DFS Alerts
Lance Stephenson (wrist) will warm up with the intent to play
Lance Stephenson was questionable earlier but he will try to give it a go. Stephen will playing behind Matt Barnes and could also see minutes relieving Tony Allen. Stephenson’s style is more suited for tournaments with his high ceiling and really low floor.
As reported by: Ronald Tillery Other tagged players: Matt Barnes, Tony Allen
Vince Carter (calf) not expected to play
Vince Carter has been ruled out with a calf injury. Carter was playing well but had to exit the game on Friday. With Carter out of the lineup, Tony Allen will likely see over 30 minutes tonight guarding James Harden. Allen is a nice value play but Harden is known to draw contact, making Allen a tournament option only.
As reported by: Calvin Watkins Other tagged players: Tony Allen Dion Waiters (personal) to remain out, expected back on Friday
Dion Waiters will not play but is on his way back to the team. Waiters is expected to be available on Friday vs the Celtics. We will update his status once it becomes official.
As reported by: Anthony Slater Jusuf Nurkic downgraded to doubtful; Joffrey Lauvergne still questionable
Nuggets coach Mike Malone stated that the team may play a lot of small ball tonight if Nurkic and Lauvergne aren’t able to go, and it’s looking more and more like that will be the case. Nikola Jokic figures to benefit from a shorthanded front-court, but his playing time still isn’t all that secure. The one thing working in his favor is that he may stay on the floor more with the second unit to match up with the size of Hassan Whiteside, but that’s only speculation. Darrell Arthur gets a bump in value with Nurkic unlikely to go and he’d see another slight bump in the event that Lauvergne is ruled out.
As reported by: Chris Marlowe Other tagged players: Joffrey Lauvergne, Nikola Jokic, Darrell Arthur Paul Pierce is doubtful for Tuesday
Paul Pierce could miss Tuesday’s game against the Spurs. Pierce is not a DFS option and his absence will lead to Wesley Johnson and Jeff Green splitting the SF minutes pretty evenly. Johnson and Green are both low-end options facing San Antonio.
As reported by: Ben Bolch Other tagged players: Jeff Green, Wesley Johnson Nikola Mirotic starting for Pau Gasol on Monday
Nikola Mirotic will be replacing Pau Gasol in the starting lineup and should be considered as a punt tournament play. Mirotic can really bust your lineup with his low floor but his upside in this spot is appealing. This will be the fifth game back since his injury, so he should play 28+ minutes against Toronto. Mirotic owns a 22.7% usage rate with both Gasol and Rose off the floor this season, which bodes well for his ceiling tonight.
As reported by: Nick Friedell Other tagged players: Pau Gasol Derrick Rose officially ruled out; Mike Dunleavy likely out for tonight
Fred Hoiberg did not like how Derrick Rose was moving laterally so the coach ruled him out of tonight’s contest. Mike Dunleavy is battling an illness and his status will be updated once it becomes official. Justin Holiday started in place of Rose on Friday and played 38 minutes. The Raptors are a tough defensive team so Holiday is a tournament option only and does carry considerable risk. E’Twaun Moore figures to act as the PG, although the offense will run through Jimmy Butler while he’s on the floor.
As reported by: Nick Friedell Other tagged players: Mike Dunleavy, Justin Holiday Matt Barnes is a great option on a shorthanded Grizzlies team
The Grizzlies have seven players listed on their injury report for Monday including Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Chris Andersen, and Brandan Wright all ruled out with Lance Stephenson and Vince Carter listed as questionable. If you count the Courtney Lee and Jeff Green trades, Memphis is working with a different starter at every position since just a little over a month ago when Marc Gasol broke his foot. Really the only players left that saw any playing time at the beginning of the year are Matt Barnes and to some extent JaMychal Green and Vince Carter. With all of these injuries, there is some fantasy goodness to be found in a player like Barnes who has seen his performance spike drastically. According to our new CourtIQ tool found in the Daily Research tab, Matt Barnes averages 0.95 fantasy points per minute with all of the aforementioned players off the court. He also sees a 25% usage rate just behind Stephenson and Carter. This would obviously become very interesting if either were ruled out as they are both currently questionable. At only $5,600 on DK and $5,400 on FD, if he hits his mark of 0.95 fantasy points per minute and plays 30 minutes he should easily hit value. Not to mention the stellar match up vs. the Rockets who are dead last in DvP vs. SFs. Barnes will see another bump in value if either Carter or Stephenson are ruled out, but either way he makes for a great play at a tough SF position.
As reported by: RotoGrinders CourtIQ
Dwyane Wade (thigh) will warm up with the intention to play
Dwyane Wade was not able to play on Saturday with a bruised thigh but is hopeful to play on Monday. Wade will warm up with the intention to play. His injured status on both major sites will likely keep his ownership levels down, making Wade a contrarian play that potentially has a high upside against the Nuggets. We will update his status once it is officially confirmed.
As reported by: Jason Lieser Zach LaVine is in a nice bounce back spot vs. the Suns
Zach LaVine has had a couple of rough games back to back vs. the Spurs and the Thunder, but his match up with the Suns is looking like a golden opportunity to get back on the LaVine train. His price has fallen just a bit across the industry, but he will continue to be heavily relied on as an option for the T’Wolves. He is still grossly underpriced for the amount of minutes he is seeing (over 37 per game over his last ten), and prior to these last two games he had hit 30 DK points in six straight games. Vegas is telling us that this is a great game to target as it has the second highest point total at 221, and it also has a one-point spread indicating they expect this one to be close. Anytime you can get a SG at this price in a close game vs. this fast-paced, defenseless Suns team is a great opportunity for some fantasy points.
Klay Thompson is a contrarian option at SG vs. weak Pelicans backcourt
Without a doubt the most enticing game on the slate, the Warriors-Pelicans currently sits at a 230 over/under. It’s going to be two fast-paced teams in a run-and-gun setting and this is really where the Warriors thrive. Klay Thompson is arguably the best spot up shooter in the league and he is lethal in transition. He should have plenty of opportunities to knock down shots, and it comes down to a matter of hitting them. All indications are pointing to a big game from Thompson, as he has really been scoring the ball well lately. It is looking like the game may turn into a one-sided affair, and this will likely scare a lot of people off of Thompson or other Warriors. However, he has played at least 29 minutes in every single one of their last ten games, and there were some blowouts along that road. Despite the blowout concerns, Thompson should hopefully see a healthy allotment of minutes and makes for a great contrarian play.
Brooklyn Nets injury report for Tuesday's game
Wayne Ellington is probable to play against Philadelphia, after missing one game with an illness. Chris McCullough is also battling an illness and has been listed as questionable. Willie Reed has a sore knee and has been ruled out. With two backup big men hurt, expect Thad Young and Brook Lopez to play a lot of minutes again. Over their last three games, Lopez is averaging about 35 minutes while Young is averaging 36 minutes.
As reported by: Brian Lewis Other tagged players: Chris McCullough, Willie Reed, Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young Ben McLemore (finger) doubtful for Tuesday
Ben McLemore will likely miss his fourth consecutive game with a fractured finger. McLemore is considered doubtful for Tuesday’s game against the Lakers. In McLemore’s absence, Darren Collison is averaging 36 minutes over his last three games and should expect over 30 minutes again. With six games on the slate for Tuesday, Collison is nice mid-range play with decent upside.
As reported by: Sean Cunningham Other tagged players: Darren Collison Gordon Hayward ruled out Monday
Gordon Hayward has been ruled out for Monday’s game with the Cavs due to plantar fascitis. With Hayward out, look for Rodney Hood, Derrick Favors and Shelvin Mack to all pick up some of the slack on offense, while Joe Ingles and Chris Johnson should eat up most of the minutes left by Hayward at SF. While neither Ingles or Johnson are recommended DFS options, Hood, Favors and Mack are all very much in play tonight. With Hayward off the floor, Hood’s usage rate climbs about four points to 26.1, making him a much stronger play at his mid-range price tag. Shelvin Mack’s usage also climbs without Hayward on the floor, but the sample size there is still very small. The only concern here is that the Jazz have by far the lowest team total of the day.
As reported by: @utahjazz Other tagged players: Rodney Hood, Derrick Favors, Shelvin Mack, Joe Ingles, Chris Johnson
Brandon Bass (eye) did not practice Monday, iffy for Tuesday
Brandon Bass suffered a corneal abrasion in Sunday night’s game with the Knicks and was not able to practice today. We’ll consider him questionable for tomorrow – if he’s unable to go, Julius Randle would become a safer play while Larry Nance would figure to see some extra run off the bench. We’ll update Bass’ status after tomorrow’s shootaround.
As reported by: Janis Carr Other tagged players: Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr.