DFS Alerts
Emeka Okafor (ankle sprain) available to play Tuesday
Okafor has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after previously being listed as questionable on the New Orleans Pelicans’ injury report with a sprained right ankle that had forced him to miss one game. With Okafor sidelined, Nikola Mirotic drew the start at power forward and logged 30 minutes en route to exceeding salary-based expectations, while Anthony Davis slid over to center. Cheick Diallo was the main beneficiary and essentially stepped directly into Okafor’s minutes in the rotation and absolutely crushed expected value in just 23 minutes of action off the bench. However, now that Okafor is available, he’ll likely reclaim the starting center spot, sending Mirotic and Diallo back to their normal reserve roles and minute totals, barring any unforeseen limitations.
As reported by: Tomer Azarly via Twitter
Frank Ntilikina and Lance Thomas will start Tuesday; Michael Beasley to the bench
Lee is currently not with the team and was officially been ruled out for Tuesday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to personal reasons despite never receiving a designation on the New York Knicks’ injury report at any point throughout the day. In his absence, Frank Ntilikina will draw the start alongside Emmanuel Mudiay in the backcourt, while Lance Thomas will take over for Michael Beasley at the power forward spot, a change that has been hinted at by head coach Jeff Hornacek in several interviews over the past week. Lee has been averaging just under 19 minutes per game since the All-Star break, so there will certainly be a noteworthy minute void that will need to be filled by the aforementioned players and Trey Burke, who actually only trails Tim Hardaway Jr. in total minutes in the Knicks last five games. On top of that, Burke also owns a +5.1% usage rate differential with Lee off the court this season and has averaged 1.34 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.32 on FanDuel, setting him up as an intriguing tournament option on Tuesday’s slate.
As reported by: NY_KnicksPR via Twitter Other tagged players: Lance Thomas, Michael Beasley Maurice Harkless (patella tendon strain) ruled out Tuesday
Harkless has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the New York Knicks after previously being listed as questionable on the Portland Trail Blazers’ injury report with a strained left patella tendon that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. Harkless tested his injured knee during pregame warmups Monday night but his knee reportedly got progressively worse during his routine. Directly after last Thursday’s game, head coach Terry Stotts stated that the team had no timetable for Harkless’ return to the lineup, which hinted at the possibility of this multiple-game absence. Evan Turner will draw the start at small forward for the third time in as many games and has averaged 27 minutes per start, though he has had mixed results from a fantasy perspective. However, it’d be far from surprising if Shabazz Napier continues to soak up some more of those available minutes and has typically been an indirect beneficiary when either Harkless or Turner have been sidelined this season, setting him up as an intriguing tournament option on Tuesday’s late slates.
As reported by: Casey Holdahl via Twitter Marvin Williams (migraine) will start Tuesday
Williams has been cleared to play and will start in Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after originally being listed as questionable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with a migraine headache that forced him to miss shootaround this morning. Meanwhile, Michael Carter-Williams was already ruled out with a sprained right shoulder, which led the Hornets to recall Marcus Paige from the G-League to provide some depth at the point guard position. However, Paige is unlikely to see the court and Malik Monk will serve as the primary backup behind Kemba Walker at point guard. Even though Williams is starting, head coach Steve Clifford is unsure if he’ll be able to handle his typical minute workload after still dealing with subsidiary effects from an aforementioned migraine. If Williams ends up being limited in any way, Frank Kaminsky could see an expanded role in the rotation, putting him in play for tournament formats given his already decent minute floor in the mid-20s when Williams is fully healthy.
As reported by: Stephanie Ready via Twitter Courtney Lee (personal) ruled out Tuesday
Lee is currently not with the team and has officially been ruled out for Tuesday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to personal reasons despite never receiving a designation on the New York Knicks’ injury report at any point throughout the day. There’s yet to be any confirmation of his replacement in the starting lineup, but Lance Thomas or Troy Williams appears to be the leading candidates in an effort to keep Frank Ntilikina in his typical reserve role with the second unit. Lee has been averaging just under 19 minutes per game since the All-Star break, so there will certainly be a noteworthy minute void that will need to be filled by the aforementioned players and Trey Burke, who actually only trails Tim Hardaway Jr. in average minutes in the Knicks last five games. On top of that, Burke also owns a +5.1% usage rate differential with Lee off the court this season and has averaged 1.34 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.32 on FanDuel, setting him up as an intriguing tournament option on Tuesday’s slate.
As reported by: NY_KnicksPR via Twitter Justin Anderson (ankle sprain) available to play Tuesday
Anderson has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Tuesday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as questionable on the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury report with a sprained right ankle that had forced him to miss the last eight consecutive games. While Anderson was sidelined, the Sixers have made some key additions to their rotation by signing Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova, so he won’t be privy to the same role he had prior to his injury absence and will likely step in as the tenth man in the rotation, firmly behind Belinelli and T.J. McConnell in the backcourt and wing pecking order. In fact, the presence of Belinelli and Ilyasova have already relegated Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Richaun Holmes from the rotation entirely and it would be unsurprising if Anderson is a DNP-CD from time-to-time depending on matchup and game flow.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter Wayne Ellington (quad contusion) ruled out Tuesday
Ellington has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Washington Wizards after previously being listed as questionable on the Miami Heat’s injury report with a left quad contusion that has now forced him to miss four consecutive games. Meanwhile, Tyler Johnson was excluded from the injury report after logging 18 minutes off the bench in Monday’s win, enabling the Heat to send Derrick Jones Jr. back to the G-League and continue preserving the NBA days remaining on his two-way contract. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has opted once again to start James Johnson and Luke Babbitt at the forward positions, which means that Kelly Olynyk and Justise Winslow will remain in reserve roles for the third time in as many games, though Winslow ended up leading the Heat with 31 minutes played anyway on Monday evening. Even in his normal bench role, Dwyane Wade is an intriguing bounce-back candidate on Tuesday’s slate, as he owns 34.9% usage rate with Ellington off the court while averaging 1.16 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.15 on FanDuel, and he should continue to be locked into minutes in the mid-20s regardless of lineup combinations.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Wayne Ellington (quad contusion) questionable Tuesday
Ellington has been listed as questionable on the Miami Heat’s injury report for Tuesday’s game against the Washington Wizards due to a left quad contusion that has already forced him to miss three consecutive games. Meanwhile, Tyler Johnson has been excluded from the injury report after logging 18 minutes off the bench in Monday’s win, enabling the Heat to send Derrick Jones Jr. back to the G-League and continue preserving the NBA days remaining on his two-way contract. Somewhat surprisingly, head coach Erik Spoelstra still opted to start James Johnson and Luke Babbitt at the forward positions even with Bam Adebayo available to anchor the second unit as the backup center, which meant that Kelly Olynyk and Justise Winslow remained in reserve roles for the second time in as many games, though Winslow ended up leading the Heat with 31 minutes played anyway. Even in his normal bench role, Dwyane Wade is an intriguing bounce-back candidate on Monday’s slate, as he owns 34.9% usage rate with Ellington off the court while averaging 1.16 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.15 on FanDuel, and he should continue to be locked into minutes in the mid-20s regardless of lineup combinations.
As reported by: Andre Fernandez via Twitter GPP Potential with Matthews Out
Wesley Matthews has been ruled out again for tonight’s game, so we have some interesting value in the Dallas backcourt. Barea struggled the other night in the same circumstances, but the game turned into a blowout and his shot wasn’t falling in that one. I don’t expect Dallas to be able to do much on the interior against Denver’s bigs, so the majority of the usage should funnel through the guards. Barea and Dennis Smith Jr. are both intriguing GPP options tonight.
Potential Garbage Time in an Uptempo Game
The Nets check in as the largest underdogs of the slate, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. They are playing on the road against the defending NBA champions. There is a good chance that this game is well in hand before the start of the fourth quarter, which could open up a few extra minutes for Caris LeVert, who is coming off of a tremendous game against the Clippers (48 fantasy points in 29 minutes). Even if the game stays close, LeVert could see minutes in the mid to upper 20s, as the Warriors tend to play a lot of small lineups.
Playing up to the Competition
Chris Paul is one of those players that I’d rather target in a matchup against an elite player (or team) than I would in a matchup against an average NBA player. Throughout his career, he has played up to his competition and he almost always shows up when he’s facing another top tier point guard. If you look at his track record against Russell Westbrook, that certainly rings true. Paul has scored at least 49 fantasy points in four of their last six meetings. It doesn’t hurt that Paul’s salary has come down across the industry.
Top Play of the Night
At this point, Davis just becomes a priority play in all formats. His usage is through the roof with Cousins off the floor, and he has (knock on wood) stayed very healthy for the better part of the last couple of months. This profiles as a potential smash spot against the Clippers in a game with a total of 236 points, and the Clippers have nobody capable of containing the big man. If this game stays close, we could see an 80 fantasy point game here. There should be enough value to fit Davis into lineups in all formats, and it’s borderline crazy to fade him entirely if you are building multiple lineups.
Wesley Matthews (hip) ruled out Tuesday
Matthews has officially been ruled out and won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets after previously being listed as questionable on the Dallas Mavericks’ injury report with a left hip injury that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Matthews had recently moved over to the starting shooting guard spot with Dwight Powell replacing J.J. Barea in the starting lineup, but with him unavailable again, Yogi Ferrell will likely start alongside Dennis Smith Jr. in the backcourt for the second time in as many games. This will also leave J.J. Barea in his typical role as the primary guard off the bench and should enable Doug McDermott to continue seeing an increased minute share at small forward in the second unit. Head coach Rick Carlisle typically likes to keep certain members of his starting unit together on the floor as much as possible, so there isn’t much of a sample size for players like Smith Jr. or Harrison Barnes with Matthews off the court since the NBA trade deadline, but each should logically see significant usage and productions bumps with him sidelined this evening.
As reported by: Brad Townsend via Twitter Lock and Load Cash Game Target
In these bigger slates, it makes a lot of sense to anchor your cash game lineups with a stud. The bigger the schedule, the more value plays we have at our disposal. Anthony Davis is my favorite play on the board and it’s not particularly close. Over his last five games, he has averaged just under 40 minutes and just over 70 fantasy points per contest. That equates to a ridiculous FP/min of 1.78. The Clippers don’t have anyone that will be able to slow Davis down, as he presents unique matchup problems for both Tobias Harris and DeAndre Jordan.
Attacking a Massive Vegas Total
The price tag is dirt cheap, and he could be the key to unlocking value in this mouth-watering matchup between the Clippers and Pelicans. His minutes have been very steady, and while he won’t provide a 50 fantasy point ceiling, the floor is higher than normal in a favorable matchup. With the Clippers owning such a high team total (their highest of the year?), this could be the time to buy. I want at least two pieces of this Clippers/Pelicans game in cash formats, and you could make a case for more than that. The game is also very stackable in GPPs, too.