DFS Alerts

Back to the Well

The Trevor Ariza debut in Washington happened last night, and it did not disappoint. Ariza played 38 minutes and put up 48.5 DK points and contributed in all areas of the floor. Tonight he draws a revenge game against Houston, and even though the spread is currently set at 12, it’s not going to scare me away. He is actually priced $100 cheaper than last night (although it isn’t nearly as good of a matchup). There is not reason to jump off the ship now, and if you’re worried about his 38 minutes last night, you shouldn’t be as he had 5 days of rest prior due to the trade.

He Destroyed Our Wallets; Now He'll Crush

If you are reading this, then you are either furious or you didn’t play on Monday. Bjelica was hands down the best play on the entire slate and was pulled after 5 minutes for absolutely no reason at all. He did not come back into the game. Today, we shouldn’t have that worry at all and he only has a $400 price tag increase on DK. Over his last 3 games he has 40, 27.5, and 41.5 DK points, and he draws a matchup against OKC, who may be one of the best defensive teams in the league yet also plays at one of the fastest paces. This game has a sky high total tonight and Bjelica should be in for a boatload of minutes. You also may be able to get him at lower ownership because of the disaster Monday.

Yahoo Note: Bjelica is by far the best salary saver on Yahoo, as he is only $2 over the minimum.

Last Man In

So, if you haven’t already seen, the Raptors will be without Lowry, Valanciunas, and Ibaka tonight. Without their two main bigs, Monroe should be forced into the starting rotation and should be forced to play a decent amount of minutes. On the year in 119 minutes, Monroe is averaging 1.1 fantasy points per minute and a 23.7% usage rate. This is one of the best salary saving spots on the entire slate (outside of Bamba) and will probably be lower owned than it should be because of all the value. Look for Monroe to get around 20-25 minutes and average a fantasy point per minute.

Malcolm Brogdon (hamstring) now listed probable Wednesday

Brogdon has been listed as probable on the most recent version of the Bucks’ injury report for Wednesday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sore left hamstring that’s already forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Ersan Ilyasova remains sidelined with a nose contusion. Without Ilyasova available for Monday’s win, D.J. Wilson appeared in just his third game of the season and logged a whopping 26 minutes, as head coach Mike Budenholzer made a drastic change to his rotation possibly because of the matchup with Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin in the Pistons’ frontcourt. On the other hand, the likely return of Brogdon should send Tony Snell back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role following some mixed results from a fantasy perspective in an average of 28 minutes per game in his spot starts.

Jordan Clarkson (back) available to play Wednesday; Matthew Dellavedova (knee) listed questionable

Clarkson was not included on the most recent version of the Cavaliers’ injury report and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers after missing the first leg of the Cavaliers current back-to-back set in order to rest a sore lower back, while Dellavedova has been listed as questionable with a sore right knee. Dellavedova has been an integral part of the Cleveland rotation ever since making his debut, as he’s recorded at least 16 minutes off the bench in all five games, so his potential absence would certainly open up some playing time in the backcourt rotation. With Clarkson sidelined, Rodney Hood logged a whopping 35 minutes as the starting shooting guard, but he’ll likely see that playing time regress back to their normal levels with Clarkson back in the mix and David Nwaba gradually get back up to full speed following his lengthy injury absence.

Blake Griffin (illness) probable Wednesday

Griffin missed shootaround Wednesday morning and is officially considered probable for tonight’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to an illness, while Glenn Robinson III and Ish Smith both remain sidelined because of their respective ailments. Reggie Bullock returned to the Pistons’ starting lineup two games ago and has logged at least 30 minutes in each contest, which has really eaten into the minute floors of Luke Kennard, Stanley Johnson, Langston Galloway, and Bruce Brown, who now appears to be on his way out of the rotation entirely. Assuming Griffin is a full-go, he’s poised to be an intriguing tournament target on FanDuel, specifically, as he’s significantly less expensive than on DraftKings and still owns a 31.7% usage rate while averaging 1.26 FanDuel points per minute on the season.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (quad) questionable Wednesday; Allen Crabbe (knee) remains out

Hollis-Jefferson is officially questionable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to a bruised left quad he sustained during the first leg of the Nets’ back-to-back on Tuesday night, while Crabbe will miss his fourth consecutive game with a sore right knee. Spencer Dinwiddie had typically started alongside D’Angelo Russell in the backcourt when the Nets were down a starting wing and did so when Joe Harris was sidelined for a stretch of games earlier in the year. However, Rodions Kurucs has started at small forward in the past three contests and logged at least 28 minutes on two of those occasions, making it likely he’ll do so once again after seeing his playing time gradually increase over each of the Nets previous three games prior to Crabbe’s injury. Dinwiddie has thrived without Crabbe on the court this season, and he is averaging 1.16 DraftKings and 1.13 FanDuel points per minute with a 30.6% usage rate (+4.9%) in this scenario.

Kissed by a Rose

Jeff Teague has already been ruled out of tonight’s game against the Pistons, which automatically locks Rose into my lineups across the industry (this is a feature you can add using the RotoGrinders extension — kidding of course). Rose has averaged over a fantasy point per minute this season and typically plays minutes in the mid to upper 30s in his spot starts. The Pistons have a decent defense as a whole, but are ranked 26th in efficiency against point guards.

Picking Up the Slack in Toronto

Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, and Jonas Valanciunas have all been ruled out of tonight’s game against the Pacers. While this is a pace-down matchup against an elite defense, the Pacers are playing in the second half of a back-to-back and Toronto is playing so short-handed that Fred VanVleet stands out as a tremendous value in all formats. He played 38 minutes in a spot start the other night and has averaged 0.98 FP/min over his last four games.

It's the Moment We've All Been Waiting For

Nikola Vucevic has been ruled out of tonight’s game against the Spurs, which means rookie Mo Bamba is set to make his first career NBA start. On the season, Bamba has averaged 1.08 FP/min thanks to a high rebounding rate and an ability to rack up blocks and steals. His minute total tonight has a wide range of potential outcomes, but he grades out as a tremendous value even with a projection of 25 minutes. This is a spot where we don’t need to overthink anything — lock Bamba into your cash game lineups.

Jaylen Brown (hand) available to play Wednesday

Brown has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns despite dealing with a bruised right hand, Al Horford will miss his sixth consecutive game due to patellofemoral pain syndrome. Aron Baynes has started the last three games at center in Horford’s absence, but he’s yet to play more than 19 minutes in any of those contests since head coach Brad Stevens has opted for a center-by-committee approach with Daniel Theis and Robert Williams both consistently seeing double-digit minutes off the bench. Unsurprisingly, Kyrie Irving has been the main beneficiary from a usage standpoint with Horford off the court this season, as he leads the Celtics with a 34.6% usage rate (+3.1%) and is averaging 1.43 DraftKings and 1.41 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.

Tim Hardaway Jr. (heel) and Damyean Dotson (shoulder) will play Wednesday

Hardaway Jr. has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers after missing one game due to a sore right heel, while Dotson has also been cleared to play following his three-game absence with a bruised shoulder. The return of Hardaway Jr. should send Courtney Lee back to the bench to resume a reserve role or possibly out of the rotation altogether, as head coach David Fizdale has bee sporadic with his lineup combinations and minute distributions all season long. Kevin Knox is the only other Knicks player, other than Hardaway Jr., to see consistent playing of late, and he’s logged at least 35 minutes in four of the last five games while averaging 33.5 DraftKings and 32.9 FanDuel points per game over that same span. Knox is finally priced more appropriately across the industry, but he still has the upside to be considered as a mid-range tournament option on most slates.

Nikola Vucevic (personal) out Wednesday

Vucevic is a new addition to the Magic’s injury report and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to personal reasons, while Isaiah Briscoe remains doubtful with an illness but is firmly out of head coach Steve Clifford’s rotation, appearing in just 10 games all season. In Vucevic’s absence, Mo Bamba appears to be the obvious candidate to replace him in the starting lineup at center, and he’ll become an appealing value option for all formats considering he’s averaged 1.04 DraftKings and 1.09 FanDuel points per minute in a limited reserve role. Another beneficiary with Vucevic off the court has been Terrence Ross, as he owns a 29.6% usage (+5.0%) and is averaging 1.04 DraftKings and 1.03 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.

Kyle Lowry (thigh) and Serge Ibaka (knee) out Wednesday

Lowry and Ibaka have officially been downgraded from their original injury designations and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers, while Pascal Siakam, Danny Green, Fred VanVleet, and Norman Powell are all available to play despite dealing with their respective ailments. With Jonas Valaciunas already sidelined, Greg Monroe will start at center but has played fewer than 13 minutes in each of the last four games, which means that Chris Boucher should see extended run off the bench as the only other center on the Raptors active roster. Delon Wright started in Sunday’s loss with both Lowry and VanVleet unavailable and logged 38 minutes, but he’ll likely head to the bench in favor of VanVleet, who typically starts when a Lowry sits out. There isn’t an actionable sample with Lowry, Ibaka, and Valanciunas all off the court together this season, but Monroe figures to be a chalk value option on tonight’s slate and is averaging 1.10 fantasy points per minute with a 23.7% usage rate on the year.

Pascal Siakam (back), Danny Green (eye), and Fred VanVleet (back) available to play Wednesday

Siakam, Green, VanVleet, and Norman Powell have all officially been upgraded from their original injury designations and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers, while Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka have been ruled out due to their respective ailments. With Jonas Valaciunas already sidelined, Greg Monroe will start at center but has played fewer than 13 minutes in each of the last four games, which means that Chris Boucher should see extended run off the bench as the only other center on the Raptors active roster. Delon Wright started in Sunday’s loss with both Lowry and VanVleet unavailable and logged 38 minutes, but he’ll likely head to the bench in favor of VanVleet, who typically starts when a Lowry sits out. There isn’t an actionable sample with Lowry, Ibaka, and Valanciunas all off the court together this season, but Monroe figures to be a chalk value option on tonight’s slate and is averaging 1.10 fantasy points per minute with a 23.7% usage rate on the year.