DFS Alerts

Load Up on the Mid-Range Point Guards

There are two point guards that I absolutely love tonight and they are both priced in the mid-range — Kemba Walker and Dennis Schroder. Walker gets the Cavaliers at home and Schroder gets the Kings at home. On the season, Schroder owns a 29% true usage and he is averaging well over a fantasy point per minute. The Kings have not fared well against point guards this season and both George Hill and De’Aaron Fox have negative DRPM grades.

His Price Will Only Go Up From Here

Donovan Mitchell is coming off of an incredible game against the Wolves, pouring in 48 fantasy points in 34 minutes of action. He has cracked the starting lineup for the Jazz and he clearly isn’t afraid to take shots like a lot of rookies are. Tonight he gets to play his first game in the Garden in New York and I’m expecting big things. The Knicks do not have good wing defenders and the Jazz have been relying on their rookie offensively. He has a true usage rate of 26%, which is by far the highest of the five starters.

These Aren't Your Father's Sixers

How about those Philadelphia 76ers? Trust the process! They have won six of their last eight games on the heels of budding superstars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and I wouldn’t expect a slow down in production with a matchup against the Lakers on tap this evening. Simmons has flashed triple-double upside on a nightly basis, and he is among the top upside players on the board tonight.

Top Value - Run it Back

Anunoby was a very popular pick last night, and his price has not risen on any of the DFS sites heading into the second end of a back-to-back set on Wednesday. He played 30 minutes last night and was very efficient offensively, which is a bit of a surprise for him. I would have expected fewer points and more secondary stats, but the point is that he ended up getting there. If Norman Powell is out again tonight, Anunoby is a lock and load value play once again.

Three Reasons to Say Yes

There are three solid reasons why you should play Kemba Walker tonight:
1) He’s surprisingly affordable
2) He’s playing at home, where he is traditionally better.
3) He’s facing off against a Cavs defense that has been a turnstile all year long.

That’s good enough for me!

Ersan Ilyasova (knee) will play off the bench Wednesday

Ilyasova has been cleared to play and will suit up for tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings after previously being listed as probable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report with a left knee bone bruise that had forced him to miss eight consecutive games. While Ilyasova is set to make his return on Wednesday night, Mike Muscala remains listed as doubtful with a sprained left ankle that should keep him sidelined for a sixth straight contest. There has yet to be any official word on a minute restriction for Ilyasova but he will come off the bench in his first game back, meaning Luke Babbitt will remain in the starting lineup at power forward with Muscala’s status looking less than optimistic. That said, Babbitt will still likely take a backseat in the rotation now that Ilyasova is back in the fold with rookie John Collins absorbing a large chunk of the reserve big man minutes at both the center and power forward spots as well.

Let's Hope It Wasn't Garbage Time

Marreese Speights is min salary on DraftKings tonight, and I think he’s a very interesting punt in large field GPPs. He’s played 16 and 18 minutes in the last two games, and he played in the first half of both of those games. With Jonathan Isaac already ruled out for tonight’s game, I like Speights to see 15ish minutes tonight, and I think he’s worth the risk at that point. He’s a guy that can score 20+ DK points in 15 minutes, and would get all the garbage time if this game turns ugly.

Can I Whisper You A Play?

That title is a little cheesy, but I’ve been called the KCP whisperer for a couple of years now and I love him tonight. He’s a top point per dollar play on the slate for me, and he’s going to be in every lineup I make. He’s taken double-digit shot attempts in eight of the last ten games, and he’s coming off one of his best games this season. This is a pace up game, and it has the highest total on the slate. The Lakers implied team total is five points higher than they’re season average, and if this game stays close, I think KCP and Kuzma have big games.

Increased Opportunity Tonight

With Justin Holiday out tonight, there will be a lot of usage to go around for the Bulls. Holiday has a 22.7% usage this season, and when he’s off the floor, Dunn has a 28.8% usage rate. Dunn has already been announced as the starter tonight, but the projected starting five hasn’t played together all year. I would expect Dunn to play 30+ minutes in this game, and I really like his price tag on DraftKings.

Trevor Booker will start ahead of Timofey Mozgov on Tuesday

Booker will be inserted into the Brooklyn Nets starting lineup at center for tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics, a move that will send Timofey Mozgov to the bench to assume a reserve role. There’s no word if this is a long-term move by head coach Kenny Atkinson or just a matchup-based decision with the Celtics going small deploying Marcus Morris and Al Horford at power forward and center, respectively. Additionally, Jarrett Allen will be available off the bench after a six-game absence with a strained left foot but had only been seeing minutes in low-teens prior to his injury, so even if he immediately steps into his previous role in the rotation, he’ll remain off the radar for daily fantasy formats for the foreseeable future. Spencer Dinwiddie will take over as the starting point guard for the duration of D’Angelo Russell’s absence and is “good to go”, according to head coach Kenny Atkinson, after missing Saturday’s contest with right hamstring tightness, while Isaiah Whitehead and Sean Kilpatrick will be responsible for handling the backup point guard duties. With Russell off the court this season, several Nets players have seen a sizable increase in their usage rate given his ball-dominant play style, but DeMarre Carroll stands out the most from a usage and production standpoint, as the forward owns a +4.7% usage rate differential while averaging a lofty 1.35 fantasy points per minute.

Kyrie Irving (minor facial fracture) will start Tuesday

Irving will play and start in tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets after previously being listed as questionable on the Boston Celtics’ injury report with a minor facial fracture that had forced him to miss one full one game and most of another. Irving escaped a possible concussion stemming from the incident but will be fitted for a mask in order to play through the fracture for the next few weeks. There is no worry of a minute restriction for Irving following just a one-game absence and any concern that he will have difficulty adjusting to the mask should be eased by the fact that he played 19 games with a mask earlier in his career dealing with a similar facial injury. The return of Irving to the starting lineup will send Marcus Smart back to the bench to resume a reserve role, while Shane Larkin will likely now find himself on the outside looking in at the rotation. Additionally, Marcus Morris will start at power forward on Tuesday night, relegating Aron Baynes to the bench for at least one game.

Mike Conley (Achilles) questionable for Wednesday; JaMychal Green (ankle) will play

Conley has officially been listed as questionable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Indiana Pacers with a sore left Achilles that has nagged him all season, while JaMychal Green will make his season debut after dealing with a sprained left foot and ankle. It’s unclear whether Green will have his minutes monitored in his first game back, but his return will almost certainly send Jarell Martin back the bench to resume a tertiary reserve role as Chandler Parsons is expected to continuing to soak up a majority of the backup power forward minutes. If Conley is ultimately unable to suit up, look for Mario Chalmers to the start at point guard, while Tyreke Evans should see some extended run off the bench and leads the Grizzlies with a 30.7% usage rate with Conley off the court this season, resulting in a +3.3% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario.

Jarrett Allen (foot strain) available to play Tuesday

Allen has been cleared to play and will be available off the bench for tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics after previously being listed as questionable on the Brooklyn Nets’ injury report with a strained left foot that had forced him to miss six consecutive games. Allen had been seeing minutes in low-teens prior to his injury, so even if he immediately steps into his old role in the rotation, he’ll remain off the radar for daily fantasy formats for the foreseeable future. Spencer Dinwiddie will take over as the starting point guard for the duration of D’Angelo Russell’s absence and is “good to go”, according to head coach Kenny Atkinson, after missing Saturday’s contest with right hamstring tightness, while Isaiah Whitehead and Sean Kilpatrick will be responsible for handling the backup point guard duties. With Russell off the court this season, several Nets players have seen a sizable increase in their usage rate given his ball-dominant play style, but DeMarre Carroll stands out the most from a usage and production standpoint, as the forward owns a +4.7% usage rate differential while averaging a lofty 1.35 fantasy points per minute.

Ersan Ilyasova (knee) probable for Wednesday; Mike Muscala (ankle) doubtful

Ilyasova has officially been listed as probable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Sacramento Kings with a left knee bone bruise that had forced him to miss eight consecutive games. While Ilyasova is likely to make his return on Wednesday night, Mike Muscala has been listed as doubtful with a sprained left ankle that should keep him sidelined for a sixth straight contest. There has yet to be any official word on a minute restriction for Ilyasova but his presence on the active roster should relegate Luke Babbitt back to the bench to resume a reserve role after performing admirably during the seven-game stretch where Atlanta was extremely thin in the frontcourt. Babbitt will likely take a backseat in the rotation now that Ilyasova is back in the fold with rookie John Collins absorbing a large chunk of the reserve big man minutes at both the center and power forward spots.

Stanley Johnson (hip) and Jon Leuer (ankle) questionable for Wednesday

Johnson has officially been listed as questionable on the Detroit Pistons’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with a sore right hip flexor that has already forced him to miss three consecutive games, while Jon Leuer has also been listed as questionable with a sprained left ankle that has kept him sidelined for five straight games. Despite the questionable designation, Johnson told the media at the Pistons’ practice on Tuesday that he expects to play to Wednesday night. Anthony Tolliver has ended up being a tertiary beneficiary of Johnson’s playing time during the last three games, but Reggie Bullock would likely start at small forward for the fourth time in as many games, if Johnson is ruled out, and has averaged roughly 30 minutes of action in his previous three spot starts despite uninspiring fantasy production. That said, head coach Stan Van Gundy doesn’t exactly have a consistent, set rotation, making it difficult to really pinpoint which ancillary wing player will receive minutes on a night-to-night basis. In Leuer’s absence, Eric Moreland has served as the backup center behind Andre Drummond but remains out of consideration in daily fantasy formats with Drummond soaking up such a large majority of the center minutes in the Pistons frontcourt rotation.