DFS Alerts
The Top Overall Play of the Night
Don’t overthink this one. Simmons will be the entirety of the Sixers offense with both Embiid and Saric out. According to CourtIQ, Ben Simmons sees a 6.1% boost in usage and scores almost six additional fantasy points per 36 minutes with Embiid and Saric off the floor. There is just too much missing from the Sixers team right now to not lock Simmons in as the first player into your lineups. Triple-double potential awaits in an up tempo matchup against the Nets. He should play 35+ minutes and provide production in all areas of the stat sheet if this game stays close.
Finally Capitalizing on his Upside
Chriss has played 30+ minutes and has scored 35+ fantasy points in each of the last three games. The tanking Suns are effectively playing all their young guys at this point, and there’s no reason to believe that Chriss won’t continue to see a heavy workload. He’s a very strong tournament option this evening. Foul trouble is often a concern, but he’s at least not quite as bad on that front as he used to be, and the path is certainly there for playing time. Fire him up with confidence while he’s playing well.
The Best Secondary Philadelphia Option
He does it somewhat quietly, but Robert Covington sees a massive boost in production with Embiid and Saric off the floor. CourtIQ tells us that he scores about 10 additional fantasy points per 36 minutes, and he also sees a 6% boost in usage. While his production is often hit or miss, I would expect a fine game tonight, and he is definitely an interesting GPP option.
Andre Iguodala (knee), Kevon Looney (illness), and Shaun Livingston (personal) ruled out Tuesday
Iguodala, Looney, and Livingston have all officially been ruled out for Tuesday’s matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder due to their respective ailments, while Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson will play, as expected, following their original probable designations on the injury report. Zaza Pachulia will replace Looney in the Golden State Warriors starting lineup, according to head coach Steve Kerr, but he’s rarely been fantasy relevant when the big four are healthy and available to play, so he can be avoided in all daily fantasy formats despite the small uptick in projected playing time. With Stephen Curry still sidelined, this news is going to leave the Warriors relatively thin at the guard and wing positions, which should mean that the starters and Nick Young should see all the minutes they can handle, while Draymond Green could also see some time at small forward. Kevin Durant continues to shoulder the offensive load without Curry, as he owns a +2.4% usage rate differential with the aforementioned players off the court and is averaging 1.65 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.61 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter Other tagged players: Kevon Looney, Shaun Livingston
A Fine GPP Center Play
Nobody likes to play Dwight Howard all that much, so I’ll continue to enjoy his consistent production at low ownership. All the guy has done all year is score and rebound on a nightly basis, and he draws a fine matchup against the tanking Bulls this evening. They don’t have anyone capable of slowing Howard down, and he’s a fine pivot off the other top end center plays, as he also comes a little bit cheaper than the likes of a Nikola Jokic.
Allen Crabbe (illness) questionable Tuesday
Crabbe has been added to the Brooklyn Nets’ injury report and is questionable for Tuesday’s matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers due to an illness. If he’s ruled out closer to tipoff, Joe Harris would more than likely enter the starting lineup at the shooting guard spot, though Spencer Dinwiddie also remains a candidate despite his and D’Angelo Russell’s minutes being extremely sporadic in recent games. Harris is largely reliant on this three-point shooting to equate to his fantasy production, so he’d be a fringe tournament target if Crabbe is unavailable. There aren’t any other real direct beneficiaries with Crabbe off the court this season, but Rondae Hollis-Jefferson does own a marginal +1.4% usage rate differential and averages 1.08 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.09 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Alex Labidou via Twitter Nerlens Noel suspended five games for violating NBA's anti-drug policy
Noel has been suspended for the Dallas Mavericks final five games of the regular season after violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. His absence will enable Salah Mejri, who is currently questionable for Tuesday’s matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, and Maxi Kleber to absorb a large majority of the available backup center minutes. The Mavericks are still without J.J. Barea, and head coach Rick Carlisle has really limited the playing time of most of his starters in recent games as he attempts to get a longer look at younger players at the end of the regular rotation. In fact, even Dennis Smith Jr. has logged 26 minutes or fewer in four of the last six games, despite Barea being unavailable for a majority of those contests, as minutes have been diluted at the guard and wing positions amongst Dorian Finney-Smith, Yogi Ferrell, Aaron Harrison, and even Kyle Collinsworth at times. So, it goes without saying that the Mavericks are a difficult team to trust in daily formats for this final stretch of the regular season.
As reported by: Chris Haynes via Twitter Jonathan Isaac (ankle sprain) ruled out Tuesday
Isaac has officially been ruled out of Tuesday’s matchup with the New York Knicks due to a sprained left ankle, and he’ll join Jonathon Simmons, Evan Fournier, and Terrence Ross among the other Orlando Magic inactives. This should allow Mario Hezonja to rejoin the starting lineup at one of the forward positions alongside Aaron Gordon and has logged at least 26 minutes in each of the last two games despite coming off the bench. Shelvin Mack has recorded at least 24 minutes in each of the last four games, which makes him the preferred Magic reserve guard to target in tournament formats over Wesley Iwundu, who figures to continue starting at the shooting guard spot. Nikola Vucevic owns a +8.7% usage rate differential with the aforementioned players off the court this season and also leads the ways in terms of production with a rate of 1.41 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.44 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: John Denton via Twitter Nicolas Batum (sore Achilles) now questionable Tuesday
Batum was originally ruled out, but he went through shootaround Tuesday morning and has been upgraded to questionable on the injury report for tonight’s matchup with Chicago Bulls, though he is still expected to go through pregame warmups before a final decision is made on his status. The Charlotte Hornets are still without Treveon Graham, Dwayne Bacon, and Cody Zeller due to their respective ailments, so if Batum is eventually ruled out (again), Jeremy Lamb would almost certainly draw the start at the shooting guard spot, while Malik Monk would likely continue serving as the main guard off the bench. Dwight Howard owns a +2.4% usage rate differential with Batum and the aforementioned players off the court this season and is averaging 1.25 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.23 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Kevin Love (illness) questionable Tuesday
Love was absent from shootaround Tuesday morning and is questionable for tonight’s matchup with the Toronto Raptors due to an illness. The Cavaliers are already without George Hill but will receive some reinforcements with Kyle Korver set to make his return from a seven-game absence after dealing with a personal matter. Calderon is likely to continue starting at point guard with Hill sidelined and is coming off of a subpar daily fantasy performance in 21 minutes of action on Sunday evening. If Love is unable to suit up, Larry Nance would likely shift over to center with Jeff Green rejoining the starting lineup at power forward, though Tristan Thompson remains a candidate to replace Love at center straight up as well. Surprisingly, Cedi Osman actually leads the Cavaliers with a +3.7% usage rate differential when Love and Hill have been off the court this season and also owns a +0.15 increase to his per minute production on DraftKings and FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Joe Vardon via Twitter Kyle Korver (personal) will play Tuesday; George Hill (ankle) remains out
Korver is set to make his return from a seven-game absence after tending to a personal matter and will play in Tuesday’s matchup with the Toronto Raptors, while George Hill remains sidelined with a sprained right ankle. Calderon is likely to continue starting at point guard with Hill sidelined and is coming off of a subpar daily fantasy performance in 21 minutes of action on Sunday evening. If Kevin Love, who’s questionable due to an illness, is unable to suit up, Larry Nance would likely shift over to center with Jeff Green rejoining the starting lineup at power forward, though Tristan Thompson remains a candidate to replace Love at center straight up as well. Surprisingly, Cedi Osman actually leads the Cavaliers with a +3.7% usage rate differential when Love and Hill have been off the court this season and also owns a +0.15 increase to his per minute production on DraftKings and FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Fred McLeod via Twitter Other tagged players: George Hill Large Field GPP Play
Monk is a great value play for large field tournaments tonight. Bacon and Graham are ruled out for tonight’s game, and there’s a chance Jeremy Lamb sits as well. Monk played 24 minutes against the 76ers with both of those guys out, and I would expect to see him play 23 to 26 minutes tonight. He doesn’t do a lot outside of scoring, but at this price tag, he could hit value with 14+ actual points. He has double-digit points in four of the last five games, and has at least 16 points in the last two games where he’s played 23+ minutes. With this massive slate, I don’t expect a lot of people to play Monk tonight.
Great Spot To Target
The 76ers will be without Embiid and Saric tonight, and they have the highest implied team total on the slate. Their implied team total is 6.8 points higher than their season average, and it’s an excellent spot to target. Brooklyn ranks 28th in defensive efficiency against power forwards this season, and they’re allowing the fourth most fantasy points per game to opposing power forwards. With Embiid and Saric off the floor, Ilysova is averaging .90 fantasy points per minute, and he has a 23.1% usage rate. That’s a 2.9% usage bump for him, and without these guys, Ilysova is one of my favorite plays on the slate.
Minutes In A Tough Matchup
Wallace hasn’t flashed a lot of upside since returning to the Clippers, but the minutes aren’t going anywhere. With Milos and Evans out, Wallace should continue to play big minutes for the Clippers. With both of these teams needing a win, I would expect tight rotations from both teams tonight. Wallace has played at least 34 minutes in three straight games, and has over 20 fantasy points in each of those games. I love finding high minute value guys at this point of the season, and I’m going to trust someone like Wallace more than I’m going to trust someone playing for the Bulls.
Excellent Source Of Value On FanDuel
Ullis is 6.2k on DraftKings tonight, but he’s still 4.9k on FanDuel. Players that play on both sites usually will overlook someone if their expensive on one site. Payton is questionable, Booker is questionable, and Warren is already ruled out for tonight’s game. He’s played at least 30 minutes in four straight games and has played over 36 minutes in three straight games without Payton. He’s scored at least 27 fantasy points in four straight games, and five of the last six games. He’s an elite value play at this price on FanDuel, and should be considered for all formats.