DFS Alerts
Interesting Risk/Reward Upside
Marcus Morris is slowly getting into the swing of things for his new team, and he played a scheduled 24 minutes in his last contest. That should remain steady or tick slightly upward tonight, and the Celtics have a favorable matchup against the Lakers. 24 minutes against the Lakers is pretty close to 26-28 minutes against any other team, and Morris is still very much value priced on every site. He’s a great differentiation play on a short slate.
Danilo Gallinari (glute strain) officially ruled out Tuesday
Gallinari will not play in tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after previously being listed as doubtful on the Los Angeles Clippers’ injury report with a strained left glute he sustained during Sunday’s contest. He is traveling with the team on their upcoming three-game road trip, so the Clippers are at least hopeful the injury isn’t all that serious and Gallinari should be considered day-to-day following Tuesday’s game, as he is now officially unavailable. In his absence, Wesley Johnson will likely draw the start at small forward and saw 33 minutes of action on Sunday after replacing Gallinari to start the second half. Despite his starting status, Johnson doesn’t set up as a particularly intriguing option in daily fantasy formats given his lackluster usage and point-per-minute production but could end up being viable for his price point around the industry.
As reported by: Paul Garcia via Twitter
Dwight Howard (foot sprain) will start Tuesday
Howard will play and start in tonight’s game against the New York Knicks after previously being listed as probable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report and considered a game-time decision with a sprained right foot. Despite the earlier injury designation, it appeared that Howard is no jeopardy of missing time, though the matchup with New York doesn’t present itself as a great matchup as the Knicks have recorded the third-highest rebounding rate of any team in the early stages of this young season. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist unavailable again, Dwayne Bacon will continue to start at shooting guard, while Jeremy Lamb moves to small forward and Treveon Graham soaks up some additional forward minutes off the bench. While Bacon and Graham aren’t particularly appealing options, Lamb sets up as a viable target in all formats given his overall consistency and the likelihood of approaching, or even exceeding, 30 minutes sans Kidd-Gilchrist on Tuesday evening.
As reported by: the Charlotte Hornets via Twitter T.J. Leaf (ankle sprain) available to play Tuesday
Leaf is officially available to play in tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after previously being upgraded to questionable on the Indiana Pacers’ injury report with a sprained left ankle that had forced him to miss one game. With Domantas Sabonis already ruled out with a right calf contusion, Leaf should step into significant playing time off the bench behind Myles Turner and Thaddeus Young now that he’s been added to active roster. The chances of Leaf playing through his aforementioned ankle sprain increased greatly earlier in the day with the news of Sabonis being unavailable, as the Pacers will need all hands on deck in an effort to slow down the duo of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins in the Pelicans frontcourt. That said, Alex Poythress could still see some minutes at the power forward spot with Sabonis ruled out and possible foul trouble on the horizon for the starters, while Al Jefferson will continue to serve as the backup center behind Turner but should see a slight downgrade in playing time with Turner officially free his minute restriction, according to head coach Nate McMillan.
As reported by: Jim Eichenhofer via Twitter Mirza Teletovic (sore knee) will play Tuesday
Teletovic will play in tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd, after previously being listed as questionable on the injury report with a left knee soreness. Teletovic has averaged just under 16 minutes per contest off the bench and will not have a minute restriction on Tuesday but isn’t particularly viable in daily fantasy formats on most nights but especially not on a full 10-game slate. However, Tony Snell has been seeing minutes in the upper-30s in the Bucks previous two games and makes for a nice punt option given his cheap price tag across the industry.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter John Wall (shoulder sprain) will start Tuesday, as expected
Wall will play and start in tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after previously being listed on the Washington Wizards’ injury report with a sprained left shoulder that had forced him to miss one game. Wall is not expected to be limited by a minute restriction, and his availability will officially send Tim Frazier back to the bench to resume a reserve role. However, head coach Scott Brooks is planning on loosening the minute restriction on Markieff Morris and the forward is now expected to see around 24 minutes of game action this evening. Given the previous injury designation and lackluster fantasy production so far this season, Wall is in line to see extremely reduced ownership on Tuesday’s slate, making him an intriguing option in large-field tournaments given his nightly triple-double upside and declining price tag across the industry. In fact, Wall is still tied with Bradley Beal for the team-lead in usage rate (31.0%) and is long overdue for a monster game, even if that said game isn’t tonight, his price and matchup will be something to monitor moving forward.
As reported by: Candace Buckner via Twitter Marc Gasol (ankle) and Mario Chalmers (knee) will play Tuesday, as expected
Gasol and Chalmers will be available to play in tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers after they both had previously been listed as probable on the Memphis Grizzlies’ injury report with a left ankle and left knee injury, respectively. The Grizzlies are still without JaMychal Green, Ben McLemore, and Wayne Selden, all of whom are still sidelined with their respective injuries, meaning that Chalmers will continue to serve as the primary backup point guard behind Mike Conley and remains an interesting tournament option as a salary saver in plus matchups like tonight, especially with Chalmers consistently seeing minutes in the mid-20s at his current price tag across the industry.
As reported by: Grizzlies PR via Twitter Other tagged players: Mario Chalmers D.J. Augustin (hamstring strain) will remain out Wednesday
Augustin has been ruled out and won’t play in tomorrow’s game against the New York Knicks due to a strained left hamstring that has now forced him to miss two consecutive games. Meanwhile, Elfrid Payton is also still dealing with a strained left hamstring that has kept him sidelined for eight straight games but did manage to participate in Tuesday’s practice, though his status for Wednesday has yet to be determined. Should Payton ultimately be ruled out, Shelvin Mack would likely draw the start at point guard for the second time in as many games and may provide some value at point guard depending on his price tag on Wednesday’s slate. That said, Johnathon Simmons may provide more value than Mack, as he has been the primary ballhandler with the second unit while also playing significant time with the starters, despite coming off the bench to begin the game.
As reported by: Josh Robbins via Twitter Mirza Teletovic (sore knee) questionable Tuesday
Teletovic has been listed as questionable on the Milwaukee Bucks’ injury report for tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with left knee soreness. Teletovic has averaged just under 16 minutes per contest off the bench, so if he’s eventually ruled out, there would be some extra playing time for the likes of Rashad Vaughn or maybe even DeAndre Liggins on the wing, though neither would be particularly viable in daily fantasy formats on a full 10-game slate. That said, Tony Snell has been seeing minutes in the upper-30s in the Bucks previous two games and makes for a nice punt option across the industry given his cheap price tag, especially if Teletovic is unavailable since that would mean there is one less available body on the bench for head coach Jason Kidd to tinker with his rotation, as he is notoriously known to do on a regular basis.
As reported by: Matt Velazquez via Twitter Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (hip), Trevor Booker (back), and Jarrett Allen (foot) ruled out Tuesday
Hollis-Jefferson has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets with a right hip contusion he sustained during Monday’s win over the Phoenix Suns, while Trevor Booker and Jarrett Allen will remain out with their respective ailments and have now been forced to miss the last two and three games, respectively. This news now leaves the Brooklyn Nets extremely undermanned in the frontcourt with Quincy Acy, Timofey Mozgov, and Tyler Zeller as the only true “big men” on the active roster, likely forcing head coach Kenny Atkinson into using more small-ball lineups with DeMarre Carroll holding down the four-spot and Allen Crabbe, Caris LeVert, and Joe Harris seeing some extra minutes at the wing positions. That said, Acy will almost certainly draw the start at power forward (possibly along with some small-ball center minutes) and is the stone minimum across the industry, making him an elite value option considering the likelihood he sees around 22-25 minutes of playing time Tuesday evening.
As reported by: the Brooklyn Nets via Twitter Other tagged players: Trevor Booker, Jarrett Allen Possibly the Best Play on the Board at Lower Ownership
Giannis Antetokounmpo has had a string of difficult matchups, which has led to a few fantasy duds by his standards. We shouldn’t hold them against him though, especially since he gets to square off against a Cavaliers’ team that is ranked dead last in defensive efficiency this season. Giannis has scored at least 48 fantasy points in four of his last five games against LeBron James and should easily get there again tonight. Nobody seems to be talking about it, but this game actually has the second highest total of the slate.
Elite Matchup for this Superstar Center
DeMarcus Cousins has been a force to be reckoned with this season. He has a true usage rate over 28% and is averaging well over 60 fantasy points per game. Tonight he gets to square off against a short-handed Pacers’ frontcourt (Domantas Sabonis has been ruled out) that is ranked 25th against centers and 21st in rebounding differential. The best part is that the game is expected to say close throughout (one point spread), so Cousins should see a full complement of minutes.
John Wall (shoulder sprain) listed probable but expected to play Tuesday
Wall is still listed as probable on the Washington Wizards’ injury report but is fully expected to play in tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks with a sprained left shoulder that had forced him to miss one game. Wall is unlikely to be limited by a minute restriction, and his expected availability will send Tim Frazier back to the bench to resume a reserve role. Given the previous injury designation and lackluster fantasy production so far this season, Wall is in line to see extremely reduced ownership on Tuesday’s slate, making him an intriguing option in large-field tournaments given his nightly triple-double upside and declining price tag across the industry. In fact, Wall is still tied with Bradley Beal for the team-lead in usage rate (31.0%) and is long overdue for a monster game, even if that said game isn’t tonight, his price and matchup will be something to monitor moving forward.
As reported by: Ben Standig via Twitter T.J. Leaf (ankle sprain) upgraded to questionable Tuesday
Leaf has officially been upgraded to questionable on the Indiana Pacers’ injury report for tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans with a sprained right ankle after he was originally ruled out late Monday afternoon. With Domantas Sabonis already ruled out with a right calf contusion, Leaf could step into significant playing time off the bench behind Myles Turner and Thaddeus Young if he is, in fact, cleared to play. The chances of Leaf playing through his aforementioned ankle sprain just increased greatly with the news of Sabonis being unavailable on Tuesday evening, as the Pacers will need all hands on deck in an effort to slow down the duo of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins in the Pelicans frontcourt. If not, Alex Poythress should see significant playing time at the power forward spot and there will certainly be some extra minutes available for the aforementioned Poythress and even Al Jefferson as the backup center while Turner works his way back into full game shape after being limited to 24 minutes or fewer in each of his last two games played.
As reported by: Indiana Pacers via Twitter Domantas Sabonis (calf contusion) ruled out Tuesday
Sabonis has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after previously being listed as questionable on the Indiana Pacers injury report with a right calf contusion. With T.J. Leaf already ruled out with a sprained right ankle, the Pacers now find themselves shorthanded in the frontcourt with Sabonis also unable to suit up, which should allow Alex Poythress to see significant playing time at the power forward spot. Leaf had played a major role in the Pacers frontcourt rotation during the seven games Myles Turner was sidelined with a concussion and sore neck but was likely to begin losing playing time once Turner was no longer limited. In Leaf’s absence, there will be some extra minutes available for the aforementioned Poythress and even Al Jefferson as the backup center while Turner works his way back into full game shape after being limited to 24 minutes or fewer in each of his last two games played.
As reported by: Jeremiah Johnson via Twitter