DFS Alerts
Pau Gasol to start on Monday, will be on a minutes restriction
Pau Gasol will return to the starting lineup against the Kings after missing four games due to a sore knee. Gasol’s salary on FanDuel is an absurd $9,400, making him virtually unplayable until he received his full allotment of minutes. Gasol is $7,600 on DraftKings but he is still a risky play because the Bulls have Rose and Butler also healthy. The matchup is enticing but there is a chance that Gasol could also be in foul trouble guarding DeMarcus Cousins. There has been no mention at this time of how many minutes Gasol will receive but don’t expect him to play over 30 minutes in his first game back.
As reported by: KC Johnson Other tagged players: Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler
Elfrid Payton will continue to come off the bench; Brandon Jennings starting again
Elfrid Payton will come off the bench against the Celtics on Monday. Brandon Jennings will continue to start but is not recommended against the Celtics. It is better to avoid the point guards for Orlando, as Boston is ranked first in DvP against the position. Victor Oladipo and Evan Fournier will continue to carry the scoring burden for the Magic. Oladipo has played 39+ minutes in four consecutive games, making him the safest option in Scott Skiles unpredictable rotation.
As reported by: John Denton Other tagged players: Brandon Jennings, Victor Oladipo, Evan Fournier Kevin Love (illness) is out on Monday; Channing Frye to start in his place
Kevin Love has been ruled out of Monday’s tilt with the Nuggets. Channing Frye will replace him in the starting lineup and is a strong play with his salary at $3,600 on both major sites. In his previous start for Love, Frye had 32.9 FDFP/35.8DKFP in 24 minutes. Additionally, Frye is shooting a blistering 57% from the field over his last six games. Frye has also been picking up rebounds so his fantasy output is not only tied to his scoring ability.
As reported by: Dave McMenamin Other tagged players: Channing Frye DeMarcus Cousins is worth paying up for vs. the undermanned Bulls
There aren’t many studs to pay up for on this slate, but if you wanted to go with one we present you with DeMarcus Cousins. The Bulls are struggling to keep guys healthy in their front court, as Pau Gasol is a game time decision for this game with a nagging knee injury. Even if Gasol ends up playing, he will be on a minutes restriction and hopefully won’t be a huge factor. With that being said, there is really nobody in that front court that can even come close to stopping Boogie at this point. Pending Gasol’s status, the Bulls’ starting center very well could be Cristiano Felicio who certainly does not pose any threat to stopping Boogie either. The Bulls are 24th in DvP vs. opposing centers on the season with Gasol in the lineup, and Felicio surely doesn’t bolster that defense all too much. In the Kings’ only match up of the season with the Bulls, Cousins posted 30 points and 11 rebounds to accrue 58 DK points, and we expect much of the same in this match up as he has one of the highest ceilings on the board.
Zach LaVine continues to be underpriced across the industry
We have written up Zach LaVine a lot these past few weeks, but he continues to reward those who roster him so we thought we would write him up again. Simply put, LaVine is underpriced compared to a lot of the other SGs that are similar to him. He had a brief dry spell in a couple of tough games vs. the Thunder and the Spurs, but other than those two he has exceeded 30 DK points in each of his last ten games. He is about as consistent as you can ask for out of a SG priced at $6,100 averaging 38 minutes per game over his last ten. He gets a great matchup with the Warriors who boast the league’s fastest pace as well as the relatively weak defense of Klay Thompson. In the event this game does turn into a blowout, the T’Wolves have shown that they will still run LaVine out there for 35+ minutes regardless of the score. This is good news for us as we can target him with confidence even if we expect this one to get a little lopsided.
Tim Duncan returns to the starting lineup on Monday
Tim Duncan did not start on Saturday against the Warriors but he will return as a starter against the Hornets. Duncan’s asking price has been sinking all season and he is now considered a punt option. Duncan should only be used in tournaments due the fact that he has not played over 30 minutes in about a month. The Spurs will continue to conserve Duncan, keeping him fresh as possible for the playoffs. The Spurs are not projected to blow the Hornets out, so there is a chance Duncan plays 22-26 minutes.
Jonas Jerebko (ankle) will play on Monday
Jonas Jerebko will return to the lineup after missing three games with foot and ankle issues. Jerebko has been producing when given over 20 minutes, so he is a viable GPP punt option. With Jae Crowder out of the lineup, Jerebko should be able to secure over 20 minutes on Monday. The Celtics will continue to start Evan Turner in place of Crowder and likely use Jerebko as the backup for Turner and Amir Johnson.
As reported by: Sean Grande Other tagged players: Evan Turner, Amir Johnson While the Grizzlies are injured, Zach Randolph will remain an elite option
The Grizzlies are really getting hit hard with injuries coming down the stretch, but that opens up some opportunities to roster some players that will see a higher usage rating. Zach Randolph returned from an injury of his own Saturday night vs. the Clippers to post the first triple double of his career at 34 years old. This may sound familiar because just a couple weeks ago, Matt Barnes posted the first triple double of his career at 36 years old. This is not just a coincidence, because there is a reason neither of them had triple doubles over the course of their 10+ year NBA careers. Neither of their games really translate into triple doubles like the explosiveness of a Russell Westbrook, or the versatility of a Draymond Green who routinely rack up peripheral stats, but it is because of the increase in usage they see while all of these guys are injured. As you can see in RotoGrinders’ new CourtIQ tool, Randolph in particular benefits the most from these injuries. When we remove Chris Andersen, Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, PJ Hairston, and Brandan Wright because of injury along with Courtney Lee, Jeff Green, and Mario Chalmers because of roster changes, Randolph sees a huge spike in both usage (from 25% to 33%) and fantasy points per minute (from 1.04 to 1.60). It is a relatively small sample size, but if these guys remain sidelined Randolph should continue to put up decent numbers and carry this Grizzlies team across the finish line.
As reported by: RotoGrinders CourtIQ Other tagged players: Matt Barnes Ty Lawson (ankle) to play around 15 minutes
Ty Lawson is expected to play against the Sixers on Monday. Lawson will not see more than 15 minutes as he recovers from an ankle injury. Until Lawson’s role increases, he will not be a viable DFS option. With Lawson back in the lineup, look for Rodney Stuckey to also see under 20 minutes.
As reported by: Pat Boylan Other tagged players: Rodney Stuckey Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle) is probable for Tuesday
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is now being listed as probable for Tuesday, even though he has not played since early December. RHJ will not be recommended until more details emerge about his role. He is not a minimum salaried player so it will be tough to roster him with that much risk involved. Look for an update tomorrow confirming his status.
As reported by: Andy Vasquez Chandler Parsons (hamstring) day-to-day, questionable for Wednesday
Chandler Parsons was unable to play on Sunday due to a sore right hamstring. He missed Sunday’s game due to the injury and the Mavericks brought Zaza Pachulia back into the starting lineup. Pachulia was terrible and got benched after five minutes of action. Salah Mejri saw about 33 minutes and put up 46.5 DKFP against the Blazers. While we can’t expect Mejri to play that well again, he could be a viable punt option in a rematch with Portland.
As reported by: @Mavs Other tagged players: Zaza Pachulia, Salah Mejri Kobe Bryant "50-50" to play Tuesday
Kobe is once again 50-50 to take the floor on Tuesday. It’s likely that we’re dealing with this kind of designation with him for the rest of the season, although he’ll likely have some “vintage Kobe” games as we inch closer to the end of the regular season. Tomorrow’s game with the Grizzlies doesn’t hold any real relevance for Kobe which could lead to him sitting or playing a light minutes load – if he’s unable to go, both D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson become stronger DFS targets.
As reported by: Bill Oram Other tagged players: D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson
James Harden doesn't practice Monday, considered questionable but expected to play Tuesday
Harden missed Monday’s practice but is still generally expected to play tomorrow night. The Rockets will re-evaluate him after tomorrow’s shootaround and we should have a clearer picture of his status at that point. If he’s unable to go, there will be a ton of value available on the Houston side. Dwight Howard would be an elite option while guys like Patrick Beverley, Trevor Ariza and Corey Brewer would become more appealing.
As reported by: Jonathan Feigen on Twitter Kevin Durant misses practice; still likely to play tomorrow
Durant missed practice with a banged up elbow but is still likely to play tomorrow. We’ll update his status tomorrow if anything changes. Obviously if he can’t go, fire up Russell Westbrook in all formats as his usage soars through the roof when Durant doesn’t play.
As reported by: Anthony Slater on Twitter
Sacramento Kings injury report for tonight
Only Ben McLemore appears as if he will not play tonight – he is listed as doubtful. Willie Cauley-Stein, Marco Belinelli, Rajon Rondo and Omri Casspi are all probable for the Kings in their game tonight against the Bulls. Cauley-Stein has been upgraded to probable while the other three were all expected to play. Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins are the only “core” plays here while Darren Collison is also an option in any format, but Casspi and Cauley-Stein aren’t recommended options on a full slate.
As reported by: James Ham on Twitter Other tagged players: Marco Belinelli, Rajon Rondo, Omri Casspi, Ben McLemore