DFS Alerts
Ready to Return with a Spark?
The Warriors looked lifeless on Sunday against the Jazz, and it was almost impossible for them to compete without all of their top four players. The good news is that Draymond Green seems to be recovered from his illness, and he should be ready to return and lead the team tonight. He has posted some massive all-around lines with the other stars sidelined, and he has a great matchup this evening against a weak Pacers interior. I love him as a GPP target that might get over-looked tonight.
Tournament Play Only
Unless we get news that Black will start for Capela, I think he’s a tournament play only tonight. He’s minimum salary on both DraftKings and FanDuel tonight. Him and Nene both played 19 minutes in the last game that Capela missed, but Black ended up drawing the start. Nene has missed five of the last six games for “maintenance purposes”, and I just don’t expect to see him play more than 15 to 18 minutes tonight. I think Black will play 16-24 minutes tonight, and if that’s the case, he should crush value at his price tag.
Love Hate Relationship
I have a very big love hate relationship with Nwaba, but he’s played at least 25 minutes in three straight games. I would expect him to play closer to 30 minutes if Valentine ends up sitting out tonight, and see a usage bump. He’s averaging .88 fantasy points per minute with all of those guys off the floor this season, and receives a nice usage bump when Holiday is off the floor. They’re not giving Holiday more than 22 minutes a night right now, so Nwaba could play six to ten minutes without him on the floor tonight.
Increased Role Tonight
It’s really hard to trust anyone for the Chicago Bulls at this point, but I think we have to look at them tonight. With LaVine, Dunn, Zipser already ruled out, and Valentine/Markannen both game time decisions, there is a lot of usage to go around. The problem isn’t the usage, it’s trying to figure out which of these guys is going to play any minutes. Payne has played over 27 minutes in four of the last five games, and played four minutes in the fourth quarter of a blowout last game. We don’t have a big sample size with Payne on the floor with all of those guys out, but if Valentine sits, expect a big fantasy point per minute bump for Payne.
Take Advantage On FanDuel
James out and Clint Capela are resting for Houston tonight, and FanDuel didn’t price Eric Gordon up enough. He’s $7,100 on DraftKings tonight, but an excellent value at 5.6k on FanDuel. Gordon has a 29.6% usage rate with those two off the floor this season, and he’s averaging .90 fantasy points per minute. Expect big minutes from him tonight, and take advantage of this price on FanDuel.
Devin Booker (hand sprain) officially ruled out Monday
With Booker set to miss his fifth straight contest and T.J. Warren previously ruled out as well, Troy Daniels and Josh Jackson appear to be in line to remain in the starting lineup for at least one additional game. Daniels has averaged 30 minutes per game over that span and been at least semi-consistent from a daily fantasy standpoint. Marquese Chriss has also replaced Alex Len in the starting lineup recently, sliding Dragan Bender over to center, and he’s averaged 30 minutes per game over the the span of those two, though he’s had some mixed results from a fantasy perspective. For the most part, Jackson has been stellar with Warren and Booker sidelined and is averaging 37 minutes per game outside of a lone 27-minute effort in Friday’s blowout loss. Jackson also sports a +5.0% usage rate differential with Booker, Warren, and Tyson Chandler off the court this season and is averaging 1.05 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Scott Bordow via Twitter
Chandler Parsons (sore knee) will play Monday
Parsons is still dealing with soreness in his ailing knee but has been cleared to play in Monday’s matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he will almost certainly resume his normal reserve role off the bench, which has limited him to 16 minutes or fewer in every game since he returned in mid-February from a lengthy injury absence. The Memphis Grizzlies will be without Tyreke Evans and Ivan Rabb once again, which should enable Andrew Harrison to draw the start at point guard for the second time in as many games after he easily exceeded salary-based in 36 minutes of action in Saturday’s loss. He’ll continue to be a viable option in daily fantasy formats on Monday’s slate, as he owns a +3.9% usage rate differential with Evans off the court this season and is averaging 0.94 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.90 on FanDuel as well.
As reported by: Rob Fischer via Twitter Emmanuel Mudiay (illness) ruled out Monday
The New York Knicks didn’t hold shootaround Monday morning, so the first indication that Mudiay’s status may be in doubt for tonight’s matchup with the Charlotte Hornets came to fruition roughly a half hour ago, and he’s now officially been ruled out due to an illness. Mudiay and Courtney Lee were benched in favor of Trey Burke and Frank Ktilikina on Sunday, limiting Mudiay to just 20 minutes, and the chances of the guard duo starting a second straight game have increased astronomically with Mudiay sidelined. With Kyle O’Quinn unavailable, the Knicks will be forced to rely upon Luke Kornet and possibly Isaiah Hicks to absorb the backup minutes behind Enes Kanter at center, though Kornet shouldn’t be expected to see a substantial increase in playing time since O’Quinn hasn’t logged more than 15 minutes in either of his last two games. As for Damyean Dotson, he’s been up and down from the G-League all year, so his absence won’t have much of an effect on the remaining wing and guard rotation.
As reported by: Al Iannazzone via Twitter Nicolas Batum (Achilles) will play with a minute restriction Monday
Batum will play 22-26 minutes in Monday’s matchup with the New York Knicks following a four-game absence due to a sore left Achilles. Head coach Steve Clifford already confirmed that Batum will start, meaning Jeremy Lamb would head back to the bench to resume his normal reserve after logging at least 30 minutes in three of the last four contests. With Zeller still sidelined, Dwight Howard figures to be on the receiving end of some additional playing time, while Guillermo Hernangomez should remain in the backup center role and is averaging just over 15 minutes per game over his last five contests. The Hornets have generally struggled in their three prior meetings with New York this season, as Howard has led the team with rates of 1.07 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.05 on FanDuel in these matchups, significant decreases in his normal per minute averages.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Markelle Fultz (shoulder) will play Monday
Fultz will play in his first game since the end of October due to a right shoulder ailment and, according to head coach Brett Brown, will receive the backup point guard minutes behind Ben Simmons, sliding T.J. McConnell to an off-the-ball role with the second unit and likely relegating Justin Anderson from the rotation entirely. Fultz won’t be subject to a specific minute restriction, and Brown reiterated to reporters during his pregame media availability that Fultz’s fitness level and flow of the game will dictate how much he actually plays. Fultz won’t become a factor in daily fantasy formats right out of the gate, but it will be interesting to see how he and his role progresses in this Sixers rotation down the final stretch of the regular season.
As reported by: Rich Hofmann via Twitter Low Owned Value Play
I’ve been playing Belinelli all season, and really focusing on the increased shot attempts for him lately. He has double-digit shot attempts in three of the last four games. He also has at least four three point shot attempts in eight of the last ten games. He has over 20 fantasy points in four straight games. Philly has the second highest implied team total, and with something to play for, I don’t expect the rotations to change.
Kyle O'Quinn (hip) and Damyean Dotson (foot) remain out Monday
With O’Quinn unavailable, the New York Knicks will be forced to rely upon Luke Kornet and possibly Isaiah Hicks to absorb the backup minutes behind Enes Kanter at center, though Kornet should be expected to see a substantial increase in playing time since O’Quinn hasn’t logged more than 15 minutes in either of the last two games. As for Dotson, he’s been up and down from the G-League, so his absence won’t have much of an effect on the remaining wing and guard rotation. Lance Thomas rejoined the team following a three-game absence due to personal reasons, but Michael Beasley still continued starting at power forward, though he remains a volatile option despite averaging 30 minutes per start over the last three games. Emmanuel Mudiay and Courtney Lee were benched in favor of Trey Burke and Frank Ktilikina on Sunday, but there’s yet to be any indication from head coach Jeff Hornacek or the team whether he plans to utilize this lineup combination moving forward.
As reported by: Chris Henderson Other tagged players: Damyean Dotson Increased Opportunity Because Of Injuries
Devin Harris has really taken advantage of Gary Harris being out, and still is under priced for his minutes. He’s played at least 25 minutes in four straight games, and has at least 17 fantasy points in each of those games. He’s gone for at least 26 fantasy points in two of those games. With Barton starting, Harris gets more usage with the second until, and has over eight shot attempts in three straight games. Denver is fighting for a playoff spot, and will continue to use a tighter rotation.
T.J. Warren (knee) ruled out Monday; Devin Booker (hand) "very questionable"
Warren is still dealing with left knee inflammation and remains sidelined for a fourth consecutive game, while the status of Devin Booker won’t be determined until after pregame warmups but classified himself as “very doubtful” when speaking to reporters at shootaround. With Booker on track to miss his fifth straight contest, Troy Daniels and Josh Jackson appear to be in line to remain in the starting lineup for at least one additional game. Daniels has averaged 30 minutes per game over that span and been at least semi-consistent from a daily fantasy standpoint. For the most part, Jackson has been stellar with Warren and Booker sidelined and is averaging 37 minutes per game outside of a 27-minute effort in Friday’s blowout loss. Jackson also sports a +5.0% usage rate differential with Booker, Warren, and Tyson Chandler off the court this season and is averaging 1.05 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Scott Bordow via Twitter Other tagged players: Devin Booker Must Win Game
This time of year is always hard to predict because half of the teams are either trying to lose or trying to give their young players time to develop. The safest plays typically come from the teams that are fighting to make the playoffs. The Nuggets are basically in must-win mode from here on out, as they are two games out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference. Nikola Jokic is going to play 35+ minutes a night moving forward. While a matchup against Joel Embiid looks tough on paper, Jokic can score fantasy points in so many ways that he is basically matchup-proof.
