DFS Alerts
Wayne Ellington and Chris McCullough available to play against Philadelphia
The Nets have not announced a starting lineup at this point, but it’s certainly possible that Ellington will slide back into his normal role as the starting SG. Markel Brown likely slides back to the bench, and he wasn’t performing well in his short stint as the starter anyway (his big performances came when the Nets were intentionally resting starters). Chris McCullough isn’t on the DFS radar and won’t negatively impact Thaddeus Young or Brook Lopez if this game stays somewhat competitive.
As reported by: Brian Lewis Other tagged players: Chris McCullough, Markel Brown
Marcus Smart to start for Jae Crowder
Marcus Smart will start at the 3 for the injured Jae Crowder on Tuesday. This move makes a lot of sense as it allows Brad Stevens to stick Smart on Paul George to begin the game as opposed to letting him operate against Evan Turner. Smart becomes a viable punt play in any format, but he is still a very volatile fantasy asset and isn’t necessarily a “safe” play despite entering the starting lineup. Evan Turner will also see an uptick in minutes, making him a sneakier GPP target. Jonas Jerebko also figures to benefit slightly.
As reported by: Sean Grande Other tagged players: Evan Turner, Jae Crowder, Jonas Jerebko George Hill and Jordan Hill questionable for Tuesday; Ty Lawson ruled out
George Hill is battling a toe injury and if he is ruled out, Monta Ellis could start with Ty Lawson also out. Ellis is an extremely difficult spot with the Celtics ranked 1st in DvP against PGs. Jordan Hill’s injury has not been disclosed but if he misses the game, Lavoy Allen would be the only healthy big off the bench.
As reported by: @Pacers Other tagged players: Jordan Hill, Joseph Young Nerlens Noel benefits from increased playing time due to injuries
The Sixers are just really banged up with Jahlil Okafor out for the season, and Robert Covington, Jerami Grant, and Richaun Holmes all out tonight as well. Nerlens Noel does not necessarily see a huge bump in production with all of them out, but he does benefit from the increase in minutes. Barring foul trouble, we can pretty safely project him to see 32+ minutes of Brook Lopez and his defense or lack thereof. The Nets are 23rd in DvP vs. opposing C and although Noel is listed as a PF he will be playing a lot of C down the stretch with Okafor sidelined. He has at least 29 DK points in his last four games and we can probably mark that as his floor. This makes for a very safe option in cash games. However, Noel really isn’t a high fantasy points per minute guy, and therefore doesn’t have a ton of upside for GPPs. It should be noted that the Sixers played the Nets just four days ago and Noel put up 13 points and 11 boards in 34 minutes en route to 38.75 DK points. Hopefully we can expect a similar performance with all of these guys sidelined again for the second straight game.
Brandon Jennings to start; C.J. Watson to come off the bench on Tuesday
Brandon Jennings will make his first start for the Magic with Elfrid Payton out of the lineup. Jennings has played over 24 minutes only four times since the trade and has exceeded value every time. The expected increase in workload and minutes makes Jennings a high-end punt play. As we all know, Scott Skiles minutes are not guaranteed but we can hope for over 24 minutes with C.J. Watson ill. Watson is still expected to play but he might be limited.
As reported by: Joshua Robbins Other tagged players: C.J. Watson C.J. Miles (illness) ruled out on Tuesday
With C.J. Miles ruled out of tonight’s contest, look for Solomon Hill to pick up some extra court time with Rodney Stuckey also limited. Hill has averaged 14.31 DKFP over his last six games but does not provide huge upside as a minimum salaried player. Hill has only scored over 20 DKFP four times this season, so his upside is limited.
As reported by: Kyle Draper Other tagged players: Solomon Hill, Rodney Stuckey DeMarcus Cousins is the top superstar on the slate
We get a PF averaging 52 DK points per game over the course of the season, playing the Lakers’ 28th ranked defense vs. PFs, who is $10,500 on DK. Need we say more? Of course we are talking about Boogie Cousins who can pretty much put up 50 fantasy points on any given night regardless of the match up. There are not many players in the league that offer 70-point upside, but Boogie is one of those select few. In fact, he hit 75 DK points just last week vs. the Pelicans with a monster stat line of 40 points and 16 rebounds. In three games he has faced the Lakers Boogie is averaging 29 points and 12 rebounds good for an average of 56 DK points. He is by far the safest option on the board with plenty of upside as well, and is definitely a stud to pay up for.
Norris Cole questionable, Alexis Ajinca ruled out for Wednesday
If Cole is unable to go tomorrow, Toney Douglas will likely draw another start alongside Jrue Holiday, making him a strong punt play against a very poor Kings defense. If Cole is able to play, he’ll be a really nice contrarian option as the public may be hesitant to heavily target a player coming back from injury. Holiday remains in an elite spot against the Kings, as does Anthony Davis.
As reported by: Brett Dawson Other tagged players: Alexis Ajinca, Toney Douglas Derrick Rose and Mike Dunleavy questionable, Jimmy Butler probable for Wednesday
Rose and Dunleavy are considered questionable while Butler is expected to play tomorrow night. Butler returned and played 34 minutes on Monday, although he shot a putrid 5 of 18 from the field. He’ll be in a better spot tomorrow night against the Wizards and he won’t likely be on any kind of minutes limit with the Bulls playing to secure a postseason birth. We’ll update the status of Rose and Dunleavy after tomorrow’s shootaround.
As reported by: Chuck Swirsky Other tagged players: Mike Dunleavy, Jimmy Butler Jusuf Nurkic available to play tonight
Nurkic will be available to play tonight, but it’s not a certainty that he actually sees any court time. He still appears to be behind Joffrey Lauvergne in the pecking order, but anything can happen with Mike Malone’s rotations on a given night. Regardless, Nurkic isn’t a DFS option as long as Nikola Jokic is healthy.
As reported by: Chris Marlowe Other tagged players: Joffrey Lauvergne, Nikola Jokic
Kristaps Porzingis (illness) will play on Wednesday
Porzingis will play tomorrow against the Warriors. His return will push Derrick Williams back to the bench, and Williams can now be safely ignored as a DFS option. Porzingis himself is a borderline GPP target tomorrow against a Golden State team that likes to get out and run, which isn’t really his strong suit.
As reported by: Marc Spears Other tagged players: Derrick Williams Bradley Beal, Alan Anderson questionable for Wednesday
Bradley Beal and Alan Anderson both missed practice today and are considered questionable for Wednesday. If Beal isn’t able to go, Otto Porter’s value would take a nice spike as his playing time would become more secure, but he’s really taken a backseat as a scorer over the past month. Garrett Temple would also see an increase in court time, but his ceiling is still very low most nights and he’s not a real DFS option on full slates.
As reported by: Jorge Castillo Other tagged players: Alan Anderson, Otto Porter Jr., Garrett Temple Kelly Olynyk unlikely to play Tuesday
Brad Stevens told that media that he had no update on Kelly Olynyk, and judging by his statements it appears unlikely that Olynyk returns to the lineup tonight. Jared Sullinger should continue seeing around 30 minutes of run tonight against Indiana, making him a viable GPP play due to his ability to rack up counting stats in a hurry. He’s had a tough time against the Pacers this season but is still averaging more than a FP per minute over the course of the season. Tyler Zeller will continue to see time at the center spot with the second unit.
As reported by: Marc D'Amico Other tagged players: Jared Sullinger Kobe Bryant questionable for tonight
Kobe’s status for Tuesday has yet to be determined and we likely won’t have definitive word on him until after 7 PM ET roster lock. If he’s unable to go, D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson both become very strong plays in any format while Lou Williams would offer some contrarian appeal. The match-up with the Kings couldn’t get any better for the Lakers young guard tandem, so you’ll want some exposure to this back-court tonight. If Kobe does go, he’d be a contrarian GPP option and the upside of Russell, Clarkson and Williams would all be slightly capped.
As reported by: Mark Medina Other tagged players: D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Lou Williams Brandon Bass (eye) doubtful for Tuesday
Bass is unlikely to suit up tonight after suffering an eye injury in Sunday’s game against the Knicks. Julius Randle’s playing time likely doesn’t change much as he should be locked into around 30 minutes, but Larry Nance and Tarik Black figure to eat up most of Bass’ 22-26 minutes of court time. Neither Nance or Black are worth a look tonight even in a very appealing match-up with a Kings team that sieves fantasy points.
As reported by: Mark Medina Other tagged players: Larry Nance Jr., Tarik Black, Julius Randle