Gordon will return for Wednesday’s contest. James Ennis ended up receiving the starting nod at small forward in place of a resting Chris Paul for Saturday’s win, and he’ll likely remain in the starting lineup with Gordon unavailable after a relatively uninspiring fantasy performance in 30 minutes of action in his first spot start. Paul still hasn’t eclipsed the 30-minute mark in his first three games back from an extended injury hiatus, but James Harden continues to be the main beneficiary with Clint Capela sidelined, as he owns a 51.7% usage rate (+8.6%) and is averaging 1.95 DraftKings and 1.89 FanDuel points per minute with Capela and Gordon off the court this season.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen via Twitter
Paul Millsap (ankle) questionable Monday
Millsap has officially been added to the Nuggets’ injury report and is questionable for Monday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to a sore left ankle, while Jamal Murray remains questionable with a sprained left ankle that’s already forced him to miss five consecutive games. The Nuggets will still be without Gary Harris for a third straight contest, so Malik Beasley figures to remain in the starting lineup regardless of Murray’s availability, and he’s been outstanding from a fantasy perspective and played at least 29 minutes in each of the previous three games. Assuming Murray is cleared to return, Monte Morris could stick with the starting unit for a couple more games while Murray gets back up to game speed, but he’d still be difficult to trust in daily fantasy formats with a more volatile minute floor. Somewhat surprisingly, Nikola Jokic has been the main beneficiary with Harris off the court, as he owns a 30.7% (+2.3%) and is averaging 1.61 DraftKings and 1.60 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: the Denver Nuggets via Twitter Right Back To The Well
Malik Beasley has at least 29 fantasy points in four straight games. With Harris out again tonight, Beasley should continue to play over 25 minutes, and closer to 30 minutes in Murray is out again. While his price went from $4,400 to $5,500 on DraftKings, he’s still only $4,900 on FanDuel. If Murray sits, I like him on both sites, but if Murray plays, I would only play Beasley on FanDuel tonight.
Increased Minutes Because Of Injury
Kenrich Williams has played over 30 minutes in three straight games, and he’s been on the floor to finish the game in those three games. With everyone out again tonight, Williams continues to be a top value option for me. This isn’t the best defensive matchup to attack the Pelicans, but with everyone out, I’m not too worried about the matchup because the minutes are going to be there.
Kyle Lowry ruled out Sunday
Kyle Lowry has been ruled out Sunday due to a back injury. Lowry will be replaced in the starting lineup by Fred VanVleet. With a discount and price and a proven track record of performing well in Lowry’s absence, VanVleet becomes a great source of value and upside on today’s slate.
As reported by: Blake Murphy Twitter Other tagged players: Fred VanVleet
Abdel Nader ruled out Sunday
Abdel Nader will miss today’s game with an illness. His normal rotational 15 minutes at the wing could be absorbed by either Hamidou Diallo or Alex Abrines. Neither player should be on the radar as Nader’s absence does not really have a significant impact on the team in terms of DFS.
As reported by: Steve McGehee Twitter Other tagged players: Hamidou Diallo, Alex Abrines Aron Baynes expected to be out a week with a foot bruise
Coach Brad Stevens announced that back up big man Aron Baynes is expected to be out a week with a foot bruise. The backup minutes that Baynes normally plays should be filled by Daniel Theis. The team also announced that Robert Williams will miss today’s game.
As reported by: A. Sherrod Blakely Twitter Other tagged players: Daniel Theis, Robert Williams III Danilo Gallinari ruled out Sunday
Danilo Gallinari will not make his return from injury today. There was some hope that Gallinari would return today, but Coach Rivers confirmed today that he is still not ready to return. Gallinari has been out a little over two weeks. Patrick Beverly will keep his starting role and has upside at his price. Tobias Harris left the last game, but is not on the injury report and is expected to play today.
As reported by: Doug Smith Twitter Mike Conley and Jaren Jackson Jr. will play today
Mike Conley and Jaren Jackson Jr. will play today to vs The Knicks after missing the previous game. The addition of Conley ends the potential value in Shelvin Mack. Per Coach Bickerstaff, Kyle Anderson will see a specialist for his shoulder and also remains out today. Garrett Temple will also miss today’s game with a sprained left shoulder.
As reported by: Omari Sankofa II Twitter Other tagged players: Jaren Jackson, Shelvin Mack, Garrett Temple Dennis Smith Jr. and DeAndre Jordan will start today, Mitchell Robinson out
Newly acquired players Dennis Smith Jr. and DeAndre Jordan will start today vs The Grizzlies. The team also announced that Mitchell Robinson will miss today’s game with an illness. Kevin Knox, Damyean Dotson, and Noah Vonleh will round out the teams starting roster today. Wes Matthews is also available to play today, and it’s worth noting that none of the traded players have practiced with the team as of yet. With Jordan starting at center, and Robinson out with an illness we can expect Luke Kornet to get back up center minutes. The addition of these new players makes it even harder to predict both minutes and production for The Knicks.
As reported by: Ian Begley Twitter Other tagged players: DeAndre Jordan, Mitchell Robinson, Kevin Knox, Damyean Dotson, Noah Vonleh, Luke Kornet Dennis Smith Jr. and other traded players are available to play today
As you prepare for your pre-Superbowl 3 game NBA slate perhaps the biggest piece of news to digest is what will the New York Knicks do with their new players. Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, and Wes Matthews are available to play today. The only real solid news coming out of the big apple has Smith Jr. starting today, but with all reports leading to Jordan and Matthews potentially being buyout candidates, it remains to be seen how much action they will get moving forward. One thing for sure is the addition of extra bodies makes it harder to pinpoint clear cut value on the team until we see what the Knicks plan to do with the new additions.
As reported by: Ian Begley Twitter Other tagged players: DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews Fine Value
Dotson was the big winner the other night, playing 38 minutes and firing up 16 shot attempts along the way on his way to 22 points and six rebounds. The DFS price tag has not been adjusted for that performance, and Dotson is a no brainer as a value at this current price point. We just need to monitor the news and react accordingly. The positive news is that this is the first game of the day, so we should have confirmation in advance of roster lock. He is still viable even if Smith and Matthews are in, but I will pivot this pick to Shelvin Mack if Mike Conley sits for Memphis.
