DFS Alerts

Will He Be Massive Chalk Again?

If you look at his recent game logs, Ivica Zubac has been killing it. Now we get news that JaVale McGee is unlikely to play tonight. I’m expecting Zubac to draw another start and while his price is rising, it’s hard to ignore the fact he’s been crushing it lately. It’s unclear how the loss of playmakers / ball-handlers LeBron James and Rajon Rondo will trickle down to impact Zubac, but there’s a lot to like here if he gets another 30+ minutes.

Potential Usage Bump For This Forward

I’m monitoring whether Tim Hardaway Jr. plays tonight against the Bucks. If he’s out, Noah Vonleh sees a +4% usage bump per CourtIQ. That would bode well for him, especially against this Bucks team that he just went for 14 points and 15 rebounds on Christmas Day. The problem with Vonleh has been foul trouble, and if he can keep his hands to himself, the minutes should be there. Vonleh has upside because when the Bucks go small, the Knicks can counter by having Vonleh play center, allowing him to stay on the court over teammate Enes Kanter.

Will History Repeat Itself?

22/6/4 and 17/7/4. Those are the points, rebounds and assists Malcolm Brogdon has posted his last two games against these Knicks. For whatever reason, he just loves playing against this team. If you believe history continues repeating itself, give Brogdon a look this evening. Tim Hardaway Jr. is also ill on the other side of the ball, so Brogdon may either be facing THJ at less than 100% or will be matched up against someone from their bench.

Too Cheap For His Role

Draymond Green is mired in a shooting slump, shooting 36% in the month of December. That hasn’t rattled his confidence or his swagger, and he continues launching away. Green is also seeing his normal minutes, so the coaching staff isn’t shying away from him during this time. Despite the shooting woes, he continues racking up peripheral stats, averaging two steals and a block per game this month. The price feels too cheap for Green across the industry, and while the matchup against a good Trail Blazers team isn’t going to be easy, I still love Green in GPPs.

Minutes Are Worth The Look

Austin Rivers played 31 minutes in his first game with the Rockets. With Paul and Ennis out tonight, I like his chances to play around the same amount of minutes tonight. The impressive thing about his 31 minutes in his first game, was when he checked in with 5:30 to go in the third quarter, he didn’t come back off the floor. It’s not the best matchup, but with his extremely low price tag, it’s hard not to take a shot on him.

James Harden is expected to play vs. Celtics tonight

James Harden had been listed questionable for tonight’s game versus the Celtics with an calf injury, but he’s expected to suit up on Thursday, according to Tim MacMahon. Harden is an elite play in all formats for tonight’s five game slate. He has gone over 60 fantasy points during the last 3 games.

NBA Injury Rundown - Thursday, 12/27

Houston Rockets – James Harden (Q), Chris Paul (O), James Ennis (O), Carmelo Anthony (O)

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

Milwaukee Bucks – Ersan Ilyasova (O)

Los Angeles Lakers – JaVale McGee (Q), Tyson Chandler (Q), LeBron James (O), Rajon Rondo (O), Michael Beasley (O)

Sacramento Kings – Marvin Bagley III (O)

Golden State Warriors – Jacob Evans (P), Damian Jones (O), DeMarcus Cousins (O)

Utah Jazz – Grayson Allen (O)

Boban Marjanovic will start ahead of Marcin Gortat on Wednesday

Head coach Doc Rivers has opted to make an unforeseen starting lineup change for Wednesday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings and will start Boban Marjanovic ahead of Marcin Gortat at center. Gortat has averaged just 16.7 minutes over the Clippers last seven games, so his demotion from the starting unit won’t necessarily free up a bunch of playing time in the frontcourt, and Boban will likely assume nearly all of Gortat’s playing time allotment and should be expected to play minutes in the mid or upper-teens this evening. Boban is always worth a shot in tournaments with his 26.8% usage rate and an average of 1.43 DraftKings and 1.46 FanDuel points per minute, but Montrezl Harrell could also be an interesting tournament play, especially if tonight’s game goes small for extended stretches with Marvin Bagley III unavailable for the Kings.

Wesley Matthews (foot) will start Wednesday

Matthews has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Wednesday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans despite dealing with a sore right foot, while Dennis Smith Jr. was already ruled out due to a sprained left wrist that has now forced him to miss nine of the Mavericks last 10 games. Additionally, J.J. Barea and Dirk Nowitzki are technically still listed as probable, but given the nature of the Mavericks’ injury reporting, they are both fully expected to play. With Luka Doncic getting the starting nod at point guard, Jalen Brunson will head back to the bench to resume a reserve role in favor of Maxi Kleber, and in the last four games with Barea active, he’s surpassed the 25-minute mark just once, which has significantly lowered his typically decent floor for cash game formats. Even though Brunson is still priced at an inexpensive price tag, there should be better value options available on a full 10-game slate this evening, especially now that he will primarily be playing with the second unit.

Zach LaVine (ankle) active Wednesday

LaVine has been upgraded from probable and is active for Wednesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a sprained left ankle that had forced him to miss five consecutive games. Head coach Jim Boylen already confirmed that LaVine would come off the bench in his first game back, which will enable Ryan Arcidiacano to remain in the starting lineup alongside Kris Dunn in the backcourt. There’s been no reported minute restriction for LaVine, but he likely won’t see a full allotment of minutes and should be expected to play somewhere near the range of the 20 minutes Dunn recorded in his return from an extended injury absence just a couple of weeks ago. This uncertainty obviously relegates him from consideration for daily fantasy formats on tonight’s slate, and his presence in the rotation essentially guarantees that Arcidiacano won’t come close to the 33 minutes he’s logged in each of the last two games.

Joakim Noah (heel) available to play Wednesday

Noah has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers after missing three consecutive games with a sore right heel,while Mike Conley, JaMychal Green, Dillon Brooks, Omri Casspi, and Jevon Carter have all been upgraded from their previous injury designations and will be available to play. Noah and Casspi had jointly missed each of the last three games, which enabled Garrett Temple to lead the team with 35.6 minutes per game over that same span. However, prior to this injury absence, Noah had logged fewer than 15 minutes for four consecutive games, so his availability won’t have much of impact on the remainder of the frontcourt rotation. This entire Grizzlies lineup finds themselves in a tremendous spot versus a Cavaliers squad that ranks 30th in defensive rating to this point in the season, keeping guys like Conley, Marc Gasol, and Jaren Jackson Jr. firmly in consideration for all daily fantasy formats this evening.

Mike Conley (hamstring), JaMychal Green (hamstring), Dillon Brooks (knee), Omri Casspi (illness), and Jevon Carter (illness) available to play Wednesday

Conley, Green, Brooks, Casspi, and Carter have all been upgraded from their previous injury designations and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Joakim Noah remains questionable and is expected to be a game-time decision due to a sore right heel. Noah and Casspi have jointly missed each of the last three games, which enabled Garrett Temple to lead the team with 35.6 minutes per game over that same span. However, prior to this injury absence, Noah had logged fewer than 15 minutes for four consecutive games, so his availability or unavailability won’t have much of impact on the remainder of the frontcourt rotation. This entire Grizzlies lineup finds themselves in a tremendous spot versus a Cavaliers squad that ranks 30th in defensive rating to this point in the season, keeping guys like Conley, Marc Gasol, and Jaren Jackson Jr. firmly in consideration for all daily fantasy formats this evening.

Kyle Lowry (back) and Chris Boucher (ankle) out Wednesday; Serge Ibaka (knee) available to play

Lowry has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to a back injury, while Boucher is a new addition to the Raptors’ injury report and has been ruled out of tonight’s contest because of an ankle injury. There’s been no word if Serge Ibaka will be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back, so he should be expected to draw the start at center and see at least close to a normal minute allotment this evening. Prior to his injury, Ibaka had logged at least 34 minutes in consecutive games without Jonas Valanciunas available, making it extremely likely that Greg Monroe would be relegated to a more limited role as the backup center after accruing at least 21 minutes in two of the last three games. As for Lowry’s absence, Fred VanVleet should start at point guard once again, and he’s mostly been a consistent source of value whenever a member of the Raptors’ starting frontcourt is sidelined with an injury.

Zach LaVine (ankle) now listed probable Wednesday

LaVine has been upgraded from questionable to probable on the latest version of the Bulls’ injury report for Wednesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a sprained left ankle that had forced him to miss five consecutive games. If LaVine is cleared to play, head coach Jim Boylen already confirmed that he would come off the bench in his first game back, which would enable Ryan Arcidiacano to remain in the starting lineup alongside Kris Dunn in the backcourt. There’s been no reported minute restriction for LaVine, but he likely won’t see a full allotment of minutes and should be expected to play somewhere near the range of the 20 minutes Dunn recorded in his return from an extended injury absence just a couple of weeks ago. This uncertainty obviously relegates him from consideration for daily fantasy formats on tonight’s slate, and his likely presence in rotation essentially guarantees that Arcidiacano won’t come close to the 33 minutes he’s legged in each of the last two games.

John Collins (ankle), Dewayne Dedmon (shin), Jeremy Lin (back), and Omari Spellman (hip) available to play Wednesday; Alex Len (back) ruled out

Collins, Dedmon, Lin, and Spellman have all been upgraded from their previous injury designations and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers, while Len has officially been ruled out due to a strained back. Len has settled into a high-teens minutes role off the bench of late, so his absence should solidify the minute floor of Dedmon as the starting center, while Collins and Spellman will also likely spend some time at the five when he’s off the floor. Dedmon remains relatively inexpensive on DraftKings, and he appears to be a solid value option on tonight’s slate, but it’s actually been Collins that has been the main beneficiary with Len and Taurean Prince off the court, as he owns a 28.1% usage rate (+3.1%) and is averaging 1.27 DraftKings and 1.21 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.