DFS Alerts
Upside and Volatility in a 12 Game Slate
For a slate this size, we surprisingly have very few players that stand out as elite options at their respective positions. This should lead to spread out ownership, making it a great slate for both cash games and tournaments. Rajon Rondo is basically the definition of volatile, but his minutes have been trending upward over his last five games. If he sees anywhere close to 30 minutes against the Lakers, he should be able to reach and exceed value at his current price point.
Tim Frazier (nasal surgery) ruled out Wednesday
Frazier underwent nasal surgery on Sunday and has officially been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the New York Knicks as he recovers from the aforementioned procedure. Meanwhile, Tomas Satoransky’s status is still to be determined, according to Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks, as he still needs to clear the second stage of concussion testing. There hasn’t been an official update on Markieff Morris, who was sidelined for Saturday’s contest with an illness, but he is currently listed as questionable in the Wizards’ game notes. If Morris is still unable to suit up, Kelly Oubre would likely draw the start at small forward once again, a lineup change that will slide Otto Porter down to the power forward position in Morris’ place. This will also allow Mike Scott to step into an extended role off the bench and logged 23 minutes in the previous game. Not only does Porter lead the Wizards in playing time in games Morris has missed this season at just over 33 minutes per contest, but he, Oubre, and Bradley Beal all own at least a +4.4% usage rate differential with Morris and John Wall off the court, while Beal also has seen his production spike to 1.26 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.22 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Candace Buckner via Twitter
Sneaky Spot in a High Scoring Game
The Blazers have one of the biggest differences between their implied total and their average points per game on the season. They are projected to score nearly five points more than their average, so we can give a boost to their offense as a whole. They draw a pace-up matchup against the Warriors and they are facing them at home. With Jusuf Nurkic questionable, Al-Farouq Aminu could end up playing a few extra minutes. Even if Nurkic is active, I expect Aminu to play a big role against the Warriors, who employ a lot of small ball lineups.
Top Overall Play of the Day?
This feels like a game where we could see a blow up performance from Davis. He is a physical mismatch for the Lakers’ frontcourt, and I like the idea of stacking this game in GPPs. Both of these teams play at a fast pace, and we could see a massive point total in this game. If I am looking to one player to spend up on tonight, Davis is my first priority.
Opportunity Abounds
It’s not generally a great idea to target opposing players against the Celtics, but you can make a case for Gallinari and DeAndre Jordan tonight. Gallinari will be the unquestioned scoring leader of this team along with Lou Williams with Blake Griffin out of the way, and the minutes are very secure. Gallinari is averaging 21.2 actual points per game this month, which is six points above his season average. He’s a solid mid-range target in GPP formats for his scoring upside.
The GPP Upside Continues
Even though the Suns got blown out once again the other night, Elfrid Payton made his presence felt for his new team. He was the only Phoenix player to show up against Golden State, logging a 29/8/5 line in just 31 minutes in that game. He’s going to see a nice boost playing for a fast paced team, and the minutes should be secure. A matchup against Utah will likely scare people away, but I’m definitely on board in GPP formats.
Jamal Murray (chest) available to play Tuesday
Jamal Murray has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Tuesday’s game against the Spurs after previously being listed as questionable with a chest injury. There hasn’t been any update on a potential minutes restriction for Murray tonight. Murray has been seeing minutes in the mid to upper thirties, assuming he regains his normal workload he is a usable play in DFS tournaments tonight. He will regain his normal starting role aside Gary Harris.
As reported by: Denver Nuggets
Spurs will start Murray, Green, Anderson, Bertans, Gasol
It has been confirmed that the San Antonio Spurs will roll with the same starting five from last night. There was some speculation earlier today that both Pau Gasol and Tony Parker may be rested because of the road back to back situation. In addition to Gasol and Parker, Dejounte Murray has also been confirmed in after being listed as probable with an ankle injury he suffered against the Suns last week. With Lamarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, and Kawhi Leonard unavailable look for Pau Gasol and Davis Bertans to lead the teams in usage. Although Parker and Gasol have been ruled in there is still a chance their minutes may be limited. Dejounte Murray and Davis Bertans are the safest targets for DFS tournaments tonight.
As reported by: Jeff McDonald Other tagged players: Danny Green, Dejounte Murray, Davis Bertans, Kyle Anderson Dirk Nowitzki (ankle), Wesley Matthews (back), and J.J. Barea (rest) available to play Tuesday
Nowitzki and Matthews have officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Tuesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings after previously being listed as probable on the Dallas Mavericks’ injury report with the respective ailments that had forced them each to miss one game. Meanwhile, J.J. Barea will also be available, likely off the bench, following a one-game absence due to rest purposes as part of his return from injury management plan, and Salah Mejri remains questionable, as head coach Rick Carlisle neglected to provide an update on the reserve big man’s status for tonight’s contest. Dwight Powell and Yogi Ferrell were both productive from a fantasy perspective in their spot starts and logged 28 and 33 minutes, respectively, and Powell projects to remain in the Mavericks starting lineup at center for the second time in as many games while Ferrell will be displaced by Matthews at the shooting guard spot.
As reported by: Eddie Sefko via Twitter Other tagged players: Wesley Matthews, J.J. Barea Russell Westbrook (ankle) and Carmelo Anthony (ankle) will play Tuesday
Westbrook has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after previously being listed as questionable on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s injury report and considered a game-time decision with a sprained left ankle that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. Additionally, Carmelo Anthony has been cleared to return from his own two-game absence due to a sprained right ankle following his earlier questionable designation on the injury report. Both Westbrook and Anthony won’t be subject to minute restrictions and will start, which means that Patrick Patterson and Raymond Felton will head back to the bench to resume their normal reserves and see their overall playing time greatly diminished. Patterson had replaced Anthony at power forward in each contest and averaged 30 minutes per start, while Jerami Grant averaged 24 minutes off the bench as the primary backup at the four spot. As for Felton, he started at point guard and averaged 32 minutes over the last two contests as essentially the only true point guard on the Thunder’s active roster while Westbrook was unavailable.
As reported by: Royce Young via Twitter Other tagged players: Carmelo Anthony OG Anunoby (ankle sprain) will play Tuesday
Anunoby has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for Tuesday’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being listed as questionable on the Toronto Raptors’ injury report with a sprained right ankle he sustained during the first half of Sunday’s win. Anunoby won’t be subject to a minute restriction in tonight’s contest, but head coach Dwane Casey did disclose to reporters during his pregame media availability that Anunoby’s ankle is still an issue. Anunoby has seen his role in the starting unit mostly settle in the low-20s of late in terms of minutes, but he still remains an unusable asset for daily fantasy formats, as he owns just a 13.0% usage rate on the season and is averaging a putrid 0.60 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and FanDuel over that same timespan.
As reported by: Blake Murphy via Twitter Dejounte Murray (ankle) and Manu Ginobili (rest) probable Tuesday
Murray and Ginobili have both been listed as probable on the San Antonio Spurs’ injury report for Tuesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets due to a sprained left ankle and possible rest, respectively. Meanwhile, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kawhi Leonard, and Rudy Gay all remain sidelined with their respective ailments. The Spurs are playing the second leg of a back-to-back set, so even with the probable designation, Ginobili and players like Pau Gasol and Tony Parker remain potential rest candidates. Murray logged 28 minutes in Tuesday’s loss, so his designation on the injury report is likely more precautionary than anything else, and he continues to lead the Spurs with a +5.7% usage rate differential with Aldridge, Leonard, and Gay off the court this season while averaging 1.09 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Michael C. Wright via Twitter Other tagged players: Manu Ginobili Jamal Murray (sore chest) questionable Tuesday
Murray has been added to the Denver Nuggets’ injury report and is listed as questionable for Tuesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs due to a chest soreness that forced him to miss Monday’s practice. Other than Murray, the Nuggets have no other new injuries to report, but they will still be without Paul Millsap, Mason Plumlee, and Tyler Lydon, all of whom have been sidelined for an extended period of time with their respective ailments. Murray was pulled from the team’s shootaround this morning, putting his status for tonight’s contest in some serious doubt, and if he’s unable to suit up, Torrey Craig may be inserted into the starting lineup, just as he did the last time Murray was sidelined. Will Barton took over as the primary ballhandler in that game, but with the acquisition of Devin Harris at the trade deadline, head coach Mike Malone may opt to keep a true point guard in his starting unit by giving Harris the nod at point guard.
As reported by: Adam Mares via Twitter Favorite Superstar on the Board
In a slate that features Russell Westbrook, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, and LeBron James, it feels a bit strange saying this, but Jimmy Butler is my favorite superstar to pay up for tonight. He’s priced at a discount compared to the other four and he has just as much upside. He should log around 40 minutes against the Rockets, who have struggled to defend shooting guards this season. Butler also comes into the game in great form, averaging 49 fantasy points over his last five games.
Russell Westbrook (ankle) and Carmelo Anthony (ankle) will be game-time decisions Tuesday
Westbrook and Anthony went through shootaround Tuesday morning and are expected to be game-time decisions for tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after each has missed two consecutive games with a sprained left ankle and a sprained right ankle, respectively. Patrick Patterson has replaced Anthony at power forward in the starting lineup for each contest and is averaging 30 minutes per start, while Jerami Grant has averaged 24 minutes off the bench as the primary backup at the four spot. As for Westbrook’s potential absence, Raymond Felton would almost certainly start at point guard for the third time in as many games and should continue to be locked into a heavy minute workload that’s enabled him to average 32 minutes over the last two contests as the only true point guard on the Thunder’s active roster. Unsurprisingly, with both Westbrook and Anthony off the court this season, Paul George owns a massive +14.4% usage rate differential, equating to a 42.4% usage rate overall, and he has averaged 1.33 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.29 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Fred Katz via Twitter Other tagged players: Carmelo Anthony