DFS Alerts
Value at Power Forward
Pau Gasol is questionable for tonight’s game and given the track record of the Spurs, I wouldn’t be surprised if they decided to rest their veteran center. Davis Bertans would step in and play a big role in an ideal matchup against the Nets, who are one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. Even if Gasol is active, Bertans still has some fantasy appeal. Over his last five games, he is averaging 25 minutes and 20 fantasy points per contest.
Avery Bradley (groin) and Luke Kennard (thumb) will "try to play" Wednesday
Bradley and Kennard participated in shootaround and will “try to play” in tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, according to head coach Stan Van Gundy, after previously being listed as questionable on the Detroit Pistons’ injury report with their respective ailments. Meanwhile, Stanley Johnson was absent from shootaround and appears to be in danger of missing his eighth game in the last nine due to a strained right hip flexor, despite still being listed as questionable. Johnson and Reggie Jackson have jointly missed seven games, and in those contests, Kennard and Anthony Tolliver have both averaged north of 20 minutes per game, while Dwight Buycks has displaced Langston Galloway as the primary backup behind Ish Smith at point guard. Buycks could actually be an interesting deep flier in tournaments if Johnson is eventually ruled out, as he leads the Pistons with a 30.4% usage rate with the aforementioned players off the court this season and is averaging 0.90 fantasy points on DaftKings and 0.84 on FanDuel, putting him in position to exceed salary-based expectations if he can siphon enough playing time away from Smith and the other ancillary backcourt members and log in the ballpark of 22-26 minutes this evening.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Other tagged players: Luke Kennard
Huge Upside at Shooting Guard
We’ve been targeting wing players against the Pelicans all season with success, so there is no reason to stop now. The Hawks are not only playing at home, but they catch New Orleans at an opportune time. The Pelicans are playing their second road game in as many nights. Kent Bazemore may not have huge minute upside, but he has 40+ fantasy point upside in this matchup and he is priced under $5,500 on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
Tyler Johnson (ankle sprain) officially ruled out Wednesday
Johnson has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, according to head coach Erik Spoelstra, after previously being listed as doubtful on the Miami Heat’s injury report with a sprained left ankle he sustained in Monday’s contest. Miami is still without Dion Waiters and Rodney McGruder on the wing, so Josh Richardson, Wayne Ellington, and Goran Dragic will likely step into additional minutes.in Johnson’s absence. Hassan Whiteside hasn’t logged more than 30 minutes in any game since returning from a knee injury, but both he and Dragic have been the main beneficiaries with the aforementioned players off the court this season, as each own at least a +3.8% usage rate differential. They both have converted this extra usage into additional fantasy production thus far, but Dragic has seen the more drastic spike in a larger sample size and is averaging 1.23 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.19 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: the Miami Heat via Twitter Marc Gasol (illness) and James Ennis (calf) questionable Wednesday
Gasol has been added to the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report and is listed as questionable for tonight’s game against the New York Knicks due to an illness, while James Ennis is still listed as questionable with a right calf injury and Chandler Parsons remains sidelined with a sore right knee. Gasol has played through every single injury designation he’s received from this season, so it’s difficult to imagine him sitting out of Wednesday’s contest if the illness is something he can realistically play through. However, if he is ruled out, Deyonta Davis or Brandan Wright would likely draw the start at center in his place, while both would see increased playing time regardless of starting lineup. As for Ennis’ potential absence, it would allow Wayne Selden and Ben McLemore some additional minutes with the second unit. With the aforementioned players and Mike Conley off the court this season, Tyreke Evans owns a massive +9.3% usage rate differential in just 91.5 minutes and has averaged 1.47 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.38 on FanDuel in this scenario, making him an elite option for all formats if Gasol is deemed unavailable closer to tipoff.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: James Ennis III Lonzo Ball (knee) officially ruled out Wednesday; Brandon Ingram (ankle) will play
Ball has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after previously being listed as doubtful on the Los Angeles Lakers’ injury report with a sprained left knee that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Brandon Ingram will play following his earlier probable designation on the injury report due to a sprained left ankle that kept him sidelined one game. Additionally, Larry Nance remains questionable with a right hip pointer and there’s yet to be an update on his status. Ingram’s return to the starting lineup will send one of Josh Hart or Tyler Ennis back to the bench to resume their normal reserve roles, while the other will draw the start at point guard in Ball’s place. Given the playing time dispersion in the previous game, Hart appears to be the leading candidate, but it’d be far from surprising if Hart fills the normal “Jordan Clarkson role” and is the first Lakers guard off the bench this evening.
As reported by: Dan Woike via Twitter Other tagged players: Brandon Ingram Draymond Green (shoulder) and Andre Iguodala (calf) ruled out Wednesday; Jordan Bell will start
Green has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls after previously being listed as questionable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a sore right shoulder, while Andre Iguodala has also been ruled out following his earlier questionable designation due to a left calf contusion. This means that Jordan Bell will draw his second start in as many games after disappointing in just 13 minutes of action in Tuesday’s win. That said, Bell only started the ahead of Zaza Pachulia because of the matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers and definitely possesses higher minute upside with Green unavailable, making him a strong bounce-back candidate on Wednesday’s slate. With Green and Iguodala off the court this season, Stephen Curry has actually seen his usage rate spike to 35.9%, good for a +4.2% differential, adding to his appeal for tournament formats this evening, even though he hasn’t converted the aforementioned usage into additional fantasy production to this point.
As reported by: Anthony Slater via Twitter Other tagged players: Andre Iguodala, Jordan Bell Frank Kaminsky (ankle sprain) probable Wednesday
Kaminsky has officially been upgraded to probable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report for tonight’s game against Washington Wizards after previously being listed as questionable with a sprained right ankle he sustained during Monday’s win, forcing him to exit early. Kaminsky typically logs minutes in the low-20s off the bench, and he’ll likely be utilized in that role as normal if he’s anywhere close to fully healthy this evening. The Hornets have faced off with the Wizards one previous time this season, and in that game, Kaminsky saw 23 minutes of action and trailed only Kemba Walker with a 27.3% usage rate overall. However, he was only able to convert that usage into a total of 20.25 DraftKings points and 19.00 FanDuel points, respectively, and remains a fringe tournament option on larger daily fantasy slates such as Wednesday’s 10-game slate.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter A Mid-Range Center with Upside
Willie Cauley-Stein is never a ton of fun to roster simply because he plays for a Kings team that often gives no indication of consistency with regard to minutes, especially for their big men. However, Cauley-Stein has been the one exception to that rule, as he has seen his minutes creep into the 30’s on a consistent basis these days (nobody on the team averages more than 27 minutes per game for the year). The upside is certainly there, and we have seen quite a few flashes of late. I like his potential against a Utah team that simply isn’t the same on the interior without Rudy Gobert.
A Steady Value Option
The Clippers are another team that is very thin right now, and Tyrone Wallace has continued to play heavy minutes even with Milos Teodosic back in the mix. He has logged over 30 minutes of court time on a consistent basis, and his DFS price tag remains cheap. Even though he won’t have the highest usage, especially with Blake Griffin back, the cheap price and guaranteed minutes are hard to ignore. I’m willing to fire him up in what should be a fairly high scoring game against the Nuggets.
Healthy (For Now) and Dominating
How about this surge from the always frustrating Anthony Davis? Over the last three games, he has piled up huge fantasy totals. He is 49-for-87 from the floor in those games (56% shooting) and has scored 129 points over the three contests. That’s… not too shabby. As long as he stays healthy, he should continue to thrive in a humming New Orleans offense. While the fact that they have played overtime games in their last two contests is a bit concerning minutes-wise with a three games in four days situation on tap, the surge and the matchup simply can’t be ignored. Atlanta has struggled on the interior defensively all year long, and both Davis and DeMarcus Cousins should have a field day here.
Making the Most of a Thin Rotation
The Heat just can’t catch a break these days. After finally getting a few bodies back from injury, now Tyler Johnson is hurt again. Dion Waiters is out for the season. They will have to rely on Goran Dragic to play more minutes and be a primary distributor and scorer. Dragic looks as healthy as he has all year, and the price tag is still very fair on every site. While I don’t love his matchup this evening, the opportunity sans Johnson is just too good to ignore. I’ll use Dragic with confidence in all formats.
Just Too Cheap
Zach LaVine scored 36.5 fantasy points in his second game back, and somehow his price went down on FanDuel. He has a 29.8% usage rate, and he’s averaging 1.34 fantasy points per minute in his first two games back from injury. He draws a great matchup against the Warriors tonight, and even as dog, the Bulls have a 109.8 implied team total, which is seven points higher than their season average.
Marreese Speights (personal) ruled out Tuesday
Speights is a late-scratch and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to personal reasons, despite never appearing on the Orlando Magic’s injury report at any point throughout the day. Speights has consistently been logging between 15-18 minutes on a nightly basis as the backup center behind Bismack Biyombo with Nikola Vucevic still sidelined indefinitely with a fractured hand, and his absence will leave the Magic extremely thin in the frontcourt, likely forcing Biyombo into extended playing time and enabling Adrien Payne to enter the rotation out of pure necessity given the matchup with Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota frontcourt. Aaron Gordon has spent time at center in small-ball lineups at times, but it’s difficult to imagine that happening much, if at all, in this matchup.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter Jayson Tatum (sore knee) will play Tuesday
Tatum has been cleared to play and will start in tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after previously being listed as probable on the Boston Celtics’ injury report with a sore left knee. Tatum underwent X-rays and an MRI on the aforementioned knee and tests came back clean, clearing the path for him to suit up for Tuesday’s contest. Meanwhile, the Celtics will be without the services of Abdel Nader, who has logged three minutes the entire month of January, due to an illness, and Al Horford will be available, as expected, following his absence from practice over the weekend with a minor calf issue. Tatum has been a bit inconsistent from a fantasy perspective of late but remains in play as a mid-range option at the forward positions, and he currently sports a 19.0% usage rate on the season while averaging 0.86 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.85 on FanDuel.
As reported by: Sean Grande via Twitter