DFS Alerts
Don't Sleep on Me!
Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic are deservedly going to be the high-end players that everyone flocks toward this evening. If you are looking to diversify your GPP exposure a little bit, don’t sleep on Griffin — who we have pegged at a fraction of the ownership of the other two right now. That might change if Andre Drummond ends up sitting out with the flu, so perhaps the ideal situation here is that Drummond plays but is limited by his illness. Griffin sees a 4% boost in usage and has scored 4-5 extra FPTS per 36 minutes with Drummond off the floor, and I like the upside in a fun matchup against the rising Sixers. Griffin is a fine GPP target on this short slate.
Shaun Livingston (knee) officially out Monday
Livingston has been downgraded to out and won’t play in Monday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns due to a left knee contusion that has now kept him sidelined for two consecutive games. With Livingston unavailable, Quinn Cook should absorb a majority of the backup guard minutes, but to this point, head coach Steve Kerr has opted to just spread most of these extra available minutes amongst his starters and Andre Iguodala, making it difficult to utilize Cook as anything other than a tournament flyer in hopes he receives more run on the second night of a back-to-back set or if tonight’s contest gets completely out of hand before the fourth quarter.
As reported by: Connor Letourneau via Twitter
Derrick Favors (knee) will start Monday
Favors was a late addition to the Utah Jazz injury report with left knee soreness, but has been cleared play and will start in Monday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. There hasn’t been any indication from head coach Quin Snyder or Jazz beat writers that Favors will be limited in any fashion, so his inclusion on the report was likely more precautionary than anything. Despite being the “starter” at power forward, Favors has played fewer minutes than both Jae Crowder and Joe Ingles through two games, and while that may have been related more to matchups than an actual trend, it’s definitely something monitor as the season progresses to properly determine his viability in daily fantasy formats moving forward.
As reported by: Andy Larsen via Twitter Marc Gasol (back) and Kyle Anderson (illness) available to play Monday
Gasol will be available to play in Monday’s matchup with the Utah Jazz after previously being listed as probable with a sore back, while Kyle Anderson is also available to play despite his prior questionable designation due to an illness. The Grizzlies will be without JaMychal Green for at least the next month, so either Jaren Jackson Jr. or Kyle Anderson will have the opportunity to seize the starting power forward job while he’s sidelined. Jackson Jr. becomes an intriguing option, especially on DraftKings, and has averaged 26 minutes through the first two games even when Green was available. The sample size is still small, but Jackson Jr. has recorded a 22.8% usage rate and is averaging 1.34 DraftKings and 1.41 FanDuel points with Green off the court this season, while Mike Conley and Garrett Temple lead the way with usage rate differentials of at least +5.0% in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Kyle Anderson Marcus Morris (knee) will play Monday
Morris confirmed with reporters that he will play in Monday’s matchup with the Orlando Magic after previously being listed as questionable due to left knee soreness. The Celtics are already without Aron Baynes for tonight’s contest, so Daniel Theis will step into the backup center role with him unavailable. However, Baynes has only logged more than 15 minutes in one game thus far, which lowers Theis’ floor and limits his ceiling for daily fantasy formats. Jayson Tatum has thrived in his new role as the primary power forward and also leads the Celtics with 30.0% usage rate with Baynes off the court this season, making him an elite play on FanDuel, where his price has been slow to adjust and remains significantly more affordable than DraftKings.
As reported by: Mark Murphy via Twitter Derrick Favors (knee) listed probable Monday
Favors was included on the most recent update to the Utah Jazz injury report, and he is probable for Monday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to left knee soreness. There hasn’t been any indication from head coach Quin Snyder or beat reporters that Favors is actually in jeopardy of missing tonight’s contest, so his inclusion on the report was likely more precautionary than anything. Despite being the “starter” at power forward, Favors has played fewer minutes than both Jae Crowder and Joe Ingles through two games, and while that may have been related more to matchups than an actual trend, it’s definitely something monitor as the season progresses to properly determine his viability in daily fantasy formats moving forward.
As reported by: NBA Official Injury Report Shaun Livingston (knee) listed doubtful Monday
Livingston has been listed as doubtful on the latest version of the Golden State Warriors injury report for Monday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns with a left knee contusion. With Livingston trending towards missing a second consecutive game, Quinn Cook should absorb a majority of the backup guard minutes, but to this point, head coach Steve Kerr has opted to just spread most of these extra available minutes amongst his starters and Andre Iguodala, making it difficult to utilize Cook as anything other than a tournament flyer in hopes he receives more run on the second night of a back-to-back set or if the game gets completely out of hand before the fourth quarter.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter This Never Goes Well
This never goes well, but Derrick Rose is a very low owned tournament option tonight. We have him projected at 5% ownership right now, and while he’s not $3,500 on FanDuel, he’s still $4,600 and can be used as your “punt” play tonight. Rose has played over 30 minutes in two of three games this season and has 28+ FanDuel points in two of three games. He played a larger role with Butler out against Dallas, but it was encouraging to see him play a back-to-back regardless. Remember, Rose is only 29 years old and is still a productive basketball player when healthy.
Right Back to the Well with Harrison Barnes Out
Harrison Barnes will return to the lineup eventually, but until he does, I will continue to fire up Luka Doncic as a core play in all formats. His price is more than reasonable, he’s averaging 34 minutes per game, he fills up all areas of the stat sheet, and he draws an elite matchup against the Bulls. On the season, Chicago is ranked sixth in pace of play and 25th in defensive efficiency. Doncic has triple-double type of upside tonight.
Should Continue To Play Big Minutes
With Harrison Barnes ruled out for two more games, everyone is going to play Luka Doncic, and while I think he’s an excellent play, I think Matthews is a terrific value. He is not a better play than Doncic, but we get a massive discount from Doncic to Matthews, who is is going to play 33-37 minutes a night and is not afraid to shoot three-pointers. Matthews has attempted 29 shots in the first two games this season, and 18 of those have been three-pointers. The Bulls play at a fast pace and they’re not a good defensive team, so Matthews sets up as a safer high minute floor option tonight, though I really like his upside in this matchup as well.
Load the Cannons
It’s always tough to trust a two-game sample size, but with the new coach in Phoenix, we don’t have a lot to go off of. Canaan has played 29 and 33 minutes in the first two games and could be one of the best value plays on the slate at his price if he’s going to play 30 minutes. He’s averaging .78 FanDuel points and .83 DraftKings and FantasyDraft points per minute. If Canaan hits anywhere near his average this season, he should 5-7x his salary across the industry. With Golden State playing a lot faster than Phoenix, we get a nice pace bump for the Suns tonight as well.
Domantas Sabonis (knee) will play Monday; TJ Leaf (ankle) remains out
Sabonis has officially been upgraded from questionable to available and will play in Monday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves after a one-game absence due to a bruised right knee. With TJ Leaf remaining sidelined, Sabonis will likely resume his bountiful role as the backup center and power forward, which has allowed him to averaged 25 minutes per game this season despite not playing normal minutes in last Friday’s blowout loss. The sample size is obviously small, but Sabonis currently leads Pacers’ core rotation with rates of 1.30 DraftKings and 1.23 FanDuel points per minute and even compliments that efficiency with a respectable 23.9% usage rate overall, good for third on the team among players with at least 50 minutes played this season.
As reported by: J. Michael via Twitter Other tagged players: TJ Leaf Philly Three Years Ago
As ole Socrdave told me this AM, “That Bulls defense = Philly three years ago.” What Philadelphia so easy to exploit three years ago was not only their lack of defense but their fast pace. Three years ago the 76ers had the sixth worst defensive efficiency (106.7) and the sixth fastest pace (100.2). Early this season the Bulls have the fifth worst defensive efficiency (115.9) and the sixth fastest pace (107.5). Translation? Use players against the Bulls liberally. Luka Doncic will be mega chalk on Monday but DAJ will see lower ownership due to his high price tag and positional eligibility. DAJ has shown he’s clearly the second best fantasy producer on this Mavs team early this season and I want exposure to that against the Bulls, regardless of cost.
Looking for his Fourth Double-Double in a Row
The knock on Enes Kanter throughout his career has been his playing time. He’s always been a great per-minute producer, he’s just never been able to carve out a 30-minute per night type of role. Thanks to the absence of Porzingis, Kanter has averaged 31 minutes and 42 fantasy points in the first three games of the season. He has a high usage rate for a center (22.5%) and he’s a great rebounder (three double-doubles already). It should be an interesting matchup against Brook Lopez. Kanter doesn’t like to leave the paint, while Lopez spends most of his time on the perimeter. In theory, that could hurt Kanter’s rebounding upside, but I think he finds a way to post another double-double.
Should Benefit From Suspensions
As much as I like Kuzma tonight, I think Hart is a safer cash game option across the industry. He’s played 27 and 30 minutes in the first two games this season, and he should be getting more court time due to the suspensions to Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram. Hart is going to get his shot attempts in this game, and despite the Spurs playing slower, the Lakers are going to push the pace. With the minutes likely to go up, Hart has a really nice floor, and he gets DeRozan defense, which is never a bad thing.