DFS Alerts
Omri Casspi (knee) out Monday
Casspi has officially been ruled out for Monday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors after sustaining a right knee injury early in Sunday’s loss. Casspi has only averaged 12 minutes through seven games this season, so his absence shouldn’t have too much of an effect on the remainder of the frontcourt rotation, but MarShon Brooks and Wayne Selden still figure to see a slight uptick in playing time with him unavailable. Shelvin Mack has averaged 26 minutes per game as the primary backup point guard and is still cheap enough to be viable as punt option in tournaments on most nights that lack obvious value plays and has exceeded salary-based expectations in three consecutive games.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter
Andre Iguodala (rest) out Monday
Iguodala will be rested and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, joining Shaun Livingston, who has missed four consecutive games with a sore right foot, among the Warriors inactives. Golden State hasn’t played since Friday and doesn’t play again until Thursday, so head coach Steve Kerr appears to be trying to take advantage of this light stretch of their schedule to manage the workload of some of his veteran players. Damion Lee was recalled from the G-League to provide depth on the wing, but Alfonzo McKinnie is the clear beneficiary of Iguodala’s absence, as he’s played at least 26 minutes in two of the last three games. This will also allow Quinn Cook to secure a role in the rotation as the primary backup point guard since he had been losing playing time to McKinnie, Jonas Jerebko, and even Jacob Evans with Iguodala running the point in the second unit.
As reported by: Anthony Slater via Twitter Tim Hardaway Jr. (back) and Kevin Knox (ankle) listed questionable Monday
Hardway Jr. has been added to the most recent version of the Knicks’ injury report and is listed as questionable for Monday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls due to a bruised lower back. Meanwhile, Knox has surprisingly been upgraded to questionable with a sprained left ankle that has already kept him sidelined for seven consecutive games. However, head coach David Fizdale has been adamant about Knox going through full-contact, five-on-five drills before being cleared, something he’s yet to do and makes his return seem unlikely this evening. Hardaway Jr. and Frank Ntilikina are the only two Knicks to start every game this season, so there are a plethora of ways Fizdale can go with his starting lineup if Hardaway Jr. is ruled out closer to tipoff. One candidate to start would be Mario Hezonja, which would make him an extremely appealing option in tournaments, as he leads the Knicks with a 34.2% usage rate and is averaging 1.24 DraftKings and 1.21 FanDuel points per minute with Hardaway Jr. and Knox off the court this season.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Other tagged players: Kevin Knox Paul Millsap (ankle) questionable Monday
Millsap is a new addition to the injury and has been listed as questionable for Monday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics due to left ankle soreness. His status doesn’t appear to be in much doubt, but if he’s unable to suit up, Trey Lyles would likely enter the starting lineup at power forward. Lyles typically sees around 20 minutes per game in his normal reserve role, so should Millsap be unavailable, he would be elevated to an elite value option on tonight’s slate. On top of that, Lyles also leads the Nuggets with a 29.8% usage rate without Millsap on the court and is averaging a respectable 1.04 DraftKings and 1.05 FanDuel points per minute in this scenario as well.
As reported by: T.J. McBride via Twitter Derrick Favors (knee), Jae Crowder (ankle), and Alec Burks (hand) available to play Monday
As expected, Favors and Crowder have both been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors, while 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 should allow Grayson Allen to draw another start at shooting guard after struggling in 27 minutes in his spot start on Friday evening. Allen remains priced at the stone minimum across the industry, so he certainly could be worth a look as a tournament flyer despite his recent poor performance. 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: Eric Woodyard via Twitter Other tagged players: Jae Crowder, Alec Burks Fast Paced Ownership Discount
New Orleans and Oklahoma City have Monday’s highest total by a wide margin as the Pelicans and Thunder are the fifth and sixth fastest paced teams in the league. In addition, the Pelicans are allowing the sixth most points per possession this season and represent a tremendous matchup for virtually anyone on the opposing roster. We may be able to grab Paul George at a bit of an ownership discount with Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis grabbing all of the attention.
Minutes Are There, Production to Follow
I’m not quite yet ready to bail on Jabari. Parker’s usage has underwhelmed in the starting lineup but the minutes have been there for him as of late, averaging north of 35 minutes per game over his last three. Jabari’s career low 49.6% effective field goal percentage will need to increase if he’s going to post a strong fantasy performance and a matchup against the Knicks who allow the fifth highest effective field goal percentage in the league (55.1%) should help.
Matchup Upgrade
With so much value at the center position on Monday night I think Drummond ends up sneaking a bit under the radar despite the massive matchup upgrade he gets with Hassan Whiteside out. Whiteside is not only a beast defensively with a career 98 defensive rating but is also a rebound monster with a massive 24.2% rebound rate for his career (he currently has a career high 27.7% rebound rate this season). While Whiteside’s replacement, Bam Adebayo, is a strong fantasy option in his own right on Monday’s slate, he’s a significant downgrade from Whiteside both defensively (career 106 defensive rating) and on the boards (career 15.9% rebound rate).
Bump In Minutes
With Hassan Whiteside ruled out, Bam Adebayo becomes one of the top value plays on the slate. Bam is averaging .95 fantasy points per minute with Whiteside off the floor this season and averaged .89 fantasy points per minute without Bam on the floor last season. He should be in line for around 23-26 minutes tonight, which should be enough to pay off his price tag across the industry. It’s shaping up as a slate we’re going to save some salary at the center position.
Hassan Whiteside (knee) out Monday; Goran Dragic (toe) will play
Whiteside has officially been downgraded from questionable and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons due to a right knee injury, while Dragic is set to return from a one-game absence because of a right toe injury. His availability should send Justise Winslow back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role, but head coach Erik Spoelstra could certainly choose to keep him in the starting unit at power forward, which would slide Kelly Olynyk to center. Bam Adebayo is another candidate to enter the starting lineup, but he’ll be in line for an increase 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: Ira Winderman via Twitter Other tagged players: Goran Dragic Thaddeus Young (illness) misses shootaround, still expected to start Monday
Young was absent from shootaround this morning but is still expected to play in Monday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets despite dealing with an illness. If his condition worsens throughout the day and is unable to suit up, TJ Leaf would draw the start at power forward. Leaf has been just a tertiary member of the Pacers rotation to this point in the season, and even though he would step into a substantial role if Young is sidelined, he’d be difficult to trust in daily fantasy formats given his dismal production rate of 0.60 fantasy points per minute.
As reported by: Scott Agness via Twitter Increased Minutes Because Of Injury
With Jonathan Isaac ruled out again tonight, Terrence Ross should be in line for extra minutes. Ross played 31 minutes on Sunday against the Spurs and ended up playing the last 16 minutes of the game. The fact that he closed with the starters make me interested in him, and this is a game that could potentially go smaller. Cleveland is ranked 30th in defensive efficiency this season, and they’re allowing 117.9 points per game, which is the sixth most in the NBA this season. I really like taking a shot on one to two Orlando Magic players on this slate.
Jonathan Isaac (ankle) out Monday
Isaac has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a sprained right ankle that’s now forced him to miss two consecutive games. In Isaac’s absence, Wesley Iwundu will likely remain in the starting lineup at small forward but isn’t in strong consideration for daily fantasy formats given his volatile minute floor and putrid production rate of 0.55 fantasy points per minute. Terrance Ross also figures to see an increased minute workload as the reserve small forward and is coming off of a solid 31-minute performance in Sunday’s win. Ross’ minutes on a game-to-game basis directly correlates to his performance on the floor, as head coach Steve Clifford hasn’t shied away from riding the hot hand if Ross is playing well. Without Isaac available, he makes for an intriguing tournament with an elevated minute floor and has an achievable ceiling at his price point across the industry.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter Worth The Risk For His Upside
Boban started against Orlando on Friday, and I’m hoping we start to see him play more. There was a report that came out that Gortat could fall out of the starting rotation, and he was close to failing out of the rotation altogether. Doc said he should stick with the same starting lineup against the Timberwolves, but he’s not 100% sure yet, which gives Boban a little risk still. That said, he has a 25.2% usage rate this season, though the most impressive thing is his 1.52 fantasy points per minute, and he’s put up at least 27 fantasy points in three of the last four games. Boban has also played 23 minutes in back-to-back games.
Should Grab Another Start
With Donovan Mitchell already ruled out for tonight’s game, Grayson Allen should be in line for another start, and he played 27 minutes in his first career start. He didn’t play well in his first start, but I’m willing to go back to the well at this price. He’s minimum salary across the industry tonight. With Exum banged up as well, Allen should play 25+ minutes tonight. We don’t need him to be a point per minute player at this price, we just need him to get 20+ fantasy points.