DFS Alerts

A Bit Surprised

Given Clint Capela’s status I was a bit surprised at just how bad the Rockets have been at defending the rim this season. Capela has posted a career worst 110 defensive rating this season and that has resulted in poor overall team numbers for the Rockets. Not only are the Rockets allowing the second highest offensive rebounding rate in the league (29.2%) but they’re also allowing the second highest field goal percentage at the rim (67.7%). Jokic is in good form, posting 65+ fantasy point performances in two of his last three contests and his matchup against the Rockets is a sneaky good one.

Turkish Big Man

Kanter was relegated to the bench after a largely mediocre month of December but has put together strong back-to-back performances to start out the new year. The Turkish big man logged 26 minutes of court time in the Knicks last game against the Lakers which was close to the playing time he was seeing as a starter but he now comes at a greatly reduced price tag. I wouldn’t be suprised to see Kanter get a little more run, or possibly even the start, on Monday night to matchup with Jusuf Nurkic who is a tough matchup for Luke Kornet.

Dillon Brooks (toe) officially out Monday

Brooks has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sore right toe, while Jevon Carter remains questionable with a sore right knee and Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are no longer listed on the Grizzlies’ injury report. Following Brooks’ first-half exit in Saturday’s loss, Carter logged 23 minutes as the primary backup behind Conley at point guard, and he figures to have a prominent role in the rotation if he’s cleared to play later in the day. Head coach JB Bickerstaff confirmed with reporters at Sunday’s practice that Carter will remain ahead of Shelvin Mack in the pecking order for minutes for the time being, which explains the four total minutes and DNP-CD that Mack has accrued over the Grizzlies last two games. However, with Brooks unavailable, Mack has a chance to return to the rotation and see nominal playing time for at least one more game.

Joe Harris (ankle) and DeMarre Carroll (knee) out Monday

Harris and Carroll have both been ruled out for Monday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to a sprained right ankle and a sore left knee, respectively, while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson remains sidelined with a strained right adductor. This means that the Nets will be without two starters and an additional key piece of the rotation for tonight’s contest, which should allow Jared Dudley to draw a fourth straight start at power forward, and Spencer Dinwiddie appears to be the leading candidate to start alongside D’Angelo Russell in the backcourt. Even if the Nets recall Theo Pinson from the G-League, they look to be down to just 10 available players and should allow Shabazz Napier and Ed Davis to see extensive run off the bench as the primary reserves in the rotation. There isn’t an actionable sample size with all the injured Brooklyn players off the court together this season, but all of the starters are obviously firmly in play for tournament formats.

Kyle Kuzma (back) questionable Monday

Kuzma has officially been listed as questionable for Monday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks due to a lower back contusion that has already forced him to miss two consecutive games. In his absence, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ivica Zubac have alternated starts in his place, though Caldwell-Pope had the more impactful role when she started, logging 36 minutes and greatly exceeding his salary-based expectations. Michael Beasley has also begun the second half with the starting unit in each of the last two contests, which has allowed him to average 16 minutes over that span with Kuzma, LeBron James, and Rajon Rondo sidelined. Unsurprisingly, Brandon Ingram has been the primary beneficiary with Kuzma, James, and Rondo off the court this season, as he owns a 32.2% usage rate (+7.6%) and is averaging 1.07 DraftKings and 1.06 FanDuel points per minute in a 168.0 minutes sample size.

Rudy Gay (wrist) out Monday

Gay is a new addition to the Spurs’ injury report and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to a sprained right wrist that has now forced him to miss two of the last four games. The last time Gay was sidelined, Jakob Poeltl entered the starting lineup at center and logged 20 minutes, while Davis Bertans absorbed 31 minutes off the bench en route to greatly exceeding salary-based expectations. Bertans isn’t a high-usage player, but he still has managed to average 0.90 DraftKings and 0.87 FanDuel points per minute with Gay off the court this season, largely in part to his ability to score from the perimeter. Another beneficiary with Gay off the floor is DeMar DeRozan, as he owns a 34.4% usage rate (+3.3%) and is averaging 1.32 DraftKings and 1.33 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.

My Legs Would Hurt Playing This Much

With the injuries to Paul and Gordon, Rivers is playing a ton of minutes with his new team. He’s played at least 40 minutes in three straight games and has played at least 30 minutes in every game with his new team. He’s averaging 12.8 minutes over his season average in the last four games, and 8.5 fantasy points over his season average. Denver has been really good against guards all season, but I’m playing Rivers for the minutes here. I don’t mind fading him in tournaments, but I think he’s a really high floor cash game option.

High Floor Value Option

Harris played 20 minutes against New York in his return to action on New Year’s Day, but then played 31 minutes against the Kings two nights after that. They didn’t push him in the Hornets game, but I see him playing over 30 minutes tonight. Harris and Millsap are both underpriced on DraftKings. Houston ranks in the bottom ten in defensive efficiency against shooting guards and have struggled defensively with all of the current injuries. Harris has a high floor in this spot, and if he moves back into the starting lineup, he has an extremely high ceiling too.

Low Owned Value Play

I think Green is a sneaky tournament play tonight, as I don’t expect many people to be on him. Green should see a good run — with the Pelicans’ size and Jaren Jackson always getting in foul trouble, he could see 25+ minutes tonight after he played 27 minutes in the first meeting and scored 38 fantasy points. I wouldn’t mind using Green as my punt on FanDuel, and I like the $3,900 price tag on DraftKings.

The Minutes Should Be There Tonight

Since returning from injury, Dennis Smith Jr. has been all over the place, but that’s led to his price being down across the industry. He struggled last game against the 76ers, but three of the last four games have been blowouts for this Dallas team. I’m expecting this game to stay close, and DSJ should see close to 30 minutes tonight. I like DSJ a little more on DraftKings, but I think he’s very playable at this FanDuel price as well. I don’t think he’s a cash game play, but I really like the tournament upside.

Take Advantage On These Sites

If you’re playing on DraftKings or FantasyDraft tonight, then you’ll notice Anderson is much cheaper than he is over on FanDuel. He draws an excellent matchup against the Pelicans tonight and should excel in this fast-paced game. The Pelicans rank 25th against point guards and 30th against small forwards this season. When Anderson isn’t handling the ball he’s typically playing the wing, and with Holiday playing now, Anderson could see more minutes on the wing, which is great for this matchup. He went for 52.8 fantasy points in the first meeting against this team.

NBA Injury Rundown - Monday, 1/7

Detroit Pistons – Jon Leuer (P), Zaza Pachulia (O), Ish Smith (O), Henry Ellenson (O)

Boston Celtics – Marcus Morris (P), Robert Williams (Q), Aron Baynes (O)

Memphis Grizzlies – Jevon Carter (Q), Dillon Brooks (D)

New Orleans Pelicans – E’Twaun Moore (Q), Nikola Mirotic (O)

Utah Jazz – Dante Exum (O), Thabo Sefolosha (O), Grayson Allen (O)

Milwaukee Bucks – D.J. Wilson (D)

Houston Rockets – Eric Gordon (O), Chris Paul (O)

New York Knicks – Frank Ntilikina (O), Mitchell Robinson (O), Kristaps Porzingis (O)

Portland Trail Blazers – Evan Turner (P), Maurice Harkless (P)

Sacramento Kings – Marvin Bagley III (Q), Iman Shumpert (O)

Jeremy Lamb (hamstring) out Sunday

Lamb has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns due to a strained right hamstring that’s now forced him to miss three consecutive games, while Cody Zeller remains sidelined and is expected to miss an additional four-to-six weeks after undergoing surgery on his right hand. This means that Bismack Biyombo will likely draw another start at center after crushing his salary-based expectations in 30 minutes of action in Saturday’s loss, and while Biyombo hasn’t appeared in many games this season, he’s still averaging 1.05 DraftKings and 1.14 FanDuel points per minute with Lamb and Zeller off the court. With Lamb unavailable again, Devonte’ Graham will remain in the starting lineup alongside Kemba Walker in the backcourt, and he’s coming off of a couple of serviceable fantasy outings in an average of 30 minutes over the Hornets’ last two games.

Myles Turner (shoulder) out Sunday; Domantas Sabonis will start

Turner has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Sunday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to a sore right shoulder. In his absence, Domantas Sabonis will receive the starting nod at center and will see a significant increase in playing time over his typical role of mid-20s minutes off the bench. Anytime Turner or Sabonis have been sidelined, Kyle O’Quinn has joined the rotation as the primary backup center, and he could be worth a shot in tournaments at his minimum salary across the industry, as he is averaging 1.37 DraftKings and 1.43 FanDuel points per minutes with Turner off the court this season. Another beneficiary with Turner off the court has been Victor Oladipo, as he owns a 36.0% usage rate (+4.7%) and has averaged 1.28 fantasy points per minute in this scenario.

Kyle Lowry (back) will play Sunday

Lowry has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Sunday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers after missing six consecutive games due to lower back pain, while Kawhi Leonard was already ruled out for rest purposes, despite head coach Nick Nurse originally confirming with reporters that the plan was for Leonard to play in both legs of the Raptors current back-to-back set. Lowry had been significantly ramping up his workouts in recent days, so he always appeared to be nearing a return to the lineup, and now that he’s available, he will assume Leonard’s place in the starting lineup, allowing Fred VanVleet to start alongside him in the backcourt. There’s been no word if Lowry would be subject to a minute restriction, but if he is a full-go, he’ll be an intriguing tournament target, as he owns a 25.2% usage rate and is averaging 1.43 DraftKings and 1.43 FanDuel points per minute with Leonard and Jonas Valanciunas off the court this season.