DFS Alerts

An Obvious Play At This Price

Ayton does not appear likely to return this evening, so we can continue to fire up some big man value in Phoenix. The tricky part is that Richaun Holmes returned the other night, snagging the majority of the minutes away from Dragan Bender. This will continue to be a volatile situation, but Holmes has some sneaky DFS upside. Holmes logged a 12/10 double-double in nearly 30 minutes against the Lakers, and he should continue to be involved. He was the primary big man in the second half of the game the other night, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see 35 minutes here. Holmes is capable of being a 1.25 or so fantasy point per minute option, meaning that 45 or so fantasy points is not out of the question. On a point per dollar basis, he could be the top option on the slate.

Last Man Standing

The big man situation in New Orleans is getting dire. Davis and Mirotic remain sidelined, and Randle is questionable for tonight. E’Twaun Moore is also going to sit, so anybody with a hint of size will get minutes for this team. The sample size is very small with all three bigs off the floor, but Jahlil Okafor is currently averaging 42 fantasy points per 36 minutes in these scenarios, and he’s guaranteed to play a lot. This NO/HOU game has a massive Vegas total tonight, and we need to find a way to get some exposure. Okafor makes the most sense as a great point per dollar option, and he is clearly trending in the right direction.

Huge Boost Given Injury Absence

DeMar DeRozan has been confirmed out again this evening, so we can expect the Spurs to rely on LaMarcus Aldridge once again. Per CourtIQ, Aldridge gets a ridiculous 7.3% bump in usage and scores almost THIRTEEN additional fantasy points per 36 minutes with DeRozan off the floor this year. That is one of the biggest differentials I have ever seen with just a single player being off the floor. Aldridge is an elite option in all formats against a weak Suns team tonight.

Minutes Equal Money

With the Lakers hurting for depth right now, they have no choice but to lean on Rondo for major minutes. He has averaged 40 minutes per game in the two contests since his return, and he has logged double digit assists in both of them. Rondo is going to have the ball in his hands a lot in a potentially high scoring game against the Sixers, and the price tag is still mildly affordable on all sites. Fire him up as a great mid-range tournament option with triple double upside.

Large Field Tournament Play

Reggie Bullock is doubtful for tonight’s game with an ankle sprain. It’s really hard to tell who’s going to get a bump, but if I play anyone from the Pistons outside of Griffin/Jackson it’s going to be Kennard. Kennard is really cheap across the industry, and when he gets hot from the field, he has the ability to break a slate at this price. He has scored more than 13 fantasy points in his last three games, but scored over 24 fantasy points in each of the three games before that. It’s all about hitting shots for him, which is why he’s a nice large field tournament play on this slate.

Make Sure He's Starting Again

I never feel good about writing up anyone from the Bulls, but if Wayne Selden draws another start for Chandler Hutchison, then he’s worth mentioning on this slate. Selden played a season-high 37 minutes against Cleveland on Sunday, and he filled the stat sheet for 30+ fantasy points. The Bulls refuse to play Parker, which makes me feel a little better about playing Selden if he’s in the starting lineup.

It's All About The Minutes

After missing four games, Richaun Holmes played 26 minutes against the Lakers and had a very productive double-double. With Ayton doubtful for tonight’s game, Holmes becomes a top target for me. Holmes is averaging 1.2 fantasy points per minute this season, and it’s been all about minutes with him. With him coming back and playing 26 minutes, I’m liking his chance to approach 30 minutes tonight in this tougher matchup.

Increased Minutes Because Of Injury

With Moore and Mirotic already ruled out for tonight’s game, Darius Miller is going to see 30+ minutes. He played 38 minutes against the Thunder on the 24th with Moore out. Miller isn’t a high usage guy, but given the minutes and the matchup, he’s one of the better value options on this slate. Also considering his price, he’s extremely cheap across the industry tonight.

NBA Injury Rundown - Tuesday, 1/29

Washington Wizards – Sam Dekker (Q), Ian Mahinmi (Q), Markieff Morris (O), Dwight Howard (O), John Wall (O)

Orlando Magic – Isaiah Briscoe (Q), Timofey Mozgov (O)

Milwaukee Bucks – Malcolm Brogdon (P), Donte DiVincenzo (O)

Detroit Pistons – Reggie Bullock (D), Ish Smith (O)

Chicago Bulls – Chandler Hutchison (O), Wendell Carter Jr. (O), Denzel Valentine (O)

Brooklyn Nets – Treveon Graham (TBD), Spencer Dinwiddie (O), Jared Dudley (O), Allen Crabbe (O), Caris LeVert (O)

New Orleans Pelicans – Julius Randle (Q), E’Twaun Moore (O), Anthony Davis (O), Nikola Mirotic (O)

Phoenix Suns – Deandre Ayton (D), T.J. Warren (O), De’Anthony Melton (O)

San Antonio Spurs – DeMar DeRozan (O), Dejounte Murray (O)

Philadelphia 76ers – Jonah Bolden (Q), Markelle Fultz (O), Zhaire Smith (O), Justin Patton (O)

Los Angeles Lakers – Kyle Kuzma (Q), Josh Hart (Q), LeBron James (O), Lonzo Ball (O)

JaMychal Green (knee) out Monday

Green has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets due to a sore left knee that limited him to just seven minutes in Saturday’s loss, while Omri Casspi will miss a second consecutive game with a sore right knee. The return of Kyle Anderson from an eight-game injury hiatus will send Jevon Carter back to the bench to resume a reserve role, which isn’t surprising since Carter had such a dismal outing in 26 minutes of action in his spot start that he appears to deserve the demotion to the second unit. With Green now unavailable as the primary frontcourt reserve, Bruno Caboclo should see his role in the rotation stabilized for at least one additional game following an outstanding fantasy performance in 29 minutes of action off the bench in the Grizzlies previous contest.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will start in place of Treveon Graham (back) on Monday

Graham was previously ruled out and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to a sore lower back, while Joe Harris is available to play despite dealing with a sore right hip. The Nets are also without Spencer Dinwiddie for at least a month, so Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will join the starting lineup alongside Rodions Kurucs in the frontcourt, and he finally eclipsed the 20-minute mark for the first time in his previous five games. In the first full game with Dinwiddie unavailable, Shabazz Napier logged 28 minutes and easily exceeded his salary-based expectations, while two-way man Theo Pinson played 26 minutes with D’Angelo Russell dealing with foul trouble. Not only does Napier have a higher minutes ceiling with Graham now sidelined, but he also led the Nets with a 31.2% usage rate in Friday’s win, leaving room for plenty of tournament upside if he’s able to more efficient in tonight’s contest.

Edmond Sumner will start in place of Tyreke Evans (back) on Monday

Evans was previously ruled out and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a sore lower back. Since Victor Oladipo will miss the remainder of the season with a ruptured right quad tendon, the Pacers will be relatively thin in the backcourt with Evans sidelined and will be forced to start two-way man Edmond Sumner alongside Darren Collison in the backcourt. Aaron Holiday and Cory Joseph were also candidates to join the starting lineup, but head coach Nate McMillan opted to keep them in reserve roles given Sumner’s switchability on the defensive end of the floor. While Holiday and Joseph will benefit from additional playing time without Evans and Oladipo, it’s actually Collison that owns a 22.2% usage rate (+4.9%) and averages 1.14 fantasy points per minute them off the court this season.

Joe Harris (hip) available to play Monday

Harris has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics despite dealing with a sore left hip, while Treveon Graham was already ruled out due to a sore lower back. The Nets are also without Spencer Dinwiddie for at least a month, so either Rondae Hollis-Jefferson or DeMarre Carroll will likely join the starting lineup alongside Rodions Kurucs in the frontcourt. In the first full game with Dinwiddie unavailable, Shabazz Napier logged 28 minutes and easily exceeded his salary-based expectations, while two-way man Theo Pinson played 26 minutes with D’Angelo Russell dealing with foul trouble. Not only does Napier have a higher minutes ceiling with Graham now sidelined, but he also led the Nets with a 31.2% usage rate in Friday’s win, leaving room for plenty of tournament upside if he’s able to more efficient in tonight’s contest.

Jordan Bell will start in place of Draymond Green (rest) on Monday

Green was previously ruled out and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers due to rest purposes, while Jonas Jerebko is still away from the team tending to a personal matter. When Green was sidelined for a stretch of games earlier in the season, head coach Steve Kerr cycled through a number of players to replace him in the starting lineup, and he’s opted to give Jordan Bell a shot as a spot starter despite him totaling just 11 minutes and accruing three DNP-CDs in the Warriors last five games. However, DeMarcus Cousins has been roughly limited to about 24 minutes over the last two games, so regardless of starting lineup, Kevon Looney should be in line for a significant bump in minutes. Since Green is more of a distributor than a scorer on offense, his absence doesn’t really open up any additional usage for the likes of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, or Klay Thompson, and Cousins has only recorded 7.6 minutes in his first four games with Green and Jerebko off the court.

Treveon Graham (back) listed out Monday

Graham has been listed out on the most recent version of the Nets’ injury report and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to a sore lower back, while Joe Harris remains listed as questionable with a sore right hip. The Nets are also without Spencer Dinwiddie for at least a month, so either Rondae Hollis-Jefferson or DeMarre Carroll will likely join the starting lineup alongside Rodions Kurucs in the frontcourt. In the first full game with Dinwiddie unavailable, Shabazz Napier logged 28 minutes and easily exceeded his salary-based expectations, while two-way man Theo Pinson played 26 minutes with D’Angelo Russell dealing with foul trouble. Not only does Napier have a higher minutes ceiling with Graham now sidelined, but he also led the Nets with a 31.2% usage rate in Friday’s win, leaving room for plenty of tournament upside if he’s able to more efficient in tonight’s contest.