DFS Alerts
Marcus Morris (knee) and Jaylen Brown (personal) will start Monday
Morris will play and start in tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons after previously being listed as probable in the Boston Celtics’ game notes with a sore left knee that kept him out for Saturday’s second leg of a back-to-back set. Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown will also make his return to the starting lineup following his one-game absence due to personal reasons. The duo’s presence in the starting lineup will send Daniel Theis and Marcus Smart back to the bench to resume their normal reserve roles. Theis was solid in 21 minutes of action in his spot start, essentially splitting time with Aron Baynes at center, but Smart easily exceeded salary-based expectations in 34 minutes and is now nothing more than a fringe tournament option with Brown active and available to play a full complement of minutes.
As reported by: Jay King via Twitter Other tagged players: Jaylen Brown
Enes Kanter (back) ruled out Monday; Kristaps Porzingis (back) will play
Kanter has been ruled out and won’t suit up for tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers after previously being listed as questionable in the New York Knicks’ game notes with back spasms that have now forced him to miss three consecutive games, while Kristaps Porzingis will play and start following his one-game absence due to lower back tightness. Porzingis’ return to the lineup will send Michael Beasley back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role following a classic Michael Beasley performance, demolishing his salary-based expectation in 36 of action, and now may not even be in the Knicks’ rotation with Joakim Noah active for the first time all season. Kyle O’Quinn has started the previous two games Kanter has been sidelined but has been wildly inconsistent, posting a total dud and then eclipsing 50 fantasy points in Saturday’s contest. With Kanter off the court this season, Tim Hardaway Jr. has been the biggest beneficiary among the Knicks starters, as he owns a +2.1% usage rate differential while averaging 1.09 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.04 on FanDuel, putting him in position to be a viable tournament option in an exploitable matchup with the Trail Blazers backcourt defense.
As reported by: the New York Knicks via Twitter Other tagged players: Kristaps Porzingis Ben Simmons (swollen elbow) will play Monday
Simmons has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown, after previously being listed as questionable on the injury report with left elbow swelling that had forced him to miss one game. With Simmons available, the Sixers will revert back to their normal starting lineup with Simmons manning the point, a move that will send T.J. McConnell back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role after playing almost 37 minutes in Saturday’s win and falling just three rebounds shy of a triple-double. McConnell’s demotion to the bench essentially removes him from consideration for daily fantasy formats on Monday’s slate considering the plethora of other value options available. As for Simmons, he’ll continue to be a fantastic cash game option on a nightly basis given his ability to stuff the stat sheet and minute floor, as he’s seen at least 37 minutes of playing time in four of his last five games.
As reported by: Tom Moore via Twitter Victor Oladipo (bruised knee) will play Monday
Oladipo has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic after previously being listed as questionable on the Indiana Pacers’ injury report with a bruised right knee that had forced him to miss one game. Oladipo won’t have a minute restriction Monday night, but his return will relegate Lance Stephenson back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role following a 36-minute performance in the Pacers’ previous game where he greatly exceeded salary-based expectations. Unfortunately, on a slate with no dearth of value options, Stephenson now becomes nothing more than a contrarian target in tournaments as a pivot off of more chalky options. As for Oladipo, he is certainly worth a shot in tournaments considering the matchup with a reeling Magic squad that is in the midst of an eight-game losing streak and is surrendering a league-worst 115.6 points per 100 possessions during that span, opening up the opportunity to roster Oladipo in a plus matchup at what should be a suppressed ownership percentage.
As reported by: the Indiana Pacers via Twitter High Floor and a High Ceiling for Cash Games
With all of the injuries, there is a ton of value that has opened up for this slate. That leads to a lot of stars and scrubs lineup builds because if we are playing four elite values, we have to spend our salary somewhere. A great place to spend up tonight is on LeBron James, who continues to carry the load offensively for the Cavaliers. They draw a nice matchup tonight against the Sixers in a game that features a low spread (one point) and a high total (225 points).
Top Point Guard of the Slate
With Stephen Curry out, Damian Lillard is clearly the top point guard target on the board tonight. He has been in solid form all season, posting a 29.6% true usage while averaging 43 fantasy points per game. The Knicks have a stout frontcourt, but are ranked 27th in fantasy points allowed to point guards this season. With all of the value available tonight, it’s easy to fit a few superstars into your lineups on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
Massive Upside at Suppressed Ownership
I generally like to avoid the games with the big spreads for cash games, but it’s hard not to like Clint Capela tonight against the Nets. Capela is averaging 1.35 FP/min this season, which is the second highest mark of any center on the board. He draws the best possible matchup, as the Nets are ranked dead last against centers and 23rd in rebounding differential. For the icing on the cake, Nene Hilario is expected to miss tonight’s game, which could result in a few extra minutes for Capela.
Raul Neto (costochondral sprain) questionable for Tuesday
Neto has officially been listed as questionable on the Utah Jazz’ injury report with for tomorrow’s game against the Denver Nuggets’ with what’s been diagnosed as a sprained costochondral, essentially a sprain in his ribs or chest area. Neto has been serving as the primary backup point guard behind Ricky Rubio, and if he were to be sidelined, Rubio and Donovan Mitchell would assume basically all of the point guard minutes, while Rodney Hood and Alec Burks would soak up the additional playing time at the two-guard spot. Since Rudy Gobert has been unavailable with an injury, Hood has led the Jazz with a 33.8% usage rate, and though his minutes and production have fluctuated of late, he would become an intriguing option on Tuesday’s slate should Neto be ruled out.
As reported by: Andy Larsen via Twitter REVENGE!
With Kevin Durant ruled out for tonight, Omri Casspi should play big minutes against his former team. It’s also sounding like Andre Iguodala is going to miss the game tonight. Casspi has played 24 and 25 minutes in the last two games without Durant, and Iggy played 17 and 30 minutes in those two games. Casspi should play 25-30 minutes in a very favorable matchup tonight, and with two of the studs out, I could see this game staying close.
Injury Has Created Opportunity For Me
With the injuries to Allen Crabbe and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Joe Harris should play big minutes again tonight against Houston. With Crabbe out on Sunday, Harris played 37 minutes against Memphis. I have a hard time seeing him not play 30+ minutes tonight, and I think he’s blowout proof here. He’s put up at least 23 fantasy points in four of his last six games, and sets up as a great value play tonight.
Value Potential Sans Curry
Shaun Livingston is by no means a fantasy star at this stage of his career, but he is a capable reserve for the Warriors. He carries more value on nights like tonight, where Stephen Curry will not play. Kevin Durant is also out, so there will be plenty of shots to go around for Golden State. We can’t peg Livingston for 35 minutes, as he has yet to come even close to that mark this year, but it would not surprise me to see him hit a season high, especially with Andre Iguodala also likely out. The value train makes sense here.
Kevin Durant (ankle) and Stephen Curry (hand) ruled out Monday; Draymond Green (foot) will play
Durant and Curry have been ruled out and won’t suit up for tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings after previously being listed as questionable on the Golden State Warriors’ injury report with a sprained left ankle and right-hand contusion respectively, while Draymond Green will play despite also carrying a questionable destination for a right foot contusion to begin the day. With Andre Iguodala still listed as doubtful with a sore left knee and not expected to play, the Warriors starting lineup will likely include Shaun Livingston, Klay Thompson, Omri Casspi, Draymond Green, and Zaza Pachulia for Monday’s contest. Jordan Bell started in place of Green on Friday and put up a monster fantasy performance for his price tag in just 26 minutes of action, but it remains to be seen how much playing time he gets moving forward with Green presumably healthy, though the likely absence of Iguodala could open some minutes at the four for Bell with Green manning the center spot in small-ball lineups. There obviously isn’t a huge sample size with Durant, Curry, and Iguodala off the court together this season, but in that scenario, Thompson, Casspi, and Nick Young have been the primary beneficiaries, as each own at least a +5.2% usage rate differential and each have seen their production increase to a fantasy point per minute, give or take. Meanwhile, Green doesn’t see a usage bump with the aforementioned trio off the court, but he does lead the Warriors in fantasy production, averaging a stellar 1.53 fantasy points per minute.
As reported by: Anthony Slater via Twitter Other tagged players: Stephen Curry, Draymond Green Available Minutes are Huge
Allen Crabbe and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson are out tonight, while Demarre Carolle is questionable. The Nets will be very thin on the tail end of a back to back. Booker should get about 30 minutes tonight, and he has been solid when given the chance this year. He is a great value option in this game.
Wilson Chandler (back) and Mason Plumlee (core) questionable for Tuesday
Chandler and Plumlee have both officially been listed as questionable on the Denver Nuggets’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Utah Jazz due to lower back pain and a strained core, respectively, injuries that forced both players to pop up on the injury report several times over the last week, though Chandler was only sidelined for one game with his ailing back and Plumlee has managed to play through the injury on both occasions. In fact, head coach Mike Malone told reporters that the injuries are not considered serious and Chandler and Plumlee’s availability is just a matter of pain tolerance, and Plumlee just further reiterated that sentiment by telling the media following practice that he will play on Tuesday night. Given how conservative Denver has historically been with injury reporting, it’s safe to assume that Chandler will play as well, but if he doesn’t, both Will Barton and Gary Harris will continue to a massive minute workload in his and Paul Millsap’s absences.
As reported by: Harrison Wind via Twitter Other tagged players: Mason Plumlee Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle) and Allen Crabbe (back) ruled out Monday; DeMarre Carroll (illness) questionable
Hollis-Jefferson has been ruled out and won’t suit up for tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets due to a sprained right ankle, while Allen Crabbe will miss his second consecutive game with a sore lower back that forced him to be a late scratch for Sunday’s win and DeMarre Carroll has officially been listed as questionable on the Brooklyn Nets’ injury report due to an illness. After Hollis-Jefferson injured his ankle in the first half yesterday, Trevor Booker entered the starting lineup in his place to begin the second half and will likely find his way into the starting lineup once again for Monday’s contest, even if Carroll ends up being available to play. If available, Carroll will carry some extra risk dealing with an illness, but he was ultra-productive following Hollis-Jefferson’s exit on Sunday, playing 35 minutes and easily exceeding salary-based expectations, making him an ideal tournament play. In Crabbe’s absence, Joe Harris ended up seeing 36 minutes of playing time yesterday and is now a volume-driven value option on Monday’s slate with Crabbe and Hollis-Jefferson sidelined once again.
As reported by: the Brooklyn Nets via Twitter Other tagged players: Allen Crabbe, DeMarre Carroll