DFS Alerts
My Minutes Are Increasing
I hate playing anyone from the Kings, but I’m actually looking at Garrett Temple tonight. We have some good value options already, but Temple could be the option that no one thinks about. He’s played 27 and 31 minutes in the last two games, and he’s shown 30 fantasy point upside in more minutes this season. It’s all about shooting the ball well for him, and if he’s going to get minutes, I’m willing to take a chance on him. He’s a large field GPP play for me tonight.
Patrick Beverley (sore knee) ruled out at least 2 games; Danilo Gallinari (glute) remains out Friday
Beverley has been ruled out and won’t play in tomorrow’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to right knee soreness and will also be unavailable for Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after being sent home from the Los Angeles Clippers’ current road trip to rest his sore knee. Meanwhile, Danilo Gallinari will miss his second consecutive game with a strained left glute and remains without a timetable for his return. Wesley Johnson will likely start at small forward once again in his absence, while Jawun Evans will likely draw the start point guard alongside Austin Rivers in the Clippers backcourt. Johnson played well in his 33 minutes of action in the Clippers’ previous matchup with the San Antonio Spurs and will likely be in the conversation as a value option on Friday’s slate. That said, Blake Griffin is approaching must play status in all formats, as he owns a massive +10.2% usage rate differential with Beverley, Gallinari, and Milos Teodosic off the court this season while producing approximately 1.75 fantasy points per minute, which would enable him to easily exceed value across the industry.
As reported by: Brad Turner via Twitter
Expecting More Minutes for this Small Forward
Nobody can stop LeBron James. It’s just not possible. The Rockets will start Trevor Ariza on him, but he isn’t physical enough to keep him out of the paint. I expect P.J. Tucker to enter the game early and to play close to 30 minutes tonight. He is dirt cheap across the industry and he will get to face one of the worst defenses in the NBA. The best part is that finding value plays like Tucker allow us to play a couple of the superstars tonight.
Sneaky Play in a High Scoring Game
Everyone is going to look to LeBron James and James Harden tonight and rightly so. This should lead to lower ownership for the pieces around them, even though they are also in great spots. The Cavaliers were hesitant to play Kevin Love a lot of minutes in the early part of the season, but he has seen at least 34 in three of his last five games. He’s going to be a tough cover for Clint Capela, who typically doesn’t stray far from the rim.
Paying Down at Power Forward
This slate is full of superstars and my favorite three — LeBron James, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook, all play positions other than power forward. Rather than trying to jam in Anthony Davis, I’m going to take the value route at the position. Markieff Morris played 27 minutes in his last game and should be close to seeing a full complement of minutes tonight. The price is more than reasonable and he draws a favorable matchup against the lakers at home.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (personal) will start Friday
Kidd-Gilchrist will play and start in tomorrow’s game against the Boston Celtics, according to Charlotte Hornets’ head coach Steve Clifford, after dealing with a personal matter that forced him to miss three consecutive games and six games total this season. His return will send Dwayne Bacon back to the bench to resume a reserve role, but Kidd-Gilchrist’s playing time in Friday’s contest has yet to be determined. Depending on the number of minutes he absorbs, Treveon Graham could find himself on the outside looking in at the Hornets rotation, while Jeremy Lamb’s minutes and production are also likely to take a hit with one extra able body available on the wing.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell via Twitter Upside off the Bench
The minutes haven’t gone up as much as I expected, but Randle has been producing solid box score lines in the absence of Larry Nance. He is coming off a solid 16 point, 12 rebound double-double on Wednesday, and that might help him earn some more time going forward. Randle is essentially a fantasy point per minute option with the upside for more than that, and he’s a great upside play tonight in the hopes that the minutes trend in the right direction.
Contrarian Mid-Range Option
I don’t expect the Raptors to have a ton of success on the interior in this game, as they have to deal with Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. Kyle Lowry will have to deal with a solid defender in Jrue Holiday. That leaves extra opportunity for DeRozan, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him have one of his typical 25 shot attempt nights this evening. There’s GPP appeal here, as he has the potential to be a real difference maker on a short slate. It’s also hard to fit him into an ideal build with guys like Harden and James on the slate, so that will keep ownership in check.
Top Play of the Night
On this five game slate, I want as much exposure to the Cleveland-Houston game as possible. We have a Vegas total of 228 points in this contest, and both teams have a propensity to play higher scoring games. Houston fits that mold because they play fast, while Cleveland fits that mold because they play no defense. Harden should have a monster game tonight, and he has started to warm up over the last few contests. If this game is close, both Harden and LeBron James could have big time fantasy performances.
Derrick Rose (ankle discomfort) ruled out Thursday
Rose has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets due to left ankle discomfort. He’ll be replaced in the starting lineup by Iman Shumpert, meaning LeBron James will be the de facto point guard in the starting unit. Rose has already missed four games earlier in the season with the same ankle issue, so there is definitely some concern from the team now that this has become a recurring injury. With Rose and Tristan Thompson off the court this season, Iman Shumpert and Jeff Green have been the largest beneficiaries of Cleveland’s ancillary pieces from a usage standpoint, as both forwards own at least a +2.8% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario, putting them in the conversation as punt options in large-field tournaments. Meanwhile, LeBron also sees his production increase to a solid 55 fantasy points per 36 minutes, solidifying his viability as a cash game staple on Thursday’s slate across the industry.
As reported by: Dave McMenamin via Twitter Tyler Johnson (illness) ruled out Wednesday
Johnson is a late scratch from the Miami Heat’s active roster and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns with flu-like symptoms despite never appearing on the injury report at any point throughout the day. In his absence, Wayne Ellington will likely absorb a majority of the backup shooting guard minutes behind Dion Waiters, while Josh Richardson could end up being the primary ballhandler and playmaker in the second unit. This means that Justise Winslow may end up staying in the starting lineup for at least one more game in order to more easily stagger the minutes of Richardson and Goran Dragic. That said, Winslow has been wildly inconsistent in his previous two starts, essentially removing him from consideration on a value-ridden five-game slate, and the trio of Waiters, Richardson, and Dragic all look to be much better options in Wednesday’s uptempo matchup with Phoenix.
As reported by: the Miami Heat via Twitter Michael Beasley will start for Kristaps Porzingis (ankle, elbow) Wednesday
Porzingis has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic after previously being listed as questionable on the New York Knicks’ injury report with a sprained right ankle and right elbow contusion. The Knicks are on the second leg of a back-to-back set, which made it slightly obvious that the team might err on the side of caution and rest Porzingis on Wednesday night with the star young big man ailing a bit. With Porzingis unavailable, the Knicks will opt to go with Michael Beasley as the starting power forward and he immediately enters the conversation as punt option in tournaments given his historical fantasy production when given playing time. That said, the players that have benefited the most with Porzingis off the court this season are Enes Kanter, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Kyle O’Quinn, all of whom own at least +6.5% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario, while Hardaway Jr. and O’Quinn have experienced the largest bump in to their per minute fantasy production, making them intriguing tournament targets on tonight’s value-ridden slate.
As reported by: Stefan Bondy via Twitter Kristaps Porzingis (ankle, elbow) ruled out Wednesday
Porzingis has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic after previously being listed as questionable on the New York Knicks’ injury report with a sprained right ankle and right elbow contusion. The Knicks are on the second leg of a back-to-back set, which made it slightly obvious that the team might err on the side of caution and rest Porzingis on Wednesday night with the star young big man ailing a bit. With Porzingis unavailable, the Knicks could go in several directions with his replacement, but Lance Thomas looks to be the likeliest candidate to start at power forward. That said, the players that have benefited the most with Porzingis off the court this season are Enes Kanter, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Kyle O’Quinn, all of whom own at least +6.5% usage rate differential in the aforementioned scenario, while Hardaway Jr. and O’Quinn have experienced the largest bump in to their per minute fantasy production, making them intriguing tournament targets on tonight’s value-ridden slate.
As reported by: Al Iannazzone via Twitter Elfrid Payton (hamstring strain) will start Wednesday
Payton will play and start in tonight’s game against the New York Knicks after previously being considered a game-time decision with a strained left hamstring that kept him as a nonparticipant in Wednesday’s shootaround and had forced him to miss eight straight games. There has been official word from Orlando Magic head coach Frank Vogel and the team that Payton will not be limited by a minute restriction in his return and it’s safe to assume that he wouldn’t have been cleared to play if he wasn’t close to full strength health-wise. Even though D.J. Augustin remains sidelined with a strained left hamstring, the presence of Payton in the rotation is a huge knock to the projected fantasy value of Jonathon Simmons and Shelvin Mack off the bench, while the starters will also see a slight downtick in usage with Payton reclaiming the primary ballhandling responsibilities in the starting five.
As reported by: Orlando Magic PR via Twitter Please Stay Out of Foul Trouble
All I ask is that Alex Len doesn’t pick up two fouls in the first five minutes of the games. That’s not too much to ask of the fantasy basketball gods, right? It’s a simple request. If Len stays out of foul trouble, he should play 26-30 minutes with Tyson Chandler expected to miss the game. Len is averaging over a fantasy point per minute on the season and they’ll need his size down low to keep Hassan Whiteside from dominating. Len is one of the best values plays of the slate.