DFS Alerts
Up In Pace
The Boston guard rotation will be missing a body with Jaylen Brown out of Monday’s contest against a Pelicans team that plays at the third fastest pace and is allowing the seventh most points per 100 possessions (112). That combination means a lot of points for opposing offenses and Kyrie should thrive playing up in pace.
Terry Rozier (knee) listed as available Monday
Rozier has been upgraded from probable and is listed as available to play in Monday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans despite dealing with a sore left knee, while Jaylen Brown was already ruled out due to a bruised right lower back he sustained during Saturday’s loss. The Celtics will receive some reinforcements with Gordon Hayward returning from a one-game absence, and both he and Marcus Smart are candidates to enter the starting lineup in Brown’s place. Marcus Morris has started two consecutive games at power forward and averaged 27.1 minutes over that span, though head coach Brad Stevens has yet to indicate if this change has been based solely on injuries and matchups or if it will be the norm moving forward. Either way, Morris and Aron Baynes seem to be locked into relatively static minutes regardless of role, so whoever starts alongside Al Horford in the frontcourt shouldn’t be factored into lineup decisions for daily fantasy formats.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report
Damion Lee (illness) listed questionable Monday; Draymond Green (toe) and Alfonzo McKinnie (foot) remain out
Lee has officially been listed as questionable for Monday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to an illness, while both Draymond Green and Alfonzo McKinnie are listed out and remain sidelined for a fifth consecutive game with their respective ailments. Lee has averaged 20.4 minutes off the bench over the aforementioned stretch of games, and if he’s unable to suit up, a large portion of those minutes will likely be distributed to Jacob Evans, who’s yet to eclipse the five-minute mark in the last five contests. Kevin Durant continues to thrive with Green and Stephen Curry unavailable, as he owns a 40.1% usage rate (+5.6%) and is averaging 1.57 fantasy points per minute in a 259.8 minutes sample size without them on the court this season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Draymond Green, Alfonzo McKinnie Chandler Hutchison (back) expected to play Monday
Hutchison technically remains questionable, but head coach Fred Hoiberg confirmed with reporters at shootaround that Hutchison in on schedule to play in Monday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs after missing three consecutive games due to back spasms. Jabari Parker has undoubtedly been the main beneficiary with Hutchison sidelined, logging at least 38 minutes in all three contests. However, with Hutchison on track to play, Parker should see his playing time return back to normal levels since Hutchison is averaging 21.2 minutes as the primary backup at both forward positions. Hutchison obviously isn’t in consideration for daily fantasy formats himself, but his likely presence in the rotation certainly lessens the appeal of Parker and Justin Holiday on tonight’s slate.
As reported by: K.C. Johnson via Twitter Minutes Are Way Up
Justin Holiday is playing a lot of minutes right now, and I don’t really expect that to change tonight against the Spurs. He’s posted at least 37 fantasy points in three of his last five games, and his usage was over 19% in each of those three games. He took 34 shots in the last two games, and he played a combined 80 minutes in those games. Holiday should play more minutes than most of the value plays in this range.
Bump In Minutes
With Jaylen Brown out tonight, the Celtics will be filling around 25 minutes. I think we see Marcus Smart play 25 to 30 minutes tonight, and at his price across the industry, he becomes one of the top value options. I hope they start Hayward and Smart continues to come off the bench, but I like him either way in this spot. Smart has a 15.2% and averages .82 fantasy points per minute. He doesn’t see a bump in usage, but his production should go up with extra minutes in this spot.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (ankle) and Tony Parker (rib) probable Monday
Kidd-Gilchrist has officially been listed as probable for Monday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks after missing six consecutive games with a sprained right ankle, while Tony Parker is also listed as probable due to a rib contusion that’s kept him sidelined for two straight contests. The likely return of Parker will likely relegate Devonte’ Graham from the rotation following a couple of uninspiring fantasy performances in an average of 17 minutes per game. Kidd-Gilchrist had been averaging 22.1 minutes off the bench prior to his injury, so his likely presence in the rotation should begin to siphon away playing time from Marvin Williams, Miles Bridges, and Dwayne Bacon at the forward positions. Still, Williams remains extremely inexpensive around the industry and should be able to provide value in an up-tempo matchup with Milwaukee since he’s averaging 0.79 DraftKings and 0.81 FanDuel points per minute on the season.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Tony Parker Jaylen Brown (back) officially out Monday
Brown has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a bruised right lower back, while Terry Rozier remains probable with a sore left knee he managed to play through in Saturday’s loss. The Celtics will receive some reinforcements with Gordon Hayward returning from a one-game absence, and both he and Marcus Smart are candidates to enter the starting lineup in Brown’s place. Marcus Morris has started two consecutive games at power forward and averaged 27.1 minutes over that span, though head coach Brad Stevens has yet to indicate if this change has been based on injuries and matchups or if it will be the norm moving forward. Either way, Morris and Aron Baynes seem to be locked into relatively static minutes regardless of role, so whoever starts alongside Al Horford in the frontcourt shouldn’t be factored into lineup decisions for daily fantasy formats.
As reported by: Jay King via Twitter Anthony Davis (hip) expects to play Monday
Davis technically remains questionable, but he confirmed with reporters at shootaround that he expects to play in Monday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics after missing one game with a strained right hip. Julius Randle logged 39 minutes and smashed salary-based expectations in Saturday’s loss, but he’ll head back to the bench to resume a reserve role with Davis likely to return this evening. Assuming Davis isn’t hindered by his aforementioned hip injury, he’ll be poised as an intriguing tournament target on tonight’s slate, especially on DraftKings, and he continues to lead the Pelicans with a 29.0% usage rate while averaging 1.55 DraftKings and 1.61 FanDuel points per minute this season.
As reported by: Andrew Lopez via Twitter Love The Upside At This Price
We potentially have a lot of value tonight, and that could really spread out the ownership on a 7-game slate. Evan Fournier has shot the ball terrible in his last two games, which caused his price to come down on DraftKings and FantasyDraft. If he shoots the ball well tonight, we’re looking at massive upside at his current price. He’s not the safest option because he relies a lot on shooting, but he is one of my favorite upside options in this price range.
David Nwaba (knee) out Monday
Nwaba is a new addition to the Cavaliers’ injury report and will not play in Monday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a sore right knee, while George Hill and Sam Dekker remain sidelined with their respective ailments and J.R. Smith is still away from the team awaiting a trade or contract buyout. The unavailability of Nwaba should allow Larry Nance to reenter the starting lineup at power forward, which will slide Cedi Osman over to the small forward spot. Nwaba has started the last three games and logged 38 minutes in the Cavaliers previous contest, so his absence certainly opens up plenty of playing time for Kyle Korver, Rodney Hood, and Jordan Clarkson on the wing. Korver, in particular, becomes an intriguing tournament punt, as he owns a 25.3% usage rate (+7.8%) and is averaging 0.80 DraftKings and 0.70 FanDuel points per minute with Nwaba, Hill, Dekker, and Smith off the court this season.
As reported by: Joe Vardon via Twitter Royce O’Neale will start in place of injured Donovan Mitchell on Sunday
Royce O’Neale will start in place of the injured Donovan Mitchell on Sunday for the Jazz. O’Neale may not see heavy usage, but by minutes alone he makes for an interesting GPP value play on the NBA night slate.
Jae Crowder will start ahead of Derrick Favors for the Jazz on Sunday
Jae Crowder will start ahead of Derrick Favors for the Jazz on Sunday in order to match-up better with the starting lineup of the Kings. Look for Crowder to see more minutes than usual running with the first line, making him a great value on the NBA night slate.
Other tagged players: Derrick Favors Pau Gasol will not play Monday due to foot injury
Pau Gasol will not play Monday due to a foot injury. Gasol hasn’t taken the court since November 4th, and Monday will mark the 12th consecutive contest he has missed due to the injury. Look for Lamarcus Aldridge to continue to see as many minutes as he can handle, with Jakob Poeltl and Dante Cunningham seeing additional run as well with the team so thin at the power forward and center position in Gasol’s absence.
Jaylen Brown listed as doubtful for Monday due to back injury
Jaylen Brown is officially listed as doubtful for Monday’s game against the Pelicans due to a back injury. Brown has had a somewhat disappointing season thus far, and his absence will open up minutes for Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart in what will be a pace-up matchup on the road at New Orleans.