DFS Alerts
Risky In A Great Matchup
I’m really hoping we don’t have news on Oladipo before lock tonight, and Lance Stephenson is low owned. I really love this spot with or without Oladipo in the lineup tonight. The Pacers have really been playing an eight-man rotation lately, and if Houston goes small, I would expect Stephenson to play more minutes tonight. He has over 24 fantasy points in five of his last six games, and when Lance is playing well, I really like to play him. He put up 25 fantasy points in 24 minutes against Houston earlier this season, and if Oladipo sits, I would expect Lance to play 30+ minutes tonight.
Nice Bounce Back Spot
Trevor Booker was a popular target the other night against the Rockets, but the play didn’t make a ton of sense. It was an uptempo spot in a potential blowout on the road. We like to target Booker in close games and that’s exactly what tonight’s contest against the Mavericks should be. Not only is Dallas the worst rebounding team in the NBA, but Booker should see a minute bump with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson doubtful. This is a great bounce-back spot for Booker and we should be able to get him at reasonable ownership.
Too Cheap For My Minutes In This Matchup
This game has one of the highest projected paces on the slate. Dallas has an implied team total of 108, which is 8.8 points higher than their season average this season. The best thing about Dallas tonight, you can attack them as value plays with their current pricing. Wesley Matthews is averaging 34.9 minutes per game this season, and has over 23 fantasy points in four of his last five games. He had 29 and 39 fantasy points in his last two pace up games, and he’s in a prime spot tonight against Brooklyn.
It's All About The Minutes
With Kemba officially being ruled out for tonight, and MCW announced the starter, he becomes a GPP upside value play. I say he’s risky because he’s yet to play over 20 minutes in a game this season. Now Kemba has played in all of those games, him being out obviously makes a big difference. If Michael Carter-Williams plays 27+ minutes tonight against the Raptors, I have a hard time not seeing him hit value. I think playing that many minutes is a reach, and I’m projecting him around 23-25 minutes tonight. I think he has some risk, but he certainly has some upside tonight.
Kemba Walker (shoulder) ruled out Wednesday; Micheal Carter-Williams will start
Walker has officially been ruled out and won’t suit up for tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors after previously being listed as doubtful on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report with a left shoulder AC contusion, while Frank Kaminsky remains listed as probable with a sprained right foot but is ultimately expected to play. With Walker unavailable, Michael Carter-Williams will draw the start at point guard and has consistently seen minutes in the high-teens off the bench as the Hornets primary backup point guard in recent games. Nicolas Batum has been in-and-out of the lineup all year long, so he doesn’t really have a usable sample set with Walker off the court this season, but it should be expected that he takes on a much larger role in the offense with Walker sidelined on Wednesday night. That said, both Malik Monk and Jeremy Lamb have been the main beneficiaries in the aforementioned scenario thus far, as each guard owns at least a +4.4% usage rate differential with Walker off the floor, though Monk can be removed from consideration given his minimal role in the rotation of late and the likelihood he splits backup point guard minutes with Julyan Stone, who remains probable with a strained left hamstring..
As reported by: Charlotte Hornets PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Michael Carter-Williams
Iman Shumpert (knee effusion) ruled out Tuesday
Shumpert has been ruled out and won’t suit up for tonight’s second game of a back-to-back set against the Miami Heat due to a lingering left knee effusion that limited him to just seven minutes in Monday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers on the road. Additionally, J.R. Smith will play, as expected, despite dealing with a personal issue, though his status may be up in the air moving forward. In the games Shumpert and Derrick Rose have jointly missed, Jose Calderon has started at point guard but has averaged just 23 minutes in those three contests. That said, with the aforementioned players off the court this season, along with Tristan Thompson, it’s been LeBron James that continues to benefit and owns a +2.8 usage rate differential in this scenario while still leading the team with a 35.1% usage rate and averaging 1.67 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.63 on FanDuel.
As reported by: Chris Fedor via Twitter Rudy Gay (sore heel) probable for Wednesday
Gay has officially been upgraded to probable on the San Antonio Spurs’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a sore right heel that forced him to be a late scratch from the active roster for Monday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks at home. Gay has typically been seeing minutes in the low-20s off the Spurs bench and seems locked into that role moving forward, unless head coach Gregg Popovich begins opting for more small-ball lineups with LaMarcus Aldridge at center, especially with Kawhi Leonard’s long-awaited return on the horizon.Tony Parker made his return from a ruptured quad injury in Monday’s contest and saw 14 minutes of action, which is expected to be the norm for the next two or three games, according to Popovich in his postgame press conference.
As reported by: the San Antonio Spurs via Twitter Ben Simmons (ankle sprain) questionable for Wednesday
Simmons has been listed as questionable on the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Washington Wizards due to a sprained right ankle he sustained in Monday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at home. Simmons has been receiving some bumps and bruises of late and is in danger of missing a game for the second time in the last three games, and if he is unable to suit up, T.J. McConnell would likely draw the start at point guard in Simmons’ place once again. He played almost 37 minutes in Saturday’s win and fell just short of a triple-double, making him a virtual lock in all formats on Wednesday night if Simmons is eventually ruled out. Joel Embiid has battled some knee soreness in recent games, but would also become an even more elite option than normal, as he leads the Sixers with a 37.0% usage rate and averages roughly 1.60 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.57 on FanDuel with Simmons off the court this season.
As reported by: Keith Pompey via Twitter Update: Joe Johnson (wrist) will remain out Tuesday
There was an earlier erroneous report from a Utah Jazz beat writer that Joe Johnson had been upgraded to a game-time decision for tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets after being sidelined for 13 consecutive games with a right wrist injury, however, Johnson had actually already been ruled out and will officially miss his 14th straight game with the said wrist injury.
As reported by: Tony Jones via Twitter Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle) and Allen Crabbe (back) doubtful for Wednesday
Hollis-Jefferson and Crabbe have both been officially listed as doubtful on the Brooklyn Nets’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Dallas Mavericks with a sprained right ankle and a sore lower back respectively, while DeMarre Carroll has been removed from the injury report and will play on Wednesday after a one-game absence due to an illness. Trevor Booker and Joe Harris entered the starting lineup in their place for Monday’s contest and likely will once again if both forwards are eventually ruled out. In Crabbe’s absence, Harris has seen 37 and 28 minutes of playing time and could be a volume-driven value option on Wednesday’s slate depending on his adjusted price tag. With the aforementioned players off the court this season, in conjunction with D’Angelo Russell and Jeremy Lin, several Nets players have seen minuscule bumps in their usage rates, but it’s Trevor Booker who leads the way and is averaging 1.17 fantasy points per minute, making him the preferred value option of the bunch if he can get the playing time in head coach Kenny Atkinson’s deep rotations.
As reported by: Brian Lewis via Twitter Other tagged players: Allen Crabbe Mario Chalmers (ankle) questionable for Wednesday; Chandler Parsons (knee) probable
Chalmers has officially been listed as questionable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the San Antonio Spurs with a right ankle injury, while Chandler Parsons has been listed as probable with a right knee issue and Brandan Wright and Wayne Selden will remain sidelined with their respective ailments. If Chalmers is eventually ruled out, the Grizzlies would find themselves extremely thin at the point guard position with Mike Conley still out with a sore left Achilles and Andrew Harrison may be thrust back into a starting role. Obviously, we’re dealing with a relatively small sample with all of the aforementioned players off the court, but Parsons and Tyreke Evans stand to benefit the most from Chalmers potential absence, as each player owns at least a +2.4% usage rate differential in this scenario and Parsons has actually averaged 1.36 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.29 on FanDuel, adding to his tournament appeal on Wednesday’s slate if he’s able to suit up.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Chandler Parsons Kevin Durant (ankle) and Stephen Curry (hand) questionable for Wednesday
Durant and Curry both participated in the Golden State Warriors’ practice on Tuesday but have been listed as questionable on the injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers with a sprained right ankle and right-hand contusion respectively. Durant has missed four of the last five games with the said injury, while Curry has only missed Monday’s loss to this point. In their absences, Patrick McCaw and Omri Casspi entered the starting lineup while Shaun Livingston surprisingly saw only 18 minutes off the bench in relief of McCaw at point guard. There obviously isn’t a tremendous sample size with Durant and Curry off the court together this season, but in that scenario, Livingston, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, and Nick Young have been the primary beneficiaries, as each own at least a +4.2% usage rate differential and have all seen their per minute production increase, though Young and Livingston currently have volatile of minute floors to be viable in daily fantasy formats.
As reported by: Anthony Slater via Twitter Other tagged players: Stephen Curry Wilson Chandler (back) ruled out Tuesday; Mason Plumlee (core) available to play
Chandler has been ruled out and won’t suit up for tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz after previously being listed as questionable on the Denver Nuggets’ injury report with lower back pain that has now forced him to miss two of the last four games, while Mason Plumlee will be available to play off the bench following his prior questionable designation but comes as no surprise, as he told reporters following Monday’s practice that he would play Tuesday night. Head coach Mike Malone has yet to confirm his starting lineup, but Will Barton and Kenneth Faried are both likely to start in place of Chandler and Paul Millsap, who remains sidelined with an injury. The aforementioned duo’s minutes have been relatively sporadic in three games Millsap has missed but should have a more stable minute floor with Chandler unavailable. Barton and Nikola Jokic have been the main beneficiaries from a usage standpoint with Millsap and Chandler off the court this season, as each has seen at least a +2.9% usage rate differential, though they have yet to really capitalize on their increased roles in the Nuggets offense from a fantasy perspective.
As reported by: the Denver Nuggets via Twitter Other tagged players: Mason Plumlee Khris Middleton (illness) a game-time decision Tuesday
Middleton did not participate in the Milwaukee Bucks’ shootaround on Tuesday morning and is officially considered a game-time decision for tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings due to an illness. Head coach Jason Kidd has opted to start Gary Payton II ahead of Tony Snell the last two games, but if Middleton is eventually ruled out, Snell would likely draw the start small forward. Payton II has seen just 16 minutes combined in his previous two starts, so he remains out of consideration for daily fantasy formats given his limited minutes until further notice. Since Eric Bledsoe made his Bucks debut in early-November, the primary beneficiaries with Middleton off the court have clearly been Bledsoe and Giannis Antetokounmpo, as each player owns at least a +5.2% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario. While Bledsoe hasn’t really capitalized on the extra usage in a small sample size, that should be expected to change in a game where Middleton could be unavailable, and Antetokounmpo leads the Bucks with a 41.2% usage rate and has averaged 1.48 fantasy points per minute, closer to the pre-Bledsoe numbers he was posting earlier in the season.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter Blake Griffin (sprained MCL) will be out indefinitely
Griffin exited the fourth quarter of Monday’s win with an apparent knee injury, and upon further testing, has been diagnosed with a sprained left MCL, according to NBA.com’s David Aldridge, and will be out a while. The timetable for Griffin’s return still remains indefinite but the team is likely to release further information in the coming days. The Los Angeles Clippers are already without Patrick Beverley, Milos Teodosic, and Danilo Gallinari, who remains without a definitive timetable for his return as well. With the aforementioned players off the court, Lou Williams and Austin Rivers have been the clear beneficiaries, each owning at least a +5.8% usage rate differential in that scenario, while Williams leads the team with a 36.4% usage rate and averages 1.19 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.12 on FanDuel.
As reported by: David Aldridge via Twitter