DFS Alerts
Taurean Prince (ankle) officially out Tuesday
Prince has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets due to a sprained right ankle he sustained late in Saturday’s loss. Head coach Llyod Pierce hasn’t confirmed who will replace him in the starting lineup, but DeAndre Bembry or Kevin Huerter are the likeliest candidates to start on the wing, though both will be in line for increased playing time regardless of Pierce’s decision. Omari Spellman is poised to make his second consecutive start at power forward ahead of Vince Carter, but he was still limited to just 20 minutes despite his promotion to the starting lineup. Trae Young leads the Hawks by a wide margin with a 36.0% usage rate and is averaging 1.46 DraftKings and 1.35 FanDuel points per minute with Prince off the court this season, making it clear he possesses massive upside at his price this evening.
As reported by: Chris Vivlamore via Twitter
Thriving in Charlotte
He flies a bit under the radar in terms of national media attention, but Walker is having a great start to the season in Charlotte. He’s one of the NBA leaders in usage rate, and he has been incredibly consistent night in and night out. Tonight, he draws a great matchup against a Hawks team that plays at the fastest pace in the NBA and has an offensive-minded point guard in Trae Young. I think this will be a fun battle between two good point guards, and both of them are capable of putting up great offensive lines.
Immense GPP Upside
Taurean Prince is unlikely to play tonight, and while Atlanta will likely still go deep on the wings, the big winner here seems to be Trae Young. He’s not shy about looking for his own output offensively, and CourtIQ tells us that Young sees a 6.8% usage boost and scores eight additional fantasy points per 36 minutes with Prince off the floor this season. Atlanta doesn’t have much for talent, and Young is very capable of posting a 50+ fantasy point line in Prince’s absence. Fire him up with confidence in your GPP rosters on this short slate.
Ready To Take Off
Howard played very well in his first game back from injury, but the playing time was limited in that one because of a blowout. He double-doubled with ten points and ten boards in his second game while playing 30 minutes, and it should be all systems go moving forward. His interior presence will be needed in this one against DeAndre Jordan, and Howard is one of the only viable mid-range centers on the board tonight. If you aren’t paying up for Jordan or Ayton, Howard is a great option — especially in GPP formats.
Jimmy Butler (rest) and Derrick Rose (ankle) will play Monday
As expected, Butler will play in Monday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers after sitting out the previous game due to precautionary rest. Meanwhile, Derrick Rose will make his return from a two-game absence because of a sore left ankle, and Jeff Teague will miss his fourth consecutive game because of a left knee contusion. Butler’s return will send Josh Okogie back to the bench to resume a reserve role. Tyus Jones is set to start a third straight game at point guard in place of Teague, but he has been hit-or-miss from a fantasy perspective in his first two starts and has shot a horrendous 5-20 from the field over that span. Now that Rose is officially available, Jones’ minute floor is much more volatile, and he becomes an easy player to avoid in all daily fantasy formats at his elevated price tag.
As reported by: Jovan Buha via Twitter Other tagged players: Derrick Rose Avery Bradley (ankle) out Monday; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will start
Bradley is a surprise inactive after never being listed on the Clippers injury report and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a sprained left ankle, while Luc Mbah a Moute remains sidelined with a sore left knee. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will replace Bradley in the starting lineup alongside Patrick Beverley in the backcourt and has flashed upside already this season when given the opportunity, though he’s still nothing more than a punt option on the late slate or a potential pivot on late-swap sites. Lou Williams should also see increased playing time in Bradley’s absence, and he leads the Clippers by a wide margin with a 34.9% usage rate while averaging 1.42 DraftKings and 1.35 FanDuel points per minute with him off the court this season.
As reported by: Jovan Buha via Twitter Other tagged players: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Paul Millsap (ankle) will start Monday
Millsap has officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Monday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics despite dealing with a sore left ankle. Millsap has played more than 28 minutes in just one of the last seven games, which limits his ceiling and makes him a much less appealing option in daily fantasy formats. Millsap has really fallen victim to the Nuggets young core taking another step forward this season, as his usage rate has dipped to 23.0% despite still averaging 1.10 DraftKings and 1.15 FanDuel points per minute on the year.
As reported by: Harrison Wind via Twitter Royce O'Neale will start in place of Donovan Mitchell (ankle) on Monday
As expected, Derrick Favors and Jae Crowder were both upgraded from probable and are be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors, while Alec Burks officially received clearance to return from his three-game absence due to a left-hand chip fracture. Donovan Mitchell was already ruled out in advance of tonight’s contest, and his absence will allow Royce O’Neale to the start at shooting guard, which sends Grayson Allen to the bench after struggling in 27 minutes in his spot start on Friday evening. O’Neale has been a low-usage player this season, so he’d be an underwhelming punt option in tournaments, at best. Unsurprisingly, Ricky Rubio has been the main beneficiary with Mitchell off the court this season, leading the Jazz with a 27.3% usage rate (+4.6%) while averaging 1.06 DraftKings and 1.02 FanDuel points per minute.
As reported by: Tony Jones via Twitter Anthony Davis (elbow) will start Monday
Davis has officially been upgraded from probable and will start in Monday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder despite battling a sprained right elbow. There’s been no update on Darius Miller, who remains probable, but he should be fully expected to play at this point after seeing 14 minutes in his first game back from injury on Saturday evening. Wesley Johnson will draw a second consecutive start in place of Elfrid Payton and logged 21 minutes in the Pelicans previous game, though he is still irrelevant for daily fantasy formats. Jrue Holiday continues to benefit with Payton sidelined, as he leads the Pelicans starters with a 29.0% usage rate and is averaging 1.19 DraftKings and 1.17 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Jennifer Hale via Twitter Kawhi Leonard (ankle) out Monday
Leonard has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to what’s been classified as a jammed left ankle. In his absence, OG Anunoby will draw the start at small forward once again and played just 24 minutes in Sunday’s loss, though could see a bump in playing time on nights head coach Nick Nurse feels he needs his defensive abilities and multiple position versatility. Unsurprisingly, Kyle Lowry has seen the largest boost in production with Leonard sidelined, as he’s averaged 1.58 DraftKings and 1.57 FanDuel fantasy points per minute with a 27.9% usage rate (+5.5%) without him on the court this season.
As reported by: Blake Murphy via Twitter Reggie Bullock (ankle) out Monday: Glenn Robinson III starts ahead of Stanley Johnson
Bullock has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Miami Heat due to a sprained left ankle. In his absence, Bruce Brown will start a second straight game at shooting guard, but he was limited to just 12 minutes last time out, while Ish Smith and Langston Galloway logged 29 and 20 minutes off the bench, respectively. Head coach Dwane Casey has also opted to make another change to the starting lineup by starting Glenn Robinson III at small forward ahead of Stanley Johnson, but Robinson II has only averaged 12.4 minutes per game off the bench, so it seems unlikely that he’ll automatically switch roles with Johnson in the rotation.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Other tagged players: Glenn Robinson III, Stanley Johnson Allonzo Trier starting ahead of Tim Hardaway Jr. (back) on Monday
Hardaway Jr. was officially upgraded from questionable and is available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls, while Kevin Knox has received medical clearance to return from a seven-game absence due to a sprained left ankle. There’s been no word on a minute restriction for Knox or how head coach David Fizdale plans to utilize him in his first game back, but his presence still throws a wrench into the frontcourt rotation if he sees any game action. Hardaway Jr. was limited to just 24 minutes in Sunday’s loss after exiting to the locker room on several occasions, and it remains unclear whether the news of Trier starting is an indication that Hardaway Jr. will be limited, though he should definitely be avoided in daily fantasy formats. Trier has averaged around 22-24 minutes per game even when Hardaway Jr. at full strength, so he’ll be an intriguing punt option in tournaments as a member of the starting lineup.
As reported by: Steve Popper via Twitter Tim Hardaway Jr. (back) and Kevin Knox (ankle) available to play Monday
Hardaway Jr. has officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls, while Kevin Knox has received medical clearance to return from a seven-game absence due to a sprained left ankle. Hardaway Jr. was limited to just 24 minutes in Sunday’s loss after exiting to the locker room on several occasions, but he’ll presumably step right back into his normal starting role alongside Frank Ntilikina in the backcourt. There’s been no word on a minute restriction for Knox or how head coach David Fizdale plans to utilize him in his first game back, but his presence still throws a wrench into the frontcourt rotation if he sees any game action.
As reported by: Steve Popper via Twitter Other tagged players: Kevin Knox Justise Winslow likely to start ahead of Kelly Olynyk on Monday
Hassan Whiteside was officially ruled out in advance of Monday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to a right knee injury, while Goran Dragic is set to return from a one-game absence because of a right toe injury. His availability will send Kelly Olynyk to the bench to resume a reserve role for at least one game, which will allow Winslow to start a second straight contest after filling in for Dragic at point guard the last time out. Bam Adebayo will also enter the starting lineup in place of Whiteside, but he would have been in line for an uptick in playing time regardless of role and logged 30 minutes in Saturday’s contest following Whiteside’s exit. Adebayo only has a 16.1% usage rate with Whiteside off the court this season, but he typically makes his hay with peripheral stats and is still averaging 0.95 DraftKings and 0.97 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Shandel Richardson via Twitter Other tagged players: Kelly Olynyk Jimmy Butler (rest) expected to be available Monday; Jeff Teague (knee) remains out
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports is reporting the Butler is expected to be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers after sitting out the previous game due to precautionary rest. Meanwhile, Derrick Rose remains questionable with a sore left ankle, and Jeff Teague will miss his fourth consecutive game because of a left knee contusion. Butler’s likely return will send Josh Okogie back to the bench to resume a reserve role. Tyus Jones is set to start a third straight game at point guard in place of Teague, but he has been hit-or-miss from a fantasy perspective in his first two starts and has shot a horrendous 5-20 from the field over that span. If Rose is able to suit up, Jones’ minute floor would be more volatile, and he’d be an easy player to avoid in all formats at his elevated price tag.
As reported by: Chris Haynes via Twitter