DFS Alerts

Safer Value Option

With Wade and Dragic already ruled out for the game tonight, Wayne Ellington and Tyler Johnson should see a nice minute’s bump. Ellington started against the Lakers on Sunday and finished the game with 38 minutes. He took 14 shots in that game, and 11 of those were three-pointers. The Nets are ranked 24th in defensive efficiency this season, and they’re 26th in DRPM against the small forward position this season. Ellington is a safer value option, but I like him a little more on sites with the bonus for three-pointers.

He Just Keeps Rolling

Harrell just continues to roll for the Clippers. Over the last five games, he is averaging 30 minutes per game while putting up 21 points and nine rebounds per contest. DFS players tend to avoid playing him because of the uncertainty regarding his minutes and role, but those concerns can pretty much be put to rest at this point. He is a key part of the Clippers rotation, even when he comes off the bench, and he’s always been a player who can produce well over a full fantasy point per minute. He has the potential to be a slate-breaker on this short slate Tuesday, and he will likely go surprisingly under-owned given his elevated price point.

Solid GPP Upside

McCollum has been hit or miss this year, but there is no denying that he is capable of filling up the box score at times. His scoring has ticked up this month, where he is shooting 50% from the floor. He’s much more locked in right now, and the Knicks present a fine matchup for him to keep it rolling. They are an abysmal defensive team, and McCollum’s minutes are obviously secure in the absence of a blowout. He is a fine shooting guard target in this game.

Benefiting From Injury News

Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade have already been ruled out for tonight’s game, so that means the Heat are going to be thin in the backcourt. Wayne Ellington started and played a season-high 38 minutes in the last game, and Tyler Johnson also played plenty off the bench. Both will see a nice boost here and are solid value picks on this slate. Ellington isn’t a high usage player, but he can knock down threes and should handle the ball more. Johnson will be the sixth man and is capable of putting up a nice line. They are great values on a slate that is somewhat starved for that.

Massive Upside In A Great Matchup

We have not seen a massive game from Whiteside in a while, but this matchup could be just the ticket for production. The Nets have been absolutely abysmal against opposing big men so far this season, allowing big games to almost any quality big man they have faced. The problem here is that we can never trust his minutes, and Spoelstra is often reluctant to play Whiteside huge minutes against teams that can go smaller up front. Whiteside double-doubled in the first meeting between these teams, but he played just 22 minutes. In short, there’s a ton of risk and a ton of potential reward here, which puts Whiteside firmly in the GPP mix on a short slate.

NBA Injury Rundown - Tuesday, 11/20

Toronto Raptors – OG Anunoby (Questionable), CJ Miles (Questionable), Norman Powell (Out)

Los Angeles Clippers – Danilo Gallinari (TBD), Luc Mbah a Moute (Out)

Washington Wizards – Dwight Howard (Questionable)

Miami Heat – Goran Dragic (Out), Dwyane Wade (Out)

Portland Trail Blazers – Seth Curry (Out), Maurice Harkless (Out)

Alex Abrines (illness) will "try to play" Monday

Abrines is officially active and will try to play in Monday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings after missing one game due to an illness, while Terrance Ferguson remains away from the team due to personal reasons. Hamidou Diallo will draw another start at the shooting guard spot following a dismal fantasy performance in 19 minutes of action in his previous spot start, even though he was outproduced by Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot off the bench, demonstrating the short leash that head coach Billy Donovan has afforded Diallo in terms of playing time. If he struggles again, the projected wing rotation would become that much more cloudy, especially with Abrines cleared to play, making it difficult to trust any of the three as a punt option in tournaments.

Nerlens Noel (illness) out Monday

Noel is a late scratch and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings due to an illness that appears to be making its rounds through the Thunder’s locker room. His absence will open up a few extra minutes for Patrick Patterson and Jerami Grant in the frontcourt, but the increase won’t be substantial enough to impact the duo’s projected fantasy value this evening. With Terrance Ferguson still away from the team dealing with a personal matter, Hamidou Diallo will draw another start at the shooting guard spot following a dismal fantasy performance in 19 minutes of action in his previous spot start, even though he was outproduced by Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot off the bench, demonstrating the short leash that head coach Billy Donovan has afforded Diallo in terms of playing time. If he struggles again, the projected wing rotation would become that much more cloudy, especially with Alex Abrines cleared to play, making it difficult to trust any of the three as a punt option in tournaments.

Russell Westbrook (ankle) will play without a minutes restriction Monday

Westbrook rejoined the Thunder in Sacramento for shootaround and his status for Monday’s matchup against the Kings after missing six consecutive games due to a sprained right ankle and a personal matter, while Alex Abrines remains a game-time decision because of an illness and Terrance Ferguson remains away from the team dealing with a personal issue. Westbrook won’t be subject to a minutes restriction in tonight’s contest, so he should be expected to receive near his normal minute allotment. Hamidou Diallo will draw another start at the shooting guard spot following a dismal fantasy performance in 19 minutes of action in his previous spot start, even though he was outproduced by Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot off the bench, demonstrating the short leash that head coach Billy Donovan has afforded Diallo in terms of playing time. If he struggles again, the projected wing rotation would become that much more cloudy, especially if Abrines is cleared to play, making it difficult to trust any of the three as a punt option in tournaments.

Cedi Osman will start ahead of J.R. Smith on Monday

Osman will return to the starting lineup for Monday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons, which will send Smith back to the bench to resume a reserve role. Smith has averaged 28.1 minutes over the Cavaliers last six games, but his move to the bench will likely result in a significant reduction in playing time. As for Osman, he logged 24 minutes in his return from a two-game absence due to lower back spasms, and he appears poised to see closer to a starter’s minute workload after having four days off since Cleveland’s last game. Osman had been a bit sporadic from a fantasy standpoint prior to his injury, but he still owns a 21.9% usage rate and is averaging 0.76 DraftKings and 0.73 FanDuel points per minute, keeping him in play for tournaments on slates that lack obvious value options.

Aron Baynes will start ahead of Gordon Hayward on Monday

After previously confirming the starting lineup would remain the same, head coach Brad Stevens has opted to start Aron Baynes at center in Monday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, which will send Hayward to the bench to assume a reserve role and will slide Al Horford to power forward and Jayson Tatum to small forward, respectively. Baynes figures to be a nominal starter and is unlikely to see much more than 20 minutes, as Stevens appears to be trying to shake things up in hopes that Hayward can provide a spark to the offense off the bench. Hayward officially had his minutes restriction lifted last week, and he’s logged more than 30 minutes in two of the Celtics last four games, adding to his tournament viability if he’s able to maintain a similar minute share off the bench moving forward.

Rudy Gay will play Monday

Gay has officially been upgraded from questionable and will play in Monday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans despite the Spurs coaching staff previously considering giving him a night off on the second leg of a back-to-back set. Head coach Gregg Popovich hasn’t confirmed his starting lineup, but Gay will presumably start at small forward once again following a solid fantasy performance in 30 minutes of action in Sunday’s win. There hasn’t really been a projectable beneficiary with Gasol and Bertans off the court thus far, but DeMar DeRozan predictably still leads the Spurs by a wide margin with a 32.6% usage rate and is averaging 1.12 DraftKings and 1.12 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.

Wesley Matthews (hamstring) officially out Monday

Matthews has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a strained left hamstring that’s now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Dwight Powell and J.J. Barea were already ruled out in advance of tonight’s contest due to their respective ailments. The absences of Barea and Powell will clear the way for Devin Harris, Maxi Kleber, and Jalen Brunson to take on more significant roles in the second unit, but Dennis Smith Jr. may actually be a sneaky beneficiary with Barea sidelined, as the two rarely share the court together and should lead to an uptick in his minutes. On top of that, Smith Jr. has a 27.5% usage rate and is averaging 0.93 DraftKings and 0.91 FanDuel points per minute with the aforementioned players off the court this season.

Danilo Gallinari (illness) out Monday; Avery Bradley (ankle) will start

Gallinari is a late addition to the Clippers’ injury report and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to an illness, while Bradley will make his return from a six-game absence because of a sprained left ankle. Head coach Doc Rivers already confirmed that Bradley will replace Gallinari in the starting lineup, which means that the Clippers will start a three-guard starting unit consisting of Bradley, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Patrick Beverley this evening. There’s been no word if Bradley will be subject to a minutes restriction in his return, but the fact that he’s starting seems to indicate that he’s closer to a full-go than being severely limited. The main beneficiary with Gallinari off the court this season has been Montrezl Harrell, as he owns a 24.9% usage rate (+2.3%) and is averaging 1.38 DraftKings and 1.42 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario, making him a fine tournament play versus the susceptible Hawks frontcourt defense.

Taurean Prince (Achilles) will start Monday

Prince has officially, been upgraded from probable and will start in Monday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing two consecutive games with a sore right Achilles, while Alex Poythress was already ruled out in advance of tonight’s contest due to a left ankle contusion. There’s been no word if Prince will be subject to a minutes restriction, but since he reclaimed his spot in the starting lineup, it seems likely he’ll be a full-go this evening. Either way, his availability will send Kevin Huerter back to the bench to resume a reserve role following two underwhelming fantasy performances in 28.5 minutes per game over that span. With John Collins expected to be limited to 18 minutes off the bench, any minutes Poythress would have played will be distributed amongst Omari Spellman, Vince Carter, and Justin Anderson, who is expected to be limited to 10 minutes in his Hawks debut after recovering from a surgical procedure on his left leg.