DFS Alerts

Upside In A Great Matchup

Monte Morris is averaging 13 points, four rebounds, and six assists per game over the last three contests, and he is also averaging 27 minutes played in those games. His all-around ability was always a benefit at the collegiate level, and he appears poised to show it at the NBA level now. Denver is a little thin depth-wise without Will Barton, and a matchup with the up-tempo Hawks seems to suit Morris’ playing style. I really like him as a value pick tonight. The price tag is a little high on FanDuel, but that will only serve to keep ownership down in GPPs, while the DraftKings/FantasyDraft price tag is very appealing.

Running Out Of Bodies

I understand that P.J. Tucker is not the sexiest name out there. However, the Rockets are very thin with Carmelo Anthony in limbo and both Gerald Green and Gary Clark banged up. There is zero depth up front for the Rockets right now. Despite dealing with a stomach illness, Tucker played 41 minutes in the last game. His presence will be needed against the frontcourt of the Warriors, and I expect to see some sneaky upside out of Tucker tonight.

NBA Injury Rundown - Thursday, 11/15

Golden State Warriors – Draymond Green (Questionable), Stephen Curry (Out)

Houston Rockets – Gary Clark (Questionable), Gerald Green (Questionable), Carmelo Anthony (Out), Brandon Knight (Out), Nene (Out)

Atlanta Hawks – Alex Len (Questionable), John Collins (Doubtful), Dewayne Dedmon (Out), Justin Anderson (Out)

San Antonio Spurs – Pau Gasol (Out), Lonnie Walker IV (Out), Dejounte Murray (Out)

Los Angeles Clippers – Avery Bradley (Questionable), Luc Mbah a Moute (Questionable)

Damian Lillard (knee) will play Wednesday

Lillard has officially been upgraded from probable, as expected, and he confirmed with reporters that he will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers despite aggravating his right knee in the first half of Sunday’s win. Lillard went on to play 35 minutes in that contest, so the knee injury doesn’t appear to a major concern and he won’t be subject to a minutes restriction this evening. The Trail Blazers are still without Maurice Harkless for a ninth consecutive game, which will enable Jake Layman to continue starting at small forward, though he typically maxes out in the mid-teens in terms of minutes on a nightly basis. Unsurprisingly, Lillard leads the Blazers with 31.3% usage rate and is averaging 1.28 DraftKings and 1.24 FanDuel points per minute on the year.

Trevor Ariza (personal) out Wednesday

Ariza is away from the team and has officially been ruled out of Wednesday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to personal reasons. Ariza has started every game for the Suns this season, but head coach Igor Kokoskov has already confirmed that Mikal Bridges will start at small forward in place this evening. He has flashed some upside when given the opportunity, and Bridges is coming off of a solid fantasy performance in 25 minutes his last time out. Bridges owns just a modest 18.7% usage rate with Ariza off the court this season, but he’s still averaging 0.83 DraftKings and 0.88 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario, which keeps him firmly in play as a viable punt option in tournaments on tonight’s slate.

Ed Davis will start ahead of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson on Wednesday

Allen was officially ruled out in advance of Wednesday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to an illness that’s now kept him sidelined for two consecutive games. Despite starting every game this season, Allen has averaged just 26.3 minutes per game, though that’s been the norm for players under head coach Kenny Atkinson’s regime, and Caris LeVert was the only starter to average over 30 minutes prior to dislocating his ankle. With Allen unavailable again, Ed Davis will be in line for a larger increase in playing time and will start in order to guard Hassan Whiteside on the defensive end of the floor, which sends Rondae Hollis-Jefferson back to the bench following a fantastic fantasy performance in 26 minutes in his spot start at center. However, DeMarre Carroll finally logged more than 20 minutes in the Nets previous game, leaving plenty of room for him to take on a larger role in the frontcourt as he continues to work his way back up to full speed.

Wesley Matthews (hamstring) will play Wednesday

Matthews has officially been cleared and will play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz after missing one game due to a strained left hamstring. His return to the lineup will send Dorian Finney-Smith back to the bench to resume a reserve role following a disappointing fantasy performance in 32 minutes of action in his spot start. Harrison Barnes finally broke out of his slump sans Matthews, scoring 23 real-life points, and recording 38.25 DraftKings and 40.50 FanDuel points, respectively, en route to easily exceeding his salary-based expectations. Given the matchup with Utah, he’ll be a relatively easy fade in tournament formats at an increased price tag this evening.

Elfrid Payton (ankle) out Wednesday

Payton has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a sprained right ankle that has now forced him to miss nine consecutive games, though the team is hopeful he can return for Friday’s contest. His absence should clear the way for Wesley Johnson to draw another start at small forward, and he’s averaged 23.3 minutes over the Pelicans last three games. The return of Nikola Mirotic should send Julius Randle back to the bench to resume a reserve role following a couple of stellar fantasy performances in an average of 36 minutes over the last two games. There has been confirmation from head coach Alvin Gentry that Mirotic won’t be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back, and assuming he’s not limited physically, he’ll become an interesting tournament target in a plus matchup with Minnesota since he owns a 26.5% usage rate and is averaging 1.29 DraftKings and 1.27 FanDuel points per minute on the year.

Derrick Rose (knee) out Wednesday; Andrew Wiggins (quad) and Jeff Teague (knee) available to play

Rose was a late addition to the Timberwolves’ injury report and has now been ruled out of Wednesday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sore right knee. Meanwhile, Andrew Wiggins and Jeff Teague have both been cleared and will be available to play following their previous questionable designations Head coach Tom Thibodeau has chosen not to fully disclose his starting lineup with Robert Covington and Dario Saric available to make their Timberwolves debut, but Covington will get the first crack at taking over the starting small forward role following Jimmy Butler’s departure, while Saric will come off the bench. Even once Rose returns, Karl-Anthony Towns is poised to be a substantial beneficiary of Butler’s departure, as he owns a 39.3% usage rate (+3.4%) and is averaging 1.56 DraftKings and 1.57 FanDuel points per minute with him off the floor this season.

Serge Ibaka (knee) out Wednesday

Ibaka is an extremely late addition to the Raptors’ injury and has officially been ruled out of Wednesday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons to a sore right knee. In his absence, Jonas Valanciunas will start at center after coming off the bench the last three games. However, Valanciunas’ playing time has remained roughly the same no matter if he starts or comes off the bench, so Greg Monroe could be an intriguing punt option in tournaments at the stone minimum price across the industry, especially if he ends up splitting the center duties with Valanciunas in an effort to slow down Andre Drummond on both ends of the floor. Valanciunas remains a strong fantasy option himself, despite the limited minute ceiling, as he owns a 25.4% usage rate and is averaging 1.45 DraftKings and 1.50 FanDuel points per minute with Ibaka off the court this season.

Derrick Jones Jr. (illness) out Wednesday

Jones Jr. was absent from shootaround this morning and has officially been ruled out of Wednesday’ matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to an illness. Jones Jr. has had a sporadic role in head coach Erik Spoelstra’s rotation to begin the year, evidenced by the fact he’s played as little as five and as many as 25 minutes over the Heat’s last six games. Therefore, now that he’s unable to suit up, his absence won’t have much of an effect on the rest of the rotation. Although a few extra minutes may trickle to Justise Winslow, Rodney McGruder, and Wayne Ellington, it won’t be enough to impact their projected daily fantasy value this evening.

Jarrett Allen (illness) out Wednesday

Allen has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to an illness that’s now kept him sidelined for two consecutive games. Despite starting every game this season, Allen has averaged just 26.3 minutes per game, though that’s been the norm for players under head coach Kenny Atkinson’s regime, and Caris LeVert was the only starter to average over 30 minutes prior to dislocating his ankle. With Allen unavailable again, Ed Davis could be in line for a larger increase in playing time to guard Hassan Whiteside on the defensive end of the floor, even though it appears Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is poised to draw another start at center following a fantastic fantasy performance in 26 minutes in his first spot start. However, DeMarre Carroll finally logged more than 20 minutes in the Nets previous games, which leaves plenty of room for him to take on a larger role in the frontcourt as he continues to work his way back up to full speed.

Cedi Osman (back) available to play off the bench Wednesday

Osman has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play off the bench in Wednesday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards after missing two consecutive games with lower back spasms, while Korver is listed as out for the second consecutive game with a sore right foot. Interim head coach Larry Drew had disclosed with reporters prior to Tuesday’s win that he was not optimistic Osman would be able to play in tonight’s contest, so that likely explains why the coaching staff is planning on monitoring his minutes closely this evening. Larry Nance will likely continue starting at power forward after averaging 32 minutes over the last two games, and David Nwaba should still absorb a decent portion of the reserve minutes at small and power forward, despite Osman’s availability, following a stellar fantasy performance in 26 minutes of action last time out.

Derrick Rose (knee) questionable Wednesday

Rose is a late addition to the Timberwolves’ injury report and is questionable for Wednesday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sore right knee. He joins Andrew Wiggins and Jeff Teague, who both remain questionable with their respective ailments, among the notable injury designations on the Minnesota roster. Head coach Tom Thibodeau has chosen not to disclose his starting lineup with Robert Covington and Dario Saric available to make their Timberwolves debut, but Covington appears extremely likely to get the first crack at taking over the starting small forward role following Jimmy Butler’s departure. Regardless of starting lineup, Karl-Anthony Towns is poised to be a substantial beneficiary of Butler’s departure, as he owns a 39.3% usage rate (+3.4%) and is averaging 1.56 DraftKings and 1.57 FanDuel points per minute with him off the floor this season.

Marcus Morris (illness) out Wednesday

Morris is a new addition to the Celtics’ injury report and has officially been ruled out of Wednesday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to an illness. Morris has played fewer than 24 minutes on just one occasion over the last nine games, so his absence does leave a sizable void in head coach Brad Stevens’ frontcourt rotation. Gordon Hayward logged 31 minutes in Sunday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, but there’s been no indication from Stevens that his typical 25-minute restriction has been lifted. With Morris unavailable, the Celtics may utilize more three-guard sets with Jaylen Brown soaking up some small forward minutes and either Hayward or Jayson Tatum sliding down to power forward more often than normal. On the other hand, this injury news could also afford Daniel Thies or Semi Ojeleye some extended run in the second unit, depending on how Stevens opts to attack individual matchups versus this porous Bulls squad.