DFS Alerts
Pivot Off The Chalk Value
David Nwaba is one of my favorite plays tonight, and I expect him to be very low owned because of all the value options around him. He returned over the weekend, and played 22 minutes off the bench. In the two games before getting hurt, he played 29 and 35 minutes. He was in a good role in this offense before the injury, and I fully expect him to regain that role. The Bulls have a 100.8 implied team total tonight, which is 4.8 points higher than their season average.
High Risk High Reward Option
Burks has played really well without Hood this season. Hood wasn’t able to practice on Sunday, and he’s questionable for the game tonight against the Wizards. If we don’t get the news on Hood before lock, I would expect Burks to be low owned, and I think that makes him a very interesting GPP play. Burks has played over 29 minutes in back-to-back games, and he has at least 35 fantasy points in each of those games. He’s averaging over one fantasy point per minute without Hood on the floor this season.
Extended Minutes Because Of Injuries
Without Porzingis and Hardaway Jr. tonight, Beasley is in line to play 25+ minutes. He played 27 minutes on Sunday without them in the lineup, and he draws another good matchup against the Pacers tonight. This is a pace up game for the Knicks, and the Pacers have struggled with wing players this season. When given the opportunity, Beasley has played well, and he should have plenty of opportunity with the short handed Knicks tonight.
Kristaps Porzingis (illness, ankle) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (shin) ruled out for Monday
Porzingis and Hardaway Jr. won’t travel with the team to Indiana and have been ruled out in advance of tomorrow’s game against the Indiana Pacers due to an illness and a sprained right ankle and shin soreness, in Hardaway Jr.‘s case, respectively. In Porzingis and Hardaway Jr.‘s continues absences, Michael Beasley and Damyean Dotson should be expected start at power forward and the shooting guard spot once again and the former put up a monster performance in 36 minutes of action in his last spot start when both Porzingis and Enes Kanter were unavailable. Obviously, Kanter should active and ready to go, but it does illustrate the type of upside Beasley possesses when given the opportunity in the starting unit. The starter, outside of Beasley and Dotson, that stand to benefit the most from Porzingis and Hardaway Jr.‘s unavailability is Enes Kanter, as he owns a +6.2% usage rate differential with Porzingis and Hardaway Jr. off the court this season. He’s also averaging 1.15 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.10 on FanDuel in this scenario, making him a great option on Monday’s slate, depending on price, considering his likely playing time increase sans Porzingis in the frontcourt.
As reported by: Ian Begley via Twitter Other tagged players: Tim Hardaway Jr.
Dejounte Murray will start for Tony Parker (rest) on Sunday
Aldridge and Parker have been ruled out and won’t suit up for tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to rest, while Rudy Gay was a new addition to the San Antonio Spurs’ injury report, as well, and has also been ruled out with a nagging sore right heel. Finally, head coach Gregg Popovich has confirmed that Dejounte Murray will start in Parker’s place at point guard, though he failed to disclose who would start at power forward. While Davis Bertans was originally considered the leading candidate to start at power forward, Popovich did hint that Kyle Anderson could move over to the four, meaning someone else would need to enter the starting lineup on the wing. The players that stand to benefit the most from the aforementioned trio’s absence are Pau Gasol and Bryn Forbes, as they each own a +7.0% usage rate differential with Aldridge, Gay, and Parker off the court this season, while Gasol also leads the Spurs with a rate of 1.24 fantasy points per minute, making him a fantastic option if he can eclipse the 30-minute mark this evening.
As reported by: Jeff McDonald via Twitter Kemba Walker (shoulder) and Frank Kaminsky (foot) probable for Monday
Walker was a full participant in the Charlotte Hornets’ practice on Sunday and has officially been listed as probable on the injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Orlando Magic due to a left shoulder AC contusion that has forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Frank Kaminsky has also bee listed as probable with a sprained right foot. Additionally, Julyan Stone has been listed as questionable with an illness but hasn’t played in a game since mid-October, making his status irrelevant. With Walker likely to play, his return would relegate Michael Carter-Williams back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role following two inconsistent performances in his spot starts. There has yet to be any minute restriction reported for Walker, and there likely won’t be, so he’ll find himself in a plus matchup against a Magic squad that ranks dead-last in the NBA with a 111.2 Defensive Rating and continues to lead the Hornets with a 28.4% usage rate.
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Frank Kaminsky Anthony Davis (pelvis) ruled out for Monday
Davis has officially been ruled out on the New Orleans Pelicans’ injury report and won’t play in tomorrow’s game against the Golden State Warriors’ with an injury to his left groin and pelvis area he sustained during Friday’s loss and that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. In the two prior games, Davis has missed this season, head coach Alvin Gentry has opted to alternate starts between Dante Cunningham and Darius Miller, though Cunningham appears to be in line for a second consecutive start after playing just 14 minutes in Saturday’s game. Miller played the entire fourth quarter on Friday night following Davis’ exit due to injury and saw a season-high 34 minutes off the bench last night. Even with Davis active, Miller has been a solid contributor and has consistently seen minutes in the mid-20s, making him the preferred punt option in tournaments while Davis is sidelined. Now that Davis is officially unavailable, DeMarcus Cousins will become an obvious play for daily fantasy formats on Monday and owns a +4.6% usage rate differential and leads the Pelicans in per minute production by a wide margin at 1.59 fantasy points on DraftKings and 1.54 on FanDuel with Davis off the court this season.
As reported by: Pelicans PR via Twitter Wilson Chandler (back) questionable for Monday; Nikola Jokic (ankle) remains out
Chandler has been officially listed as questionable on the Denver Nuggets’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Dallas Mavericks due to lower back pain that has already forced him to miss three consecutive games, while Nikola Jokic has been ruled out with sprained right ankle but the team is hopeful he can return at some point during their upcoming six-game road trip. If Chandler is eventually ruled out, Juan Hernangomez would likely draw the start at small forward for the fourth time in as many games but has been largely unproductive in the 25 minutes of playing he’s averaged during that time span, meaning Will Barton will most likely remain in his customary sixth-role off the bench. However, with Chandler, Jokic, and Millsap off the court this season, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray have been huge beneficiaries in a limited sample, as they each own at least a +5.8% usage rate differential, while Murray leads the Nuggets with a 31.7% usage rate and Harris paces the way with a rate of 1.10 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.16 on FanDuel to lead the team.
As reported by: Harrison Wind via Twitter Other tagged players: Nikola Jokic Tim Hardaway Jr. (leg) ruled out Sunday
Hardaway Jr. is a surprise late scratch for today’s game against the Orlando Magic due to a leg injury despite never appearing on the New York Knicks’ injury report prior to the news of his unavailability. He’ll join Kristaps Porzingis, who was ruled out due to an illness and a sprained right ankle, among the Knicks’ walking wounded for Sunday’s contest, while Frank Ntilikina will be available off the bench despite his earlier questionable designation due to a sprained left ankle. In Porzingis and Hardaway Jr.‘s absences, Michael Beasley and Damyean Dotson will draw the starts at power forward and the shooting guard spot, respectively, and the former put up a monster performance in 36 minutes of action in his last spot start when both Porzingis and Enes Kanter were unavailable. Obviously, Kanter is active and ready to go, but Joakim Noah is unlikely to see any playing time, despite being active. The starter, outside of Beasley and Dotson, that stand to benefit the most from Porzingis and Hardaway Jr.‘s unavailability is Enes Kanter, as he owns a +6.2% usage rate differential with Porzingis and Hardaway Jr. off the court this season. He’s also averaging 1.15 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.10 on FanDuel in this scenario, making him a great option on Sunday’s early slate considering his likely playing time increase sans Porzingis and Hardaway Jr.
As reported by: Steve Popper via Twitter Rudy Gobert (knee) and Rodney Hood (ankle) questionable for Monday; Raul Neto (hamstring) probable
Gobert is a surprise upgrade on the Utah Jazz’ injury report and has been listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Washington Wizards due to a right knee contusion that was originally expected to keep him sidelined for four-to-six weeks, while Rodney Hood has been listed as questionable with a sore right ankle that has already forced him to miss three consecutive games. Raul Neto has been upgraded to probable and is ultimately expected to play following a two-game absence due to a sore left hamstring. Considering Gobert only participated in Sunday’s light practice, it’d be difficult to imagine him being ready to go for Monday’s contest given how early it still is on his initial timetable for return. If Hood is ruled out, Donovan Mitchell would continue to see a heavy minute workload in Monday’s contest, as he will continue to start at shooting guard and also see time at the point guard spot when Ricky Rubio is off the floor. Alec Burks would continue to serve as the primary guard off the bench and has consistently seen 20-25 minutes of action on a nightly basis, even with Hood active, putting him firmly in play depending on his price tag. In fact, Mitchell (32.1%) and Burks (26.0%) lead the Jazz in usage rate and per minute fantasy production with Hood, Gobert, and Joe Johnson off the court this season, though it should be noted that Neto’s likely availability could ever-so-slightly eat into the guard duo’s playing time.
As reported by: David Locke via Twitter Other tagged players: Rodney Hood, Raul Neto Kristaps Porzingis (illness, ankle) ruled out Sunday; Frank Ntilikina (ankle) available to play
Porzingis has been ruled out and won’t suit up for today’s game against the Orlando Magic after previously being listed as questionable on the New York Knicks’ injury report with and an illness and a sprained right ankle, while Frank Ntilikina will be available off the bench despite his earlier questionable designation due to a sprained left ankle. In Porzingis’ absence, Michael Beasley will draw the start at power forward and put up a monster performance in 36 minutes of action in his last spot start when both Porzingis and Enes Kanter were unavailable. Obviously, Kanter is active and ready to go, but Joakim Noah will be inactive, removing at least one possible body from the Knicks’ frontcourt. The starters, outside of Beasley, that stand to benefit the most from Porzingis’ unavailability are Tim Hardaway Jr. and Enes Kanter, as each player owns at least a +4.0% usage rate differential with Porzingis off the court this season, while Kanter leads the way with a rate of 1.35 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.32 on FanDuel, making him a great option on Sunday’s early slate considering his likely playing time increase sans Porzingis.
As reported by: Steve Popper via Twitter Other tagged players: Frank Ntilikina A Salary-Saver at Center
With the Spurs missing Tony Parker, Rudy Gay, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Kawhi Leonard, Gasol is going to be asked to take on a larger role on the offensive end of the floor. He should play 30 minutes in a close game against the Thunder, and given his production rate of 1.16 fantasy points per minute on both FanDuel and DraftKings, he should post a solid result relative to his price tag. The matchup against Steven Adams isn’t great, but I think the situation and expected workload trump that.
Look to Spurs Value in Cash Games
The Spurs will be without Tony Parker, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, and Kawhi Leonard tonight, meaning someone is going to have to step up on the offensive end. Mills should draw the start at point guard, and given his cheap price tag across the industry, I think he’s a strong play in both cash games and tournaments. He can get hot and absolutely crush value, and his floor relative to his price isn’t so low that he’ll tank your lineup.
LaMarcus Aldridge (rest), Rudy Gay (heel), and Tony Parker (rest) ruled out Sunday
Aldridge and Parker have been ruled out and won’t suit up for tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to rest, while Rudy Gay was a new addition to the San Antonio Spurs’ injury report, as well, and has also been ruled out with a nagging sore right heel. There has been no confirmation from head coach Gregg Popovich on who he plans to start in Aldridge and Parker’s places, though Patty Mills is a good bet to take over the point guard duties while Davis Bertans is likely the leading candidate to start at power forward. The players that stand to benefit the most from the aforementioned trio’s absence are Pau Gasol and Bryn Forbes, as they each own a +7.0% usage rate differential with Aldridge, Gay, and Parker off the court this season, while Gasol also leads the Spurs with a rate of 1.24 fantasy points per minute, making him a fantastic option if he can eclipse the 30-minute mark this evening.
As reported by: Jabari Young via Twitter Other tagged players: Rudy Gay, Tony Parker Heavy Minutes For This Forward
Over the last 10 days, Taj Gibson has averaged 38 minutes per game. On Sunday, Gibson gets a fantastic matchup against a Clippers team missing Blake Griffin. Throw out the DvP numbers because the Clippers are desperately trying to find an answer at the power forward spot without Griffin. In their last game, they started with Montrezl Harrell and then pulled him for Jamil Wilson in the second half. Danilo Gallinari will eventually return to help solve this issue, but until then, you have Taj going up against the twin towers of Motrezl/Jamil. Nemanja Bjelica has been injuried and has been ruled out on Sunday, which should lock Taj into heavy minutes once again.
