DFS Alerts

Small nine-game slate in MLB tonight along with perhaps the last NBA contests of the year

It’s Monday, May 22nd and it’ll be a relatively calm night in DFS-land as only nine MLB games are scheduled to get underway with two clear choices as the top pitching options of the night in Michael Pineda of the Yankees as they host the Royals and Zack Greinke and Arizona hosting the hapless White Sox. The biggest run total of the day is in Baltimore where the Orioles will host the Twins but that could be surpassed by the Cubs game in Wrigley if the wind is blowing out as the odds makers have not yet given that game a total. Keep your eye out on that one as it’ll surely be popular if the wind is blowing out like it did last week. Gerrit Cole will also be in play facing an Atlanta team that is without their best player in Freddie Freeman.


With the conference championships winding down in the NBA (although Boston extended the series last night against Cleveland with a clutch win), tonight could be your last opportunity to enter a NBA two-game playoff slate as Golden State looks to eliminate the Spurs in Game 4 of their series. With Kawhi Leonard out for the Spurs, they’ll be hard pressed to match the high-powered Warriors who are prohibitive double-digit favorites, even on the road. That said you’re going to want to target some of the players from this game, especially if San Antonio can manage to keep it close. The usual suspects for the Warriors will be in play but be highly-owned while LaMarcus Aldridge should be the focal point of the Spurs attack.

Marcus Smart and Amir Johnson confirmed in starting lineup for Game 3 tonight

The Boston Celtics already slim chances of coming back in their Eastern Conference Finals series with the Cleveland Cavaliers took a massive blow after the team officially ruled out Isaiah Thomas for the remainder of the playoffs with a right femoral-acetabular impingement with a labral tear. In his absence, Marcus Smart will draw the start at point guard for Game 3 and presumably all of the Celtics’ remaining playoff games. From a daily fantasy perspective, Smart is the obvious beneficiary of both additional usage and playing time, while other starters like Avery Bradley, Al Horford, and Jae Crowder will be relied upon to provide significant contributions on the offensive end of floor should Boston have any hope keeping the next two games competitive and stave off elimination. Additionally, Amir Johnson will be reinserted into the starting lineup after a one-game hiatus, sending Gerald Green back to the bench to resume his reserve role.

Kawhi Leonard (ankle) and David Lee (knee) doubtful for Game 4 on Monday

Kawhi Leonard and David Lee have officially been listed as doubtful for Game 4 tomorrow against the Golden State Warriors due to their respective ailments, and Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has already stated that both players are unlikely to suit up Monday night. Should Leonard be ruled out, this would be the third consecutive he was forced to miss due to a sprained left ankle he sustained in the first game of this Western Conference Finals series. Jonathon Simmons would almost assuredly draw his third consecutive start at small forward in Leonard’s place if he is unable to give it a go, as expected. With LaMarcus Aldridge struggling to provide consistency on the offensive end in Leonard’s absence, the Spurs have relied on Simmons more as a catalyst on both ends of the floor and that is further evidenced by his 17 field goal attempts in back-to-back games as a starter.

Andre Iguodala (knee) will play in Game 3 tonight

Iguodala will play in tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs after previously being upgraded to probable from questionable on the Warriors’ injury report with a sore left knee that limited him to just 10 minutes in Game 1 and forced him to miss Game 2 entirely. Now that Iguodala has been cleared to play, Patrick McCaw will likely see a decrease in playing time with Iguodala also available off the bench to absorb minutes on the wing. Additionally, Zaza Pachulia was ruled out in advance of Saturday’s contest with a right heel contusion that limited him to just seven minutes in Game 2. He was replaced in the second half by Matt Barnes, but Warriors interim head coach Mike Brown stated that JaVale McGee will “probably” draw the start at center this evening. Despite the presumed starting nod, McGee hasn’t played more than 10 minutes in any game this postseason, meaning he will likely be a starter in name only with Draymond Green, David West, and possibly even James Michael McAdoo commanding the remaining available minutes at center.

Isaiah Thomas (hip) ruled out for remainder of postseason

The Boston Celtics already slim chances of coming back in their Eastern Conference Finals series with the Cleveland Cavaliers took a massive blow this afternoon after the team officially ruled out Isaiah Thomas for the remainder of the playoffs with a right femoral-acetabular impingement with a labral tear. In his absence, Marcus Smart will almost assuredly draw the start at point guard for the Celtics’ remaining playoff games. From a daily fantasy perspective, Smart is the obvious beneficiary of both additional usage and playing time, while other starters like Avery Bradley, Al Horford, and Jae Crowder will be relied upon to provide significant contributions on the offensive end of floor should Boston have any hope keeping the next two games competitive and stave off elimination.

JaVale McGee expected to start for Zaza Pachulia (heel) in Game 3 tonight

Pachulia has officially been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Golden State Warriors after previously being listed as questionable on the Warriors’ injury report with a right heel contusion that limited him to just seven minutes in Game 2. He was replaced in the second half by Matt Barnes, but Warriors interim head coach Mike Brown stated that JaVale McGee will “probably” draw the start at center this evening. Despite the presumed starting nod, McGee hasn’t played more than 10 minutes in any game this postseason, meaning he will likely be a starter in name only with Draymond Green, David West, and possibly even James Michael McAdoo commanding the remaining available minutes at center. Additionally, Andre Iguodala has been upgraded to probable with a sore left knee that limited him to just 10 minutes in Game 1 and forced him to miss Game 2 entirely. Should Iguodala be cleared to play, Patrick McCaw will likely see a decrease in playing time with Iguodala also available off the bench to absorb minutes on the wing.

Andre Iguodala (knee) upgraded to probable for Game 3 tonight; Zaza Pachulia (heel) ruled out

Iguodala has officially been upgraded to probable from questionable for tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs due to a sore left knee that limited him to just 10 minutes in Game 1 and forced him to miss Game 2 entirely. Should Iguodala be cleared to play, Patrick McCaw will likely see a decrease in playing time with Iguodala also available off the bench to absorb minutes on the wing. Additionally, Zaza Pachulia has been ruled out for Saturday’s contest with a right heel contusion that limited him to just seven minutes in Game 2. He was replaced in the second half by Matt Barnes, but Warriors interim head coach Mike Brown stated that JaVale McGee will “probably” draw the start at center this evening. Despite the presumed starting nod, McGee hasn’t played more than 10 minutes in any game this postseason, meaning he will likely be a starter in name only with Draymond Green, David West, and possibly even James Michael McAdoo commanding the remaining available minutes at center.

Kawhi Leonard (ankle) ruled out for Game 3 tonight; Jonathon Simmons will start

According to Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, the team will hold Kawhi Leonard out of Game 3 versus the Golden State Warriors due to a sprained left ankle that has now kept him sidelined for two consecutive games. Effectively, Jonathon Simmons will draw his second consecutive start at small forward in Leonard’s place. With LaMarcus Aldridge struggling to provide any consistency on the offensive end in Leonard’s absence, the Spurs have really relied on Simmons as a catalyst on both ends of the floor and is further evidenced by his 17 field goal attempts in Game 2. If playing either of the split Conference Finals slates, Simmons offers tremendous value for his price tag, especially on FanDuel, and seems have the highest immunity to the risk of a potential blowout, as he was the only Spurs starter to see minutes after the five-minute mark in the third quarter in Game 2.

Gerald Green will start ahead of Amir Johnson on Friday

Coach Brad Stevens is making a change to his starting five following a poor start to their series with Cleveland. Green is back in and Johnson will return to the bench. Johnson could end up being removed from the rotation entirely, which removes him from consideration in fantasy. Green hasn’t started since Game 3 against Washington. He picked up 26 minutes in that contest, but nine of them came in garbage time. In a close game, he could hover around the 20-minute mark, but that won’t be secure. He’s in GPP consideration, as he’s cheap and can get hot at any point. For example, he went 4-for-6 in the fourth quarter in Game 1 on his way 11 points. Although the game was out of hand at that point, he scored his points while playing alongside the starters for the majority of the quarter. It was just the third time he’s topped eight points in ten playoff appearances though, so he’s not much more than a dart throw.

The Celtics continue to struggle on the glass

Out of all 16 playoff teams, Boston has posted the worst rebounding rate this postseason (45.9%). Although they were slightly better in Game 1 against Cleveland, they only managed to collect 47.6% of all available boards. This enabled LeBron James, Tristan Thompson, and Kevin Love to haul in nine or more rebounds each on Wednesday. There’s no reason these three can’t continue to be successful in the area against a weak Boston interior. James and Thompson were also effective scoring close to the hoop, converting a combined 19-of-22 shots from within eight feet. Through their aggressive style, both players ended up taking double-digit FTAs. Love took nine attempts from the stripe, but did most of his damage from beyond the arc, going 6-for-9, and he finished with 32 points. He took 16 FGAs total, his highest mark of the postseason and he directly cut into Kyrie Irving’s opportunities, who took 11. It seems reasonable to expect a reversal of volume in Game 2, as Irving has taken the most shots in both series so far while Love has been a distant third. As for Thompson, he’s good for 5-8 attempts every game, but he hardly gets to the line; considering his 3.4 FTA average in the playoffs, Game 1 seems like an outlier. However, he had a 21.7% offensive rebounding rate, which enabled him to take plenty of putbacks and collect some extra free throws, so he may continue to see an uptick in FTAs. Overall, he has a positive outlook in this matchup and he’s been playing plenty of minutes (34 in Game 1). Although we may see some shifts in production from Love/Irving/Thompson, James should continue to dominate in the same fashion as the Celtics don’t seem to have an answer for him. He’s now scored at least 32 points in all but one game in the playoffs and he’s hit 35 for five straight contests.

Andre Iguodala (knee) was a full participant in practice Friday; Zaza Pachulia (heel) was limited

That means Iguodala is more likely to play tomorrow but both are considered questionable. Should Iguodala suit up, he won’t be a strong option at his price, considering he averaged 0.70 DK ppm in the second round and will likely earn around 25-28 minutes. If Iguodala is ruled out again, Patrick McCaw would be the biggest beneficiary. He was one of the first guys to enter the game off the bench in the first quarter of Game 2 and he finished with 27 minutes. He turned them into 35.75 DK points, although he did most of his damage in garbage time (which happened early) – he piled up 12 points, three assists, and two steals after the Spurs began pulling their starters. Matt Barnes would also pick up some extra minutes and he actually started the second half on Tuesday with Pachulia out. Pachulia’s absence should provide JaVale McGee and David West bigger workloads as well. Both guys are averaging at least 1.07 DK ppm this postseason, although McGee has slipped to 0.88 since the second round started while West has maintained a 1.05 pace. If Pachulia plays, he’ll be a potential tournament option as he’s averaged 0.97 DK ppm this postseason with an 18.4% usage rate, increases of 0.02 and 3.0% over his regular season production. He’s available for just $3,000 on DK for the Friday-Saturday slate.

Kawhi Leonard (ankle) officially questionable for Saturday

Leonard told reporters his ankle is “not ready” but he’s hoping it will feel better tomorrow. We won’t get an answer prior to lock tonight, which makes him a risky option on slates without late swap. If he misses Game 3, Jonathon Simmons would draw another start and be a solid target. He led San Antonio with 29.1 FD points in 26 minutes of action in Game 2. Plus, when Leonard and Tony Parker have been off the court this postseason, Simmons is second on the team with a 27.3% usage rate and he’s produced 0.93 FD ppm. All of the starters were limited on Tuesday due to game flow, including LaMarcus Aldridge, who finished with eight points and four rebounds. He should bounce back at home and if Leonard is out, he’ll be in a better position from a fantasy perspective, barring another blowout. When Leonard and Parker have been off the court this postseason, Aldridge’s usage has increased 7.2% to 33.1%.

Andre Iguodala (knee) and Zaza Pachulia (heel) remain questionable for Saturday

Both players practiced Thursday and they’ll get another day to rehab tomorrow ahead of Game 3 on Saturday. If Iguodala is ruled out again, Patrick McCaw would be the biggest beneficiary. He was one of the first guys to enter the game off the bench in the first quarter of Game 2 and he finished with 27 minutes. He turned them into 35.75 DK points, although he did most of his damage in garbage time (which happened early) – he piled up 12 points, three assists, and two steals after the Spurs began pulling their starters. Either way, he’ll be an interesting value option if Iggy remains out on Saturday as he should pick up a decent workload for his price, regardless of game flow. Matt Barnes would also pick up some extra minutes and he actually started the second half on Tuesday with Pachulia out. Pachulia’s absence should provide JaVale McGee a bigger workload as well. It seems like Pachulia should be able to play though. If he does, he’ll be a potential tournament option as he’s averaged 0.97 DK ppm this postseason with an 18.4% usage rate, increases of 0.02 and 3.0% over his regular season production. He’s available for just $3,000 on the Friday-Saturday slate.

Notes for Wednesday-Saturday slate

Kawhi Leonard (ankle) is considered questionable after missing Tuesday’s game. Fortunately, he’ll have a few days of rest before the next meeting, but he’s a gamble on sites that don’t offer late swap. Jonathon Simmons stepped up in Leonard’s place, scoring 22 actual points. He finished with a team-high 29.1 FD points in 26 minutes of action. If he gets the nod again, he’ll be a solid target; when Leonard and Tony Parker have been off the court this postseason, Simmons is second on the team with a 27.3% usage rate and he’s produced 0.93 FD ppm.

Andre Iguodala (knee) is also questionable after missing Game 2. Patrick McCaw ended being the biggest beneficiary from his absence. He was one of the first guys to enter the game off the bench in the first quarter and he finished with 27 minutes. He turned them into 35.75 DK points, although he did most of his damage in garbage time (which happened early) – he piled up 12 points, three assists, and two steals after the Spurs began pulling their starters. Either way, he’ll be an interesting value option if Iggy remains out on Saturday as he should pick up a decent workload for his price, regardless of game flow.

Boston will stick with Amir Johnson in their starting lineup tonight against Cleveland. Coach Brad Stevens may be done toying with his starters, but we’ll have to see how it goes in Game 1. Johnson will likely get two stints in the first and third quarters totaling 12-16 minutes, so he’s not a strong option. Instead, Kelly Olynyk should receive a larger workload and is a better target. He had a monster game last time out, going 10-for-14 on his way to 26 points. It’s highly doubtful he can repeat that type of success, but he may have earned himself some extra time on the floor. He’s a better deal on DraftKings ($4,200) and he’s turned in 1.01 DK ppm this postseason with a 21.4% usage rate.

Kyrie Irving posted a 40.7% assist rate in the second round

It was an impressive turnaround from the opening series against the Pacers in which his assist rate had plummeted 14.8% from the regular season to 14.9%. That translated into an extra 5.5 assists per game (8.5). As a team, Cleveland focused on improving their pace and ball movement and it worked; their average assists rose by 3.5 to 23.25 per game. With LeBron James converting 57.3% of his total field goals and 48.1% of his threes, he became less of a facilitator and more of a scoring-focused player – his assist rate dropped from 37.4% in the first round to 22.6% in the second and he scored 36.0 points per game. As a result of this offensive style, Irving’s total FGAs dropped 3.25 to 20.0 per game and due to 37.5% shooting, he scored 22.3 ppg. He still led the team in shots for the second consecutive series, which is a positive sign heading into their series with Boston. Should he find his shot – he made 47.3% of his field goals during the season – and Cleveland employs a similar approach, he has the potential to contribute plenty of points and assists as opposed to one or the other. Keep in mind Irving did all of his damage in 34.3 minutes per game and missed a couple of fourth quarters while James averaged 41.1 mpg; if this series stays close, he should pick up a larger workload. It’ll help that the Celtics typically run at a faster pace than the Pacers and the Raptors, they were 12th during the season (99.32) while the Pacers were 18th (98.15) and Raptors were 22nd (97.11). Also, Vegas has given Cleveland the highest total on the slate with 111.8, edging out the Warriors by 2.5 points. Kyrie’s assist production may hinge on how LeBron James decides to play, which is a little uncomfortable. However, the Cavalier’s crushed the Raptors. Although James’ shooting percentages are unsustainable, there’s a good chance their offensive game plan will be similar considering their success. Irving is the cheapest among the three elite point guards on the slate and he could be in store for a monster series.