DFS Alerts
Daniel Theis (broken nose) questionable for Wednesday
Theis is scheduled to have his broken nose reset on Tuesday and has officially been listed as questionable on the Boston Celtics’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Miami Heat after previously being ruled out and was originally expected to return for Thursday’s matchup with the New York Knicks. Meanwhile, Marcus Morris remains sidelined with a troublesome left knee and is still aiming to return on Christmas Day for the game against the Washington Wizards. As for Theis, he’s held down a consistent role in the Celtics frontcourt rotation for a while now and typically sees minutes in the mid-teens on a nightly basis. Should he be ruled out, Semi Ojeleye and Guerschon Yabusele could see additional playing time but nothing substantial enough to even be considered for daily fantasy formats.
As reported by: the Boston Celtics via Twitter
Spending Down at Center
My main goal tonight is to get as much exposure to Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James as possible. To do so, we have to save somewhere. Center looks like as good of position as any to save some salary cap and my favorite value is Marcin Gortat. I always like targeting him when the Wizards are facing a team that plays big and that has a true center. As long as he stays out of foul trouble, I expect Gortat to play 26+ minutes against DeMarcus Cousins and the Pelicans.
Brook Lopez (ankle sprain) ruled out at least two games
Lopez will not travel with the team on their upcoming two-game road trip due to a sprained right ankle he sustained during Monday’s loss, effectively ruling him out for the Los Angeles Lakers’ next two games on Wednesday and Friday against the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, respectively. Additionally, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope won’t travel with the team, as expected, and has officially been ruled out for tomorrow’s contest since he is still unable to leave the state of California for 25 days due to a legal issue. As for Lopez, his unavailability won’t cause as much of a void as one would think since he has seen his minutes and role drastically reduced as the season has gone on, allowing Julius Randle, Kyle Kuzma, and Larry Nance to hold down a majority of the playing time in the Lakers frontcourt. However, in his absence, Andrew Bogut and/or Thomas Bryant may find themselves in the rotation when head coach Luke Walton decides to utilize a “big” lineup but are unlikely to ever see a heavy minute workload. Interestingly, in limited time, Nance owns a significant +9.8% usage rate differential and is averaging 1.07 fantasy points per minute with Lopez and Caldwell-Pope off the court this season, making him a speculative tournament option on Wednesday’s slate if he’s able to convert that potential extra usage into even more fantasy production.
As reported by: Ohm Youngmisuk via Twitter Hard to Pass on this Value at Shooting Guard
E’Twaun Moore may not have a high usage rate in the Pelicans’ offense, but when he touches the ball, he’s not afraid to jack up shots. He also has elite minute upside, as he is averaging close to 38 minutes per game in the last two weeks. His matchup against the Wizards isn’t perfect, but I will gladly take a player with a high shot volume that is going to play a ton of minutes at a price under $5,000 on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
Favorite Superstar of the Slate
This slate is loaded with superstars, which is rare since we only have three games. My favorite of the bunch is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is playing at home against a Cavaliers’ team that is ranked in the bottom ten in points allowed per game, defensive efficiency, and rebounding differential. Giannis comes into the game in good form and he has a nice track record against LeBron James, scoring at least 57 fantasy points in four of their last six meetings.
Tony Snell (knee), Matthew Dellavedova (knee), and Jason Terry (calf) expected to be available Tuesday
Snell, Dellavedova, and Terry are all likely to make a return from their respective ailments for tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and are expected to be available to play after participating in Monday’s practice. Snell is likely to replace DeAndre Liggins in the Milwaukee Bucks starting lineup at the shooting guard spot, though he should be expected to essentially split time with Malcolm Brogdon and the other reserve wing players. The Bucks also recently waived Gary Payton II in order to clear a spot on the active roster for Sean Kilpatrick, who was recently signed by the team following his release from the Brooklyn Nets and will be available to make his Bucks debut this evening, though it remains to be seen what role, if any, he’s able to carve out in head coach Jason Kidd’s ever-changing rotation.
As reported by: Stephen Watson via Twitter Other tagged players: Matthew Dellavedova, Jason Terry George Hill (illness) ruled out Tuesday; De’Aaron Fox (quad) now probable
Hill is a new addition to the Sacramento Kings’ injury report and has been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to an illness, while De’Aaron Fox has been upgraded to probable from questionable with a right quad contusion that has forced him to miss one game. Surprisingly, Vince Carter ended up drawing the start for Sunday’s contest and logged 25 minutes, despite Justin Jackson starting the second half in Fox’s place on Thursday night. However, It’s likely that Carter starting was a one-time occurrence considering the matchup with his former team in Toronto and either Jackson or Bogdan Bogdanovic should start in Hill’s place this evening. This would mean that Fox and Frank Mason would be free to absorb all of the Kings’ point guard minutes. With Hill off the court this season, no particular player has seen a substantial increase in usage, but Buddy Hield leads the way with a 26.8% usage rate while Zach Randolph has averaged a team-leading 1.18 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.16 on FanDuel.
As reported by: Jason Jones via Twitter Other tagged players: De'Aaron Fox Bryn Forbes will start ahead of Danny Green (groin) on Monday
Green confirmed with reporters following shootaround that he will play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after previously being listed as questionable on the San Antonio Spurs’ injury report with left groin tightness that had forced him to miss one game. However, head coach Gregg Popovich has decided to start Bryn Forbes ahead of him at the shooting guard spot for Monday’s contest. This move is almost certainly exclusively injury related as Green could be in line for a reduced minute workload in a probable blowout or even possibly a surprise DNP-CD that Popovich likes to pull from time-to-time as he works his way through the aforementioned groin tightness. Either way, with all the value that’s become available throughout the day, there is no need to roster any Spurs in any format no matter what they’re perceived “value” might be, as evidenced by Forbes’ underwhelming performance in 33 minutes on Saturday for his spot start in Green’s place.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter Clint Capela (heel contusion) will play Monday, as expected
Capela has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz after previously being upgraded to probable on the Houston Rockets’ injury report with a left heel contusion that had forced him to miss one game. Unsurprisingly, James Harden was excluded from the injury report after logging a whopping 39 minutes of action in Saturday’s contest, showing no ill effects from a sore knee that had his status in question approaching lock. Capela now becomes an interesting tournament option at the center position on Monday’s slate given the matchup with a Jazz team that will be without Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors in the frontcourt, meaning Capela should have a much easier time matching up with likes of Ekpe Udoh on both ends of the floor. Even so, in the two prior meetings with Utah, he’s averaged 1.16 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.21 on FanDuel, exhibiting a solid floor in this matchup.
As reported by: the Houston Rockets via Twitter Emmanuel Mudiay (ankle sprain) officially ruled out Monday
Mudiay 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 Denver Nuggets’ injury report with a sprained right ankle that he sustained in Friday’s win. Will Barton and Nikola Jokic weren’t included on the injury report but it still remains to be seen when Jokic will reenter the starting lineup, and head coach Mike Malone balked at providing this information at his pregame presser. Barton played 32 minutes off the bench in Friday’s overtime win and is likely to absorb some of the backup point guard minutes with Mudiay unavailable, though Malik Beasley figures to see some extended run as well. Jokic was still limited to just 22 minutes in the previous game as Malone appears to be approaching his rehabilitation from an injured ankle with extreme caution. With Torrey Craig drawing a random start at small forward on Friday, it would be far from surprising to see another change to the Nuggets starting lineup for Monday’s matchup with the Thunder, though it’s unlikely to change any projected fantasy values for the usual suspects of the Denver rotation.
As reported by: Gina Mizell via Twitter Nene (rest) ruled out Monday; Clint Capela (heel) expected to play
Nene has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz due to rest purposes, despite never appearing on the Houston Rockets’ injury report at any point throughout the day, and was previously expected to rest for Saturday’s second leg of a back-to-back set before Clint Capela was ruled out with a left heel contusion. Capela is still technically listed as probable but is expected to play, according to head coach Mike D’Antoni, and will be an interesting tournament option at the center position on Monday’s slate given the matchup with a Jazz team that will be without Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors in the frontcourt, meaning Capela should have a much easier time matching up with likes of Ekpe Udoh on both ends of the floor. Even so, in the two prior meetings with Utah, he’s averaged 1.16 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.21 on FanDuel, exhibiting a solid floor in this matchup.
As reported by: Craig Ackerman via Twitter Goran Dragic (elbow) ruled out Monday; Dion Waiters (illness) will play
Dragic has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks after previously being listed as questionable on the Miami Heat’s injury report with an elbow injury, while Dion Waiters has been cleared to play following his earlier questionable designation on the injury report. The Heat is also without Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow, and James Johnson, who was recently diagnosed with right ankle bursitis that will keep him out for at least one-to-two weeks, and Bam Adebayo is likely to start alongside Kelly Olynyk in the frontcourt after replacing Johnson in the second-half of Saturday’s win. With Dragic officially ruled out, head coach Erik Spoelstra may be forced to start one of, if not, both Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington, even though in the past with Dragic sidelined, he’s done everything in his power to keep Tyler Johnson in his normal sixth-man role, meaning it’s possible Josh Richardson slides over to point guard and Waiters and Ellington man the wing positions. There is almost no sample size with all of the aforementioned players off the court this season, but no matter the starting lineup, Richardson appears to be an elite option for every format with the Heat down to nine available players and is coming off of a massive performance in 36 minutes on Saturday night
As reported by: Ira Winderman via Twitter Other tagged players: Dion Waiters De’Aaron Fox (quad contusion) questionable for Tuesday
Fox participated in Monday’s practice and has been listed as questionable on the Sacramento Kings’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a right quad contusion that has already forced him to miss one game. Surprisingly, Vince Carter ended up drawing the start for Sunday’s contest and logged 25 minutes, despite Justin Jackson starting the second half in Fox’s place on Thursday night. It’s likely that Carter starting was a one-time thing considering the matchup with his former team in Toronto and Jackson should start if Fox is ruled out for the second straight game. This would mean that George Hill and Frank Mason will be free to absorb all of the Kings’ point guard minutes but Hill ended up recording 33 of those minutes. With Fox off the court this season, no particular player has seen a substantial increase in usage, but Buddy Hield leads the way with a 27.7% usage rate while Zach Randolph has averaged a team-leading 1.08 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.07 on FanDuel
As reported by: Jason Jones via Twitter Myles Turner (sore thigh) will play Monday
Turner has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics after previously being listed as questionable on the Indiana Pacers’ injury report and considered a game-time decision with a sore thigh. He’s already dealt with a sore calf and a sore knee for stretched earlier in the season and, in both instances, ended up playing through his questionable designation. That, combined with the Pacers propensity to be conservative with their injury reporting, it always appeared that Turner was likelier to play than not. His availability will mean that Domantas Sabonis will remain in his typical reserve role off the bench and that Al Jefferson will not enter the frontcourt rotation at this time. In the first matchup with the Celtics this season, the Pacers were without Victor Oladipo due to an injury and Turner still struggled to produce in that contest, posting just 27.50 fantasy points on DraktKings and 25.20 on FanDuel in nearly 31 minutes, raising concern for his viability on Monday’s slate.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter Kristaps Porzingis (sore knee) ruled out Monday
Porzingis has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as questionable on the New York Knicks’ injury report and considered a game-time decision with a sore knee that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Michael Beasley has started at power forward in the five games that Porzingis has missed and is coming off of a massive fantasy performance where he easily exceeded salary-based expectations in 37 minutes of action in Saturday’s win. With Porzingis officially unavailable, Beasley will almost certainly draw the start at power forward for the second time in as many games. Beasley and Enes Kanter, who has been playing through a back and a neck injury, are poised to be in the best positions among the projected starters to take advantage of Porzingis’ absence, as Beasley leads the Knicks with a 32.2% usage rate with Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. off the court this season, and Kanter has averaged 1.09 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.04 on FanDuel in this scenario as well.
As reported by: Al Iannazzone via Twitter