Welcome back to the Fantasy Alarm NBA DFS Value Vault! We have a covid-strickened 8-game slate on tap in the Association today and already some news to monitor. There are some potential value spots that have presented themselves, and we will explore those below!
DRAFTKINGS:
1.) Carmelo Anthony PF (POR) $4,200 –
Let’s face it, we know that Carmelo Anthony isn’t a flashy name anymore in today’s NBA scene, however, when circumstances present themselves, we have to look at all things considered. Melo is fresh off a 35-minute outing two nights ago where he poured in 23 actual, grabbed five boards, dished out three assists, swatted two shots, and swiped up two steals in route to a hefty 43.8 DraftKings fantasy points. Do we expect him to re-make this effort? Likely not. Likely not tonight, or mostly any other night this season. With Nurkic exiting that game two nights ago, Melo played his highest minute total of the season, and maybe even last season, as well, while also carrying a modest 22.7% usage rate. If Nurk is limited, or OUT tonight, we could see RoCo move back to the five and allow Melo more minutes on the floor again in that event. It’s a great match up against SAC in the highest total game on the board at 235.
2.) Willie Cauley-Stein C (DAL) $4,100 –
The Mavericks are coming into the game tonight with Porzingis Questionable, and Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell , Jalen Brunson , and Maxi Kleber all OUT, and could be more by lock-time. WCS has been starting lately, and even in the event that Porzingis suits up and plays, WCS is still going to likely see 25-30 mins off the bench, or Carlisle may elect to keep him in the starting lineup. Either way, Cauley-Stein has played 23, 26, and 24 minutes over the last three games since entering the starting five and has put up 31, 20, and 17 fantasy points as a result. He gets a prime match up against this Charlotte frontcourt tonight and should see good run. There is value at his price.
3.) Isaiah Roby PF/C (OKC) $3,100 –
The last time Al Horford sat on the second-leg of a back-to-back set, it was Roby that was announced late in the day as the starter at Center instead of Mike Muscala . In that game, Roby got the start and played 28 big minutes in route to 33.8 DraftKings fantasy points with 19 points, seven boards, two blocks, and a steal. He has also been given 19 and 14 minutes in the Thunder’s last two contest in which he parlayed into 15 and 19.8 DraftKings fantasy points. He’s basically min-price tonight on DraftKings, and for that reason, he will be a free-square type play on tonight’s slate.
HONORABLE MENTION: Nickeil Alexander-Walker PG/SG (NOP) $3,100 –
With the Pelicans already ruling Lonzo Ball OUT, Eric Bledsoe listed as “questionable”, AND JJ Redick also listed as “questionable” to play tonight, this could potentially allow some extended run for NAW here tonight against the Clippers. Alexander-Walker has shown nice flashes of upside in games where he has seen decent mins as he put up 18.5 DK fantasy points in 22 minutes against the Suns, 22.8 DK fantasy points against the Thunder in just 19 minutes, and also two games ago he put up 24.3 DK fantasy points against the Thunder in the re-match in 27 big minutes. It is shaping up to look like NAW is going to see extra time on the floor in this one, and he as well, is almost near min-price.
FANDUEL:
1.) Tyrese Haliburton SG (SAC) $5,400 –
Let’s face it, the Trailblazers do not guard the SG position well, and they are allowing the MOST DK fantasy points to the spot on the season, as well as the fourth MOST on FanDuel to the SG spot. Haliburton will likely still see his regular 25-30 minutes off the bench if Buddy Heild is able to give it a go, but he could be in line for 30+ if he isn’t. Haliburton is a staple in this King’s rotation, as he continues to see between 28-32 minutes nightly, and has put up huge numbers with 46.4, 37.4, 26.4, and 23.6 FanDuel fantasy points over his last four contests. I keep going back to this game in general, simply because it has a HUGE total and the game-flow should be very nice.
2.) Marcus Morris PF (LAC) $3,800 –
Morris is coming off the bench behind starting PF Nicolas Batum , at least for now. Morris missed the first seven games of the season as he dealt with a knee injury, but now is back in full-swing and was given 25 minutes in the Clipper’s most recent game against the Bulls. He went on to score 11 actual and grabbed seven boards in that game for 18.4 FanDuel fantasy points, while carrying a modest usage of 15.4%. We could start to see this tide for Batum turning back on him soon as Morris gets more in game-shape, and we could potentially see Morris as the starter once again very soon. Take advantage of the smaller price while he it is still there.
3.) Bruce Brown SG (BRK) $3,500 –
Bruce Brown played extremely well in the Net’s comeback in their game last night against the Nuggets. He played 25 huge minutes in the starting nod once again and put up 16 points, six boards, three dimes, and three blocks in route to 34.7 FanDuel points. With the Nets still without Kyrie Irving , and with them electing to put LeVert back in a bench role, this could easily mean more starts for Brown and more ways for him to show he is the man for the job, especially after last night’s performance. He is min-price on FanDuel, and if he sees 22-25 minutes in a starting role again, he is worth a dabble in tournaments.
HONORABLE MENTION: Trey Burke PG (DAL) $4,500 –
Burke absolutely went off last game against the Magic, and only needed 21 minutes to do so. Burke put up 29 actual, while dishing four assists, and adding a block in route to a massive 37 FanDuel fantasy point effort. Not to mention the fact that he was second on the team in usage rate at a whopping 31.1%, only behind Luka’s 36%. Most of the same situational dependencies that happened for him to go off in the last game are once again here tonight, as you can see above in the Willie Cauley-Stein bit. He is going to get good run again, and he has the upside here against CHA tonight.
Player News
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that Stephen Curry has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and is expected to miss at least a week.
Shams notes that Curry has already been ruled out for Game 2 on Thursday, but the week timeline means he’ll miss Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday with a chance to return for Game 5 on Wednesday. This is the first muscle strain of Curry’s career, so how quickly he returns will depend on how he responds to rehab. Fortunately for Golden State, the team came away with a win on the road in Game 1, and two of the next three games will be at home, giving the Warriors a chance to stay alive while their superstar PG is out. Expect Buddy Hield to step into a much larger role on offense while Curry is sidelined. Hield has totaled 57 points across his last two games while stroking a blistering 14-of-18 shots from beyond the arc.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters Stephen Curry is day-to-day with a hamstring injury and will undergo an MRI on Wednesday.
Kerr relayed that Curry was “crushed” after being forced from the game due to injury. While Kerr described Curry as day-to-day, he also mentioned that the 37-year-old point guard will undergo imaging on Wednesday to determine the severity of the injury. There should be an update on his status at some point prior to Thursday’s Game 2 showdown. With the Warriors taking Game 1 on the road Tuesday, Kerr added that it’s hard to imagine Curry being available for Game 2 on Thursday. With Game 3 Saturday at Golden State, Curry could have more time to rest and recover.
Naz Reid had 19 points (8-of-14 FGs), five rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block and three three-pointers in Game 1 against the Warriors on Tuesday.
Reid briefly left the floor with an apparent leg injury towards the end of the second quarter before returning in the second half. The 25-year-old center played 34 minutes and was the second leading scorer for the Timberwolves in what turned out to be a lackluster game for Minnesota. Reid appeared healthy in the second half and should continue to be counted on for starter-level minutes despite coming off the bench.
Anthony Edwards had 23 points (9-of-22 FGs), 14 rebounds, two assists, three steals, one block and one three-pointer in Game 1 against the Warriors on Tuesday.
Draymond Green had 18 points (6-of-13 FGs), eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and four three-pointers in Game 1 against the Timberwolves on Tuesday.
Buddy Hield had 24 points (7-of-19 FGs), eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and five three-pointers in Game 1 against the Timberwolves on Tuesday.