DFS Alerts
Cheaper Revenge than Oladipo
Everyone seems to be focusing on the Victor Oladipo revenge game, even though Paul George is facing his former team in the same game. While Oladipo’s price is inflated, George’s is depressed. He is only $7,700 on DraftKings and $7,600 on FanDuel. This is his first game back in Indiana and seeing as how Russell Westbrook holds as many grudges as anyone, I expect Russ to get the ball to George early and often.
Nicolas Batum (sore elbow) upgraded to probable Wednesday
Batum has been upgraded to probable from doubtful on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets due to a lingering sore left elbow that forced him to miss Monday’s contest. With Batum appearing on track to return from a one-game absence, Jeremy Lamb will be relegated back to the bench to resume his normal 24-28 minute role, assuming Batum is anywhere near full strength. If he’s not, Lamb would still set up as intriguing tournament target after putting up an uninspiring fantasy performance in 33 minutes of action in his spot start Monday night. Hopefully, more information will be released on Batum’s expected limitations, if any, but Lamb has standalone value as a tournament play anyway and could be worth a speculative dart throw if Batum doesn’t see his typical minute workload or is ineffective once again.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter
Hit the Lock Button
It’s rare that I go all in on a single player in a slate, but I’m going to make an exception tonight. Khris Middleton is near the top of the league in minutes per game (36.9) and the Bucks will be without Tony Snell. There’s a decent chance that Middleton plays 40 minutes against the Pelicans, who are ranked 27th in efficiency and 29th in DvP against shooting guards this season.
Andre Roberson (ankle sprain) ruled out Wednesday
Roberson was a limited participant in Tuesday’s practice but has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers due to a sprained left ankle that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. This means that Alex Abrines should remain in the starting lineup for the fourth time in as many games, a stretch that has included filling in for Roberson and Paul George at the shooting guard spot and small forward respectively. Abrines figures to continue seeing minutes in the mid-20s with Roberson sidelined but is a fringe option in tournament formats given his low 15.6% usage rate on the season. That said, George is set to make his return to Indiana for the first as a member of the opposing team and will likely absorb a sizable amount ownership given the perceived “revenge” narrative, even though he has failed to exceed salary-based expectations in six of his last seven games as he continues to battle through a calf contusion, making Russell Westbrook a logical pivot option in all formats if looking to avoid taking a stroll down Narrative Street.
As reported by: Brett Dawson via Twitter Rodney Hood (ankle) expects to have a minute restriction Wednesday; Raul Neto (concussion) ruled out
Hood has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls after missing seven consecutive games with a sore left ankle, while Raul Neto has officially been ruled out with a concussion and Joe Johnson remains questionable and is likely to be a game-time decision. Hood told reporters at shootaround that he expects to have a minute restriction in his return but is unsure of the exact amount. Prior to his injury, Hood had been demoted to the bench in favor of Donovan Mitchell and is more than likely to remain in that role given the emergence of Mitchell in the early portion of this young season. In Hood’s absence, Alec Burks ended up being the largest beneficiary since he was able to assume the role as the primary scoring option off the bench and now he and Hood are expected to lead the second unit and serve as the primary guards off the bench behind Mitchell and Ricky Rubio in the frontcourt, effectively limiting player’s overall floor and ceiling combination on a nightly basis.
As reported by: Andy Larsen via Twitter Other tagged players: Raul Neto Aaron Gordon (concussion) ruled out Wednesday
Gordon remains in the final phases of the concussion protocol and has been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers due to the aforementioned concussion that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Arron Afflalo remains a game-time decision with back spasms but appears unlikely to play after missing shootaround. The Magic are also without Evan Fournier, Jonathan Isaac, and Terrence Ross, which has led the team to recall Adreian Payne, Jamel Artis, and Khem Birch from the G-League and all will be available to play, though Payne and Marreese Speights were DNP-CDs in the previous game. The sample size with the aforementioned players off the court this season is extremely limited, but in that short time both Nikola Vucevic and Jonathon Simmons own at least a +5.6% usage rate differential and see substantial increases to their per minute fantasy production, adding to their appeal in all formats on Wednesday’s slate.
As reported by: John Denton via Twitter Nikola Jokic (ankle) questionable Wednesday; Will Barton (back) probable
Jokic has been upgraded to questionable on the Denver Nuggets’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics due to a sprained left ankle that has forced him to miss five consecutive games, while Will Barton is probable with lower back contusion he sustained during Tuesday’s win. If Jokic is cleared to play, it remains unclear whether he’ll be subject to a minute restriction but will almost certainly supplant Mason Plumlee from the starting lineup, sending him back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role after performing relatively well in his five spot starts at center. Kenneth Faried was a DNP-CD on Tuesday and, despite a crowded backcourt, stands a better chance of seeing court time if Jokic is available to play, as head coach Mike Malone rarely utilizes Faried alongside Plumlee in the Nuggets backcourt.
As reported by: the Denver Nuggets via Twitter Other tagged players: Will Barton A Bounce-Back Night
Lamb was mega chalky the other night and did not perform well, and that combined with the fact that tonight brings us a larger slate will mean that Lamb won’t be nearly as popular here. With Batum listed as doubtful for this game, Lamb should slide into the starting five once again. He was super productive early in the year with Batum on the shelf, so I wouldn’t let one poor game scare you away. Lamb is a fine mid-range value, assuming that Batum doesn’t suit up tonight.
A Night for Opportunity
Marcus Morris is out, and Al Horford is going to be rested tonight, so there will be opportunity for the other forwards and centers in Boston. If we take those two players off the floor, CourtIQ tells us that Tatum gets a healthy 6% boost in usage. He will also see a few more minutes, too, so that’s a nice combination. Even though his fantasy points per minute haven’t really been affected in these scenarios, the increased usage should eventually translate into more production. In any case, the likely bump in playing time is enough of a boost for me to consider Tatum in GPP formats this evening.
Increased Minutes Tonight
With Al Horford ruled out for rest, Baynes becomes a very solid value play against Denver tonight. I like him a lot more if Jokic is out, but at this price, I think he’s in play no matter what. Horford missed two games in November with a concussion, and Baynes played 26 and 23 minutes in those two games. He drew the start in both of those games, and he was on the floor for the end of the game in the game against the Lakers. Denver doesn’t typically play small, and Baynes should play 20+ minutes tonight. At his price, I really like his upside if he plays 20 minutes tonight.
Looked Good In My Return
Milos Teodosic was one of my favorite players to roster earlier this season, and he looked good in his return on Monday. He didn’t shoot the ball well, but the 20 minutes were very encouraging moving forward. He returned to the starting lineup over Lou Williams, and played the last six minutes of the game. He’s $3,900 on DraftKings, which makes him a very nice value play tonight if he plays 20-25 minutes. Orlando allows the second most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards this season.
Ian Mahinmi (knee strain) ruled out Tuesday
Mahinmi has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets after previously being listed as questionable on the Washington Wizards’ injury report with a strained right knee, while John Wall remains out for the ninth consecutive game due to PRP and viscosupplementation injections he received in his left knee to reduce the inflammation.Mahinmi had been the beneficiary of additional playing time in recent games and has logged at least 23 minutes off the bench in four of the last seven games. Now that he’s officially ruled out, Jason Smith will likely step into the backup center role behind Marcin Gortat and absorb a larger role in the Wizards frontcourt rotation. Tim Frazier will remain in the starting lineup, but Tomas Satoransky has seemingly overtaken the backup point guard role once Wall returns and has consistently seen more playing time with him sidelined. Meanwhile, Bradley Beal continues to lead the team with a 34.9% usage rate in the eight games Wall’s been out, but he has been extremely inconsistent from a fantasy standpoint due to his heavy dependence on scoring, making him a better tournament target than a cash option for the duration of Wall’s absence from the lineup.
As reported by: Chris Miller via Twitter The Gazelle Will Shine
I love this spot for a potential Lakers/Knicks GPP stack. There is offense to be found on both sides of the ball, and neither team is much for defense. Porzingis is an athletic mismatch for the Lakers frontcourt, There is monstrous upside here at a reasonable price tag, and Porzingis is the first guy in a lot of my GPP rosters tonight.
Sneaky Value
News has come out that Cavanaugh will start over Miles Plumlee tonight, and Cavanaugh has infinitely more upside than Plumlee in the first place. This should be a fast-paced, high scoring game between the Hawks and Cavs, and I love Cavanaugh as a great GPP value this evening.
Tyler Cavanaugh will start ahead of Miles Plumlee on Tuesday
Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer has opted to start Tyler Cavanaugh at center for tonight’s game against the Washington Wizards over Miles Plumlee, who will now be sent back to the bench to resume a reserve role. Plumlee entered the starting lineup following John Collins’ injury and appears likely to be on the outside looking in at the rotation once Collins and Mike Muscala are able to return from their respective injuries. That said, Plumlee was previously a starter in name only, typically averaging 15-18 minutes per contest, while Cavanaugh had consistently seen minutes in the mid-to-upper-20s of late off the bench. So, even though they’ve switched “roles”, we shouldn’t suddenly expect Cavanaugh to play 32-36 minutes like a typical starter would, but he remains a solid tournament play at his price tag nonetheless.
As reported by: Michael Cunningham via Twitter