DFS Alerts
Brandon Knight (knee) out Monday
Knight has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a sore left knee that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Clint Capela has also been ruled out and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks because of torn ligaments in his right thumb. Nene was rested in Sunday’s loss, and he’ll receive the starting nod at center in Capela’s place but 20 minutes appears to be Nene’s ceiling at this stage in his career, as he’s yet to play more than 21 minutes in any game this season. The Rockets did recall Isaiah Hartenstein from the G-League, and either he or Marquese Chriss will compete for the playing time at backup center that hasn’t already been claimed by P.J. Tucker in small lineup combinations. There’s not a tremendous sample size with Capela, Eric Gordon, and Chris Paul, but in that time, James Harden owns a ridiculous 52.8% usage rate (+10.4%) and is averaging 2.02 DraftKings and 1.91 FanDuel points per minute in a 103.4 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen via Twitter
Ish Smith (groin) will play Monday; Zaza Pachulia (leg) remains out
Smith has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Monday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz after missing 19 consecutive games due to a torn right adductor, while Pachulia will miss his eighth consecutive game because of a bruised right lower leg. Despite the lengthy injury hiatus, Smith isn’t expected to be limited by any sort of minute restriction, so he appears likely to resume his typical role in the low-20s in terms of minutes off the bench as the primary backup behind Reggie Jackson at point guard. Smith’s presence in the rotation shouldn’t have too much of an impact on the remaining Pistons’ from a fantasy perspective, but Jackson and the other members of the backcourt could have lower minute floors on a night-to-night basis with another capable body behind them on the bench.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Other tagged players: Zaza Pachulia Nene expected to play 18-20 minutes as starting center on Monday
Clint Capela was added to the Rockets’ injury report earlier this afternoon and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a right thumb injury that he sustained during Monday’s loss, while Brandon Knight remains questionable with a sore left knee that has already forced him to miss one game. Nene was rested in that contest as well, and he’ll receive the starting nod at center in Capela’s place but 20 minutes appears to be Nene’s ceiling at this stage in his career, as he’s yet to play more than 21 minutes in any game this season. The Rockets did recall Isaiah Hartenstein from the G-League, and either he or Marquese Chriss will compete for the playing time at backup center that hasn’t already been claimed by P.J. Tucker in small lineup combinations. There’s not a tremendous sample size with Capela, Eric Gordon, and Chris Paul, but in that time, James Harden owns a ridiculous 52.8% usage rate (+10.4%) and is averaging 2.02 DraftKings and 1.91 FanDuel points per minute in a 103.4 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen via Twitter Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (groin) and Shabazz Napier (hamstring) out Monday
Hollis-Jefferson has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to a strained right adductor that has now forced him to miss seven consecutive games, while Napier is a new addition to the Nets’ injury report and has been ruled out with left hamstring tightness. With Jared Dudley also unavailable, Treveon Graham will likely draw another start at small forward following a dismal fantasy performance in 29 minutes of action in Friday’s loss, which will slide Rodions Kurucs down to the power forward position once again. Napier had consistently been seeing minutes in the mid-20s in recent games, so Theo Pinson should get some playing time as a tertiary member of the backcourt rotation, though D’Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie will still absorb a lions share of those aforementioned minutes. On top of that, Dinwiddie owns a 34.3% usage rate (+7.9%) and is averaging 1.33 DraftKings and 1.34 FanDuel points per minute with Hollis-Jefferson, Napier, Allen Crabbe, and Jared Dudley off the court this season.
As reported by: Brian Lewis via Twitter Other tagged players: Shabazz Napier Stars and Scrubs Type of Slate
The first thing to notice in this slate is the amount of value available. Whether you are looking at the Celtics, the Jazz, or the Grizzlies, we have a plethora of elite values. This bodes well for the stars and scrubs approach. Anthony Davis has averaged 63 fantasy points over his last four games and gets to face a Clippers’ team that is ranked 28th in efficiency against centers and 24th in DvsA against versatile bigs. This game features a low spread and a massive total of 240 points.
Best Value Play of the Year?
You can’t ask for a better spot for Terry Rozier. Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart were both ruled out this morning, Rozier is the cheapest that we’ve seen him in quite some time, and he gets to face the Nets in a pace-up game. Over the last two seasons, Rozier has averaged 34 fantasy points in the 23 games that Irving has missed. Even if he has a subpar game by his standards, he should still exceed salary-based expectations.
Marco Belinelli (knee) listed out Monday
Belinelli has been listed out on the most recent version of the Spurs’ injury report and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets due to a left knee contusion, while Rudy Gay is also listed out and will miss his fifth consecutive game with a sprained left wrist. With Gay unavailable for the last four games, Jakob Poeltl and Pau Gasol have each started two games at center alongside LaMarcus Aldridge in the frontcourt, though Gasol has averaged just 15 minutes as a starter in each of the Spurs previous two games. As for Belinelli, his absence should allow Derrick White and Bryn Forbes a higher minute floor than normal, and White actually owns a 20.9% usage rate (+3.4%) with an average of 0.96 DraftKings and 0.97 FanDuel points per minute with Belinelli and Gay off the court this season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Hack City
Marquese Chriss is an interesting option on Monday night. Chriss should find himself with a role in the mid-20’s minutes with Clint Capela out but he draws a tough matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. When given minutes Chriss has been a strong per minute producer but he has trouble staying on the court as he averages 6.3 fouls per 36 minutes. Chriss is a fringe cash game option on Monday night but he remains best used in GPPs due to his extremely low floor.
Positive Value Pivot
The texture of the slate combined with an increasing price tag likely means that Donovan Mitchell will see lower ownership despite the Jazz still having a thinned out backcourt rotation. Mitchell has been thriving for the injury plagued Jazz by posting three straight 50+ fantasy point performances, averaging nearly 34 points per game. Mitchell once again rates as a positive value on Monday night and is a strong pivot off the higher owned (and more expensive) James Harden.
Leverage Play
Al Horford stands out as an outstanding leverage play on Monday night with the majority of Boston ownership centering around Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward. Horford recently had his minutes restriction lifted to 30+ minutes and now finds himself in a favorable matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. Per our DvP tool, the Nets represent one of the better matchups in the league for versatile bigs as they’re allowing the fifth most fantasy points per game to the position.
Clint Capela (thumb) out Monday; Brandon Knight (knee) questionable
Capela has been added to the Rockets’ injury report and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a right thumb injury that he sustained during Monday’s loss, while Knight is officially questionable with a sore left knee that has already forced him to miss one game. Nene was rested in that contest as well, and he’ll likely draw the start at center in Capela’s place but 20 minutes appears to be Nene’s ceiling at this stage in his career, as he’s yet to play more than 21 minutes in any game this season. The Rockets did recall Isaiah Hartenstein from the G-League, and either he or Marquese Chriss will compete for the playing time at backup center that hasn’t already been claimed by P.J. Tucker in small lineup combinations. There’s not a tremendous sample size with Capela, Eric Gordon, and Chris Paul, but in that time, James Harden owns a ridiculous 52.8% usage rate (+10.4%) and is averaging 2.02 DraftKings and 1.91 FanDuel points per minute in a 103.4 minutes sample size.
As reported by: Mark Berman via Twitter Other tagged players: Brandon Knight This Might Be A Little Crazy
With all of the Boston value opening up, I feel other value plays are going to fly under the radar, and while I love the Boston value, I don’t mind taking some other shots as well. Tony Parker is one of my favorite large field tournament plays tonight. He will return to San Antonio for the first time since leaving this off season. He played 17 seasons with the Spurs and still calls San Antonio home. It’s one of the ultimate revenge narratives, and while he’s a backup point guard, don’t forget coach Borrego was the Spurs assistant coach. If you don’t believe in narratives, then this is an easy fade for you.
Increased Role Tonight
Without Irving, Hayward attempted 15 and 18 shots against Dallas and Minnesota earlier this month. With Irving and Smart out tonight, Hayward becomes one of my favorite upside plays on the slate. There’s a good chance I play two to four Celtics on each lineup tonight, and I think Hayward has the best potential to be the highest scoring player on this team. Brooklyn has really struggled with small forwards this season, and assuming that Hayward starts with those two guys being out, he draws a strong individual matchup.
Don't Overthink This
With Irving and Smart out tonight, the cheap Celtics become the ultimate chalk on this six-game slate. In 295.7 minutes with Irving and Smart off the floor this season, Terry Rozier has a 22.3% usage rate and he’s averaging 1.05 fantasy points per minute. With his price across the industry, it’s really hard to fade him in this situation. Rozier went for 30+ fantasy points in each of the two games with Irving earlier this month. Don’t overthink this situation.
Kyrie Irving (quad) and Marcus Smart (illness) out Monday
Irving has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to a bruised right quad, while Smart is a new addition to the Celtics’ injury report and has been ruled out because of an illness. Irving already confirmed with reporters that he’d be ready to go for Wednesday’s contest, but in his and Smart’s absences, Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown will almost certainly receive the starting nods in the backcourt at point guard and shooting guard, respectively. Rozier has continued to be an excellent source of value whenever Irving is sidelined, and he’s averaged 33 minutes in those contests and that minute floor should only increase with Smart also unavailable. Gordon Hayward is also another potential beneficiary with Irving, Smart, and Aron Baynes off the court, as he owns a 24.7% usage rate (+4.2%) with an average of 1.05 DraftKings and 1.01 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: A. Sherrod Blakely via Twitter Other tagged players: Marcus Smart