DFS Alerts
Increased Minutes Because Of Injury
With Gary Harris already ruled out for tonight’s game, Malik Beasley becomes a very interesting value play for tournaments. While it was Torrey Craig who started the second half for Gary Harris, it was Malik Beasley who played the fourth quarter in the close game. Beasley played 12 minutes on the 24th of November in the first game Harris missed, but then played 35 minutes against the Lakers on the 27th. I think he has a lot of upside here, and don’t be scared off of him if Craig draws the start.
NBA Injury Rundown - Wednesday, 12/5
Denver Nuggets – Gary Harris (Out), Will Barton (Out)
Golden State Warriors – Damian Jones (Out), Draymond Green (Out)
Cleveland Cavaliers – David Nwaba (Out), Ante Zizic (Out), Sam Dekker (Out), Kevin Love (Out), J.R. Smith (Out)
Atlanta Hawks – Taurean Prince (Out), Alex Poythress (Out)
Brooklyn Nets – Joe Harris (Probable), Caris LeVert (Out), Treveon Graham (Out)
New Orleans Pelicans – Nikola Mirotic (Questionable), Elfrid Payton (Out)
Charlotte Hornets – Marvin Williams (Out)
Detroit Pistons – Reggie Bullock (Out)
Milwaukee Bucks – Ersan Ilyasova (Doubtful), John Henson (Out)
Marco Belinelli (neck) available to play Tuesday
Belinelli has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz after missing one game due to neck stiffness. Head coach Gregg Popovich opted to make another change to his starting lineup in Sunday’s win by starting Davis Bertans at power forward, which sent Dante Cunningham to the bench where he saw just 11 minutes of action. Bertans, however, logged 27 minutes in a starting role and could become a viable punt option in tournaments while his price remains inexpensive, though a matchup with a Jazz squad that plays at the ninth-slowest pace may not be the ideal spot to try and capitalize on a ceiling outcome. As for Belinelli, he averaged 22.2 minutes off the bench in the month of November, so he remains relatively unappealing for daily fantasy formats given his scoring dependency and lack of achievable upside in the Spurs rotation.
As reported by: Jeff McDonald via Twitter Doncic, Barea, Smith Jr., Kleber and Powell all available to play for the Mavericks on Tuesday
Head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed with reporters during his pregame media availability that Doncic, Barea, Smith Jr., Kleber, and Powell are all available to play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers despite dealing with their respective ailments, while Salah Mejri is also active but has been limited to garbage time work for a majority of the season. The return of Doncic to the starting lineup will send Dorian Finney-Smith back to the bench following a serviceable fantasy performance in 34 minutes of action in Sunday’s win, however, he’s logged at least 25 minutes in eight of the last 10 games regardless of a bench or starting role. Doncic, Smith Jr, and Harrison Barnes continue to be the focal points of the Mavericks offense, though Doncic still leads the starters with a 26.2% usage rate and is averaging 1.08 DraftKings and 1.04 FanDuel points per minute to this point in the season.
As reported by: Eddie Sefko via Twitter Other tagged players: J.J. Barea, Dennis Smith Jr., Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell, Salah Mejri Rodney McGruder (ankle) will play Tuesday
McGruder is technically still listed as questionable, but he confirmed with reporters that his sprained right ankle is feeling good enough to play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic, while James Johnson, Tyler Johnson, and Derrick Jones Jr. have all been cleared to play despite dealing with their respective ailments. Justise Winslow replaced McGruder in the starting lineup in the second half of Sunday’s win, and he appears likely to remain in his normal reserve role after logging 32 minutes in relief in that contest. Dwyane Wade also eclipsed the 30-minute mark in that game, but with Tyler Johnson available, his role and minutes with the second unit will likely take a substantial hit, especially since McGruder going to try to play through his aforementioned ankle injury this evening.
As reported by: Barry Jackson via Twitter James Johnson (illness) will play Tuesday
Johnson joins Tyler Johnson and Derrick Jones Jr. among Heat players that have been cleared to play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic despite dealing with an illness, while Rodney McGruder remains questionable and is expected to be a game-time decision due to a sprained right ankle. Justise Winslow replaced McGruder in the starting lineup in the second half of Sunday’s win, and he appears to be the likeliest candidate to start if McGruder is unable to suit up after logging 32 minutes in that contest. Dwyane Wade also eclipsed the 30-minute mark in that game, but with Tyler Johnson available, his role and minutes with the second unit will likely take a substantial hit, especially if McGruder is able to play through his aforementioned ankle injury this evening.
As reported by: Barry Jackson via Twitter Tyler Johnson (hamstring) and Derrick Jones Jr. (hamstring) listed as available Tuesday
Johnson has been listed as available on the most recent version of the Heat’s injury report and will play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic after missing six consecutive games due to a strained right hamstring, while Jones Jr. is also available to play and Rodney McGruder and James Johnson remain questionable. Justise Winslow replaced McGruder in the starting lineup in the second half of Sunday’s win, and he appears to be the likeliest candidate to start if either McGruder or James Johnson is unable to suit up after logging 32 minutes in that contest. Dwyane Wade also eclipsed the 30-minute mark in that game, but with Tyler Johnson available, his role and minutes with the second unit will likely take a substantial hit, especially if McGruder is able to play through his sprained right ankle this evening.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Derrick Jones Jr. Bump In Minutes Due To Injuries
Nemanja Bjelica has lost playing time to Marvin Bagley, but should be in line to see increased minutes tonight with Bagley ruled out. The Kings have the highest implied team total on the slate, and Bjelica is averaging over a fantasy point per minute this season and draws an excellent matchup tonight, as the Suns rank 25th in DRPM against power forwards this season. Unless Bjelica doesn’t start, he’s a top value option on this slate.
Marvin Bagley III (back) out Tuesday
Bagley has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns due to a sore lower back that’s now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Bagley underwent a precautionary MRI this morning but the results were negative, and he’s considered day-to-day moving forward. Kosta Koufos made his return from an eight-game absence in Saturday’s win, and he logged 15 minutes off the bench in Bagley’s absence, while Harry Giles was surprisingly a DNP-CD and Nemanja Bjelica was limited to just 20 minutes of action. Instead, head coach Dave Joerger opted to utilize smaller lineup combinations with Bogdan Bogdanovic and Justin Jackson absorbing a majority of the reserve forward minutes behind Bjelica and Iman Shumpert in the frontcourt, making Bogdanovic a particularly intriguing tournament target at his mid-range salary across the industry.
As reported by: Sean Cunningham via Twitter Evan Turner (Achilles) will play Tuesday
Turner is technically listed as probable, but he confirmed with the media during shootaround that he will play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks after missing one game due to left Achilles tendon inflammation. Turner has seen at least 26 minutes in each of his last four games, and he’s been closing games for the Trail Blazers ahead of Maurice Harkless at small forward, who should see his playing time regress back to normal levels following a fantastic fantasy performance in 34 minutes of action in Sunday’s loss. Turner has just a 17.5% usage rate this season, but he’s still managed to average 0.89 fantasy points per minute as the main facilitator and playmaker in Portland’s second unit.
As reported by: NBC Sports Northwest via Twitter TJ Warren (ankle) officially out Tuesday
Warren has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings due to a sore right ankle that’s now forced him to miss three consecutive games. With Warren unable to suit up, Josh Jackson will likely remain in the starting lineup alongside Trevor Ariza in the frontcourt, while Ryan Anderson should stay in the rotation for at least another game despite a couple of dismal fantasy performances in an average of 14 minutes off the bench. As for Jackson, he logged 38 minutes with Warren and Devin Booker sidelined two games ago, and he’ll remain in consideration as a tournament option even with a drastic increase in salary. In the limited time with both Warren and Booker off the court, Jackson and Deandre Ayton both own at least a +5.1% usage rate differential, though neither has really taken advantage of the increased involvement in the offense to this point, as each average between 0.91-0.93 fantasy points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: John Gambadoro via Twitter James Johnson (illness) now questionable Tuesday
Johnson was originally listed as probable on the Heat’s injury report, but he’s now considered questionable for Tuesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to an illness, while Rodney McGruder remains questionable and Tyler Johnson and Derrick Jones Jr. are expected to play despite their current probable designations. Justise Winslow replaced McGruder in the starting lineup in the second half of Sunday’s win, and he appears to be the likeliest candidate to start if either McGruder or James Johnson is unable to suit up after logging 32 minutes in that contest. Dwyane Wade also eclipsed the 30-minute mark in that game, but with Tyler Johnson on track to return, his role and minutes with the second unit will likely take a substantial hit, especially if McGruder is able to play through his sprained right ankle this evening.
As reported by: Tim Reynolds via Twitter The Upside Is There At This Price
Evan Fournier was really disappointing on the west coast road trip, but his price is low right now because of it. It’s always risky taking someone that relies on scoring, but the upside is certainly there at this price. The Magic have the second lowest implied total on this smaller slate, so I don’t expect a lot of people to be on them in this spot. While I don’t love them tonight, I’m certainly willing to take a shot on one or two of them. Miami is ranked 20th in defensive efficiency against shooting guards, and that’s been one of the few glaring issues with this defense.
Pivot Off The Chalk
With a small slate, I love the idea of pivoting off of some of the chalk with cheap value options. Cory Joseph has been really good over the last ten games and has at least 20 fantasy points in eight of those games. With Oladipo already ruled out for tonight’s game, I’m digging the Pacers in this spot against the Bulls, who have struggled against point guards this season. Joseph has one of the best DvA matchups on the slate. He’s also averaging right at 28 minutes per game over the last four games, and his fantasy points per game rate is up 2.1 on his season average.
High Floor Value Option
With Devin Booker and TJ Warren both doubtful tonight, the Suns become the biggest targets on the slate for me. The Suns have a 110 implied team total, which is 7 points higher than their season average, and they receive the biggest pace bump in this game. In 119 minutes without Booker and Warren, Jackson has a 31.6% usage rate and he’s averaging .91 fantasy points per minute. He has a 25.5% usage rate over the last three games and he’s posted at least 29 fantasy points in each of those games.