DFS Alerts
Still an Elite Value
Brooks may not be the best fantasy point player on a per minute basis, but he remains a viable value option in DFS. Memphis continues to be ravaged with injuries at almost every position, and Brooks should be looking at heavy minutes once again with Parsons, Ennis, and Green all ruled out for tonight. His presence will help you spend up for some additional studs on the slate, too, so give Brooks a look as a top value in all formats.
Big Upside off the Bench
J.J. Barea is at the cheapest price point that we have seen him in a while. His minutes have been down a bit since coming back from injury, but we can safely project him to play 25+ minutes tonight now that Devin Harris has been ruled out. The Rockets play at a fast pace and they play a lot of three-guard lineups. This bodes well for Barea’s minutes and his fantasy production. He’s a tremendous buy on DraftKings ($4,500) and is also worth a look in tournaments on FanDuel ($5,000).
This Team is Looking Prime for a Stack
J.J. Redick, T.J. McConnell, and Jerryd Bayless have all been ruled out of tonight’s game, which basically opens close to 90 minutes in the rotation. The minutes will be spread around, but Ben Simmons is a candidate to play 38-40 minutes in an ideal matchup against the Bulls. On the season, Chicago is ranked 25th in points allowed per game and 24th in defensive efficiency.
Time to Shine for this Small Forward
My main goal tonight is to get as much exposure to the Sixers as I possibly can. Not only do they have one of the best matchups of the slate, but they will be without three of their key pieces in J.J. Redick, T.J. McConnell, and Jerryd Bayless. Robert Covington could realistically push for 40 minutes in a dream matchup against the Bulls, who are ranked 25th in efficiency against small forwards.
Iman Shumpert (knee surgery) available to play Tuesday
Shumpert has officially been cleared and will be available off the bench in tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after previously being listed as questionable on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ injury report due to left knee surgery rehabilitation. However, head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed following Sunday’s practice that he had no plans of altering his starting lineup or rotation, meaning that Shumpert is unlikely to receive any minutes in his first game back and for the foreseeable future. It also means that Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, and Tristan Thompson will continue to anchor the Cavaliers second unit, and Lue has been persistent on utilizing two separate five-man units and has not staggered the minutes of starters like LeBron James, Isaiah Thomas, or Kevin Love to this point. That said, Shumpert has been at the center of trade rumors in recent days and it appears his days as a Cleveland Cavalier are likely coming to end.
As reported by: Fred McLeod via Twitter
George Hill (rest) and Kosta Koufos (rest) ruled out Tuesday
Hill and Koufos will be active but won’t play in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic, according to head coach Dave Joerger, due to rest purposes. Additionally, Zach Randolph remains listed as questionable on the Sacramento Kings’ injury report with a sore left knee, while Skal Labissiere is still listed as probable with a strained left shoulder after playing 29 minutes off the bench last night in Joerger’s ever-changing starting lineup and rotation. There has yet to be a detectable pattern to which Kings veterans will be rested on a nightly basis, but Randolph and Garrett Temple appear poised to be in the rotation Tuesday, assuming Randolph is available, as each was a DNP in Monday’s contest. In the four games since the Kings announced their plans to rest two or three veterans each game, Labissiere, Willie Cauley-Stein, De’Aaron Fox, and Bogdan Bogdanovic have been the only players to receive consistent playing time, and they all have averaged at least 29 minutes per game over that span.
As reported by: Sean Cunningham via Twitter Other tagged players: Kosta Koufos Davis Bertans will start in place of Pau Gasol (wrist) on Tuesday
Gasol was ruled out in advance of tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a sprained right wrist, and he’ll join Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard, and Rudy Gay as the San Antonio Spurs’ inactives on the injury report for Tuesday’s contest. In Gasol’s absence, Davis Bertans will enter the starting lineup at power forward, a change that will slide LaMarcus Aldridge over to center, and has consistently been logging minutes in the low-20s even with Gasol healthy. Dejounte Murray replaced Tony Parker in the starting lineup on Sunday and, according to head coach Gregg Popovich, will retain the role for the remainder of the season. With the aforementioned injured players off the court this season, Murray, Aldridge, and Kyle Anderson each own at least a +3.8% usage rate differential, while Murray has seen his production skyrocket to 1.17 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.16 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter Sorry Veterans, it's Time for the Young Guns
The Kings announced publicly that they were going to start their youth movement, by slowing phasing the veterans out of the rotation. Since then, they have held true to their word, increasing the playing time of their young players while giving their veterans random nights off to rest. With this being the second half of a back-to-back, there’s a decent chance that George Hill gets the night off. Even if Hill is active, Fox should see plenty of minutes in a great matchup. On the season, the Magic are ranked dead last in efficiency against point guards.
Quietly Emerging as a Mid-Range Play
Evan Fournier is another player who has returned to full health, and he has resumed his role as a key cog in the Orlando offense, especially since Nikola Vucevic remains sidelined. He is averaging 19 shot attempts per game over the last three contests, and he is perfectly content to be a volume scorer when he is called upon. This isn’t a bad matchup against a Kings team that ranks dead last in the NBA in defensive efficiency, and that serves to make Fournier one of the better GPP plays on tonight’s slate.
Andre Iguodala (calf contusion) available to play Tuesday
Iguodala has been cleared and will be available to play in tonight’s game against the New York Knicks after previously being listed as probable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a left calf contusion that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. Surprisingly, Patrick McCaw and Nick Young split Iguodala’s usual minute allotment in Saturday’s contest, leading Omri Casspi to receive a DNP-CD, but both wing players will see their playing time reduced with Iguodala officially set to make his return. This also means that Jordan Bell, who will be sidelined for at least two weeks with left ankle inflammation, is the only player unavailable for Golden State this evening. That said, prior to Draymond Green’s most recent injury absence, Kevon Looney had been playing ahead of Bell in the frontcourt rotation, and he’ll continue to be the beneficiary of any minutes Bell may have seen in the frontcourt.
As reported by: Mark Medina via Twitter Kristaps Porzingis (knee) and Kyle O'Quinn (calf) ruled out Tuesday
Porzingis twisted his knee during Monday’s practice and has officially been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Golden State Warriors due to what’s being called left knee irritation. Meanwhile, Kyle O’Quinn is also a new addition to the New York Knicks’ injury report and has been ruled out with a left calf contusion. Head coach Jeff Hornacek did add that Porzingis will return for Thursday’s matchup with the Denver Nuggets, so it appears the team has opted to just approach the injury with some caution by sitting him out for Tuesday’s contest. In all likelihood, Michael Beasley will draw the start at power forward in his place and has seen his playing time fluctuate game-to-game ever since Tim Hardaway Jr. returned from his extended absence due to a left leg stress reaction. Additionally, Guillermo Hernagomez will serve as the primary backup center behind Enes Kanter and should absorb any minutes that O’Quinn would have seen, while Joakim Noah could be activated and log nominal playing time as the third-string center. With Porzingis and O’Quinn off the court this season, Hardaway Jr. has been the main beneficiary from a usage perspective and owns a +4.7% usage rate differential in this scenario, equating to a 30.0% usage rate overall.
As reported by: Steve Popper via Twitter Other tagged players: Kyle O'Quinn Zach Randolph (knee) questionable Tuesday; Skal Labissiere (shoulder) probable
Randolph has officially been listed as questionable on the Sacramento Kings’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic due to a sore left knee, despite receiving a DNP on the first leg of this back-to-back set on Monday evening. Meanwhile, Skal Labissiere is listed as probable with a strained left shoulder after playing 29 minutes off the bench last night in head coach Dave Joerger’s ever-changing starting lineup and rotation. There has yet to be a detectable pattern to which Kings veterans will be rested on a nightly basis, but Randolph and Garrett Temple appear poised to be in the rotation Tuesday, assuming Randolph is available, as each was a DNP for Monday’s contest. In the four games since the Kings announced their plans to rest two or three veterans each game, Labissiere, Willie Cauley-Stein, De’Aaron Fox, and Bogdan Bogdanovic have been the only players to receive consistent playing time, and they all have averaged at least 29 minutes per game over that span.
As reported by: Jason Jones via Twitter Other tagged players: Skal Labissiere A Bright Spot at Center
The Kings have gone with a youth movement over the last two weeks, which has led to more minutes for Willie Cauley-Stein. WCS has played at least 36 minutes in three of his last four games and has shown a massive ceiling during that stretch. Even though Zach Randolph is expected to play tonight, there is a good chance that Kosta Koufos will get the night off. WCS should see minutes in the mid-30s against a Magic team that is ranked 23rd in efficiency against centers and 29th in rebounding differential this season.
A Rare Opportunity to Stack the Spurs
The Spurs have one of the best defenses in the NBA, they have a deep rotation, and they tend to blow a lot of teams out. This is usually a bad recipe for fantasy production. However, the Spurs are playing short-handed, as Kawhi Leonard, Rudy Gay, and Manu Ginobili have all been ruled out. Kyle Anderson will draw another start at small forward and potentially push for 35 minutes in a tremendous matchup against the Cavaliers. On the season, Cleveland is ranked 25th or worse in points allowed per game, defensive efficiency, and rebounding differential.
Healthy and Ready to Cruise
Stephen Curry finally seems healthy again, as he has played at least 33 minutes in each of the four games since his return. Tonight’s matchup is a good one against the revolving door that is the Knicks’ point guard mess. The Knicks rank far worse in the DvP metrics against the point guard position compared to every other position on the floor, and Curry should look to exploit that. Jarrett Jack is no match for him, and I like the savings with Curry compared to the other point guard stud on the slate in Russell Westbrook.