DFS Alerts

An Improved Mid-Range Option

Mitchell looks much more aggressive on the floor since he returned from injury, and it’s all going to come down to whether or not he can make shots. This is a better matchup than it might seem on paper, as the Spurs have really regressed on the defensive end of the floor this year. Many DFS players still avoid this matchup because of the “Spurs” connotation, but this is not a spot to fear. Mitchell has a lot of intriguing GPP upside on a five game slate.

Buy Low While You Can

Markkanen is back for the Bulls, and news has been released stating that he will enter the starting lineup tonight. He is capable of being a second primary option for the Bulls, one that is desperately needed alongside Zach LaVine. Markkanen played 26 minutes in his return the other night, and he took 14 shot attempts in that game. He won’t be cheap for long, and right now it feels like he’s over $1,000 too cheap on DK/FDRAFT and about $500 too cheap on FD. Buy low while you can, as that window will be closing soon — especially if he starts logging 35 minutes per night.

Leading A Team That's Banged Up

Dallas has SIX players listed as questionable for tonight’s game, so they are obviously not a team that is healthy right now. It’s really difficult to break that team down until we get clarity on the injuries. For now, we can count on Harrison Barnes to be the leader of the offense. He has scored 59 actual points over the last two games and always sees a bump in production when any of the Dallas guards are sidelined. Keep an eye on the Dallas injury situation, but know that Barnes is a solid play regardless of how that plays out.

Injury-Related Opportunity

The Suns are likely going to be without both Devin Booker and T.J. Warren tonight. That’s a big blow, as they combine to average 41 points per game. That accounts for over 40% of their offensive production. If we run CourtIQ with those two off the floor along with Isaiah Canaan (who has been released), we see that Josh Jackson, Elie Okobo, and DeAndre Ayton see solid bumps in usage. They haven’t been more efficient in terms of production, but the sample size is still very small. When you throw in the likely increased playing time, Jackson and Okobo make a lot of sense as value plays tonight. Both remain very affordable, and this is an enticing up tempo game against the fast-paced Kings. This game has a Vegas total of 226, so fire up some Suns tonight!

NBA Injury Rundown - Tuesday, 12/4

Miami Heat – James Johnson (Probable), Tyler Johnson (Probable), Derrick Jones Jr. (Probable), Rodney McGruder (Questionable), Goran Dragic (Out)

Portland Trail Blazers – Evan Turner (Probable)

Dallas Mavericks – Luka Doncic (Questionable), J.J. Barea (Questionable), Dennis Smith Jr. (Questionable), Dwight Powell (Questionable), Maxi Kleber (Questionable), Salah Mejri (Questionable)

Sacramento Kings – Marvin Bagley III (Questionable)

Phoenix Suns – TJ Warren (Doubtful), Devin Booker (Out)

San Antonio Spurs – Marco Belinelli (Probable), Pau Gasol (Out)

Nikola Mirotić (illness) out Monday

Mirotic is a late addition to the Pelicans’ injury report and has been ruled out of Monday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to an illness, while E’Twaun Moore has already been cleared to play and won’t be subject to a minutes restriction after missing Sunday’s win with a left tibial contusion. With Mirotic unavailable, Julius Randle will likely enter the starting lineup at power forward, and he’s been productive when given the opportunity in the past, averaging 1.30 DraftKings and 1.27 FanDuel with Mirotic off the court this season. Additionally, Solomon Hill and Darius Miller each logged at least 23 minutes off the bench at the forward positions with Moore sidelined but will see their playing time regress back to normal levels with Moore making his return to the starting lineup this evening. Moore is essentially a nightly tournament punt option in this fast-paced Pelicans offense, as he possesses the ability to get hot from the field at any time and return significant value for his usually affordable price tag.

E'Twaun Moore (leg) will play without a minutes restriction Monday

Moore has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Monday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing Sunday’s win due to a left tibial contusion. In his absence, Wesley Johnson was inserted into the starting lineup at small forward, but he was invisible from a fantasy perspective in just under 15 minutes of action. Instead, it was Solomon Hill and Darius Miller that each logged at least 23 minutes off the bench at the forward positions and will see their playing time regress back to normal levels with Moore available to make his return to the starting lineup this evening. Moore is essentially a nightly tournament punt option in this fast-paced Pelicans offense, as he possesses the ability to get hot from the field at any time and return significant value for his usually affordable price tag.

Otto Porter (toe) will play Monday

Porter has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Monday’s matchup against the New York Knicks despite dealing with a left big toe contusion, while Jeff Green remains probable with lower back spasms that forced him to miss Saturday’s win. Tomas Satoransky started ahead of Kelly Oubre at small forward in that contest and logged 26 minutes in an uninspiring fantasy performance. Head coach Scott Brooks will continue utilizing this starting lineup for tonight’s contest and the foreseeable future, which will enable Oubre and Markieff Morris to continue leading the second unit. Morris has logged at least 28 minutes off the bench in three of the last four games, and he’s been seeing the majority of his playing time behind nominal starter Thomas Bryant at center.

Jeremy Lin (ankle) and Dewayne Dedmon (illness) available to play Monday

Lin has officially been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors after missing three consecutive games due to a sprained left ankle, while Dedmon is also available, as expected, despite dealing with an illness. Head coach Lloyd Pierce already disclosed with reporters that he’ll likely continue utilizing the same starting lineup with Kevin Huerter at the shooting guard spot, but Huerter has seen his minutes fluctuate in a starting role despite being relatively productive from a fantasy standpoint over the time span. There’s been no word if Lin will be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back, but he was typically only seeing minutes in the mid-20s prior to his injury, making him a relatively unappealing mid-range tournament target despite some recent solid fantasy performances.

Terrance Ferguson (ankle) available to play Monday

Ferguson was originally listed as out on the Thunder’s injury report, but he successfully went through shootaround and will be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons after missing six of the last seven games due to a sprained left ankle. Hamidou Diallo is also available off the bench, but head coach Billy Donovan disclosed that he will likely be utilized similarly to last game and only play in an emergency situation. Donovan also declined to announce who will start at the shooting guard spot with Ferguson and Diallo now active, but Alex Abrines has started there the last two games and logged at least 26 minutes on both occasions, making him the likeliest candidate retain the role for at least the time being.

Joe Harris (adductor) out Monday

Harris has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to left adductor tightness that has now forced him to three two consecutive games. Harris surprisingly leads all active Nets players with just over 29 minutes per game, so his absence certainly opens up a plethora of playing time on the wing. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has started ahead of Jared Dudley at power forward in the previous four contests, which has kept DeMarre Carroll in a bench role and has limited him to fewer than 21 minutes in six of the last eight games. Head coach Kenny Atkinson will likely opt to go small once again by starting Spencer Dinwiddie alongside D’Angelo Russell in the backcourt, and Dinwiddie remains an intriguing tournament target with a higher minute floor, despite recent struggles, as he owns a 28.6% usage rate (+4.1%) and is averaging 1.09 DraftKings and 1.03 FanDuel points per minute with Harris and Caris LeVert off the court this season.

Lauri Markkanen will start on Tuesday; Jabari Parker to come off the bench

The Bulls new head coach won’t waste anytime getting Markkanen back into the starting lineup, shifting Jabari Parker to the bench which takes him out of play for DFS purposes at his current price – Markkanen’s presence alone was eating into Parker’s intrigue. Markkanen played 26 minutes in his season debut and could very well end up crossing the 30 minute threshold tomorrow, landing him on the GPP radar, especially on sites that are still pricing him as a value play.

Never Sexy

Look, playing Tristan Thompson is never sexy but the fella has been getting it done as his minutes have stabilized under interim coach Larry Drew. TT could be in line for even more minutes once again as the Cleveland center logged 40 minutes of court time against the Raptors with the injured Ante Zizic out of the rotation Saturday. Zizic is sidelined again on Monday as Thompson should see heavy minutes an an ideal matchup against a Nets defense that is allowing the fourth highest offensive rebounding rate (28.9%) to the opposition this season.

Weekend Breakout

Kevin Knox’s usage rate increases to 26.7% when he doesn’t share the court with Trey Burke this season. Knox had a breakout game over the weekend against Milwaukee and I’m interested in monitoring his minutes and production going forward with one less body in the rotation. It’s unlikely Knox matches either the court time or production that he saw against Milwaukee but this is a strong matchup against a Wizards team that owns the league’s worst defense and is forced to play small due to injuries.

Pivot Off The Chalk

Jordan Bell has been a disappointment this season when given run but remains a guy that I can’t quit because of his strong per minute fantasy production. Via CourtIQ Bell has averaged right around one fantasy point per minute over the last two seasons. With Damian Jones joining Draymond on the sidelines for Monday’s contest I’m interested in Bell as a pivot off the chalkier Kevon Looney in GPPs. Looney remains the “safer” option for cash games but if Bell is able to get on the right side of the timeshare and crack 25+ minutes of court time he could explode for 40+ fantasy points.