DFS Alerts

P.J. Tucker (illness) likely to play Tuesday

Tucker technically remains questionable on the Rockets’ injury report, but he is likely to play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets despite dealing with an illness. Tucker disclosed to reporters following shootaround that he feels considerably better than he did during Sunday’s game where he still managed to log 39 minutes. Head coach Mike D’Antoni utilized just an eight-man rotation in that contest, and Clint Capela, James Ennis, and Isaiah Hartenstein were the only players to play fewer than 30 minutes. With Gerald Green still sidelined and Carmelo Anthony reportedly on his way out of Houston, it’s highly likely that D’Antoni is forced to run out a similar rotation this evening. In the current construction of the rotation, Capela has actually been the primary beneficiary, as he owns 20.7% usage rate (+2.5%) and is averaging 1.16 DraftKings and 1.18 FanDuel points per minute. This makes him a compelling tournament target, especially on DraftKings where’s he significantly less expensive at $6.4K, on tonight’s slate.

The Sneaky Play

This is my sneaky GPP play of the night. Atlanta will be without Dedmon again tonight, which means we will see more minutes for the other frontcourt players in Len, Spellman, and Prince. While Len was great in the last game, I worry about him a little more in a matchup against Golden State that could very easily go small at times. If that is the case, we might see Prince spend more time at the four, and Prince’s all-around ability suits the potential flow of this game better. Give him a long look as a mid-range option, as Prince is still one of the go-to guys on this team. I expect him to improve going forward, and he will need to be a key piece if the Hawks want any chance at hanging with Golden State.

Don't Sleep on Me!

Houston runs one of the shortest rotations in the NBA, and they used just eight players in the last game. With Carmelo Anthony on his way out and Gerald Green also out, the thinnest spots are up front. That could be even more true tonight if P.J. Tucker can’t go, as Tucker played 40 minutes in the last contest. In either case, we should see plenty of minutes for a great hustling player in Gary Clark, who played 33 minutes in the last game and put up six points, eight boards, a steal, and a block. There’s sneaky upside here, and he remains a fine value on all the sites, particularly if Tucker is out, in which case Clark might enter the starting five.

FINALLY Getting Some Run

Well, it took five injuries, but Larry Nance is finally poised to play some minutes for the tanking Cavs. They will be without Love, Dekker, Hill, Osman, AND Korver this evening, and that leaves a very thin rotation for this team. Nance grabbed 14 rebounds in the last game and has more scoring upside than he has shown so far. Maybe he can get into a rhythm now that the playing time is there, and he’s one of the higher upside mid-range plays that you will find on this short three game slate. Fire him up as a great GPP option.

A Bounce-Back GPP Spot

Cook was admittedly not good last night, and Shaun Livingston’s return cut into his minutes. Andre Iguodala also helped run the offense and played 33 minutes. However, the Warriors are generally cautious with both Livingston and Iguodala on the tail end of back-to-back sets, and this is a game they should win relatively easily. Even if we see garbage time, I would expect Cook to be the one on the floor, and this is a great matchup against a Hawks team that plays at the fastest pace in the NBA. Don’t be discouraged after last night’s dud, and hope that only serves to lower his ownership this evening.

NBA Injury Rundown - Tuesday, 11/13

Charlotte Hornets – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Out)

Cleveland Cavaliers – Cedi Osman (Out), George Hill (Out), Kyle Korver (Out), Kevin Love (Out), Sam Dekker (Out)

Houston Rockets – P.J. Tucker (Questionable), Carmelo Anthony (Out), Gerald Green (Out)

Atlanta Hawks – Dewayne Dedmon (Out), John Collins (Out), Justin Anderson (Out)

Golden State Warriors – Stephen Curry (Out)

Avery Bradley (ankle) and Luc Mbah a Moute (knee) out Monday

Bradley has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors due to a sprained left ankle that’s now forced him to miss four straight games, while Mbah a Moute remains sidelined for a ninth consecutive contest because of a sore left knee. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is poised to make another start at the shooting guard spot alongside Patrick Beverley in the backcourt, and he’s been more than serviceable from a fantasy perspective in an average of 32.7 minutes over the last three games. He remains priced as a value across the industry, so he should be a relatively popular option given his ability to rack up peripheral statistics despite a low 16.5% usage rate on the offensive end of the floor. Lou Williams has also seen a slight bump in minutes sans Bradley and Mbah a Moute, and he leads the Clippers by a wide margin with a 32.9% usage rate and is averaging 1.20 DraftKings and 1.15 FanDuel points per minute with them off the court this season.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will start for Jarrett Allen (illness) on Monday

Allen has been ruled out of Monday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves shortly after appearing on the Nets’ injury report as questionable with an illness. 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 is the only starter to average over 30 minutes. With Allen officially unavailable, Ed Davis will be in line for an increase in playing time but will still come off the bench behind Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who will start at center in a small-ball starting lineup. This could also allow Kenneth Faried to see some minutes at the back end of the rotation, but DeMarre Carroll has been limited to 16 minutes or fewer in his first two games, leaving plenty of room for him to take on a larger role in the frontcourt as he works his way back up to full speed.

Jeff Teague (knee) and Andrew Wiggins (quad) available to play Monday

Teague was originally ruled out, but he participated in shootaround this morning and will play in Monday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets after missing six consecutive games with a bruised left knee, while Wiggins will also be available despite dealing with a right quad contusion. The Timberwolves still won’t have the newly-acquired Robert Covington or Dario Saric at their disposal, so Derrick Rose will start alongside Teague in the backcourt in the absence of Jimmy Butler, while Wiggins will man the three-spot. The viability of Rose on tonight’s slate significant hit with Teague available, but Karl-Anthony Towns is poised to be a substantial beneficiary of Butler’s departure, as he owns a 30.3% usage rate (+4.3%) and is averaging 1.55 DraftKings and 1.56 FanDuel points per minute with him off the floor. This vaults Towns into the upper echelon of elite options, especially on DraftKings, where he is grossly underpriced at only $8.9K for his expected production output.

Nikola Mirotic (ankle) out Monday

Mirotic was upgraded from questionable to probable but has now officially been ruled out of Monday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to a sprained right ankle that’s now kept him sidelined for two consecutive games. Meanwhile, Elfrid Payton will remain sidelined for an eighth straight game with a sprained right ankle as well. With Mirotic unavailable, Julius Randle is poised to start at power forward once again and was stellar from a fantasy perspective in 37 minutes of action in Saturday’s win. The absence of Payton should allow Wesley Johnson to continue starting at the small forward spot and has averaged 25 minutes over the Pelicans last two games. Jrue Holiday continues to benefit with Payton sidelined, as he owns a 27.7% usage rate (+2.6%) and is averaging 1.22 DraftKings and 1.21 FanDuel points per minute with him off the court this season.

Jarrett Allen (illness) out Monday

Allen has been ruled out of Monday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves shortly after appearing on the Nets’ injury report as questionable with an illness. 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 is the only starter to average over 30 minutes. With Allen officially unavailable, Ed Davis will be in line for an increase in playing time and will likely start at center in Allen’s place, which could allow Kenneth Faried to see some minutes at the back end of the rotation. However, DeMarre Carroll has been limited to 16 minutes or fewer in his first two games, leaving plenty of room for him to take on a larger role in the frontcourt as he works his way back up to full speed.

Ricky Rubio (back) will play Monday

Rubio has officially been upgraded from probable and will play in Monday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies despite previously dealing with back spasms. Rubio has averaged 30.9 minutes per game this season as the starting point guard alongside Donovan Mitchell in the Jazz backcourt, and he figures to remain in that role this evening, as there’s been no mention of a minutes restriction following his aforementioned back ailment. Rubio’s fantasy output has been a bit more consistent of late, but he still owns just a 22.3% usage rate and is averaging 0.95 DraftKings and 0.94 FanDuel points per minute on the season. Those numbers aren’t exactly impressive, but they do keep him in consideration for daily fantasy formats on most slates depending on his price and matchup.

Elfrid Payton (ankle) officially out Monday

Payton has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to a sprained right ankle, while Nikola is shaping up to be a true game-time decision despite being upgraded to probable earlier in the day. The availability of Mirotic will ultimately depend upon how he feels following pregame warmups, but he’ll presumably displace Julius Randle from the starting lineup at power forward if he plays evening. The absence of Payton should allow Wesley Johnson to continue starting at the small forward spot and has averaged 25 minutes over the Pelicans last two games. Jrue Holiday continues to benefit with Payton sidelined, as he owns a 27.7% usage rate (+2.6%) and is averaging 1.22 DraftKings and 1.21 FanDuel points per minute with him off the court this season.

Aaron Gordon (ankle) will start Monday

Gordon has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Monday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards due to a sprained left ankle that had forced him to miss Sunday’s win, while Jonathan Isaac will miss his sixth consecutive game with a sprained left ankle. There’s been no word of a minute restriction for Gordon, so he’ll presumably step directly back into his normal minute allotment. The continued absence of Isaac will enable Wesley Iwundu to remain in the starting lineup at small forward, though his viability as a tournament punt is dashed by the availability of Gordon, as he’s typically been limited to minutes in the mid-teens with him active. Conversely, Terrence Ross has been the main beneficiary with Isaac sidelined, playing 27.8 minutes over the last five games, and he owns a 25.2% usage rate while averaging 0.97 fantasy points per minute with him off the court as well.

Jarrett Allen (illness) questionable Monday

Allen has been added to the Nets’ injury report and is questionable for Monday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to an illness. Despite starting every game this season, Allen has averaged just 26.3 minutes per game but that’s been the norm for players under head coach Kenny Atkinson’s regime, and Caris LeVert is the only starter to average over 30 minutes. If Allen is ruled out closer to tipoff, Ed Davis would be in line for an increase in playing time and would likely start at center in Allen’s place, which could allow Kenneth Faried to see some minutes at the back end of the rotation. However, DeMarre Carroll has been limited to 16 minutes or fewer in his first two games, leaving plenty of room for him to take on a larger role in the frontcourt as he works his way back up to full speed.