DFS Alerts
The Top Team to Target Tonight
Miami is definitely a spot we want to look to this evening. Even though they have a difficult matchup against Portland, this entire slate is relatively ugly at first glance. Miami also has a lot of injury-aided value with both Wade and Whiteside sidelined this evening. That should put a larger burden on Dragic, who would have been much better the other night if not for early foul trouble and a blowout. Expect a better performance here in a fun matchup against Damian Lillard.
Ready to Rebound From a Poor Game
Bam Adebayo is one of the players that I will likely have the most exposure to this evening. He will start again with Hassan Whiteside out, and don’t be fooled by the lower minutes in the last game. He got into foul trouble and only played nine minutes in the first half, and he was not needed in the 4th quarter because of a blowout win. He should play closer to 25-28 minutes tonight, assuming the game stays close, and he filled in admirably when he got the chance earlier this season. Fire him up as a great value this evening.
Skal Labissiere (bruised hip) remains out Monday
Labissiere has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Monday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a bruised left hip he sustained during Friday’s win that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. The Kings are on the second night of a back-to-back set, and there is currently no indication on from the team or head coach Dave Joerger which, if any, veteran players will be rested in tonight’s contest. Willie Cauley-Stein was finally able to make his return on Sunday from a strained lower back that had kept him sidelined for four straight games, and he is expected to reclaim his spot in the starting lineup after logging 30 minutes off the bench in his first game back, which will demote Kosta Koufos back to his normal reserve role following five consecutive starts at center. Zach Randolph started at power forward in place of Labissiere yesterday afternoon, recording 21 minutes, but he’ll still remain a candidate to receive a DNP-CD on the second leg of the aforementioned back-to-back set, though an official update on his status still hasn’t been provided.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter
Potential Blowout that is Worth the Risk
This is typically the time of year when the Spurs start resting players in order to get healthy for the playoffs. They don’t have that luxury this season. If they lose tonight, they will fall into a three-way tie for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They have no choice but to try and win every game from here on out. With LaMarcus Aldridge out, Pau Gasol is going to carry the load offensively and if the game stays competitive, he has a chance to log 30 minutes against the Rockets.
Consistent Target at Small Forward
The Blazers have been tough defensively this season, but do struggle a bit to guard wing players. Josh Richardson’s minutes have been all over the map recently, but that’s largely thanks to foul trouble and blowouts. Tonight’s game features a 7.5-point spread, so I’m expecting Richardson to play around 35 minutes, especially given the fact that Dwyane Wade has already been ruled out. Take advantage of the discounted price point on J-Rich and fire him up in both cash games and tournaments.
Potentially Flying Under the Radar
With Hassan Whiteside out tonight, everyone is going to gravitate to Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk. While I see them both as elite plays, that doesn’t mean that we have to fade James Johnson. He should see a significant boost in playing time and is priced below $5,000 on both FanDuel and DraftKings. Over the last two seasons, Johnson has averaged 27 minutes and 28 fantasy points in the 21 games that Whiteside has missed.
Ryan Anderson (sore hip flexor) remains out Monday
Anderson will remain out and is listed as such on the latest version of the Houston Rockets’ updated game notes for Monday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs due to a sore right hip flexor that has now forced him to miss eight consecutive games. Meanwhile, James Harden will make his return to the starting lineup after missing Sunday’s front end of the back-to-back set due to a sore left knee, which will send Eric Gordon back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role after easily exceeding salary-based expectations in 30 minutes of action in his spot start. The Rockets and head coach Mike D’Antoni have yet to have their entire rotation healthy since Joe Johnson was signed away from the Utah Jazz via the buyout market, and in Anderson’s absence, Johnson and Luc Mbah a Moute have combined to assume his minute allotment with the second unit, while P.J. Tucker has continued to start at power forward and is averaging just under 29 minutes per game during that span.
As reported by: the Houston Chronicle Wesley Matthews late scratched on Sunday
Wesley Matthews won’t play on Sunday with a leg injury. He had missed two out of his last three games with the injury. Yogi Ferrell and J.J Barea benefit most, without Matthews.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen
James Harden ruled out Sunday
James Harden will rest on Sunday, but he’s expected to play on Monday. With Harden out, Chris Paul will see the biggest bump up in usage. Paul is by far the best point guard play on the slate. Eric Gordon will likely start for Harden, and is a great value play tonight.
As reported by: Tom MacMahon via Twitter Look for this Point Guard to Get a Massive Usage Bump Tonight
Houston will have usage and shots to spare tonight with James Harden sitting out, and if the past is any indicator a good amount of that usage should go directly to Chris Paul. In 723 minutes without Harden on the floor this season, Paul gets a 5.5% usage bump and averages an astounding 1.6 fantasy points per minute. The sites haven’t adjusted Paul’s price, either, and he is still sitting at $8,200 on FanDuel and $7,800 on DraftKings. Paul may be a popular choice tonight, but on a four-game slate it will be difficult to pass up his ceiling at those prices.
Al Horford ruled out Sunday
Al Horford will miss Sunday’s game against the Pacers with an illness. Aron Baynes, Daniel Theis, and Greg Monroe all will see increased minutes, without Horford. Baynes will start, and Theis and Monroe will see minutes off the bench. Monroe has the highest upside of all three players. Jayson Tatum and Marcus Morris will see a bump in usage tonight.
As reported by: Boston Celtics via Twitter Young Superstar Big Man Available at a Discount Tonight
A trio of poor performances in his last three games have pushed Joel Embiid’s price down to $9400 on FanDuel, the lowest point since November, and $9,500 on DraftKings. Just in time, Embiid gets a match-up with a Brooklyn team that has had trouble guarding the Center position all season and gives up the most rebounds in the NBA at 46.3 boards allowed per game. Brooklyn had no answer for Embiid last time the two teams met, allowing 29 points and 14 rebounds to the Philadelphia big man, and the 76ers are favored by six points in what is projected to be the second-highest scoring game of the night.
Revenge Game Narrative Could Power This Guard Tonight
Cue up the revenge game narratives tonight as Clarkson takes on his old Lakers team, fresh off a 21-point outburst on Friday that was his highest scoring game since being traded to the Cavaliers last month. The Cavs are favored by two points in what is projected to be the highest-scoring game of the night, and Clarkson should get an appealing defensive match-up against Isaiah Thomas in the second unit. Both FanDuel and DraftKings have conveniently dropped Clarkson’s price to it’s cheapest point since the trade, and at only $5300 on DraftKings and $4200 on FanDuel, the Cavs guard should be one of the best point-per-dollar plays on the night.
De'Aaron Fox will start Sunday
De’Aaron Fox will play and start Sunday against the Nuggets. Fox had missed the last game with a back injury. Frank Mason is off the DFS radar, with Fox back in the lineup. Fox should only be considered for GPPs today.
As reported by: Harrison Wind via Twitter Anthony Davis will play Sunday
Anthony Davis will play Sunday against Utah. He missed last game with an ankle injury. According to reports he won’t be on a minutes restriction on Sunday. Davis will have a very tough match-up against the interior defense of the Jazz. Cheick Dialllo loses his value with Davis back.
As reported by: Kyle Goon via Twitter