DFS Alerts
Strong Play With Added Sit Equity
The potential return of Ricky Rubio combined with James Harden being on the slate should result in Donovan Mitchell seeing low ownership on Monday night. Mitchell has been playing well in Rubio’s absence, averaging north of 46 fantasy points per game over the last six contests. Mitchell is a strong play tonight regardless of who is active for the Jazz but would be one of the top point per dollar options if Ricky Rubio continues to sit.
Increased Role
Ingram has been mostly disappointing in LeBron James’ absence but will get the opportunity to take on an even larger role with Lonzo Ball now also on the shelf. Ingram should find himself with more ball handling duties and an increase in fantasy production should follow. Ingram averages right around 7.5 more fantasy points per 36 minutes with all three of Lonzo Ball, LeBron James, and Rajon Rondo off the court this season with Ingram averaging about 3.5 more points and 1.75 more assists per 36 minutes in this scenario. I expect Ingram’s expanded role to trump a tough matchup against the Warriors and think he has strong upside on his price tag.
Increased Minutes Because Of Injury
It will be really interesting to see what the starting lineup looks like for the Lakers tonight. I’m hoping they move Hart into the starting lineup, and Stephenson plays some point guard with the second unit. He’s likely going to see 22-28 minutes tonight and should receive a nice usage bump with all the current injuries. I think Stephenson will see higher ownership on this slate, but I think he has a higher floor in this matchup.
Great Value On FanDuel
Roster construction is going to be different on every site today because of different lock times and slates. FanDuel has one of the larger main slate, and with no late swap, I want to focus on cheaper guys where I know the situation. Taurean Prince had his minutes cap removed on Saturday and played 23 minutes against Boston. He shot 3 of 14 from the field in that game and finished the game with 26.9 fantasy points.
NBA Injury Rundown - Monday, 1/21
New York Knicks – Trey Burke (Q), Kristaps Porzingis (O)
Cleveland Cavaliers – Tristan Thompson (O), Larry Nance (O), David Nwaba (O), Kevin Love (O), John Henson (O)
Detroit Pistons – Ish Smith (Q), Andre Drummond (O)
Dallas Mavericks – DeAndre Jordan (P), Dennis Smith Jr. (O), J.J. Barea (O)
Orlando Magic – Aaron Gordon (Q), Timofey Mozgov (O)
Atlanta Hawks – Dewayne Dedmon (P), Alex Len (P), Kent Bazemore (O), Miles Plumlee (O)
New Orleans Pelicans – Anthony Davis (O)
Memphis Grizzlies – Marc Gasol (P), Joakim Noah (O), Kyle Anderson (O), Dillon Brooks (O)
Houston Rockets – Brandon Knight (Q), Clint Capela (O), Chris Paul (O)
Philadelphia 76ers – Joel Embiid (Q), Jimmy Butler (Q), Markelle Fultz (O), Zhaire Smith (O), Justin Patton (O)
Utah Jazz – Ricky Rubio (Q), Dante Exum (O), Raul Neto (O), Thabo Sefolosha (O), Tony Bradley (O)
Los Angeles Lakers – Lonzo Ball (O), LeBron James (O), Rajon Rondo (O)
Jeff Teague (illness) will start Sunday
Teague has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Sunday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns despite battling an illness. The Timberwolves are still without Tyus Jones and Robert Covington, so if Teague is limited in any way, Derrick Rose would likely be in line for additional run with the starting unit, though he has yet to eclipse the 28-minute mark since returning from an extended injury absence and it remains unclear if that’s the result of a minute restriction or just interim head coach Ryan Saunders preference with his rotations. Still, Rose has benefitted with Covington and Jones off the court since the mid-November trade, as he is averaging 1.15 DraftKings and 1.14 FanDuel points per minute in a 215.2 minutes sample size, which keeps him in consideration for tournament formats even with Teague active and available to play.
As reported by: Kyle Ratke via Twitter Lou Williams (hamstring) officially out Sunday
Williams has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to a sore right hamstring that’s now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Danilo Gallinari will also be unavailable because of lower back spasms. Gallinari was limited to just eight minutes in the Clippers previous game, which allowed Mike Scott to draw the start at power forward to begin the second half, and he’ll be a candidate to receive the starting nod once again this evening. However, the only time Gallinari was sidelined this season, Rivers opted to roll with a three-guard starting lineup by inserting Patrick Beverley alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Avery Bradley in the backcourt. This would enable Tobias Harris to slide down to power forward, and he’s thrived with Gallinari and Williams off the court this season, as he owns a 29.8% usage rate and is averaging 1.37 DraftKings and 1.32 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Jovan Buha via Twitter Jeff Teague (illness) downgraded to questionable Sunday
Teague is a late addition to the Timberwolves’ injury report and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns due to an illness. The Timberwolves are still without Tyus Jones and Robert Covington, so if Teague is unable to suit up, Derrick Rose would almost assuredly draw the start at point guard in his place, though Rose has yet to eclipse the 28-minute mark since returning from an extended injury absence and it remains unclear if that’s the result of a minute restriction or just interim head coach Ryan Saunders preference with his rotations. Anytime Minnesota has been without multiple backcourt members, Josh Okogie has seen his minutes increase over the 30-minute plateau, which would make him a viable value option on tonight’s three-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 36.8% usage rate and is averaging 1.55 DraftKings and 1.54 FanDuel points per minute
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Jamal Crawford (knee) available to play Sunday
Crawford has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing five consecutive games due to a sore left knee, while Deandre Ayton and Richaun Holmes have already been ruled out with their respective ailments. Ayton and Holmes had been absorbing nearly all of the available center minutes for Phoenix, so head coach Igor Kokoskov will most likely be forced to utilize Quincy Acy and Dragan Bender as his primary centers in the frontcourt rotation with the aforementioned duo sidelined. Acy has played between 8-10 minutes off the bench in five of his first six games as a member of the Suns, so he appears to be the likeliest candidate to receive the starting nod and lead the likely center committee consisting of Bender and possibly Ryan Anderson in playing time this evening. Additionally, Devin Booker owns a 34.0% usage rate and is averaging 1.22 DraftKings and 1.18 FanDuel points per minute over the last month, but he’s historically struggled on the second night of back-to-back sets and still logged 38 minutes in yesterday’s blowout loss.
As reported by: Gerald Bourguet via Twitter Danilo Gallinari (back) officially out Sunday
Gallinari has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to lower back spasms he began experiencing in Friday’s loss. Meanwhile, Lou Williams is still listed as questionable with a sore right hamstring, but head coach Doc Rivers already confirmed with reporters that he expects Williams to miss at least two games. Gallinari was limited to just eight minutes in the Clippers previous game, which allowed Mike Scott to draw the start at power forward to begin the second half, and he’ll be a candidate to receive the starting nod once again this evening. However, the only time Gallinari was sidelined this season, Rivers opted to roll with a three-guard starting lineup by inserting Patrick Beverley alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Avery Bradley in the backcourt. This would enable Tobias Harris to slide down to power forward, and he’s thrived with Gallinari and Williams off the court this season, as he owns a 29.8% usage rate and is averaging 1.37 DraftKings and 1.32 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Tomer Azarly via Twitter Deandre Ayton (ankle) and Richaun Holmes (foot) out Sunday
Ayton and Holmes have officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to the respective ailments they sustained during Saturday’s loss. Ayton and Holmes had been absorbing nearly all of the available center minutes, so head coach Igor Kokoskov will most likely be forced to utilize Quincy Acy and Dragan Bender as his primary centers in the frontcourt rotation with the aforementioned duo sidelined. Acy has played between 8-10 minutes off the bench in five of his first six games as a member of the Suns, so he appears to be the likeliest candidate to receive the starting nod and lead the likely center committee consisting of Bender and possibly Ryan Anderson in playing time this evening. Additionally, Devin Booker owns a 34.0% usage rate and is averaging 1.22 DraftKings and 1.18 FanDuel points per minute over the last month, but he’s historically struggled on the second night of back-to-back sets and still logged 38 minutes in yesterday’s blowout loss.
As reported by: Kyle Ratke via Twitter Other tagged players: Richaun Holmes Solidified Role
Jeff Teague’s role continues to be more solidified with Tyus Jones out for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Teague is unlikely to see his minutes creep up past the mid-30’s with Derrick Rose healthy and active but the starting point guard still rates as a positive value in a favorable matchup against a Suns team that allows the third most points per 100 possessions (113.4) and the fourth highest effective field goal percentage (54.6%) in the league.
Priority Spend, Phenomenal Matchup
Forget that Karl-Anthony Towns is the only player priced above $10K, which makes him the top priority spend by default, but this is a tremendous matchup for the Wolves big man. The Suns have been terrible at defending the post this season, as they allow the third highest offensive rebounding rate (28.5%) and the highest frequency of shot attempts at the rim (40.9%). That’s bad as is, but it may get even worse on Sunday as the Suns may potentially be without both De’Andre Ayton and Richaun Holmes.
Fringe Cash, Value Injury Dependent
T.J. Warren is a fringe cash game option on Sunday’s small 3-game slate as the Suns frontcourt is dealing with a handful of injuries. Warren has historically been a better ceiling play than floor play but a thinned out rotation gives him a strong combination of both in what’s projected to be the highest scoring game of the slate. Warren’s value increases if one or both of De’Andre Ayton or Richaun Holmes are out.
Safe Mid-Range Option
The Suns simply have no choice but to let Booker do the heavy lifting for them offensively. They lack other play-makers, and Booker is going to feast whenever he is healthy. He is fresh off a 32 point game against the Hornets yesterday in an impressive performance even though the Suns got blown out (again). His usage rate for the year sits at 33.5%, and he is going to have the green light anytime he gets an open look. This MIN/PHX game has the potential to be the best fantasy game of the day, with the biggest risk being that the Suns might get blown out (again). In any case, I am comfortable rolling with Booker as a core option, as we need some mid range plays, his floor is much higher than what you get with the likes of Victor Oladipo these days, and a matchup against the Wolves is better for Booker now that Jimmy Butler is no longer playing for the opponent.
