DFS Alerts
NBA Injury Rundown - Friday, 12/21
Toronto Raptors – Serge Ibaka (Q), Kyle Lowry (O), Jonas Valanciunas (O)
New York Knicks – Mitchell Robinson (O), Allonzo Trier (O), Kristaps Porzingis (O)
Indiana Pacers – Tyreke Evans (Q)
Brooklyn Nets – Allen Crabbe (O), Caris LeVert (O), Treveon Graham (O), Dzanan Musa (O)
Milwaukee Bucks – Ersan Ilyasova (O)
Boston Celtics – Marcus Morris (Q), Al Horford (O), Aron Baynes (O)
Orlando Magic – Jonathon Simmons (Q), Timofey Mozgov (O)
Chicago Bulls – Cameron Payne (Q), Jabari Parker (Q), Bobby Portis (O), Zach LaVine (O), Denzel Valentine (O)
Minnesota Timberwolves – Jeff Teague (O)
Memphis Grizzlies – Mike Conley (P), Kyle Anderson (P), JaMychal Green (Q), Joakim Noah (Q), Omri Casspi (Q)
Sacramento Kings – Bogdan Bogdanovic (Q), Iman Shumpert (Q), Marvin Bagley III (O)
Portland Trail Blazers – Caleb Swanigan (P)
New Orleans Pelicans – Anthony Davis (Q), Julius Randle (Q), Ian Clark (Q), Nikola Mirotic (D), Elfrid Payton (O)
Los Angeles Lakers – Brandon Ingram (Q), JaVale McGee (Q), Rajon Rondo (Q), Michael Beasley (O)
DeAndre Jordan (illness) will play Thursday
Jordan has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing shootaround this morning due to an illness, while Dennis Smith Jr. is expected to be sidelined the remaining three games of the Mavericks’ current road trip with a sprained right wrist, effectively ruling him out of tonight’s contest. Jalen Brunson has started at point guard in five of the last six games for Dallas, but he was mostly ineffective from a fantasy standpoint in 25 minutes of action with J.J. Barea making his return from two-game injury absence in Tuesday’s loss. Dirk Nowitzki and Maxi Kleber both remain listed on the Mavericks injury report with their respective ailments, but neither has logged more than 11 minutes off the bench in either of the past two games, meaning their availability is mostly irrelevant to the remainder of the frontcourt rotation, though Dorian Finney-Smith could benefit slightly if either is deemed unable to suit up closer to tipoff.
As reported by: Eddie Sefko via Twitter Lou Williams (hamstring) will play Thursday
Williams has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks after missing four consecutive games due to a sore left hamstring. Head coach Doc Rivers disclosed to reporters during his pregame media availability that Williams will likely be limited to around 25 minutes, which isn’t necessarily out of the ordinary considering Williams had typically logged mid-to-high-20s minutes off the bench prior to his injury. Williams has been a bit inconsistent this season with the addition of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to already deep backcourt, but he’s still led the Clippers with a 32.5% usage rate and is averaging a respectable 1.12 DraftKings and 1.08 FanDuel points per minute on the year.
As reported by: Jovan Buha via Twitter Justise Winslow (ankle) out Thursday
Winslow has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Thursday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets due to right ankle pain, while Tyler Johnson has been cleared to play after missing Wednesday’s practice due to a migraine. The Heat recalled Yante Maten from the G-League for tonight’s contest, so the writing was on the wall that Winslow may not be able to suit up. Now that Winslow has been ruled out, Johnson will enter the starting lineup at point guard, but he’s already played more minutes off the bench than Winslow in each of the last two games and is averaging 28.5 minutes over that span, giving him an extremely high minute floor as a starter. Johnson has disappointed from a fantasy perspective in his most recent spot starts, but he’s still an elite option for all formats with Winslow and Goran Dragic unavailable, especially on FanDuel where he is priced significantly less than DraftKings.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Tyler Johnson (migraine) will play Thursday
Johnson has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Thursday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets after missing Wednesday’s practice due to a migraine, while Justise Winslow remains questionable with right ankle pain. The Heat recalled Yante Maten from the G-League for tonight’s contest, so there is definitely some concern from the team that Winslow may not be able to suit up. If he is ruled out, Johnson would likely enter the starting lineup at point guard, though he’s already played more minutes off the bench than Winslow in each of the last two games and has averaged 28.5 minutes over that span. Johnson has disappointed from a fantasy perspective in his most recent spot starts, but he’ll become an elite option for all formats if Winslow is unavailable, especially on FanDuel where he is priced significantly less than DraftKings.
As reported by: Anthony Chiang via Twitter Dennis Smith Jr. (wrist) out Thursday
Smith Jr. is expected to miss the remaining three games of the Mavericks’ current road trip with a sprained right wrist, effectively ruling him out of Thursday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, while DeAndre Jordan missed shootaround and is currently questionable due to an illness. Jalen Brunson has started at point guard in five of the last six games for Dallas, but he was mostly ineffective from a fantasy standpoint in 25 minutes of action with J.J. Barea making his return two-game injury absence in Tuesday’s loss. Dirk Nowitzki and Maxi Kleber both remain listed on the Mavericks injury report with their respective ailments, but neither has logged more than 11 minutes off the bench in either of the past two games, meaning their availability is mostly irrelevant to the remainder of the frontcourt rotation if Jordan is cleared to play, though Dorian Finney-Smith could benefit slightly if either is deemed unable to suit up closer to tipoff.
As reported by: Eddie Sefko via Twitter DeAndre Jordan (illness) questionable Thursday
Jordan missed shootaround Thursday morning and is officially questionable for tonight’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to an illness, while Dennis Smith Jr. is expected to miss the remaining three games of the Mavericks’ current road trip with a sprained right wrist, effectively ruling him out of tonight’s contest. Jalen Brunson has started at point guard in five of the last six games for Dallas, but he was mostly ineffective from a fantasy standpoint in 25 minutes of action with J.J. Barea making his return two-game injury absence in Tuesday’s loss. Dirk Nowitzki and Maxi Kleber both remain listed on the Mavericks injury report with their respective ailments, but neither has logged more than 11 minutes off the bench in either of the past two games, meaning their availability is mostly irrelevant to the remainder of the frontcourt rotation if Jordan is cleared to play, though Dorian Finney-Smith could benefit slightly if either is deemed unable to suit up closer to tipoff.
As reported by: Dwain Price via Twitter Upside at a Discounted Price Point
From the perspective of a DFS player, J.J. Barea should be playing 30 minutes a night. He’s by far the Mavericks’ most productive point guard, but he’s stuck in a 16-18 minute role off the bench. Given his wide range of potential outcomes, he’s typically an easy fade in full slates. However, with only two games on the schedule tonight, he’s a player that I will be looking to in cash games and tournaments. He is lightning in a bottle off the bench and has 25+ fantasy point type of upside at a cheap price point across the industry.
Rare Value Play with a High Floor/Ceiling Combination
Typically, the smaller the slate, the harder it is to find value. That’s certainly the case tonight, as we only have two games to choose from and for the most part, all four teams are relatively healthy. P.J. Tucker is one of the only value plays in this slate that has 35 minute type of upside. Sure, he has a low usage rate, but we’ve seen him top 25 fantasy points a number of times already this season. He’s going to play big minutes in a pace-up game against the Heat, which is more than enough reason to play him at this price point.
Anchoring Your Lineup with a Stud in an Ugly Slate
I’m not a huge fan of these small slates, but they do bring some interesting game theory into play. Many will say that fading a highly owned player is always viable in tournaments, but I’m not sure that we can replace the production of James Harden in this slate. He’s clearly the top overall play on the board and there are no direct pivots. For that reason, I view Harden as a core play in both cash games and tournaments. This is a pace-up spot for Houston and Harden comes into the game in great form, averaging 67 fantasy points over his last four games with a massive true usage rate of 37%.
Searching For Contrarian Options
Finding a true contrarian play is virtually impossible on a two game slate, but DFS players are fading away from Harrell a little bit. His play has predictably slowed since his ridiculously hot start to the season, and his numbers are always going to be inconsistent because he isn’t guaranteed 35 minutes on a nightly basis. However, the per minute potential is still there, and I love this matchup against Dallas. Harrell’s presence should be required for significant minutes against a solid rebounding team, and I’m intrigued by the upside at reasonable ownership for a two game slate.
A Fine Mid-Range Option
Barnes has been hit or miss this season, but he is an intriguing value on this two game slate. He is fresh off a game where he was red hot from the floor and scored 30 points, so his confidence should be high heading into what should be a close, high scoring game tonight. His price tag is still very affordable across all the DFS sites, and he’s a much needed source of value on this slate. I also like the way he matches up against the Clippers’ wings, which is an added bonus.
Always Flashing His Upside
I’m a big fan of Doncic, and we are starting to see his upside on a more consistent basis these days. He’s averaging 19 points, eight boards, and eight assists per game over his last five games, which is close to a triple-double average even though he hasn’t logged a single triple-double yet. That time is coming soon. He’s becoming more aggressive offensively and will handle the ball more if Dennis Smith remains sidelined. The DAL/LAC game has a 221 point total, one that is 12 points higher than the other game on tonight’s slate, and Doncic is one of my favorite point per dollar plays.
Clear-Cut Top Play
It’s rare that we see a slate like this one. For starters, we have a meager two game Thursday slate here, so there isn’t much to choose from. In addition, there is nobody within THREE THOUSAND dollars of Harden in terms of price on both FanDuel and DraftKings. The entire slate hinges upon whether or not you want to pay up for Harden. Even though a matchup with Miami isn’t the most mouth-watering one available, there is simply no other player that can touch Harden’s combination of floor and ceiling, as Harden tops 50 fantasy points with regularity. Nobody else on today’s slate can say that. If you can play Harden salary-wise, fit him in and build from there.
NBA Injury Rundown - Thursday, 12/20
Houston Rockets – James Ennis (O), Carmelo Anthony (O)
Miami Heat – Tyler Johnson (P), Justise Winslow (Q), Goran Dragic (O), Dion Waiters (O)
Dallas Mavericks – J.J. Barea (P), Dirk Nowitzki (P), Dennis Smith Jr. (Q), Maxi Kleber (Q)
Los Angeles Clippers – Lou Williams (Q), Luc Mbah a Moute (O), Jerome Robinson (O)