DFS Alerts
A Great GPP Leverage Spot
James Johnson has been struggling of late, but this could be a sneaky spot to get him as a low-owned leverage play in GPP formats. The power forward position is fairly ugly tonight (especially on FanDuel where we don’t get dual position eligibility), so it is a nice spot to save some salary and look for some upside. Johnson’s athleticism matches up well against a Dallas team that struggles to rebound the basketball, and we know Johnson has spurts of upside in his game. He’s a fine mid-range GPP target on a short slate Monday.
Ready to Turn It On?
It has been an up and down year for Marc Gasol, but he is coming off an encouraging 13 point, 12 rebound, 10 assist triple-double in the last game against the Clippers, and he added five blocks for good measure. He should continue to carry the load up front with JaMychal Green and others sidelined, and we still don’t know if Tyreke Evans will even be back tonight. This is a favorable pace up matchup against a Suns team that is also weak defensively, and these are the types of matchups where Gasol can thrive. He logged a 13/11/5 line in the last meeting between these teams, and that’s a nice baseline for an expectation tonight — with upside for more than that. Fire him up with confidence in GPP formats.
Wilson Chandler (illness) questionable Monday
Chandler did not participate in shootaround and has been listed as questionable on the Denver Nuggets’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics after originally being listed as probable and expectedly to play with a migraine that had forced him to leave Saturday’s win early. Surprisingly, Torrey Craig replaced Jamal Murray in the starting lineup for that game and logged 26 minutes in head coach Mike Malone’s tight eight-man rotation, but reports later surfaced that Murray was only “benched” for violating team rules and disciplinary reasons, so he should be expected to resume his normal role as the starting point guard this evening. It’ll be interesting to see if Malone opts to stick to this tight rotation moving forward, but If Chandler is ruled out for Monday’s contest, Craig is likely to remain in a substantial role for at least an additional game.
As reported by: Harrison Wind via Twitter
Big Upside Despite a Tough Matchup
Targeting players against the Grizzlies isn’t a strategy we want to use every day, but I’ll make an exception for Warren. This is particularly true if Devin Booker is unable to play tonight, as Warren will be looking at a little more usage. According to CourtIQ, his usage goes up by a modest 3% with Booker off the floor. Warren also still seems a little under-priced on every site, and he is coming off a strong Sunday showing against the Rockets. There’s a nice floor and a decent ceiling here, making Warren a viable small forward play in all DFS formats tonight.
Manu Ginobili (thigh contusion) will play Sunday
Ginobili has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings after previously being listed as questionable on the San Antonio Spurs’ injury report with a right thigh contusion that had forced him to miss six consecutive games. The Spurs are still without Kawhi Leonard and Rudy Gay for the foreseeable future, which means that Kyle Anderson will continue to start at small forward and has been a consistent source of fantasy value despite coming off two straight down games. Dejounte Murray recently took over the starting point guard role from Tony Parker, who has not logged more than 21 minutes in any game since the lineup change, but it does remain to be seen who’s playing time suffers from Ginobili being back in the rotation. With Leonard and Gay off the court this season, Murray does own a +2.0% usage rate differential and has averaged 1.02 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and FanDuel as well.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter Skal Labissiere (shoulder), Garrett Temple (ankle), Malachi Richardson (ankle) ruled out Sunday; Zach Randolph (knee) probable
Labissiere, Temple and Richardson have all been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs due to their respective ailments, despite never being listed on the Sacramento Kings’ injury report at any point throughout the day. Meanwhile, Zach Randolph has been listed as probable with a sore left knee but was able to log 28 minutes in Thursday contest after receiving the same designation on the injury report. The Kings are already without Willie Cauley-Stein and Frank Mason, leaving them with 10 healthy bodies, including JaKarr Sampson, who has rejoined the team on temporary leave from his current G-League assignment to provide some depth. In the Cauley-Stein’s absence, head coach Dave Joerger will likely turn to Kosta Koufos as his starting center in Sunday’s matchup, while Georgios Papagiannis should step into a larger role off the bench. This game is a bit of an outlier given all the injuries, but there has yet to be a detectable pattern to which Kings veterans will be rested on a nightly basis, but in the games since the Kings announced their plans to rest two or three veterans each game, Labissiere, Fox, Willie Cauley-Stein, and Bogdan Bogdanovic have been the only players to receive consistent playing time, all averaging at least 29 minutes per game over that span.
Avery Bradley (groin) ruled out Sunday; Anthony Tolliver will start
Bradley is a late scratch and has been ruled out of tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a sore groin, despite never being listed on the Detroit Pistons’ injury report at any point throughout the day. Bradley tried to go through pregame warmups but was still experiencing some soreness after logging 26 minutes in the first leg of this back-to-back set on Saturday night. In his absence, Anthony Tolliver will draw the start at power forward, a move that slides Tobias Harris up to small forward. Additionally, head coach Stan Van Gundy has also opted to shake up the lineup once again by reinserting Reggie Bullock and Ish Smith at the shooting guard and point guard positions, respectively, sending Stanley Johnson and Langston Galloway back to the bench to resume reserve roles. With Bradley and Reggie Jackson off the court this season, Harris, Bullock, and Johnson all own at least a +3.0% usage rate differential, and Harris leads the way with a 27.9% usage rate overall while averaging 1.10 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.06 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Jake Chapman via Twitter Other tagged players: Anthony Tolliver Dwyane Wade (personal) ruled out Sunday, will play Tuesday
Wade has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons after previously being listed as questionable in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ game notes due to personal reasons that have now forced him to miss two consecutive games. However, head coach Tyronn Lue did confirm that Wade would meet the team in Detroit and be available to play in Tuesday’s contest. Lue continued to utilize a 10-man rotation in Wade’s absence, which allowed Channing Frye to log 13 minutes off the bench as the backup center behind Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love in the frontcourt. Wade has logged 18 minutes or fewer in three of his last five games, so there isn’t a ton of extra playing time to go around with him unavailable this evening, but his absence will allow Derrick Rose to step into a larger role off the bench while a few minutes could trickle down to Jeff Green, Kyle Korver, and of course Frye.
As reported by: Fred McLeod via Twitter Tyson Chandler (illness) will start Sunday; Alex Len (ankle) ruled out
Chandler has been cleared to play and will start in today’s game against the Houston Rockets after previously being listed as questionable in the Phoenix Suns’ game notes with an illness that forced him to be a late scratch from Friday’s contest, while Alex Len will miss his third consecutive game due to a sore right ankle following his earlier questionable designation in the game notes. Interim head coach Jay Triano also confirmed during his pregame media availability that Devin Booker will remain as the team’s starting point guard in Sunday’s contest, meaning the Troy Daniels will start at shooting guard once again after logging 23 minutes in his first start. This move also keeps Tyler Ulis on the bench in a reserve role that limited him to just 13 minutes of action in the Suns previous game. Given Booker’s new ball-dominant role, his tournament appeal is still on the rise, as he already leads the Suns with a 35.1% usage rate with Len off the court this season and figures to see that number increase with the ball in his hands more often on the offensive end of the floor.
As reported by: Scott Bordow via Twitter Other tagged players: Alex Len Malcolm Brogdon (sore calf) ruled out Sunday
Brogdon has officially been ruled out and won’t play in today’s game against the Chicago Bulls after previously being listed as questionable in the Milwaukee Bucks’ game notes with a sore right calf that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Tony Snell will replace him in the starting lineup at the shooting guard spot for the second time in as many games and logged 32 minutes in his prior spot start, while Sterling Brown posted the better fantasy performance of the two in just 27 minutes of action off the bench. No relevant Bucks rotation players see a significant bump in usage with Brogdon off the court this season, but Giannis Antetokounmpo actually has seen his per minute production spike to 1.50 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.53 on FanDuel, while still leading the team with a 32.4% usage rate in this scenario.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter Starting Role For This Cheap Center Makes Him Attractive
I’m not in love with this play, but the fact is Tristan Thompson is back starting for the Cavs, is cheap across the industry and will be needed to provide a big body against Andre Drummond. Thompson’s cheap price allows you access to the Westbrooks and Davis’ of this slate, so I think you suck it up and do it. Thompson was great in his last start, playing 31 minutes. That was against the Indiana Pacers though – the Pistons are 10th in DvP against centers so this is a much tougher matchup.
Injury Opens Up More Opportunities For This Guard
With DeMarcus Cousins out, Jrue Holiday will see his role on offense increase. This is also an elite matchup for him. The Clippers rank 29th in DvP against shooting guards, and with Cousins off the court, he’s seen the highest usage rate bump of 8.8%. He is a fantastic play in for both cash game and tournaments.
Jimmy Butler (sore knee) will start Saturday
Butler has officially been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets after originally being considered a game-time decision due to a sore right knee that had forced him to miss four consecutive games. Butler was reportedly feeling good and was “close” to a return, according to head coach Tom Thibodeau, so his availability is far from a surprise. His presence will displace Nemanja Bjelica from the starting lineup after logging 34 minutes or more in three of his four starts at small forward in Butler’s place. This change will also slide Andrew Wiggins back over to his normal three-spot in the starting unit, and he is the player most affected by the return of Butler, as he sees his usage rate plummet to 23.4% with him on the court this season and has only averaged 0.80 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Caris LeVert (sore groin) ruled out Saturday
LeVert is a late scratch and has been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a sore left groin, despite never appearing on the Brooklyn Nets’ injury report at any point throughout the day. He’ll join Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and D’Angelo Russell among the Nets inactives for Saturday’s contest, the latter resting on the second night of a back-to-back set as part of his return from injury management. Joe Harris ended up replacing Hollis-Jefferson to begin the second half on Friday following his early exit due to a strained left groin, a move that slid DeMarre Carroll down to power forward to guard Giannis Antetokounmpo, but that starting lineup combination may not be possible in a matchup against the frontcourt duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Taj Gibson, leaving open the possibility that Quincy Acy starts at power forward. With the aforementioned players off the court this season, Spencer Dinwiddie has been a clear beneficiary from a usage standpoint, as he owns a +7.4% usage rate differential, equating to a 31.1% rate overall, and has averaged 0.98 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.94 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Brian Lewis via Twitter J.J. Barea (oblique strain) ruled out Saturday
Barea is a late addition to the Dallas Mavericks’ injury report and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets due to a strained left oblique. This is the first word of any health issues for Barea, as he was never listed on the injury report or game notes prior to this point. The Mavericks are also without Devin Harris for Saturday’s contest, so there will be a plethora of minutes available for Yogi Ferrell off the bench, and Kyle Collinsworth should absorb any playing time not allotted to Ferrell, Wesley Matthews, and Dennis Smith Jr. in the backcourt rotation. Head coach Rick Carlisle could also be forced to utilize more traditional lineups given the Mavericks lack of guard depth and the matchup with the Nuggets frontcourt consisting of Nikola Jokic and Mason Plumlee, meaning a few extra minutes may trickle down to Dirk Nowitzki and Maxi Kleber as well.
As reported by: Eddie Sefko via Twitter