DFS Alerts
Cory Joseph (sore shoulder) questionable for Wednesday
Joseph has been added to the Indiana Pacers’ injury report and is listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Chicago Bulls due to a sore left shoulder. Joseph has been a key cog in the Pacers second unit and has averaged just over 23 minutes of playing time off the bench this season. If he’s unable to give it a go, Joe Young will likely step into a more significant role and serve as the primary backup point guard behind Darren Collison but has yet to play more than 10 minutes in any game this year. Additionally, Joseph’s potential absence would likely raise the minute floor of Collison to some degree and is coming off of two consecutive games in which he easily exceeded salary-based expectations, which would make him an interesting tournament option on Wednesday’s slate in a matchup with a Bulls squad that ranks dead-last in the NBA in defensive rating on the season.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter
Willie Cauley-Stein (lower back strain) ruled out for at least the next two games
Cauley-Stein won’t travel with the Sacramento Kings on their upcoming two-game road trip due to a strained lower back, effectively ruling him out for tomorrow’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Friday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, and he’ll be considered day-to-day moving forward. Head coach Dave Joerger has already stated that the team will be cautious in bringing Cauley-Stein back, hinting that he may be sidelined longer than this current road trip. In his absence, JaKarr Sampson is expected to see additional minutes in the Kings frontcourt and ended up drawing the start to begin the second half of Saturday’s loss. Skal Labissiere is currently on a G-League assignment for the duration of the aforementioned road trip, and with both Labissiere and Cauley-Stein off the court this season, Zach Randolph owns a +4.7% usage rate differential while leading the Kings with 32.2% usage rate and averaging 1.30 fantasy points per minute, putting him in prime position to exceed salary-based expectations on Wednesday’s slate if he can see anywhere close to the 32 minutes he’s averaged over the past two games.
As reported by: Sean Cunningham via Twitter Rodney Hood (ankle) remains out Tuesday; Raul Neto (hamstring) questionable
Hood has officially been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a sore left ankle that has now forced him to miss five consecutive games. Meanwhile, Raul Neto popped up on the Utah Jazz’ injury report again with a lingering sore left hamstring and is listed as questionable, despite playing 19 minutes off the bench in Monday’s win. Rudy Gobert did not make an appearance on the injury report, signaling he suffered no setbacks in his first game back from a right knee contusion, but on the second night of a back-to-back set, it remains unlikely he sees much more than the 21 minutes he logged Monday night. Now that Hood has been confirmed out, Donovan Mitchell will continue to demand a heavy minute workload, as he will remain the starting shooting guard and also see time at the point guard spot when Ricky Rubio is off the floor. Alec Burks will also serve as the primary guard off the bench for Utah and has averaged 29 minutes over the past three games, putting him firmly in play for all formats at his still low price tag across the industry. In fact, Mitchell and Burks continue to lead the Jazz in per minute fantasy production with Hood and Joe Johnson off the court this season, and it should be noted that Neto’s possible unavailability could raise their minute floors ever-so-slightly this evening.
As reported by: Eric Woodyard via Twitter Other tagged players: Raul Neto Danilo Gallinari (glute strain) questionable for Wednesday
Gallinari has officially been listed as questionable on the Los Angeles Clippers’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a strained left glute that has already forced him to miss 13 consecutive games. Gallinari participated in the Clippers’ practice on Monday and told reporters that he is still less than 100% but his conditioning is at least up to speed. If Gallinari is able to make his return to the lineup on Wednesday, he is expected to take over as the team’s starting power forward while Blake Griffin is sidelined, meaning Montrezl Harrell would head back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role after receiving sporadic playing time as a starter. Regardless of Gallinari’s availability, Lou Williams and Austin Rivers will continue to be the primary playmakers in the offense with both Griffin and Patrick Beverley on the shelf, and each guard owns at least a +3.8% usage rate differential with the aforementioned duo off the court this season, while Williams continues to lead the Clippers with a 33.1% usage rate and has consistently been seeing minutes in the mid-to-upper-30s, elevating his floor and ceiling on a nightly basis.
As reported by: Brad Turner via Twitter Alex Len (ankle sprain) questionable Tuesday
Len has officially been listed as questionable on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors with lingering effects from a sprained left ankle that had forced him to receive an injury designation prior to Saturday’s contest as well. His playing time has been extremely sporadic of late, playing 11 minutes and receiving a DNP-CD in the Suns last two games, and he appears to be falling behind Tyson Chandler and Greg Monroe in the frontcourt rotation. However, the Suns have exhibited a strange pattern recently, sitting one of their three centers every single game, and based on this pattern it would appear that it is Tyson Chandler’s turn to receive a DNP-CD and played a whopping 36 minutes in last night’s win, further providing evidence that he could be “rested” on the second leg of a back-to-back set. This trend could obviously change if Len is unavailable, but Monroe is shaping up to be an intriguing tournament option on Tuesday’s abbreviated three-game slate, regardless if Len is active or not, as he should end up leading the Suns’ centers in minutes in an exploitable matchup with the Toronto frontcourt defense.
As reported by: Scott Bordow via Twitter Strange Rotation at Center Leads to Value
It hasn’t been announced at the time of writing this, but I fully expect the Suns to rest Tyson Chandler tonight. They have been resting one of their centers every night and it’s his turn in the rotation. Greg Monroe will likely draw the start, after being rested in last night’s game. Monroe is averaging over a fantasy point per minute this season and could see minutes in the mid to upper 20s tonight if he is playing well. His matchup against the Raptors isn’t great, but often times in DFS, opportunity > matchup.
Bounce Back Spot for this Small Forward
The Wizards’ starters have been playing like garbage recently and that’s putting it kindly. They have struggled in each of the last four games. Coming off of a huge loss against the Jazz last night, people will be hesitant to target the Wizards. However, the spread is set at only six points and I’m expecting a better effort from their starters in general. While Bradley Beal is thought of as the main beneficiary without John Wall in the lineup, Otto Porter actually sees the bigger usage boost (5%) and the biggest FP/min boost (+0.08).
Stephen Curry (ankle sprain) ruled out for Wednesday
Curry has been ruled out and won’t play in tomorrow’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as doubtful on the Golden State Warriors’ game notes with a sprained right ankle he sustained in the final minutes of Monday’s win. The original postgame X-rays were negative and his MRI results are expected back later this afternoon. Additionally, Zaza Pachulia and Patrick McCaw have been listed in the game notes as questionable, though there has been no official update from the team on their status for Wednesday’s contest. Depending on McCaw’s availability, either he or Shaun Livingston will draw the start at point guard and have alternated starts in the previous two games Curry has missed. The obvious beneficiaries of Curry’s absence are Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, as each own at least a +2.9% usage rate differential with him off the court this season, while Durant also leads the Warriors with a 33.2% usage rate and a rate of 1.35 fantasy points per minute in the aforementioned scenario.
As reported by: Chris Haynes via Twitter Cash Game Point Guard to Pay Up For
Kyle Lowry has a better matchup than Damian Lillard, but the risk is much greater. The Raptors are 14-point favorites against the Suns, who are playing their second road game in as many nights. Meanwhile, the Blazers are only 6-point favorites against the Wizards. Lillard averages 42 fantasy points per game this season, he has the second highest true usage (29%) of any point guard on the slate, and he should be able to take advantage of his matchups against Tim Frazier and Tomas Satoransky.
Top Upside at Center
The center position is relatively weak on this slate. I would expect Rudy Gobert to be limited on the tail end of a back to back. Steven Adams has a tough matchup. Marcin Gortat has disappeared. The Suns can never decide who to play at center. Almost by default, Nurkic is the top upside center play of the night. He does tend to disappear at times himself, but there’s 50+ fantasy point potential here, and we can handle the risk/reward nature with GPP rosters. Fire him up.
Breakout Season in the Making?
Calm down, Alec Burks! This guy has been absolutely lighting it up of late, and the injury to Rodney Hood has really been a boon for Burks’ fantasy production. Hood is still questionable at best for tonight’s game, and I expect Burks to continue to get plenty of run. He has scored at least 24 actual points in each of the last three games, and he helped me win a good chunk of change last night. His price has not yet risen to reflect his recent production, so take the discount while you can still get it. That cheap price won’t last much longer.
Time to Wake Up!
It’s no secret that Beal has really struggled over the last few weeks, but the Wizards need him to thrive in the absence of John Wall. His historical numbers without Wall are very good, even though that hasn’t been the case over the last few weeks. A breakout should happen at some point, and I am banking on that to happen tonight. The matchup isn’t quite as daunting, and I expect a wake up performance from this entire Wizards team after they got absolutely embarrassed in Utah last night.
Rudy Gay (heel) will start for Kyle Anderson (knee) on Monday
Gay will play and start in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons after previously being listed as probable on the San Antonio Spurs’ injury report with a sore right heel that had forced him to miss one game. Gay will replace Kyle Anderson, who is expected to miss two-to-three weeks with a sprained left MCL, at small forward for Monday’s contest and likely until Kawhi Leonard is able to return from his bout with right quad tendinopathy. Gay has finally made his way into the starting lineup, but that doesn’t necessarily lock him into big minutes, as he has yet to play more than 26 minutes in any game this season. With LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker also expected back after being rested on Sunday, Dejounte Murray and Brandon Paul will head to the bench to resume their normal reserve roles, and the former played a whopping 39 minutes in his spot start. That said, Paul was also more than serviceable in his 33 minutes of action Sunday night, though that total is likely inflated by Manu Ginobili’s surprise and unannounced DNP-CD and shouldn’t be expected to see that type of playing time going forward with Gay also active.
As reported by: Michael C. Wright via Twitter Channing Frye (finger sprain) will play Monday
Frye has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls after previously being listed as questionable on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ game notes a sprained right middle finger he sustained during Saturday’s win. There’s been no confirmation of a minute restriction for Frye, and there’s unlikely to be one, meaning that Frye should resume his normal 15-20 minute role off the bench in the Cavaliers’ frontcourt with Tristan Thompson still sidelined with a strained left calf. That said, Frye is nowhere close to viable in any format on a full 11-game slate, especially with a plethora of other value options available that possess higher floor and ceiling combinations.
As reported by: Joe Vardon via Twitter Zaza Pachulia (shoulder) ruled out Monday; Stephen Curry (hand) and Andre Iguodala (knee) will play
Pachulia has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after previously being listed as questionable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a sore right shoulder, while both Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala will play, as expected, despite their prior probable designations due to their respective ailments. Considering Pachulia typically only sees minutes in the mid-teens, his absence does not do much to alter the playing time of the ancillary Warriors frontcourt players like JaVale McGee, Jordan Bell, and David West since head coach Steve Kerr is more likely to just spread his playing time around than defer it to one player. That said, McGee will likely draw the start at center, even though Kerr did not actually confirm who would replace Pachulia in the starting lineup.
As reported by: Warriors PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala