DFS Alerts
Still Too Cheap On DraftKings and FantasyDraft
FanDuel did an okay job with pricing Bjelica up, but he’s still under $6,000 on DraftKings. The big man has played at least 30 minutes in four of the last five games and has over 32 fantasy points in each of those four games. He’s played at least 32 minutes in three straight games and has at least 39 fantasy points in those three games. Bjelica is averaging 1.22 fantasy points per minute, which is the second highest among all starting power forwards tonight.
Iman Shumpert (rest) out Tuesday; De'Aaron Fox (back) questionable
Shumpert will be rested on the second leg of a back-to-back set and won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic, while De’Aaron Fox has been added to the injury report and is listed as questionable with a strained lower back. The Kings haven’t yet announced a replacement starter for Shumpert, but the previous time he was unavailable, Justin Jackson started at small forward and logged a whopping 37 minutes, making him the most likely candidate to start once again. If Fox is unable to suit up, both Frank Mason and Yogi Ferrell would both see an increase in playing time, though Mason would likely be the one that actually starts at point guard in his absence.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Other tagged players: De'Aaron Fox
Great Value Option
I really like this game tonight, and Fournier is one of my favorite plays on the entire slate. He has a 26.7% true usage rate this season and faces a Kings team that continues to struggle with shooting guards. This is a nice pace bump game for the Orlando Magic as well, which should help Fournier and Gordon. The Kings rank 20th in defensive efficiency against shooting guards this season.
Steven Adams (calf) on track to play Tuesday
Adams participated in shootaround Tuesday morning, and it appears likely he will play in tonight’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers after being a late scratch on Sunday due to left calf tightness. In his absence, Nerlens Noel ended up drawing the start at center and was phenomenal in 26 minutes of action, but he did leave the game midway through the fourth quarter with a sprained left ankle and remains listed as questionable on the Thunder’s injury report. Jerami Grant led the team with 37 minutes in his new starting role, while Patrick Patterson saw his playing time skyrocket to 29 minutes serving as the primary backup at both the center and power forward positions. Even though neither should continue to see that amount playing time with Adams likely returning tonight, they may still be in line for a few extra minutes if Noel is unable to play through his aforementioned ankle injury.
As reported by: Royce Young via Twitter Smash Spot
I wouldn’t think about touching Aaron Gordon in cash games right now, as he has been a frustrating player so far this season. However, he did attempt 15 shots in the last game, and a breakout spot is coming. This is a golden matchup against a Sacramento team that is playing at a much faster pace this year and isn’t that great defensively. If there’s a spot for Gordon’s athleticism to take over, this is it. Play the man in your GPP lineups tonight.
A Contrarian Top End Play at PG
Chris Paul is the obvious spend up at point guard for most people tonight, and it’s understandable given the circumstances in Houston with Harden sidelined. However, I think the contrarian angle is really interesting in GPP formats, and you can take that route with a similarly-priced option in Kemba Walker. It does come as a surprise, but Walker ranks 2nd in the NBA in usage among players with more than 10 court minutes this year. He’s on pace to have the best season of his career, and I don’t see that slowing down in what could be a close, high-scoring game tonight. The price bump and the presence of Paul on the slate will combine to keep Walker lower owned, and I love this spot for tournaments.
Time To Buy Low
This is mainly a speculative play based on price. Kyrie Irving is coming off a dreadful game and hasn’t really been anything special over the first two weeks of the season. However, he’s still going to be a focal piece in this Boston offense, and he won’t continue to be that bad. This could be a nice spot to buy low, as we rarely get Irving at these types of salary levels. Give him a look as a GPP option, and he will be lower owned based on his poor start to the year.
The Top Value on the Board?
At first glance, we don’t have a ton of obvious value today. The only major injury news as of the early hours is with James Harden, who is not yet ready to return for the Rockets. That should leave more minutes for Eric Gordon and Gerald Green, but most of the Rockets have been priced up to reflect Harden’s absence. However, Green is the one player who remains very cheap on all sites. I’ll happily buy into him in a 24-27 minute role at these prices. He played well against the Clippers in the last game and should be the clear focal point of the second unit. Green is a fine GPP value.
Pelicans will start Holiday, Clark, Moore, Mirotic, Okafor on Monday; Julius Randle (foot) will play off bench
Randle has been upgraded from probable and will play off the bench in Monday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets despite battling plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Meanwhile, in the absence of Anthony Davis and Elfrid Payton, head coach Alvin Gentry has opted to roll with an unconventional starting lineup consisting of Jrue Holiday, Ian Clark, E’Twaun Moore, Nikola Mirotic, and Jahlil Okafor, which is a bit surprising since Okafor has yet to log more than 15 minutes in any game this season. Okafor could certainly be worth a look in tournaments, but his range of outcomes for playing time could legitimately range from 10-25 minutes, making him the epidemy of a high risk-reward play. The Pelicans sample size with Davis, Payton, and Darius Miller all off the court together this season is fairly limited, but in that time, both Holiday and Mirotic have seen at least a +7.7% increase in usage rate, though Holiday has been much more efficient in converting this usage into fantasy production, averaging 1.48 DraftKings and 1.55 FanDuel points per minute in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: Andrew Lopez via Twitter Other tagged players: Ian Clark, Julius Randle Luka Doncic (back) will play Monday
Head coach Rick Carlisle disclosed to reporters that Doncic is receiving treatment on his sore lower back but will still play in Monday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs despite his original questionable designation. There’s been no word on a potential minutes restriction for Doncic, but Carlisle did say that team plans to watch him closely. If Doncic is limited in any way, Dorian Finney-Smith would likely be the main beneficiary of playing time at the two forward positions, but his projected minute floor remains low if Doncic is a full-go with Harrison Barnes now healthy. Surprisingly, the Spurs are allowing the second-most points per 100 possessions, so Barnes appears to be an intriguing option for all formats, particularly on FanDuel, after playing 34 minutes in his second game since returning from a hamstring injury.
As reported by: Eddie Sefko via Twitter Andrew Wiggins (quad) downgraded to out Monday
Head coach Tom Thibodeau originally told reporters during his pregame media availability that Wiggins would play in Monday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, barring a pregame setback, but Wiggins has now been downgraded to out, which means he either suffered a setback in warmups or Thibodeau provided misleading information. Josh Okogie has started the start at shooting guard the past two games with Wiggins unavailable but has experienced mixed results in his 26.8 minutes average. Derrick Rose has also been a significant beneficiary sans Wiggins, averaging 27.5 minutes, and has exceeded salary-based expectations on both occasions, making him an interesting tournament target in an up-tempo matchup with LeBron and the Lakers at home this evening.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Andre Iguodala (calf) available to play Monday
Iguodala has officially been upgraded from probable and is available to play in Monday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls despite dealing with left calf tightness, while Shaun Livingston will his second consecutive game due to a sore right foot. With Livingston unavailable, Quinn Cook theoretically should absorb a sizable amount of the backup guard minutes, but to this point, head coach Steve Kerr has opted to just spread most of this available playing time amongst Iguodala, Alfonzo McKinnie, Jacob Evans, and his starters, making it difficult to utilize Cook or any of the Warriors reserve players in daily fantasy formats until further notice
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter Emmanuel Mudiay (ankle) listed as available Monday
Mudiay is listed as available on the most recent update to the Knicks injury report and could make his season debut in Monday’s matchup against the Brooklyn Nets after missing six consecutive games with a sprained right ankle to begin the year. However, it remains to be seen if Mudiay even cracks head coach David Fizdale’s rotation with Frank Ntilikina and Trey Burke appearing to be firmly ahead of him in the pecking order for point guard minutes. As for the starting lineup, Fizdale will stick with a starting five of Ntilikina, Tim Hardaway Jr. Damyean Dotson, Noah Vonleh, and Mitchell Robinson for at least one more game, which limited Enes Kanter and Trey Burke to less than 22 minutes in Friday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Low Owned Value Play
I think shooting guard is loaded on FanDuel tonight, and because everyone is paying up, I think playing McGruder is very contrarian. He’s put up at least 30 FanDuel points in four straight games, and he continues to be priced under $6,000. Miami has a 117 implied team total tonight, yet they’re not getting much love across the industry. Even with everyone coming back, McGruder is still playing 30+ minutes a game. He’s not a core play for me tonight, but I like how he can make a lineup different for me.
Overlooked Guard
Jeff Teague has played at least 30 minutes in five of six games this season and has over 28 DK/FTD points in four of those six games. He’ll take part in a great, fast-paced game tonight and faces a Lakers team that ranks in the bottom ten in defensive efficiency this season. Teague had a big price drop after the blowout game against the Bucks last time out. I expect him to get lost in all the great value options tonight, so I really like this spot for him.