DFS Alerts
Avery Bradley (adductor) will play Wednesday; Stanley Johnson (hip) ruled out
Bradley participated fully in Tuesday’s practice and has been cleared to play in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being listed as probable on the Detroit Pistons’ game notes with a strained right adductor that had forced him to miss seven consecutive games. Meanwhile, Stanley Johnson did not practice and has officially been ruled out following his prior doubtful designation due to a strained left hip. Bradley’s return will displace the duo of Luke Kennard and Anthony Tolliver from starting lineup consideration, as head coach Stan Van Gundy has opted to alternate their starts based on the matchup. The Pistons will still be without Reggie Jackson for tomorrow’s game and with him, Johnson, and Jon Leuer off the court this season, Bradley and Reggie Bullock each own at least a +3.8% usage rate differential while Andre Drummond leads the team with a rate of 1.56 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.62 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: Rod Beard via Twitter Other tagged players: Stanley Johnson
First Big Guy Off The Bench
I’m the guy that loves to look for high usage bench guys, and Trey Lyles has been crushing for me. He has at least 20 fantasy points in nine of his last ten games, and has over 28 fantasy points in five of those games. He’s played at least 28 minutes in five straight games, and continues to be the first big man off the bench for Denver. The Suns are on a back-to-back, and this is three in four nights for them. I want exposure to the Nuggets, and I think Lyles is a nice piece of value for them. Denver’s implied team total is 7.3 points higher than their season average tonight.
Cheap With A Massive Usage Rate
Dennis Smith Jr. is coming off back-to-back good games, and he’s in another good spot tonight. Dallas receives one of the biggest bumps in pace on this slate, and they’re implied team total is higher than their season average. Smith has a 26.3% true usage rate this season, which is the fifth highest among point guards tonight, and he’s not priced close to the four guys ahead of him. He’s averaging .92 fantasy points per minute this season, and 1.00 fantasy points per minute over the last two weeks.
Time to Ride the Veteran?
I am normally not a huge Carmelo Anthony supporter, but I can get on the bandwagon a little bit this evening. If there is any opponent where his volume shooting might pay off a little more, it would be against a team like the Lakers, whose interior defense isn’t all that great. Anthony’s price remains dirt cheap, and on the off chance that he can maybe hit 50-60% of his shots tonight, the upside might also be there. Give him a look as a risk/reward option in your GPP lineups.
If It Isn't Broken, Don't Fix It
Victor Oladipo remains out for tonight, which means we can continue to plug and play Lance Stephenson in all formats. According to CourtIQ, Stephenson is averaging around 36 fantasy points per 36 minutes with Oladipo off the floor this year, and we can expect him to play around that many minutes as long as this game stays close. Even though this might not be the greatest matchup on paper, we should still get a close, relatively high scoring game here. If that happens, Stephenson should very much be a part of it. There is still value in his current price tag, and even though he’s not as sexy of a play anymore, he could still breathe some life into your Wednesday night lineups (come on, that was a good one).
A Rising Sun
Devin Booker is back from injury and looks better than ever. The Suns are allowing him to lead the team, and he scored 34 points in an impressive come from behind victory over the Hawks on Tuesday. He has scored at least 26 actual points in every game since his return, and his minutes have continued to trend upward. The price point is still very fair, and he has even come down a bit from last night’s price on most sites. This is a tough individual matchup against Denver’s solid wing defenders, but Booker is quickly becoming matchup-proof. He will undoubtedly be under-owned tonight and is a great GPP option.
Lock and Load Top Play
This is a perfect fantasy storm for the Houston Rockets. James Harden is going to be out for a while, meaning there is monstrous usage to go around for the rest of the team. Chris Paul should be tasked with leading the charge, and tonight’s matchup is a mouth-watering one against a similarly fast-paced team in the Magic. Orlando also struggles defensively. When you combine all those factors together, it’s hard to argue with Paul as one of the best overall point per dollar plays of the entire night. Despite his recent price bump, Paul is a core play in all formats tonight.
Kevin Love (illness) will play Tuesday, as expected
Love has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers after previously being listed as questionable on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ injury report with an illness and was ultimately expected to play. Meanwhile, Isaiah Thomas will make his season and Cleveland Cavaliers debut after recovering from a right hip impingement that has kept him sidelined for the entirety of the season until this point. That said, Thomas has yet to be cleared to play in back-to-back situations, meaning that he will be rested for Wednesday’s highly-anticipated matchup with the Boston Celtics, his former team. Thomas will come off the bench in his return to action and will be subject to a minute restriction of approximately 20-22 minutes as he works his way back into game shape following an extended injury absence. Eventually, he’ll displace Jose Calderon as the Cavaliers starting point guard, but in the meantime, he’ll siphon usage away from Dwyane Wade and Jeff Green in the second unit.
As reported by: Jason Lloyd via Twitter Kevin Love (illness) expected to play Tuesday
Love is expected to be cleared to play and suit up for tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, according to head coach Tyronn Lue, after previously being listed as questionable on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ injury report with an illness. However, his official status won’t be determined until is he is checked out by team doctors and the medical staff. Meanwhile, Isaiah Thomas will make his season and Cleveland Cavaliers debut after recovering from a right hip impingement that has kept him sidelined for the entirety of the season until this point. That said, Thomas has yet to be cleared to play in back-to-back situations, meaning that he will be rested for Wednesday’s highly-anticipated matchup with the Boston Celtics, his former team. Thomas will come off the bench in his return to action and will be subject to a minute restriction of approximately 20-22 minutes as he works his way back into game shape following an extended injury absence. Eventually, he’ll displace Jose Calderon as the Cavaliers starting point guard, but in the meantime, he’ll siphon usage away from Dwyane Wade and Jeff Green in the second unit.
As reported by: Chris Fedor via Twitter Isaiah Thomas (hip) expected to be limited to 20-22 minutes Tuesday
Thomas has been cleared to play and will make his season and Cleveland Cavaliers debut in tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, according to head coach Tyronn Lue, after recovering from a right hip impingement that has kept him sidelined for the entirety of the season until this point. However, Thomas has yet to be cleared to play in back-to-back situations, meaning that he will be rested for Wednesday’s highly-anticipated matchup with the Boston Celtics, his former team. Thomas will come off the bench in his return to action and will be subject to a minute restriction of approximately 20-22 minutes as he works his way back into game shape following an extended injury absence. Eventually, he’ll displace Jose Calderon as the Cavaliers starting point guard, but in the meantime, he’ll siphon usage away from Dwyane Wade and Jeff Green in the second unit.
As reported by: Shams Charania via Twitter DeMarre Carroll (hip) questionable for Wednesday; Caris LeVert (groin) doubtful
Carroll has been listed as questionable on the Brooklyn Nets’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a sore rib, while Caris LeVert is listed as doubtful with a strained right groin. LeVert has been great serving as the team’s primary backup and his likely absence would up open up additional minutes for Allen Crabbe and Nik Stauskas with the second unit, while Carroll’s potential absence would likely allow Joe Harris to enter the starting lineup alongside Crabbe at one of the wing positions. It’ll be interesting to see if the Nets end up recalling Isaiah Whitehead from his G-League assignment because, if not, Spencer Dinwiddie could be in line for a hefty minute workload with LeVert seemingly highly unlikely to be available off the bench. On top of that, Dinwiddie owns a +3.4% usage rate differential with LeVert and Carroll off the court this season, leading the Nets regular rotation players with a 25.2% usage rate in this scenario.
As reported by: Anthony Puccio via Twitter Other tagged players: Caris LeVert Top Play at an Ugly PG Position
While I don’t think Schroder is generally a must play option, I love the matchup against the Suns, and the point guard options are surprisingly thin tonight, especially if you don’t trust Damian Lillard in his return. Schroder has really picked up his play in recent games, and he has been very aggressive offensively over the last four. In a great matchup, I will be significantly overweight on Schroder this evening.
De'Aaron Fox (quad) available to play Tuesday; Frank Mason (heel) to miss one week
Fox has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as questionable on the Sacramento Kings injury report with a partially torn right quad that had forced him to miss six consecutive games, while Frank Mason will be sidelined for approximately one week with a right heel contusion he sustained in Sunday’s loss. Mason had served as the primary backup point guard when Fox and George Hill have started alongside each other in the backcourt, but head coach Dave Joerger may be forced to bring one of them off the bench to make it easier to stagger their playing time. This means that Bogdan Bogdanovic and Garrett Temple should both remain in the starting lineup, and the former has really settled into a consistent high-20s-to-low-30s minutes role in the Kings rotation.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Other tagged players: Frank Mason Great Value in an Exploitable Matchup
Evan Turner is one of the more volatile players in DFS, but he has tremendous upside when he’s playing with confidence. He tends to be a streaky player, which bodes well for his fantasy production tonight. He is coming off of a 38 fantasy point outing against the Bulls last night. The Cavaliers have struggled to defend wing players this season and Turner should see around 30 minutes. Even though Damian Lillard is expected to return to the lineup, Turner still provides nice value at a price under $4,000 on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
Still a Quality Option
The natural tendency is to avoid Warren now that Devin Booker is back in the mix for the Suns. However, Warren has maintained his offensive aggressiveness since Booker’s return, and he might actually benefit from defenses now shifting more attention Booker’s way. There are not many high total games out there tonight, with the Hawks/Suns game being by far the most appealing. I will be looking to get as much exposure to that game as possible, and both Warren and Taurean Prince are strong plays at the SF spot.