DFS Alerts
Brandon Ingram (quads) on track to play Wednesday, but will have a minute restriction if he plays
Ingram fully participated in shootaround this morning and is trending towards playing in tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, according to head coach Luke Walton, despite still being listed as questionable on the Los Angeles Lakers’ injury report with a right quad contusion and left quad tendinitis that has forced him to miss two consecutive games. If he’s cleared to play, Ingram will likely start and send Josh Hart back to the bench to resume normal reserve role, though it is possible that Walton opts to deploy Ingram and Hart in the starting lineup together, with Ingram serving as the primary ballhandler since Lonzo Ball will be sidelined for at least a week, and bring Jordan Clarkson off the bench to act essentially as a sixth starter, something Walton seems to prefer to do whenever possible. With Ball and Brook Lopez off the court this season, it’s been Clarkson and Julius Randle that have benefited the most from a usage standpoint, each owning at least a +2.4% usage rate differential, and Clarkson has averaged 1.11 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.06 on FanDuel in this scenario, locking him in as an elite value option across the industry given his highly-projected minute floor.
As reported by: Bill Oram via Twitter
Jaylen Brown (knee) officially ruled out Wednesday; Semi Ojeleye (back) remains out
Brown has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as doubtful on the Boston Celtics’ injury report with a sore right knee he injured during Monday’s loss, while Semi Ojeleye will also be unavailable for the second consecutive game after he was deemed as “semi-questionable” by head coach Brad Stevens following shootaround.Additionally, Marcus Morris was ruled out earlier in the day with a lingering left knee issue that may require him to receive another PRP injection later this week. The absence of Brown will allow Marcus Smart to enter the starting lineup at shooting guard and has averaged just over 33 minutes in his seven spot starts this season. With Morris and Ojeleye unavailable, Jayson Tatum and Daniel Theis will be subsidiary beneficiaries in terms of minutes in what is a relatively thin Boston frontcourt on Wednesday evening. The players that stand to benefit the most from their absences are Smart, Tatum, and Al Horford, as each own at least a +2.2% usage rate differential with Brown and Morris off the court this season, while Horford trails only Kyrie Irving for the team lead with a rate of 1.09 fantasy points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: 98.5 The Sports Hub via Twitter Other tagged players: Semi Ojeleye Going Right Back to the Well
George Hill was one of my favorite plays in last night’s slate and I will be going right back to the well tonight. Against the Clippers, he scored 28 fantasy points and he didn’t play a single minute in the fourth quarter. He has had his best five game stretch of the season and he is basically locked into a 30-minute role a night with De’Aaron Fox out. Hill draws a favorable matchup at home against the Cavaliers. If this game stays competitive, I like his chances to reach 30+ fantasy points.
Don't Overlook this Team
The Pelicans have been involved in blowouts in three straight games, which has led to fewer minutes and lower fantasy production for all of their starters. We shouldn’t be overly concerned, especially given the fact that they are facing the Nets tonight at home. Look for the starters to see a full complement of minutes tonight. E’Twaun Moore is one of my favorite plays on the board and nobody seems to be talking about him. He’ll play minutes in the mid-30s against one of the worst defensive teams in basketball and he’s priced under $5,000 on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
Eat the Chalk
Lonzo Ball has been ruled out of tonight’s game, which makes Jordan Clarkson close to a must start in all formats. Hopefully his matchup against the Grizzlies will keep his ownership at a respectable level, but even if he’s going to be chalky, it’s the good kind of chalk. In his spot start on Christmas, Clarkson played 35 minutes and scored 46 fantasy points. He is priced under $6,000 on both FanDuel and DraftKings and will be a staple in my cash game and tournament lineups tonight.
Jaylen Brown (knee) doubtful Wednesday; Marcus Morris (knee) ruled out
Brown has officially been listed as doubtful on the Boston Celtics’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets due to a sore right knee he injured during Monday’s loss. Meanwhile, Semi Ojeleye has been deemed as “semi-questionable”, according to head coach Brad Stevens, and Marcus Morris has been ruled out with a lingering left knee issue that may require him to receive another PRP injection later this week. The likely absence of Brown will allow Marcus Smart to enter the starting lineup and has averaged just over 33 minutes in his seven spot starts this season. With Morris unavailable, Jayson Tatum and Daniel Theis will be subsidiary beneficiaries in terms of minutes in what is shaping up to be a relatively thin Boston frontcourt on Wednesday evening. The players that stand to benefit the most in their absences are Smart, Tatum, and Al Horford, as each own at least a +2.2% usage rate differential with Brown and Morris off the court this season, while Horford trails only Kyrie Irving for the team lead with a rate of 1.09 fantasy points per minute in this scenario.
As reported by: Gary Washburn via Twitter Other tagged players: Marcus Morris Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (illness) expected to play Wednesday
Kidd-Gilchrist went through shootaround this morning and is expected to play and start in tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics, according to associate head coach Stephen Silas, after previously being listed as questionable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with an illness that had forced him to miss Tuesday’s practice. Kidd-Gilchrist’s likely availability means that Jeremy Lamb will remain in his usual reserve role off the bench, but he typically sees minutes in the high-20s or low-30s anyway, so Kidd-Gilchrist’s potential absence wouldn’t have allotted him a substantial bump in playing time. The largest beneficiary in terms of minutes would have been Treveon Graham, who finally found his way into associate head coach Stephen Silas’ rotation after logging 28 minutes in the Hornets previous game. However, Graham is still a low-usage player and owns just a 12.1% usage rate with Cody Zeller off the court this season, making him the inferior option to Lamb, who has averaged 0.91 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 0.88 on FanDuel in this scenario, if looking for a contrarian target in tournaments, despite the price difference.
As reported by: the Charlotte Hornets via Twitter Dominating in December
Kyle Kuzma has taken the league by storm this year and is undoubtedly going to be the biggest steal from last year’s draft. The injury to Brook Lopez has also opened the door for more minutes, as Kuzma has logged 35+ minutes in five straight games. He is averaging 20.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in the month of December, up from 18.2 PPG in November and 14.0 PPG in October. He has scored 25+ points in four of the last five games. Some DFS players are hesitant to pay the current premium price tag for him, but I am not one of those people. Take advantage of the lower ownership that comes along with it, and fire up Kuzma as an elite GPP option today.
Victor Oladipo (knee) and Domantas Sabonis (toe) questionable Wednesday
Oladipo has been listed as questionable on the Indiana Pacers’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks due to a sore right knee, while Domantas Sabonis has bee also listed as questionable but with a sore left big toe. This is the fourth time Oladipo has been listed as questionable with this same knee issue and he was only ruled out on one prior occasion, indicating he’s likelier to play than not, though the second leg of a back-to-back set could throw a wrench in that trend this evening. If Oladipo is unable to suit up, Lance Stephenson would likely draw the start on the wing alongside Bojan Bogdanovic and would become an elite option for all formats at his price tag across the industry. As for Sabonis, his potential absence would allow Al Jefferson to step into the backup center role and possibly allot Myles Turner some extra playing time over the typical low-30s minutes he sees on a night when the Pacers are at full strength health-wise.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter Other tagged players: Domantas Sabonis Hassan Whiteside (knee bone bruise) will start Tuesday
Whiteside will play and start, as expected, in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic after previously being listed as questionable on the Miami Heat’s injury report with a left knee bone bruise that had forced him to miss 13 consecutive games. However, head coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t reveal if he’ll be subject to a minute restriction in his first game back. Even with Whiteside available, Miami remains extremely shorthanded and are still without Dion Waiters, James Johnson, and Justise Winslow, all key rotational players. This means that Kelly Olynyk will remain in the starting lineup for at least one additional game, though Bam Adebayo will still be allotted extra playing time off the bench for the duration of Johnson and Winslow’s absences. The presence of Whiteside may alter this sample slightly, but Josh Richardson, Goran Dragic, and Tyler Johnson have been the clear beneficiaries of the aforementioned players’ absences from a usage standpoint, as each own at least a +4.0% usage rate differential with Waiters, Winslow, and James Johnson off the court this season. Additionally, Richardson and Tyler Johnson have both taken advantage of these expanded roles in the offense thus far and are averaging nearly a fantasy point per minute in this scenario, a substantial increase from their normal per minute production on the year.
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Kawhi Leonard (quad) and Danny Green (groin) will play Tuesday
Leonard will play, as expected, in tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, according to head coach Gregg Popovich, after previously being listed as probable on the San Antonio Spurs’ injury report with his right quad issue that has forced him to miss three of the past four games, while Danny Green has also been cleared to suit up following his earlier probable designation due to left groin tightness that had kept him sidelined for four of the past five games. Leonard has yet to eclipse 20 minutes in any of his first four games as he works his way back from right quad tendinopathy, so he’ll remain out of consideration for daily fantasy formats until his price decreases or his minutes gradually increase. As for Green, he’s usually an unreliable fantasy option even when healthy, and he can be easily avoided given the size of the slate and the likelihood that he has his playing time limited in some way.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter Other tagged players: Danny Green Evan Fournier (ankle sprain) will start Tuesday
Fournier has now been cleared to play and will start in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being downgraded to out from questionable on the Orlando Magic’s injury report with a sprained right ankle that had forced him to miss eight consecutive games. There’s been no reported minute restriction for Fournier but it would be surprising to see him step into a full minute workload right out of the gate, especially after initially being ruled out. Meanwhile, Aaron Gordon has been ruled out with a strained right calf that has now forced him to miss five consecutive games, but Jonathan Isaac will make his return from a two-game absence due to a sprained right ankle and is expected to be subject to a 20-minute restriction. The Magic are also without Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross, meaning they are deprived of three key rotational pieces and Bismack Biyombo will take over as the starting center for the foreseeable future. Mario Hezonja and is the likeliest candidate to start at power forward, but head coach Frank Vogel has opted to start Marreese Speights at the four in certain matchups as well. With the aforementioned players off the court this season, Jonathon Simmons and Elfrid Payton have benefited the most from a usage standpoint, as each own at least a +5.2% usage rate differential, and Payton sees his production skyrocket to 1.32 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.38 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: John Denton via Twitter Giannis Antetokounmpo (sore knee) will play Tuesday
Antetokounmpo has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls after previously being listed as probable on the Milwaukee Bucks’ game notes with a sore right knee that had forced him to miss one game. Antetokounmpo won’t be subject to a minute restriction and his return to the starting lineup will send Matthew Dellavedova back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role. The Bulls have a ton of new faces this season but this is a matchup that Antetokounmpo has typically taken advantage over the last couple seasons, and there no signs that he won’t be able to do the same Tuesday night, as Chicago ranks 23rd in overall defensive efficiency and just 28th against opposing power forwards on the year. Not only that, but Antetokounmpo continues to lead the Bucks with a 34.2% usage rate and a rate of 1.45 fantasy points per minute.
As reported by: the Milwaukee Bucks via Twitter Aaron Gordon (calf) ruled out Tuesday; Jonathan Isaac (ankle) will play
Gordon has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being listed as questionable on the Orlando Magic’s injury report with a strained right calf that has now forced him to miss five consecutive games. However, Jonathan Isaac will make his return from a two-game absence due to a sprained right ankle and is expected to be subject to a 20-minute restriction. The Magic are also without Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross, meaning they are deprived of three key rotational pieces and Bismack Biyombo will take over as the starting center for the foreseeable future. Mario Hezonja and Wesley Iwundu are the likeliest candidates to start at power forward and the shooting guard spot, respectively, but head coach Frank Vogel has opted to start Marreese Speights or D.J. Augustin at those positions in certain matchups as well. With the aforementioned players off the court this season, Jonathon Simmons and Elfrid Payton have benefited the most from a usage standpoint, as each own at least a +5.2% usage rate differential, and Payton sees his production skyrocket to 1.32 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.38 on FanDuel in this scenario.
As reported by: John Denton via Twitter Other tagged players: Evan Fournier, Jonathan Isaac Luke Kennard will start ahead of Anthony Tolliver on Tuesday
Kennard will be reinserted into the Detroit Pistons starting lineup at shooting guard for tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers after spending two games in his normal reserve role in favor of Anthony Tolliver, who will now head back to the bench. It should be expected for head coach Stan Van Gundy to continue to shift around his starting unit depending on matchup while Avery Bradley, who remains without a firm timetable for his return with a strained right adductor. Kennard has been locked into virtually the same amount of playing time no matter if he starts or comes off the bench, so this “demotion” isn’t necessarily a knock to Tolliver’s projected fantasy value. That said, there are better value options available on Tuesday’s slate at various price points and with a lack of studs to pay up for, there is no point in reaching for a fringe option like Tolliver in tournaments.
As reported by: Keith Langlois via Twitter