DFS Alerts
Dorian Finney-Smith (sore knee) available to play Tuesday
Finney-Smith will be available to play in tonight’s game against the Washington Wizards after previously being listed as questionable on the Dallas Mavericks’ injury report with left knee soreness that had forced him to miss six consecutive games. Despite his availability, there is no guarantee that Finney-Smith sees the court in his return. Even if he Finney-Smith is a small part of head coach Rick Carlisle’s new-look rotation with Salah Mejri starting at center, he remains off the daily fantasy radar in all formats.
As reported by: Earl K. Sneed via Twitter
Potential Mid-Range Value without Embiid
It’s very difficult to endorse playing guys against the Jazz on a nightly basis, but there is some potential with the Sixers tonight, as Joel Embiid is going to be rested. Court IQ tells us that both Ben Simmons and Robert Covington see usage bumps of around 3% without Embiid on the floor, and Covington will be tasked with being the second option on offense after Simmons. He is capable of knocking down shots and has plenty of upside despite the matchup. You can’t go here in cash games, but the GPP potential at likely low ownership is very appealing.
Risk/Reward Value
The rookie point guard for Dallas has been very inconsistent so far this year, but that is no surprise for a rookie. The good news is that he has taken at least 15 shots in each of the last three games, and he leads the team with a 30% usage rate. I don’t mind the matchup tonight against the Wizards, and the price tag has adjusted for his inconsistencies. There’s solid GPP potential here.
Breakout Spot
Joel Embiid has already been ruled out for tonight’s game, and this is a spot where we could see Gobert show off the upside that we all expected this season with Gordon Hayward no longer on the team. Philadelphia has nobody to match up with him sans Embiid, and I expect a ton of rebounds and easy baskets in this game. Gobert has been very disappointing this year, but this is a nice chance to buy low, especially in GPPs, where he will go massively under-owned tonight.
Eric Bledsoe traded to Milwaukee for Greg Monroe and a 1st-round pick
The Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks have finalized a trade that will send Eric Bledsoe to Milwaukee in exchange for Greg Monroe and a first round pick. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Bledsoe really forced the Suns’ hand here when evaluating what they were able to get in return. The Bucks are the clear winners of this trade on paper and will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night, though it is unlikely that Bledsoe will be available to make his debut on such short notice. As for Monroe, he is currently sidelined with an injury and wouldn’t have played tonight anyway, so the only way this trade affects the dynamics of Tuesday’s slate is if Bledsoe somehow meets the Bucks in Cleveland and is available to play.
As reported by: Adrian Wojnarowski via Twitter Other tagged players: Greg Monroe I'm Playing A Lot Of Minutes
Nobody wants to play Tony Snell, and that’s understandable but we have to consider him tonight. He’s averaging 32.9 minutes per game this season, and he’s played at least 30 minutes in all but two games this season. He’s attempted 22 three-pointers over the last five games, and he’s shooting 51.4% from behind the arch this season. He’s a great 5-6x value guy tonight, and he scored 19.5 DK points in the first meeting this season. With Thompson and Monroe out tonight, I expect both teams to go small here, and Snell should play a lot of minutes tonight.
Sneaky Good Value Play
I didn’t think about Denzel Valentine until I started to dig into the David Nwaba injury. With Paul Zipser moving back to the starting lineup, Valentine and Dunn should both get usage bumps with the second unit. He has double-digit shot attempts in all but 2 games this season, and over 25 fantasy points in three of the last four games. When Nwaba left the game, Valentine checked in for him, and proceeded to play down the stretch for the Bulls. They used Valentine instead of Zipser and Dunn down the stretch in that New Orleans game, and I’m hoping they do that same thing tonight against Toronto.
I'm Starting To Shoot Better
Donovan Mitchell is a guy that I’ve started to fall in love with since TheSeige brought him up on the podcast. He has 54 shot attempts in the last three games, and he’s averaging 30.6 minutes per game over the last three. Using the game flow tracker, we can see that he’s been on the floor to close out games for the Jazz. This total has gone up 1.5 points since it opened, and I think it’s a really sneaky game to stack. There’s also been more minutes for Mitchell with Joe Johnson out the last three games.
Massive Upside in the Frontcourt
The two big men on the Pelicans are going to have massive games all year long if they can stay healthy, and of course that is a big “if” with Davis. They both have huge usage rates, with Cousins at almost 34% and Davis at almost 30%. They draw a fine matchup tonight against a Pacers team that isn’t the best defensive squad, especially up front. They rank in the bottom third of the league in DvP against both the power forward and center spots. Both Cousins and Davis are strong plays today, with Davis getting a slight nod for me in this matchup.
Malcolm Delaney (ankle) available to play Monday, as expected
Delaney is officially available to play in tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics after previously being listed as probable on the Atlanta Hawks’ injury report with a sprained right ankle that had forced him to miss two consecutive games. The Hawks also listed Dennis Schroder and Marco Belinelli as probable with their respective ailments but both guards will suit up, as expected, and should see their normal minute workloads. Delaney will presumably reclaim his normal backup point guard role behind Schroder, but with Mike Muscala, Ersan Ilyasova, DeAndre Bembry, and Miles Plumlee all still sidelined, the Hawks have a significant minute void to fill at power forward, which looks likely to be mostly filled by Luke Babbitt once again, who saw an unthinkable 42 minutes of action in Sunday’s contest.
As reported by: Peachtree Hoops via Twitter Dwight Howard (foot sprain) probable for Tuesday
Howard has officially been listed as probable on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the New York Knicks with a sprained right foot. Despite the injury designation, it appears 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 season. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist unavailable once again, Dwayne Bacon should 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, depending on price fo course, given his overall consistency and the likelihood of approaching 30 minutes or more sans Kidd-Gilchrist on Tuesday evening.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell via Twitter Danilo Gallinari (glute strain) doubtful for Tuesday
Gallinari has been listed as doubtful on the Los Angeles Clippers’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the San Antonio Spurs 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 obviously at least hopeful the injury isn’t all that serious and Gallinari should be considered day-to-day following Tuesday’s game, as it appears he will eventually be ruled out. In his likely absence, Wesley Johnson should draw the start at small forward and saw 33 minutes of action yesterday after replacing Gallinari to start the second half. Despite his starting status, Johnson doesn’t set up as a particularly appealing option in daily fantasy formats given his lackluster usage and point-per-minute production.
As reported by: Tomer Azarly via Twitter David West (rest) ruled out Monday
West has been ruled out and won’t play in tonight’s game against the Miami Heat due to rest. This is the first game West will miss this season, and his absence will likely open up some additional playing time in the Golden State Warriors frontcourt for Jordan Bell, who has been productive in limited minutes at times this season, and possibly Kevon Looney, though he has seen the court in just three games all year. Assuming Bell can approach the 20-minute mark, which is a big assumption considering he has yet to eclipse 12 minutes, he could be considered as a flier in large-field tournaments, especially if operating under the notion that Miami will not be able to keep this game within striking distance for all four quarters.
As reported by: Warriors PR via Twitter Domantas Sabonis (calf contusion) questionable for Tuesday
Sabonis has been listed as questionable on the Indiana Pacers’ injury report for tomorrow’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans with a right calf contusion. With T.J. Leaf already ruled out with a sprained right ankle, the Pacers could find themselves relatively shorthanded in the frontcourt if Sabonis is unable to suit up, which should allow Alex Poythress to see significant playing time. 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 still likely to begin losing playing time once Turner was no longer limited. In Leaf’s absence, there will some extra minutes available for Domantas Sabonis (if he plays), who returned to a bench role on Sunday, and possibly even Al Jefferson as the backup center while Turner works his way back to 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 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (personal) will remain out for Tuesday
Kidd-Gilchrist has been ruled out and won’t play in tomorrow’s game against the New York Knicks due to a personal matter that has now forced him to miss three consecutive games. In every game Kidd-Gilchrist has missed this season, Dwayne Bacon has drawn the start at shooting guard, sliding Jeremy Lamb to small forward. However, in those contests, Bacon has posted inconsistent production, limiting his overall floor as an option in daily fantasy formats. In Kidd-Gilchrist’s absence, Treveon Graham will continue to see significant run off the bench, though he has eclipsed 12 fantasy points just once this season, despite playing 20 minutes or more on several occasions, which essentially eliminates him from consideration on Tuesday’s slate. Instead, Jeremy Lamb sets up as a viable option in all formats, depending on price, given his overall consistency and likelihood of approaching 30 minutes or more sans Kidd-Gilchrist on Tuesday evening.
As reported by: Rick Bonnell via Twitter