DFS Alerts

DraftKings Pivot Option

Dennis Schroder is really popping on my sheets for DraftKings and FantasyDraft. His price has realy come down on both of those sites, and the advanced numbers still suggest he’s a good play in this spot. The Thunder have the highest implied team total, and it is 8.5 points higher than their season average. He has at least 27% usage in six straight games, and he has at least 20 fantasy points in five of those six games.

Increased Opportunity Because Of Injuries

With Ayton and Holmes out again tonight, Dragan Bender is right back in play. His price has come up across the industry, but he’s still worth the look on this smaller slate. He’s played 29 and 30 minutes in the last two games, and he has back-to-back double-doubles in those two games. He’s attempted 10 shots in each game, plus he’s had 18.5% and 20% usage. I never feel great about playing Bender, but it’s a small slate with limited options.

Increased Minutes Tonight

With the current injuries to Davis, Mirotic, and Moore, Darius Miller should see 30+ minutes tonight against the Thunder. Miller isn’t a big usage player, but he’s averaging .83 fantasy points per minute with those guys off the floor this season. If this game doesn’t stay close, I’d expect Miller to still play around 30 minutes. He’s my FanDuel punt I’m looking at tonight, and he’s cheap enough to take a look on DraftKings and FantasyDraft.

Jeff Teague (foot) out Thursday

Teague has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to left foot soreness that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Tyus Jones and Robert Covington each remain sidelined with their respective ailments. With Teague unavailable, Derrick Rose will almost certainly draw the start at point guard, and he’s coming off of a bit of an underwhelming fantasy outing in just 23 minutes of action since Jerryd Bayless was stellar in his 28 minutes off the bench. Anytime Minnesota has been without multiple backcourt members, Josh Okogie has typically seen his minutes increase over the 30-minute plateau, which makes him a viable value option on tonight’s four-game slate. Still, Rose has been the clear beneficiary with Teague, Covington, and Jones off the court, albeit a limited sample size, as he owns a 33.1% usage rate (+5.2%) and is averaging 1.28 DraftKings and 1.28 FanDuel points per minute.

Damian Lillard (hand) will play Thursday

Lillard is still technically listed as questionable on the Trail Blazers’ injury report, but he confirmed with reporters at shootaround that he will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns despite dealing with a right-hand contusion. The injury to Lillard’s shooting hand is a bit concerning if considering him for daily fantasy formats on tonight’s four-game slate, but he has exceeded his salary-based expectations in each of the last five games and draws a phenomenal matchup with a Suns team that ranks 27th in defensive efficiency on the season. In Portland’s previous meeting with Phoenix this season, Lillard still managed to exceed his salary-based expectations in just 28 minutes of action in a blowout win, as he recorded a 35.5% usage rate with an average of 1.69 DraftKings and 1.63 FanDuel points per minute, making him an elite option for tournaments if the Suns can keep the game within striking distance.

Deandre Ayton (ankle) and Richaun Holmes (foot) officially out Thursday

Ayton has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a sprained left ankle that’s now forced him to miss three consecutive games, while Holmes will also miss a third straight contest with a sprained right foot. Their absences will enable Dragan Bender to draw a third consecutive start at center, and he’s been relatively effective from a fantasy perspective in an average of 29.7 minutes of action in his first two spot starts. Quincy Acy had played between 8-10 minutes off the bench in five of his first six games as a member of the Suns, but he’s been sporadic in his extended run behind Bender in the center rotation. Additionally, Devin Booker is averaging 1.39 DraftKings and 1.38 FanDuel points per minute in a limited sample size with Ayton and T.J. Warren off the court, but he continues to struggle to find consistency since returning from a three-game injury absence stemming from back spasms.

Nikola Mirotic (calf) and E'Twaun Moore (rest) out Thursday

Mirotic has been added to the Pelicans’ injury report and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a strained right calf he sustained during Wednesday’s loss, while Moore continues to be hampered by nagging minor injuries and will be rested on the second leg of a back-to-back set. The Pelicans are still without Anthony Davis as well, so head coach Alvin Gentry may need to turn to Cheick Diallo to absorb a portion of the second unit frontcourt minutes despite him being a healthy inactive of DNP-CD in six of the last seven games. In Moore’s absence, Darius Miller will likely enter the starting lineup at small forward, and he averaged 33.3 minutes as a starter in the most recent two games Moore was sidelined. Outside of Miller and Julius Randle, it’s actually been Jrue Holiday that’s been the main beneficiary with Mirotic, Moore, and Davis off the court, as he owns a 30.2% usage rate (+4.1%) and is averaging 1.44 DraftKings and 1.43 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.

Narrative Game with a Discounted Price Point

Over the years, we’ve heard many rumors about Kevin Durant wanting to play for the Wizards. He grew up just outside of Washington, D.C., so this is basically a homecoming game. The Warriors are a force to be reckoned with now that DeMarcus Cousins is getting acquainted with the team, which makes predicting fantasy production difficult. However, all five starters have been productive thus far. Durant’s price is discounted across the industry, despite averaging 49 fantasy points over his last four games.

Short-Handed Lakers at Home in an Exploitable Matchup

The Lakers were run out of the gym on Tuesday night, which led to bad fantasy outings for all of the starters. My hope is that game log watchers will think to avoid the Lakers tonight, even though they are playing at home in a favorable matchup against the Wolves, who are ranked 21st in defensive efficiency. Think about this for a second — the Lakers are playing without LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, and Lonzo Ball and they are still projected to score 114 points tonight. With this game featuring a 1.5-point spread, big things are in store for Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Josh Hart.

Perfect Spot to Load up on the Lakers

The Lakers were run out of the gym on Tuesday night, which led to bad fantasy outings for all of the starters. My hope is that game log watchers will think to avoid the Lakers tonight, even though they are playing at home in a favorable matchup against the Wolves, who are ranked 21st in defensive efficiency. Think about this for a second — the Lakers are playing without LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, and Lonzo Ball and they are still projected to score 114 points tonight. With this game featuring a 1.5-point spread, big things are in store for Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Josh Hart.

He Can't Let Us Down Again!

Josh Jackson has busted seemingly every time he has been a popular play this year, but at some point he will come through! He had a strong game on Tuesday after T.J. Warren left due to injury, as Jackson racked up a healthy 27 point, 10 rebound line in around 30 minutes. He was basically the only member of the Suns to show up for that game. With Warren already confirmed out for tonight, Jackson should be in line for similar run. Both he and Kelly Oubre make sense as mid-range options on this slate, and I’ll give the slight edge to Jackson.

Top Play of the Night

The Warriors and Thunder are both in great offensive spots tonight, and both teams have implied team totals greater than 120 points. I’ll side with Russell Westbrook as the top overall play simply because it’s easier to decipher where the offense is coming from with the Thunder than it is with the Warriors. Westbrook continues to hum along with a triple-double average for the season at 21.8 PPG and 10.6 RPG and APG. His assists are up to 12 per game this month, and he could be in store for a huge game in a high scoring contest against the Pelicans.

Monitor The Team Injury News

Tyus Jones has already been ruled out again tonight, and it would seem like Jeff Teague is unlikely to play given that he said he was unable to even run the other day. That doesn’t sound like a player who will be ready to go right away. Rose wasn’t needed for heavy run in the last game as Minnesota blew out the Suns, but he should be a much bigger factor this evening. His usage spikes by 5% and he scores five additional fantasy points per 36 minutes with Teague and Jones off the floor. The masses might shy away after Rose busted as a chalky option the other night, but that was almost all attributable to game flow. If Teague is out, I have no problem going back to Rose as a mid-range option this evening.

Coming Out Of Nowhere

It has been quite some time since Jahlil Okafor has been a relevant player in DFS, but he’s back! He has posted back-to-back strong games in the absence of Anthony Davis, playing more than 30 minutes in each contest. Okafor should be looking at heavy minutes once again tonight, as Nikola Mirotic and E’Twaun Moore both seem unlikely to play. The price tag is still solidly affordable on every site, making Okafor one of the easier value selections on tonight’s four game slate. He has posted back-to-back double doubles and even added six blocks last night. All aboard!

NBA Injury Rundown - Thursday, 1/24

Golden State Warriors – Jonas Jerebko (O), Damian Jones (O)

New Orleans Pelicans – Nikola Mirotic (TBD), Anthony Davis (O)

Portland Trail Blazers – Damian Lillard (Q)

Phoenix Suns – Richaun Holmes (Q), Deandre Ayton (D), T.J. Warren (O)

Minnesota Timberwolves – Jeff Teague (Q), Tyus Jones (O), Robert Covington (O)

Los Angeles Lakers – Rajon Rondo (Q), LeBron James (O), Lonzo Ball (O)