DFS Alerts
Patrick Beverley (sore knee) will play Monday
Beverley has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the New York Knicks after missing five consecutive games with a sore right knee. Meanwhile, Danilo Gallinari remains sidelined for the seventh consecutive game with a strained left glute. At this time, there has been no word of a minute restriction for Beverley, but he is expected to reclaim his spot in the starting lineup at point guard which will send Sindarius Thornwell back to the bench to resume his normal reserve role. The return of Beverley to the rotation will also cut into the playing time of Lou Williams, who is essentially now an easy player to avoid in all formats at his extremely elevated price tag.
As reported by: Brad Turner via Twitter
Jamal Crawford (migraine) available to play Monday
Crawford will be available to play off the bench in tonight’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after previously being listed as probable on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ injury report with a migraine that forced him to exit Sunday’s contest early. Unfortunately, Crawford remains out of daily fantasy consideration on most slates, as he has averaged just over 11 minutes per game in the Timberwolves’ last five contests, while conversely all of the Timberwolves starters have averaged at least 34 minutes in that same timespan, just further illustrating how tight head coach Tom Thibodeau prefers to keep his rotation.
As reported by: Timberwolves PR via Twitter Tim Hardaway Jr. (sore foot) will play Monday
Hardaway Jr. has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers after previously being listed as questionable on the New York Knicks’ injury report with a sore left foot that had forced him to miss Sunday’s practice. Head coach Jeff Hornacek did add that Hardaway Jr. may be battling a case of plantar fasciitis, which is a bit worrisome if opting to roster him on Monday’s slate. That said, his presence in the starting lineup does remove Lance Thomas and Doug McDermott from consideration as punt options in large field tournaments, as each forward will now remain in their customary reserve roles off the bench.
As reported by: Al Iannazzone via Twitter Richaun Holmes (gastroenteritis) will play Monday
Holmes has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz after previously being listed as questionable on the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury report with gastroenteritis. Joel Embiid still remains officially questionable and a game-time decision despite telling reporters following shootaround that he plans to play in Monday’s contest. However, if Embiid is unable to suit up, it has already been confirmed by head coach Brett Brown that Amir Johnson will start at center and essentially split minutes with Holmes off the bench. Of the two Holmes certainly possesses the higher upside with his rebounding and blocking abilities. With Embiid off the court this season, somewhat predictably, Ben Simmons, Robert Covington, and Jerryd Bayless have been the largest beneficiaries, as each player owns at least a +4.0% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario, while Covington has been the most productive with this added usage, averaging 1.16 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.10 on FanDuel.
As reported by: Jessica Camerato via Twitter Buddy Hield (ankle) ruled out Monday; Vince Carter (illness) remains out
Hield has been ruled out and won’t suit up for tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets with a sprained right ankle that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games, while Vince Carter remains out for the seventh consecutive game as he continues to deal with a bout of kidney stones. The Kings should continue to roll with a new-look starting lineup for Monday’s contest with De’Aaron Fox and Skal Labissiere starting ahead of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Willie Cauley-Stein, respectively. Though, since his “demotion” Cauley-Stein averaged nearly 32 minutes of action per game. With Hield unavailable, Bogdanovic is virtually guaranteed to re-enter the starting lineup for the second time in as many games. There hasn’t really been one direct beneficiary with Hield and Carter off the court this season, but Cauley-Stein and Frank Mason have each seen at least a +2.4% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario, putting them all in play for Monday’s slate, though Mason will likely only see around 20 minutes of playing time, reserving him to tournament punt status only.
As reported by: James Ham via Twitter Other tagged players: Vince Carter Paul Millsap (wrist) ruled out Monday; Wilson Chandler (back) questionable
Millsap has been ruled out and won’t suit up for tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings with a sprained left wrist he sustained during Sunday’s loss. Meanwhile, Wilson Chandler is dealing with lower back pain and is listed as questionable. Interestingly, Will Barton ended up replacing Millsap in the starting lineup to start the third quarter of Sunday’s loss and is likely the leading candidate to start in Millsap’s place if Chandler is available. If Chandler is unable to suit up, then Barton is a lock to remain in the starting lineup. With Millsap off the court this season, Nikola Jokic leads the Nuggets with a +2.5% usage rate differential while averaging 1.41 fantasy points per minute, putting him firmly in play on Monday’s slate with Millsap sidelined.
As reported by: the Denver Nuggets via Twitter Other tagged players: Wilson Chandler Anthony Davis (concussion) will play Monday; Rajon Rondo (sports hernia) expects to play 24-26 minutes
Davis has cleared the concussion protocol and will play in tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after previously being listed as probable on the New Orleans Pelicans’ injury report due to a right orbital bone contusion he sustained when banging heads with Nikola Jokic during Friday’s loss, an incident that also resulted in the aforementioned mild concussion. Meanwhile, Rajon Rondo told reporters that he expects to play 24-26 minutes for the second straight game. There has yet to be any confirmation on whether Davis will wear a protective mask but is certainly something to monitor on Monday given how intrusive face masks can be for players. Assuming there no worries about limitations, Davis will remain an intriguing tournament option, as he does on most slates, despite the difficult matchup with the Thunder’s top-rated defensive unit.
As reported by: Daniel Sallerson via Twitter Other tagged players: Rajon Rondo Richaun Holmes (gastroenteritis) questionable Monday; Jerryd Bayless (wrist discomfort) will play
Holmes has officially been listed as questionable on the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz with gastroenteritis, while Jerryd Bayless will be available to play, as expected, after missing seven consecutive games with left wrist discomfort. The Sixers are still without Markelle Fultz, Justin Anderson, and Nik Stauskas, so the return of Bayless to the rotation is certainly a much-needed addition. It still remains unclear if head coach Brett Brown will continue to utilize the same starting lineup with Dario Saric at power forward, but the presence of Bayless will definitely eat into the playing time of T.J. McConnell off the bench, and to a lesser extent, J.J. Redick at the shooting guard spot.
As reported by: Jessica Camerato via Twitter Other tagged players: Jerryd Bayless Joel Embiid (sore knee) questionable Monday, will be a game-time decision
Embiid has officially been listed as questionable on the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz due to left knee soreness and will most likely be a game-time decision. Despite the questionable designation, Embiid told reporters that he expects to play in Monday’s contest. However, if Embiid is for some reason unavailable, Richaun Holmes will likely draw the start at center, though his status also remains up in the air and is currently listed as questionable with gastroenteritis. If both big men miss this game, Amir Johnson would likely be forced into substantial minutes and would almost certainly start, while Jahlil Okafor would enter the rotation and probably see his most playing time of the season to this point. With Embiid off the court this season, somewhat predictably, Ben Simmons, Robert Covington, and Jerryd Bayless have been the largest beneficiaries, as each player owns at least a +4.0% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario, while Covington has been the most productive with this added usage, averaging 1.16 fantasy points per minute on DraftKings and 1.10 on FanDuel.
As reported by: Jessica Camerato via Twitter Thabo Sefolosha (sore knee) will play Monday
Sefolosha will play, as expected, in tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after previously being listed as probable on the Utah Jazz’ injury report with right knee soreness. He made his return from a one-game absence in Saturday’s contest and was able to play 18 minutes off the bench, so the probable designation was likely more of a precaution than anything else, and Sefolosha was fully expected to suit up Monday night. Even with Sefolosha available, Jonas Jerebko should remain in the starting lineup at power forward for the injured Rudy Gobert, and he was extremely productive from a fantasy standpoint in just over 24 minutes of action in Saturday night’s game.
As reported by: Tony Jones via Twitter Bounce-Back Spot for this Center
When it comes to cash games, we want reliability from our center. There are few more reliable than Marc Gasol, especially when he’s playing without Mike Conley. His usage goes up and when the game stays close, Memphis isn’t afraid to play him minutes in the mid to upper 30s. The Grizzlies forgot to show up the other night against Houston, but should be able to bounce back at home against the Blazers.
High Usage in a Pace-Up Matchup
The Jazz have been inconsistent without Rudy Gobert, but it has provided a great opportunity for Donovan Mitchell to be the focal point on offense. He leads the team in true usage (25%) and he is averaging 33 minutes over his last four games. Tonight he gets to square off against a Sixers’ team that is ranked fourth in pace of play and 26th in points allowed per game.
Much Needed Point Guard Value
There are a lot of superstars in tonight’s slate, but getting up to them is difficult. There aren’t nearly as many standout value plays as there normally are in such a big slate. One player that I’m looking to save cap space with is Rajon Rondo, who played 25 minutes and scored 24 fantasy points the other night against the Nuggets. We could see his minutes go up to the 28-30 range, so this is a great time to buy low while we still can.
Injury Has Created Opportunity For Me
With the injury to Jonathan Isaac, it has opened up about 20 minutes per night in the Magic front court. Marreese Speights has been playing about 15 minutes per night, and while that doesn’t sound great, he’s a guy that can scores fantasy points in a hurry. On FanDuel he’s tough to play with only one center, but on DraftKings, I don’t mind taking a shot at his current price. He’s put up at least 15 DK points in four straight games, and two of those games he went over 20.
The Robin To My Batman
I love Jokic tonight, he’s the top play on the slate for me. With that said, I think Murray is a great play to play with him tonight. After playing at least 33 minutes in three straight games, Murray only played 24 minutes against the Lakers last night. Him and Jokic were duds last night, and might be low owned tonight because of that. I think this is an excellent bounce back spot for both of them, and my super hero duo should crush this spot.