DFS Alerts

Still A Fine Punt

I’m not sure how I feel about Kornet’s prospects in the long-term, but for now, we can continue to fire him up as a value option. He’s taken the starting center job from Enes Kanter, and his presence is a nice way for the Knicks to space the floor. Kornet has averaged over 30 fantasy points per game over the last two contests, and he’s still priced in the high-3K’s on FD and the mid-4K’s on DK. That’s too cheap if he is going to continue to get 30 minutes a night. Fire him up as a value until the price tag catches up.

Reasonable Affordable With Great Upside

The biggest news of the day resides with the Sixers, as the status of Joel Embiid will determine a lot on this short slate. Embiid missed the previous game, and the Sixers got absolutely waxed in Portland. I expect them to be more competitive tonight at the Clippers, even if Embiid is out. If we fire up the CourtIQ data with Embiid off the floor, we see that the biggest beneficiary is clearly Jimmy Butler. He gets an 8.0% usage bump and scores nine additional fantasy points per 36 minute sans Embiid. The price tag (particularly on DK/FDRAFT) is still very affordable, and Butler still has a path to success even if Embiid plays. I like him as an option in all formats today.

Ready To Break Out Of a Funk?

VanVleet hasn’t been spectacular over the last few games, but CourtIQ tells us that he gets the biggest usage bump with Lowry out at 3.1%. We know the minutes will be there, and the largest reason for the limited production over the last few games is because VanVleet has been struggling with his shot of late. The production will be there if the shots start to fall, and I think this a nice spot for him to break out at a reasonable price point.

NBA Injury Rundown - Tuesday, 1/1

Utah Jazz – Ricky Rubio (P), Jae Crowder (P), Grayson Allen (O)

Toronto Raptors – Kyle Lowry (O), Jonas Valanciunas (O)

Detroit Pistons – Zaza Pachulia (D), Ish Smith (O), Henry Ellenson (O)

Milwaukee Bucks – Jason Smith (P), Ersan Ilyasova (O)

New York Knicks – Enes Kanter (P), Emmanuel Mudiay (Q), Mitchell Robinson (O), Kristaps Porzingis (O)

Denver Nuggets – Gary Harris (Q), Will Barton (O), Isaiah Thomas (O), Michael Porter Jr. (O), Jarred Vanderbilt (O)

Portland Trail Blazers – Maurice Harkless (P)

Philadelphia 76ers – Joel Embiid (Q), Markelle Fultz (O), Zhaire Smith (O), Justin Patton (O)

Antnony Davis (illness) scratched Monday

Davis was scratched from the Pelicans starting lineup just minutes before tipoff and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to an illness that has been making its way around the New Orleans locker room in recent days. In his absence, Jahlil Okafor will draw the start at center, but he’s yet to play more than 18 minutes in any game this season, making it likely head coach Alvin Gentry opts to utilize more small lineup combinations with Julius Randle manning the five spot. Gentry already confirmed during his pregame media availability that Elfrid Payton will return to the starting lineup in his return from a 22-game absence due to a fractured left pinky finger, but he will be subject to an unspecified minute restriction. This lineup change will send Solomon Hill back to the bench to resume a reserve role, while Tim Frazier will likely be relegated from the rotation entirely once the Pelicans are back at full strength.

Wesley Matthews (foot) will start Monday

Matthews has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Monday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder after missing two consecutive games due to a sore right foot, while Dirk Nowitzki remains listed as questionable as part of his workload management plan on the second leg of a back-to-back set but is appearing unlikely to play. While Matthews was sidelined, Maxi Kleber drew three straight starts at power forward and logged more than 24 minutes on each occasion while being mostly serviceable from a fantasy perspective. However, with Matthews available to play, he’ll head back to the bench to resume a reserve role, and Dwight Powell should remain in the rotation for at least one more game with Nowitzki trending towards being inactive. There’s been no word if Matthews will be subject to a minute restriction in his return, but given the Mavericks lineup versatility and depth at the guard and wing positions, it’s best to avoid Matthews in daily fantasy formats this evening.

Richaun Holmes (illness) officially out Monday

Holmes has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play Monday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a bout with the stomach flu. In his absence, Eric Moreland will likely handle the backup center duties behind Deandre Ayton, though Holmes was limited to just nine minutes in Saturday’s loss, so the importance of that role is a bit unclear at the moment. Head coach Igor Kokoskov dramatically tightened his rotation in that contest, as Ayton, T.J. Warren, and Mikal Bridges all logged at least 39 minutes, while Josh Jackson led the second unit with just 16 minutes off the bench. On the other hand, Booker has been outstanding ever since Trevor Ariza was traded to the Washington Wizards, and he owns a 35.3% usage rate with an average of 1.34 DraftKings and 1.32 FanDuel points per minute in the Suns last six games.

Derrick Rose (ankle) and Jeff Teague (ankle) officially out Monday

Rose has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sprained right ankle that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Teague has also been ruled out and will miss his eighth consecutive game with left ankle inflammation. In their absences, Tyus Jones and Jerryd Bayless will likely continue to handle all of the point guard minutes, just as they did the last two times Rose and Teague were unavailable, and Jones should draw another spot start following his stellar fantasy performance in 36 minutes of action in Sunday’s win. However, the clear beneficiary with Rose and Teague off the court has typically been Andrew Wiggins, as he owns a 39.3% usage rate (+4.0%) and is averaging 1.07 DraftKings and 1.06 FanDuel points per minute in a 127.8 minutes sample size elapsing the post-Jimmy Butler era in Minnesota.

Terrance Ferguson (illness) will start Monday

Ferguson has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Monday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks after being an active scratch in Sunday’s loss due to an illness, while Alex Abrines will miss his fourth consecutive game due to personal reasons after battling an illness that kept him sidelined for the Thunder’s previous three contests. Neither Ferguson or Abrines are high usage players in the Oklahoma City offense, so Abrines’ absence won’t have a major impact on usage distribution and fantasy production, though Abdel Nader should continue to see extended run in the second unit following an underwhelming performance in 16 minutes of action in his first spot start. This news should also enable Dennis Schroder to maintain an increased role off the bench, and he’s logged at least 33 minutes in each of the last three games with Abrines unavailable, making him an appealing option for all formats at his mid-range salary across the industry.

Elfrid Payton (finger) will play Monday; Darius Miller (illness) available to play

Payton has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Monday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing 22 consecutive games due to a fractured left pinky finger, while Miller has also been cleared to return from a one-game absence because of an illness. Head coach Alvin Gentry already confirmed that Payton will return to the starting lineup in his first game back, but he will be subject to an unspecified minute restriction given the length of his aforementioned absence. Gentry started Solomon Hill and E’Twaun Moore in place of Miller and Tim Frazier in Saturday’s loss, which allowed Jrue Holiday to take over the primary ballhandling responsibilities in the starting unit, though Frazier still managed to see 21 minutes off the bench as the backup point guard. However, Frazier will likely now be relegated from the rotation entirely with Payton back in the fold.

Garrett Temple (groin) and Joakim Noah (heel) available to play Monday

Temple has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets despite dealing with a sore right groin, while Noah has also been cleared to play through a nagging right heel ailment, but he’s been limited to 11 minutes or fewer in each of the Grizzlies last two games. Temple has provided fantasy value at times this season as a member of the Grizzlies starting lineup, but he’s still a difficult player to trust in any formats considering he has just a 15.1% usage rate and is averaging only 0.63 DraftKings and 0.64 FanDuel points per minute on the year. Additionally, Mike Conley was finally removed from the Grizzlies’ injury report altogether in recent days, so he appears to be fully recovered from a nagging hamstring injury and has logged at least 32 minutes in each of the last five games.

Richaun Holmes (illness) doubtful Monday

Holmes is a late addition to the Suns’ injury report and is doubtful for Monday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a bout with the stomach flu. In his likely absence, Eric Moreland will likely handle the backup center duties behind Deandre Ayton, though Holmes was limited to just nine minutes in Saturday’s loss. Head coach Igor Kokoskov dramatically tightened his rotation in that contest, as Ayton, T.J. Warren, and Mikal Bridges all logged at least 39 minutes, while Josh Jackson led the second unit with just 16 minutes off the bench. This rotation situation will certainly be something monitor moving forward since Ayton and Warren would become much more appealing options in daily fantasy formats if they are consistently seeing minutes in the high-30s on a nightly basis. On the other hand, Booker has been outstanding ever since Trevor Ariza was traded to the Washington Wizards, and he owns a 35.3% usage rate with an average of 1.34 DraftKings and 1.32 FanDuel points per minute in the Suns last six games.

Jakob Poeltl will start in place of Rudy Gay (wrist) on Monday

Gay was officially downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to a sore left wrist. In his absence, either Davis Bertans or Dante Cunningham were considered the likeliest candidates to start at power forward, but head coach Gregg Popovich has opted to go big by starting Jakob Poeltl alongside LaMarcus Aldridge in the frontcourt. Pau Gasol was cleared to return from a lengthy injury absence recently, but he’s been a DNP-CD in both games since, and Popovich has reiterated that’s he’s still unsure what Gasol’s role in the rotation will be moving forward with Poeltl firmly entrenched as the backup behind LaMarcus Aldridge at center. With Gay off the court this season, DeMar DeRozan has been the primary beneficiary, as he owns a 35.2% usage rate (+3.6%) and is averaging 1.34 DraftKings and 1.35 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.

James Ennis (hamstring) out Monday

Ennis has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a strained right hamstring that has now forced him to miss 10 consecutive games, while Eric Gordon was already ruled out in advance of tonight’s contest and Chris Paul remains sidelined. This lack of depth in the backcourt forced the Rockets to recall Brandon Knight from the G-League, and figures to play a key role in the rotation as the primary backup behind James Harden and Austin Rivers at the guard positions, though he has yet to eclipse the 18-minute mark in any game this season. There isn’t a tremendous sample size with Ennis, Gordon, and Paul off the court this season, but in that limited time, Harden owns an insane 52.9% usage rate (+11.4%) and is averaging an absurd 2.19 DraftKings and 2.09 FanDuel points per minute in a 96.6 minutes sample size.

D.J. Augustin (ankle) and Jonathon Simmons (ankle) out Monday; Jerian Grant will start

Augustin and Simmons have both officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets due to sprained ankles they sustained during Sunday’s win. Simmons had been serving as the primary backup point guard in recent games, so his and Augustin’s absences certainly leave the Magic a bit shorthanded in the backcourt and will allow Jerian Grant to draw the start at the point after he totaled just nine minutes over the last two games. This means Isaiah Briscoe will likely serve as his primary backup in tonight’s contest, and Troy Caupain has been recalled from the G-League to provide additional depth in the backcourt. There hasn’t been a significant beneficiary from a usage standpoint with both Augustin and Simmons off the court this season, but Terrance Ross figures to take on an expanded role off the bench and is averaging 0.90 DraftKings points and 0.89 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.