DFS Alerts
Dennis Smith Jr. (wrist) will be active Friday
Smith Jr. has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be active for Friday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, according to head coach Rick Carlisle, after missing 10 of the Mavericks last 11 games due to a sprained right wrist. Carlisle didn’t actually specify if Smith Jr. would be available to play in tonight’s contest, but Smith Jr. did confirm himself that he will make his return from an extended injury absence. Maxi Kleber replaced Jalen Brunson in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s win and was serviceable from a fantasy perspective in 24 minutes of action. He may remain in the starting lineup for at least one additional game with Wesley Matthews already ruled out with a sore right foot, which would slide Luka Doncic over to the shooting guard position alongside Smith Jr. in the backcourt. The other logical option for Carlisle would be to insert Dorian Finney-Smith at the shooting guard position, but in a matchup with the frontcourt duo of Anthony Davis and Julius Randle, it appears Kleber will likely be the fifth member of the Dallas starting lineup this evening.
As reported by: Dwain Price via Twitter
Finding Some Value
We are going to need value on this slate, and there isn’t a no brainer “dirt cheap” play unless we get additional unexpected injury news. For now, I’ll opt for Johnson as the value piece. His numbers have been a little ugly so far this season, but he simply has been unable to stay healthy. The positive sign is that he is playing an average of 29 minutes per game over the last three contests, and he is averaging an 11/5/3 line in those games. While that type of performance isn’t exactly sexy from a DFS angle, it does math out to a fantasy point total in the mid-20’s, which doesn’t tank you at this price point. I am of the opinion that he will be much better in the long run, and he should continue to start. Perhaps the breakout could start tonight against a bad Cleveland team.
Thriving Without LBJ
Well, the triple-double got taken away last night, but Ball still ended up with a great performance against the Kings. He’s clearly becoming more confident as an NBA player, and he doesn’t have to worry about sharing the ball with LeBron James right now. Ball, Ingram, and Kuzma all score at least eight additional FPTS per 36 minutes with James and Rondo off the floor, and all have intrigue tonight. I’ll side with Ball and the cheaper salary. His ability to contribute across all areas of the stat sheet helps even if he doesn’t get the biggest usage bump. He will account for more rebounds, assists, and steals when James is off the floor. Even though the matchup is more difficult tonight against the guards for the Clippers, we still have two teams that are inside the top ten in the NBA in pace, and we should see another high scoring game.
Time To Take Command Again
This feels like a game where Russell Westbrook just might just take over. Paul George is banged up and might not play, and the team has lost back-to-back games. Westbrook has taken somewhat of a back seat to George in recent games, but that trend will end sooner rather than later. Those recent results have simply served to depress Westbrook’s price a little bit, and we know there is always triple-double potential. A matchup against the defensively-challenged Suns could be just the cure for his recent mini-slump, and the price tags are reasonable on every site. The play will become an absolute no brainer if George happens to sit, as Westbrook would run the show. He has seen a modest 2% usage bump and scores about four additional fantasy points per game with George sidelined. In that scenario, Dennis Schroder would also elevate to core play status, as Schroder will get more minutes and also owns a ridiculous 9.7% increase in usage with Westbrook off the floor.
Norman Powell (personal) out Friday
Powell is a new addition to the Raptors’ injury report and won’t play in Friday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to personal reasons, while Kyle Lowry will remain sidelined for the sixth time in the last seven games because of various ailments. The Raptors have been dealing with a plethora of injuries in recent weeks, so Powell has managed to average 20.6 minutes over their previous four games. Head coach Nick Nurse already confirmed with reporters that Powell’s absence will enable C.J. Miles to rejoin the rotation and absorb a large portion of the vacated minutes on the wing in the second unit. Unsurprisingly, Kawhi Leonard has thrived with Lowry, Powell, and Jonas Valanciunas off the court this season, as he owns a 36.8% usage rate (+4.1%) and is averaging 1.38 DraftKings and 1.36 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Ryan Wolstat via Twitter NBA Injury Rundown - Friday, 12/28
Toronto Raptors – Chris Boucher (Q), Kyle Lowry (O), Jonas Valanciunas (O)
Detroit Pistons – Glenn Robinson III (Q), Ish Smith (O), Henry Ellenson (O)
Indiana Pacers – Victor Oladipo (P), Tyreke Evans (Q)
Atlanta Hawks – Alex Len (O), Taurean Prince (O), Miles Plumlee (O)
Dallas Mavericks – Luka Doncic (P), Dennis Smith Jr. (Q), Wesley Matthews (O)
New Orleans Pelicans – Nikola Mirotic (O), Elfrid Payton (O)
Cleveland Cavaliers – Ante Zizic (Q), Rodney Hood (O), David Nwaba (O), Tristan Thompson (O), John Henson (O)
Miami Heat – Hassan Whiteside (P), Groan Dragic (O), Dion Waiters (O)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Paul George (Q), Alex Abrines (O), Andre Roberson (O)
Phoenix Suns – Jamal Crawford (Q)
Los Angeles Lakers – JaVale McGee (TBD), LeBron James (O), Rajon Rondo (O)
JaVale McGee (illness) officially out Thursday; Ivica Zubac will start
McGee has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings due to an illness that’s now forced him to miss six consecutive games, while Tyson Chandler still remains questionable with back spasms and there’s yet to be an update on his status. With McGee sidelined, Ivica Zubac has started the last three games at center and logged at least 31 minutes in each of those starts en route to exceeding salary-based expectations on each occasion. On the other hand, Chandler hasn’t eclipsed the 16-minute mark in any of the aforementioned contests, which should leave Zubac with a substantial minute floor and makes him an elite option on tonight’s slate. Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram appear to be the clear beneficiaries with McGee, LeBron James, and Rajon Rondo off the court this season, and each own at least a 29.3% usage rate (+5.3%) and are averaging a minimum 1.30 DraftKings and 1.28 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Tania Ganguli via Twitter James Harden (calf) will start Thursday
Harden has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Thursday’s matchup despite dealing with a left calf contusion, while both Chris Paul and James Ennis remain sidelined with their respective ailments. In their absences, Danuel House as moved into the starting lineup alongside Eric Gordon and James Harden, and he’s logged at least 25 minutes in three of the last four games with minimal success from a fantasy perspective. However, Austin Rivers played 31 minutes off the bench in Tuesday’s win and appears to be the preferred punt option in tournaments between the two in just his second game as a member of this Rockets squad. Still, Harden is the clear beneficiary with Paul unavailable, as he owns a 47.9% usage rate (+6.9%) and is averaging a whopping 1.91 DraftKings and 1.83 FanDuel points per minute with Paul, Ennis, and Carmelo Anthony off the court this season.
As reported by: Mark Berman via Twitter Tim Hardaway Jr. (illness) out Thursday; Courtney Lee will start
Hardaway Jr. has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to an illness that also forced him to miss shootaround this morning. The last time Hardaway Jr. was unable to suit up, Courtney Lee started at the shooting guard spot and will do so once again, even though he was a DNP-CD in Tuesday’s loss and played 10 minutes or fewer in the Knicks two previous games. Instead, head coach David Fizdale opted to utilize Allonzo Trier and Trey Burke as the primary backups at the guard positions, which relegated Frank Ntilikina to the end of the bench and was a DNP-CD as well. Additionally, Luke Kornet will replace Enes Kanter at center in the starting lineup, and he owns a 22.2% usage rate (+3.5%) with an average of 1.09 fantasy points per minute with Hardaway Jr. and Mitchell Robinson off the court this season, elevating him into consideration as a salary relief option in all formats.
As reported by: Ed Cohen via Twitter Other tagged players: Courtney Lee JaVale McGee (illness) unlikely to play Thursday
McGee is still technically listed as questionable, but head coach Luke Walton did admit that he is unlikely to play in Thursday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings due to an illness that’s already forced him to miss five consecutive games, while Tyson Chandler remains questionable with back spasms. With McGee sidelined, Ivica Zubac has started the last three games at center and logged at least 31 minutes in each of those starts en route to exceeding salary-based expectations on each occasion. On the other hand, Chandler hasn’t eclipsed the 16-minute mark in any of the aforementioned contests, which should leave Zubac with a substantial minute floor and makes him an elite option on tonight’s slate. Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram appear to be the clear beneficiaries with McGee, LeBron James, and Rajon Rondo off the court this season, and each own at least a 29.3% usage rate (+5.3%) and are averaging a minimum 1.30 DraftKings and 1.28 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Kyle Goon via Twitter Lock and Load Play at Point Guard
The Lakers will be without LeBron James and Rajon Rondo tonight. James being out gives a significant usage and FP/min boost to Lonzo Ball, while Rondo being out gives a significant playing time boost to ball. He has a chance to play 35+ minutes with increased usage against the Kings, who are ranked 20th in efficiency against point guards and 26th in DvA against combo guards this season.
Top Overall Play of the Slate
If we run CourtIQ with Paul and Carmelo Anthony off the floor, we see that James Harden has a 46% usage rate while averaging a ridiculous 1.76 FP/min. He’s basically an auto-play when Paul is out and deserves to be considered the top overall play of the slate. Harden clearly doesn’t mind a matchup against Marcus Smart, as he has scored at least 58 fantasy points in each of their last four meetings.
Stacking in Sacramento
The Lakers are playing their first game of the season without LeBron James. This is a massive boost to their entire offense, as is a matchup against the Kings, who play at a fast pace and are one of the worst defensive teams in basketball. Kyle Kuzma has a chance to play 40 minutes in an elite matchup with increased usage. With LeBron and Rajon Rondo off the floor this season, Kuzma sees a 9% usage boost and a 0.27 FP/min boost.
Tim Hardaway Jr. (illness) listed as questionable Thursday
Hardaway Jr. has been added to the most recent version of the Knicks’ injury report and is listed as questionable for Thursday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to an illness that forced him to miss shootaround this morning. The last time Hardaway Jr. was unable to suit up, Courtney Lee started at the shooting guard spot, but he was a DNP-CD in Tuesday’s loss and played 10 minutes or fewer in the Knicks two previous games. Instead, head coach David Fizdale opted to utilize Allonzo Trier and Trey Burke as the primary backups at the guard positions, which relegated Frank Ntilikina to the end of the bench and was a DNP-CD as well. Unfortunately, it’s been nearly impossible to project Fizdale’s rotations on a nightly basis, so whoever receives the starting nod in Hardaway Jr.‘s hypothetical absence would be the most logical player to target in daily fantasy formats this evening.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Top End Option
With LeBron out tonight, the whole Lakers team gets a bump in usage and minutes. Brandon Ingram is a top play on this slate for me. He has a 31.3% usage rate and he’s averaging 1.26 fantasy points per minute without LeBron James on the floor. That’s a 7.3% usage bump and .42 fantasy points per minute. Ingram should see an increase in minutes with James out, which increases his floor and upside.
