DFS Alerts

Jameer Nelson out; Darrell Arthur doubtful for Nuggets today

Both players have missed time over the last week or two and look likely to do the same tonight against the Pistons. Emmanuel Mudiay will continue to get all the minutes he can handle at PG for the Nuggets but there are much better options at the position with a 12 game slate being thrown our way. Arthur’s role has diminished of late for the Nuggets so his absence has marginal DFS impact – Kenneth Faried is a decent mid-priced option but with plays like Zach Randolph and Markieff Morris just a few dollars more, he’s a contrarian GPP play only.

Kevin Garnett and Nikola Pekovic out; Kevin Martin doubtful

This isn’t earth shattering news as these three have not played much of late. It will continue to mean Dieng starting which is a good thing for his value but other than that there is little DFS implication.

Tayshaun Prince out tonight for personal reasons

Prince will miss tonight’s game against the Raptors due to personal reasons. Prince himself is not a viable DFS option despite getting run as a starter on multiple occasions for the Timberwolves. However, his absence does open the door for more minutes for Shabazz Muhammad who at under $4K on both sites becomes a reasonable value option at SF despite a tough match up against Toronto (ranked 5th in SF DvP). Muhammad has put up 46.25 DK fpts in 39 minutes his last two games and if given the chance to play 30 minutes the potential to hit 5x or greater is certainly there.

Derrick Rose will play tonight

Bulls Head Coach stated that Derrick Rose would play today after missing the last game with general soreness. With Jimmy Butler out of the lineup, Rose’s usage soars to 33.0 which would be third in the NBA behind only Russell Westbrook and DeMarcus Cousins (thanks to Adam Levitan on Twitter for that tidbit). The Hawks are relatively tough defensively against the position (8th in DvP) but at price tag that is under $7K on both sites, Rose is a top option at the PG position tonight.

Derrick Rose’s usage rate with Jimmy Butler off floor this season is 33.0 (via nbawowy). That’d be 3rd in NBA, behind only Westy & Cousins.

Ersan Ilyasova sick; doubtful for tonight's game

Ilyasova has come down with an illness and is doubtful to play for the Pistons tonight in their game against the Denver Nuggets. Anthony Tolliver would likely be the biggest beneficiary and would be in consideration as a value play against a Nuggets defense that is 23rd in PF DvP. Tolliver has been hit or miss when given starters minutes – he put up 28.3 FD fpts in 30 minutes just four days ago but also put up a 6.4 FD fpt dud in 35 minutes a couple weeks back. He’s a GPP play only for sure, while wings like Stanley Johnson and Marcus Morris are playable in any format tonight. We’ll update you on Ilyasova’s status as soon as it becomes official.

Tobias Harris a game-time decision tonight

Harris has missed the last two games and did not take part in the team shootaround this morning but Head Coach Scott Skiles stated that he could play tonight and that he would be a game-time decision. If Harris can’t go, it’ll most likely mean another start for Evan Fournier who has been excellent the last three games (27+ fpts on FD and 30+ fpts on DK) and would normally make for a good mid-range SG option at $5K on each site. The biggest problem, however, is that the Magic take on the Spurs who are the top-ranked defense in the NBA against the SG position. Couple that with blowout concerns and the SG position for the Magic is worthy of fading tonight. Regardless, we’ll update you on the status of Harris as soon as we learn of it.

Hassan Whiteside expected to play on Tuesday

Hassan Whiteside was able to go through warmups and is expected to play tonight. Whiteside will continue coming off the bench and has been playing well in that role. Whiteside will need a monster game to exceed value on his salary and it could be tough against the Spurs. Whiteside is risky tournament option and will be under-owned tonight.

David West to start again for Tim Duncan

David West will remain in the starting lineup against the Heat tonight. West has been playing well with extended minutes but we also have seen him get 10 minutes recently against Dallas. Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich has not been stable with his lineups so West is a tournament option only.

Luol Deng (illness) confirmed as the starter on Tuesday

Luol Deng is not feeling well but will start tonight. Seems like Deng could be limited and Justise Winslow will be able to pick up some extra minutes. Both players are low-end options going against the Spurs and Kawhi Leonard.

Avery Bradley is a relatively safe option at SG

SG has a few guys in the mid-price range that will likely be pretty popular tonight if you are not paying up for Harden or Thompson, but Avery Bradley is likely the safest option out of that bunch. Between Bradley, Evan Turner, Rodney Hood, Aaron Afflalo, and Bradley Beal there is only an $800 difference and they are all viable options tonight. However, if you are looking for the safest option to play in cash games, Avery Bradley offers a pretty decent floor. Turner is a close second as far as safety, but Hood is very volatile, Afflalo’s production drops a bit when Carmelo plays, and Beal has been somewhat inconsistent since returning from injury. All of them are viable tournament options depending on who you think owns the highest upside, but Bradley will be locked into 30+ minutes in a plus matchup vs. the Bucks who struggle to guard opposing SGs.

O.J. Mayo and Miles Plumlee starting for Michael Carter-Williams and Greg Monroe

O.J. Mayo and Miles Plumlee will be in the starting lineup tonight for the Bucks. Coach Jason Kidd said “it’s nothing that Michael or Moose have done. We’re just going to try something different.” Additionally he said, “Michael and Moose are going to play as many minutes if not more than if they were starting.” With the information provided, we can only see a slight bump in value for Plumlee and Mayo. All four players are squarely tournament options only with the uncertainty the new starting lineup has created.

Kris Humphries (knee) will play on Tuesday

Kris Humphries will be playing tonight after missing over a month with a knee injury. Humphries will likely not play more than 12 minutes and is a risky DFS option tonight. With Humphries and Nene both back in the lineup, it will likely mean Marcin Gortat does not play over 30 minutes tonight. Gortat’s upside is limited when he plays under 30 minutes and should not be used in cash games now.

Jae Crowder (ankle) will play on Tuesday

Jae Crowder is in the starting lineup tonight even though he is dealing with a nagging ankle injury. Crowder has not been providing much upside lately and will be an under-owned option against the Bucks. The Bucks struggle to guard opposing small forwards, which may give Crowder a chance to exceed value. Crowder should only be used in tournaments while he is on this slump.

Derrick Favors is a solid option on a short slate

Derrick Favors has been getting back into the groove since returning from injury a couple of weeks ago. His price has risen, but still not to the point that it was before the injury when we saw his price as high as $7,800 on DraftKings. He still sits at $7,000 right now on DK and gets a solid draw against Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs. They are 27th in DvP vs. opposing PFs and he is in a great spot to reach value tonight. He put up a dud last time out vs. Phoenix, but that will likely only mean a slight dip in ownership percentage. He is now consistently seeing low to mid-thirties in minutes and should be able to produce in a plus matchup tonight.

Hassan Whiteside (ankle) GTD on Tuesday

Hassan Whiteside remains a game-time decision tonight vs. San Antonio, but he seems to be closer to probable than to questionable based on comments from the Miami side over the last two days. Spoelstra noted yesterday that Whiteside “could play big minutes” tonight, which is a strange sentiment given that he doesn’t appear to know whether or not Whiteside is healthy enough to play. Regardless, if he suits up, we can count on around 30 minutes of court time which in his case is enough run to put him in play. Given that Greg Monroe’s status is now murky, Whiteside is a viable GPP target.