DFS Alerts

Ready To Take Advantage Of A Starting Role

Gordon entered the starting lineup the other night but struggled for the Rockets, and that might make a few people shy away. I’m ready to go back to the well, especially in GPP formats, as this matchup is a fine one against a Lakers team that will try to push the pace. The good news is that Gordon played 39 minutes in that game, and there likely won’t be many others where he plays 39 minutes and doesn’t hit a three. Gordon draws a great archetype matchup against the Lakers here, and he’s still very affordable everywhere.

The Low-Key Stud To Target Tonight

The masses are obviously going to be focused on the likes of Harden and James tonight, but Nikola Vucevic could be the low-key stud that you need to take down a GPP. He’s been surprisingly dominant at times this year with averages of 20.6 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, and he’s even played well over the last few games where the Magic have been blown out. The Bulls rank 30th in our defense vs. archetype metric against versatile bigs, and Vucevic should be able to play very well in this one. Give me Vucevic as one of the top overall plays on the slate.

NBA Injury Rundown - Thursday, 12/13

Los Angeles Lakers – Brandon Ingram (Out), Rajon Rondo (Out), Michael Beasley (Out)

Houston Rockets – Brandon Knight (Probable), James Ennis (Out), Marquese Chriss (Out), Zhou Qi (Out)

Los Angeles Clippers – Lou Williams (Out), Luc Mbah a Moute (Out), Jerome Robinson (Out)

Orlando Magic – Jonathon Simmons (Questionable), Timofey Mozgov (Out)

Dallas Mavericks – Dirk Nowitzki (TBD), Dennis Smith Jr. (TBD), J.J. Barea (TBD)

Phoenix Suns – Devin Booker (Out)

Kawhi Leonard (hip) out Wednesday; Fred VanVleet (back) will play

Leonard has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a bruised right hip that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while VanVleet has been cleared to play following after briefly being considered a game-time decision with an ailing back. VanVleet has started alongside Kyle Lowry in the backcourt the previous three times Leonard has been unavailable, and he’ll do so once again this evening, though it wouldn’t be surprising if OG Anunoby saw some additional run off the bench to better defend the Warriors lengthy frontcourt. As expected, Kyle Lowry has been the clear beneficiary with Leonard off the court this season, as he owns a 25.2% usage rate (+5.1%) and is averaging 1.46 DraftKings and 1.43 FanDuel points per minute, which make him an elite option for all formats on tonight’s 11-game slate.

Robert Covington (knee) will play Wednesday

Covington has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings despite dealing with a sore right knee. There’s been no indication that Covington will be limited in tonight’s contest, so he’ll likely remain in his typical starting small forward role that’s allowed him to averaged 35.6 minutes over his first 11 games with Minnesota following the trade that shipped Jimmy Butler to Philadelphia just last month, though he was limited to just 26 minutes in Monday’s loss. Despite recording just a 17.4% usage rate, Covington has actually averaged 0.90 DraftKings and 0.95 FanDuel points per minute in his time with the Timberwolves, keeping him in play for tournaments on a near-nightly basis as a mid-range option.

Raul Neto (thigh) out Wednesday

Neto has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to a sore right thigh. Neto has surpassed Dante Exum in the backcourt rotation of late and has been monopolizing a majority of the backup point guard minutes, most recently logging 20 minutes off the bench in Monday’s loss. However, with Neto sidelined, Exum should absorb most of the available playing time in the second unit, though it’s certainly possible that Donovan Mitchell also sees an uptick in minutes at point guard when Ricky Rubio is off the floor. Either way, Neto’s absence won’t have drastic fantasy implications for the remaining members of this Jazz rotation.

Mike Conley (hamstring) will start Wednesday

Conley has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Wednesday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers despite dealing with a sore left hamstring. There’s been no report of a possible minute restriction for Conley, so he’ll presumably be a full-go and see his normal minute allotment in the low-30s this evening. Conley and the Grizzlies, in general, have struggled of late, but he still leads the team with a 29.5% usage rate and is averaging 1.11 fantasy points per minute this season, keeping him in consideration for tournament formats on most slates.

Maxi Kleber (toe) available to play Wednesday; Dirk Nowitzki (ankle) ruled out

Kleber has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks despite dealing with a sprained left great toe, while Nowitzki has finally been ruled out. With Nowitzki remaining inactive, Kleber will likely reclaim his mid-teens minutes role off the bench, and he obviously isn’t in consideration for daily fantasy formats. Once Nowitzki does make his season debut, it remains unclear how his presence will affect the playing time of Kleber and Dwight Powell in the second unit though Kleber would appear to be the odd man out of the rotation. However, Nowitzki will almost certainly be subject to a strict minute restriction as he works his way back from offseason ankle surgery, limiting his impact on head coach Rick Carlisle’s minute distributions at least from the outset.

Dirk Nowitzki (ankle) remains questionable Wednesday

An erroneous report from a Mavericks beat writer stated that Nowitzki had been ruled out of Wednesday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, but he actually remains questionable and head coach Rick Carlisle declined to reveal Nowitzki’s status for tonight’s contest. If Nowitzki does make his season debut, which seems unlikely at this point, it remains unclear how his presence will affect the playing time of Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell in the second unit. Once Nowitzki does return, he will almost certainly be subject to a strict minute restriction as he works his way back from offseason ankle surgery.

Stanley Johnson (knee) listed as active Wednesday

Johnson has officially been upgraded from probable and is active for Wednesday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets after missing three consecutive games due to a left knee contusion, while Reggie Bullock remains sidelined for a fifth straight game with a sprained left ankle. Luke Kennard moved into the starting lineup to replace Glenn Robinson III, who is expected to miss at least two more weeks because of a sprained left ankle, and he logged a whopping 37 minutes en route to greatly exceeding his salary-based expectations in Monday’s loss. With both Johnson and Bullock unavailable, Kennard will start at small forward once again, while Bruce Brown will man the shooting guard position alongside Reggie Jackson in the backcourt and has played at least 25 minutes in three of the Pistons last four games.

Pelicans hope to scale back minutes of Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday beginning on Wednesday

Per Alvin Gentry’s pre-game presser, the Pelicans are likely to begin scaling back the minutes of Davis and Holiday starting in Wednesday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, though it seems implausible for them to see too big of a reduction in playing time, as the Pelicans are still without Nikola Mirotic and Elfrid Payton for the foreseeable future.

E'Twaun Moore (leg) out Wednesday

E’Twaun Moore out for the Pelicans tonight. It now seems like they’ll have to work a guy like Ian Clark back into the rotation, although the DFS-viable members of this team are pretty clear. AD, Randle and Holiday are your viable high-end spends here with Tim Frazier setting up for a more secure role as a starter, making him viable in any format. Chieck Diallo is also on the GPP radar with Mirotic out.

Jaylen Brown (illness) out Wednesday

Jaylen Brown ruled out for tonight due to an illness. The Celtics are once again going to be very shorthanded, so they become one of the better teams to target. Kyrie remains an elite play, but Marcus Morris is well worth considering in all formats as well. Rozier/Smart’s minutes may see a small uptick. With Brown and the other inactive members of the team off the floor, Marcus Morris averages a 1.13 FPPM rate and 26.9% usage rate, so he becomes one of the better mid-range plays on this slate.

Reggie Bullock (ankle) officially out Wednesday

Bullock has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets due to a sprained left ankle that has now forced him to miss five consecutive games, while Stanley Johnson remains listed as probable but is still considered to be a game-time decision with a bruised left knee. Luke Kennard moved into the starting lineup to replace Glenn Robinson III, who is expected to miss at least two more weeks because of a sprained left ankle, and he logged a whopping 37 minutes en route to greatly exceeding his salary-based expectations in Monday’s loss. The Pistons starting lineup for tonight’s contest will depend greatly on the availability of Johnson, but Kennard remains a candidate to start even if he is available to play this evening.

Kawhi Leonard (hip) listed questionable Wednesday

Leonard has officially been listed as questionable for Wednesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a bruised right hip that forced him to miss Tuesday’s win. The Raptors are slated to play the second leg of a back-to-back set, so it was previously expected that Leonard would suit up for tonight’s contest considering he’s sat out at least one game of every back-to-back situation thus far this season. Fred VanVleet has started alongside Kyle Lowry in the backcourt the previous three times Leonard has been unavailable, but it’ll be interesting to see if head coach Nick Nurse opts to start OG Anunoby at small forward instead to better defend the Warriors lengthy frontcourt, specifically Kevin Durant, if Leonard is unavailable. As expected, Kyle Lowry has been the clear beneficiary with Leonard off the court this season, as he owns a 25.2% usage rate (+5.1%) and is averaging 1.46 DraftKings and 1.43 FanDuel points per minute, which would make him an elite option for all formats if Leonard is ruled out closer to tipoff.