DFS Alerts

Devin Booker (rib), Tyson Chandler (rest), and Marquese Chriss (ankle) ruled out Monday; Alex Len (ankle) and Troy Daniels (back) will play

Booker has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies after previously being listed as questionable on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report with a right rib contusion he sustained late in Sunday’s loss, while Tyson Chandler will sit due to rest purposes on the second leg of a back-to-back set. Additionally, Marquese Chriss has also been ruled out following his earlier questionable designation, though Troy Daniels and Alex Len will play through their original questionable tags, the latter returning from a three-game absence. In their absences, Isaiah Canaan, Greg Monroe, and Dragan Bender will start at point guard, center, and power forward, respectively. T.J. Warren also begins to approach must-play territory with the aforementioned players sidelined and owns a +4.5% usage rate differential with them off the court, equating to a 31.9% usage rate overall, while averaging 1.12 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.13 on FanDuel in this scenario.

Malcolm Brogdon (sore calf) will start Monday

Brogdon has been cleared to play and will start in tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, according to interim head coach Joe Prunty, after previously being listed as questionable in the Milwaukee Bucks’ game notes with a sore right calf that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. His return to the starting lineup will send Tony Snell back to the bench to resume a reserve role after two consecutive underwhelming fantasy performances in 29.5 minutes per game in his spot start. The presence of Brogdon in the backcourt rotation will also minimize Sterling Brown’s role and minute workload following a couple of solid fantasy performances as the primary guard off the bench in 27 minutes per game. It will be interesting to see if he’s done enough to eclipse Matthew Dellavedova as the first guard off the bench moving forward in Prunty’s rotation in the post-Jason Kidd era.

Tyreke Evans (illness) will play Monday; Ben McLemore (knee) ruled out

Evans returned to practice on Sunday and has been cleared to play in tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns after previously being listed as questionable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report with an illness that had forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Deyonta Davis will also be available to play. However, Ben McLemore has been ruled out despite his original probable designation on the injury report due to a sore right knee, and he’ll join JaMychal Green, James Ennis, and Chandler Parsons among the Grizzlies inactive players this evening. Jarell Martin figures to continue starting at power forward for the duration of Green’s absence and has logged 30 minutes or more in three of his last five games played. With the aforementioned players off the court this season, Evans owns a +3.0% usage rate differential, equating a 32.8% usage rate overall, and he has averaged 1.23 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.19 on FanDuel in this scenario.

Michael Carter-Williams (shoulder strain) available to play Monday

Carter-Williams has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers after previously being listed as questionable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with a strained left shoulder that had forced him to miss one game. His return will relegate Malik Monk from the rotation, but he saw only seven minutes off the bench as the primary backup point guard behind Kemba Walker, who logged a massive 41 minutes, including the entire second half of Saturday’s contest. Obviously, Monk wasn’t in consideration for daily fantasy formats no matter if Carter-Williams was active or not, but his availability is a slight knock to the projected fantasy value of Walker, as he should see his playing time recede to normal levels this evening.

Jerryd Bayless (sore wrist) remains out Monday

Bayless has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks after previously being listed as questionable in the Philadelphia 76ers’ game notes with a sore left wrist that has now forced him to miss six consecutive games. The Sixers have also already ruled out Joel Embiid for rest purposes after logging 36 minutes in Sunday’s loss. Embiid originally told reporters following Saturday’s practice that he would be available to play in his first back-to-back set of the season Sunday and Monday, but the team has opted to extend that deadline to Friday and Saturday’s games against the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers, respectively. In Embiid’s absence, Amir Johnson is likely to draw the start at center, but he has been outproduced by Richaun Holmes off the bench in the prior games Embiid has missed this season. With Embiid off the court, Ben Simmons and Dario Saric have been the clear beneficiaries from a usage standpoint, as each own at least a +3.5% usage rate differential in this scenario, while Sario has seen his production spike to 1.23 fantasy point per minute on DraftKings and 1.18 on FanDuel as well.

Joel Embiid (rest) ruled out Monday

Embiid has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks due to rest purposes after logging 36 minutes of action in Sunday’s loss. Embiid originally told reporters following Saturday’s practice that he would be available to play in his first back-to-back set of the season Sunday and Monday, but the team has opted to extend that deadline to Friday and Saturday’s games against the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers, respectively. Meanwhile, there still hasn’t been an update on the status of Jerryd Bayless, but he remains listed as questionable in the latest version of the Philadelphia 76ers’ game notes due to a sore left wrist that has forced him to miss five consecutive games. In Embiid’s absence, Amir Johnson is likely to draw the start at center, but he has been outproduced by Richaun Holmes off the bench in the prior games Embiid has missed this season. With Embiid off the court, Ben Simmons and Dario Saric have been the clear beneficiaries from a usage standpoint, as each own at least a +3.5% usage rate differential in this scenario, while Sario has seen his production spike to 1.23 fantasy point per minute on DraftKings and 1.18 on FanDuel as well.

Can I Shoot the Ball Well Tonight?

That’s always the question when you’re looking to roster Dillon Brooks. His production comes from scoring, but he has a great matchup tonight. With Parsons, Ennis, and Green already ruled out, he should play 30+ minutes again tonight. The Suns are allowing 41.58 fantasy points per game to opposing small forwards over the last month. Memphis really stands out to me tonight with the pace up spot and their high implied team total.

Big Minutes off the Bench

It’s a mental hurdle that a lot of DFS players can’t seem to get over — targeting bench players in cash games. If a player isn’t in the starting lineup, their ownership is typically lower than it should be. Marcus Morris has played at least 26 minutes in five straight games, including 32 his last time out. He draws a favorable matchup against the Nuggets and could push for 30 minutes again if Terry Rozier is ruled out.

Latest version of the Phoenix Suns game notes for Monday

The Phoenix Suns have released an update to their game notes for tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies and are listing Devin Booker, Troy Daniels, Marquese Chriss, and Alex Len all as questionable with their respective ailments. While this is not an official update from interim head coach Jay Triano or the Sun’s public relations department, it does cast some doubt on the aforementioned players’ availabilities for Monday on the second leg of a back-to-back set. The player that wasn’t included in the game notes is Tyson Chandler, who logged 30 minutes following Greg Monroe’s ejection during Sunday’s contest, making it highly likely he is rested tonight, especially if Len is ultimately cleared to play. If all of the questionable players end up being unavailable, then we’d likely see a starting lineup consisting of Monroe, Dragan Bender, T.J. Warren, Josh Jackson, and either Tyler Ulis or Isaiah Canaan at point guard.

Sneaky Target at Small Forward

Calling Taurean Prince a cash game target is a bit of a stretch, but I love his price point, his matchup, and his potentially low ownership. His numbers over the last five games aren’t great, but he has played 31 minutes in back-to-back contests. With Jimmy Butler on Kent Bazemore, he should draw the defense of Andrew Wiggins, who has one of the lowest DRPM grades of any wing defender in basketball.

The Forgotten One at Shooting Guard

For whatever reason, people refuse to play Khris Middleton at shooting guard, even though he offers both a high floor and a high ceiling. He draws a favorable matchup tonight against the Sixers, he’s playing at home, and he is in good form over his last five games — averaging 42 fantasy points. Middleton grades out as one of the top point-per-dollar plays in my model and so far, I haven’t heard a lot of buzz around his name.

Terry Rozier (ankle sprain) "50-50" to play Monday

Rozier will not participate in shootaround and has been listed as questionable on the Boston Celtics’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets due to a sprained right ankle, and according to head coach Brad Stevens, he is “50-50” to play in Monday’s contest. The Celtics are already without Marcus Smart for the next couple of weeks, so if Rozier is deemed unable to suit up, it would leave Kyrie Irving and Shane Larking as the only active bodies capable of logging minutes at the point guard spot. However, Kadeem Allen was recalled from the G-League to provide some depth at the shooting guard position but is unlikely to see meaningful minutes no matter Rozier’s status. This means that Irving and Jaylen Brown could be locked into hefty minute workloads for Monday’s matchup should Rozier be ruled out closer to tipoff.

Keep an Eye on Rozier's Status

Boston is thin at the guard spots with Marcus Smart sidelined, and now Terry Rozier is questionable tonight. That news broke about two minutes after I wrote up Rozier as a GPP option. If Rozier happens to be out, Boston will be barren in terms of depth, and Brown might play 40 minutes in this game. His price is very affordable, and I will happily target him in all formats if Rozier is sidelined, even though Brown doesn’t have the best individual matchup.

Fighting for More Minutes

UPDATE – Rozier is questionable for tonight’s game. If he is out, Jaylen Brown becomes a lot more appealing, as Boston will be very thin at the guard spots.

If you want to use a bench player as a risk/reward tournament option tonight, give Terry Rozier a look. Marcus Smart has missed the last two games after swiping at a picture frame and cutting himself, so Rozier will be guaranteed minutes in the mid-20’s. It would be nice to see him play a little more than that, especially since he has averaged more than a fantasy point per minute in the two games that Smart has missed. This could be a sneaky shootout game between the Celtics and Nuggets, and I like Rozier’s chances to play well off the bench, as his minutes won’t overlap with Denver’s strongest defenders as much. Hopefully the minutes tick upward just a little bit.

J.J. Barea (oblique) ruled out Monday; Devin Harris (personal) questionable

Barea has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being listed as questionable on the Dalla Mavericks’ injury report with a strained left oblique that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Meanwhile, Devin Harris participated in shootaround this morning, so he is back with the team following a three-game absence, but he still needs to be cleared from the concussion protocol and remains listed as questionable on the injury report. Head coach Rick Carlisle was forced to utilize more traditional lineups on Saturday given the Mavericks lack of guard depth with Barea and Harris sidelined, which enabled Dirk Nowitzki to log 34 minutes in that contest, but the rotation would likely stabilize a bit more if Harris is cleared to play. His presence would also eat into the minutes that Kyle Collinsworth had been seeing off the bench, though he was never relevant for daily fantasy formats anyway.