RADIO
Mohamed Bamba is Questionable for Wednesday
1/16:Orlando Magic center Mohamed Bamba (foot) is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Detroit Pistons. Head coach Steve Clifford said on Tuesday that he didn't expect Bamba to be ready for Wednesday. Khem Birch has seen increased playing time with Bamba sidelined. Fantasy owners should check back closer to tip-off since this is likely a game-time decision.Source: NBA Injury Report
Robin Lehner Sharp In Tuesday's Victory
1/16:New York Islanders goaltender Robin Lehner stepped up once again for his team in a 2-1 overtime victory against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, turning aside 30 of 31 shots to pick up his 13th win of the season. The 27-year-old has been a revelation in his debut season with the Islanders, providing consistency in net almost on a nightly basis. In fact, Lehner has failed to post a save percentage of at least .900 just once in his past 13 starts. In addition to also grabbing a win in nine of his previous ten appearances, the Swedish native will enter his next start with a remarkable 2.16 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage on the season. He's a must-own goalie in fantasy hockey at this point and should be starts each night he gets the starting nod.Source: NHL.com
Jeff Carter Produces 10th Goal Of The Season
1/16:Los Angeles Kings center Jeff Carter tied Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Wild with just 2:30 left in regulation. His team would go on to fall 3-2 in a shootout. The Kings' anemic offense has made it tough on all of their fantasy relevant players and Carter has been no different. The 34-year-old has 10 goals and 13 assists through 46 games. Ilya Kovalchuk also scored his eighth goal in the contest. The Kings have been a fantasy wasteland this season. They will take on the Dallas Stars in their next game on Thursday night.Source: NHL.com
Viktor Arvidsson Nets Hat Trick During Rout Of Capitals
1/16:Nashville Predators right wing Viktor Arvidsson scored the second hat trick of his NHL career during a 7-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. Arvidsson has missed 24 games due to injury this season, but he has been dynamite when healthy. The Swedish winger has 17 goals and seven assists through 24 games. Nick Bonino also scored twice in the contest while Rocco Grimaldi and Calle Jarnkrok picked up single tallies. Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Johansen nabbed two assists during the blowout win. The Predators offense has scored at least three goals in each of their last 10 games. They will be back in action on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets.Source: NHL.com
Antti Niemi Makes 52 Saves In Win Over Panthers
1/16:Montreal Canadiens goaltender Antti Niemi was sensational on Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers. He made 52 saves, including a couple of showstoppers, during a 5-1 win. Niemi has now won three starts in a row while carrying a .962 save percentage over that span. He is a viable streaming option when he takes the net. Shea Weber produced a goal and an assist in the contest while Phillip Danault, Max Domi, Jesper Kotkaniemi, and Brendan Gallagher also tallied goals. The Canadiens have been a massive surprise this season and their offense continues to flourish. Their next game will be on Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.Source: NHL.com
Rickard Rakell Nets Power-Play Goal On Tuesday
1/16:Anaheim Ducks left wing Rickard Rakell scored a power-play marker during a 3-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. The Ducks are currently mired in a 12-game losing streak and players are slumping across the board. Rakell has seven goals and 16 assists through 34 games this season. While he did succumb to injury earlier in the year, his totals are a far cry from the 69-point season he put up last campaign. Rakell still plays on the top line and top power-play unit, so it is premature to give up on him unless a manager is playing in a ridiculously shallow format. Hold tight and hope for better production in the near future.Source: NHL.com
White Sox Make $125 Million Offer To Manny Machado
1/16:The Chicago White Sox's offer to free-agent shortstop Manny Machado was for $175 million over seven years. With just the White Sox and Phillies believed to be interested in Machado, the White Sox decided to take a low-ball approach and go from there. One of the best shortstops both offensively and defensively was seeking $300 million or more on the free-agent market, so this offer clearly leaves a lot to be desired. He'll find a home eventually and he'll be a top-10 fantasy player no matter the destination.Source: ESPN - Buster Olney
Jaguars Expected To Hire John DeFilippo
1/16:The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to hire former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo as their next offensive coordinator on Wednesday, according to sources. DeFilippo was fired midseason after running a very bland scheme with plenty of playmakers in Minnesota. He drew rave reviews for working with both Carson Wentz and Nick Foles on the way to a Super Bowl championship last season, and he'll be expected to do the same with whoever Jacksonville chooses to be their next quarterback. This offense could very well remain ground-and-pound with Leonard Fournette, though.Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
Anthony Mantha Tallies 11th Goal Of The Season
1/16:Detroit Red Wings right wing Anthony Mantha sparked a comeback in the third period on Tuesday night by getting his team on the scoreboard early in the frame. Mantha had missed 15 games due to injury earlier in the season, which helps explain his modest offensive totals of 11 goals and seven assists. The big-framed winger sees steady top-six minutes as well as power-play time. He is a viable depth candidate in larger league formats. Gustav Nyquist and Darren Helm also scored during the 3-1 win while Danny DeKeyser picked up two assists in his return to the lineup. The Red Wings will be back in action on Friday night against the Calgary Flames.Source: NHL.com
Rich Scangarello To Become Broncos Offensive Coordinator
1/16:San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello is back visiting with the Denver Broncos on Wednesday, and sources say his interview with head coach Vic Fangio went well. Scangarello is expected to become the team's next offensive coordinator, barring a snag in talks. Scangarello has never coordinated an offense in the NFL but is an up-and-coming offensive mind that has worked with Kyle Shanahan in several stops. Denver's offense should run through the ground game and promising youngsters Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman for the foreseeable future.Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
Chris Kirk Misses Cut At Sony Open
1/16:Chris Kirk missed the cut at last week’s Sony Open as he continues to go through a poor patch of play. Kirk has now not finished inside the top-20 of an event since August, and the American has missed the cut in three of his last six events. Kirk will now turn his attention to the Desert Classic. In 2018, Kirk missed the cut at the Desert Classic, and he has not finished inside the top-20 of the event in his last five attempts.Source: PGA Tour
Gorgui Dieng Collects Nine Rebounds Versus Sixers
1/16:Minnesota Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng scored seven points, grabbed nine rebounds and came up with one steal along with one assist over 20 minutes in Tuesday's loss to the 76ers. The 6-foot-11 center was 2-for-5 from the floor and 1-for-2 from beyond the arc. It was his second most rebounds this season and the third time this month that he has grabbed at least seven boards. The 28-year-old has been on the court a little more than usual lately as he has seen 17 or more minutes in three of the last five games, averaging 4.6 points along with five boards, 1.2 assists and one steal over 16.6 minutes during this stretch. Dieng is not viable fantasy asset as he currently mainly serves a Karl-Anthony Towns backup with Taj Gibson and Dario Saric soaking up most of the minutes at power forward.Source: NBA.com
Aaron Wise Teeing It Up At Desert Classic
1/16:Aaron Wise returns to action this week at the Desert Classic. Wise finished a respectable T27 on his last outing, despite his approach play being way off the mark. Wise dropped over five strokes to the field with his irons at the Tournament of Champions, and if he has cleared up whatever was ailing him with his irons, then he is sure to feature this week at the Desert Classic. Last year, Wise finished T17 at this week’s event.Source: PGA Tour
Abraham Ancer Finishes T29 At Sony Open
1/16:Abraham Ancer produced a solid display at last week’s Sony Open, finishing the event T29. Ancer’s result could have been much better had it not been for a frustrating week on the greens. The Mexican dropped 1.7 strokes to the field with the flat-stick over the four days of action. Ancer will now turn his attention to the Desert Classic where he has failed to finish better than T76 in his two previous visits to the event.Source: PGA Tour
Charles Howell III Continues Impressive Play
1/16:Charles Howell III produced some excellent golf on his way to a T8 finish at last week’s Sony Open. Howell has now recorded back-to-back top-20 finishes on his opening two starts to the year. Howell’s work with the flat-stick was particularly impressive last week, and the American gained over five strokes over the field on the greens. Howell will tee it up this week at the Desert Classic. In his last three trips to this event, Howell has finished inside the top-20 each time.Source: PGA Tour
Charl Schwartzel Making First Start Of Year At Desert Classic
1/16:Charl Schwartzel will tee it up for the first time this year at the Desert Classic this week. Schwartzel struggled mightily in the second half of 2018, missing the cut in four of the eight events he played in since June. The South African will hope that he can re-find his form this week, at an event which he has not appeared in previously. Over the last 24 rounds, Schwartzel sits a lowly 134th in this week’s field for strokes gained total.Source: PGA Tour
Charley Hoffman To Tee It Up For First Time In 2019
1/16:Charley Hoffman will make his first start of the year when he tees it up this week at the Desert Classic. Hoffman failed to record a top-10 finish in 2018, which was a big surprise, and the Californian will be looking to end that streak this week. The American has just one top-20 finish in his last eight starts on the PGA Tour, and over his previous 24 rounds, Hoffman sits 124th in this week’s field for strokes gained total. Hoffman finished runner-up at this week’s event back in 2015.Source: PGA Tour
Kevin Kisner Stumbles At Sony Open
1/16:Kevin Kisner failed to shine at last week’s Sony Open. Kisner squeezed inside the cut-line to make the weekend, but was unable to shake off the rust and ended his week with a disappointing round of three over par to finish T69. Around the greens was Kisner’s downfall at the Sony Open, where the American dropped over five strokes to the field. Kisner will be in action this week at the Desert Classic. He has made six trips to this event in his career but has yet to finish inside the top-20 of the event.Source: PGA Tour
Brian Harman Continues To Struggle
1/16:Brian Harman continued his dismal run of form, missing the cut at last week’s Sony Open. Harman’s entire game was off last week, but surprisingly it was his putting that did the most damage to him over the two days of action. Harman lost over four strokes to the field with the flat-stick last week, and he will now look for a much better performance when he tees it up this week at the Desert Classic. Harman has finished inside the top-20 of the Desert Classic in each of his last three appearances.Source: PGA Tour
Jon Rahm Ready To Defend Title
1/16:Jon Rahm will make his second start of the year this Thursday at the Desert Classic. The Spaniard will be defending his title from last year, which he won in a tight playoff against Andrew Landry. Rahm enters the event in good form, having finished inside the top-25 in each of his last four events. The Spaniard is the betting favorite this week, but over his previous 24 rounds, Rahm is only eight in this week’s field for strokes gained total.Source: PGA Tour
Karl-Anthony Towns Nabs Just Three Boards
1/16:Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns scored 13 points on 4-for-10 shooting from the field, including 2-for-4 from beyond the arc, in Tuesday's blowout loss to the 76ers. The 23-year-old added a season-low three rebounds, two assists, two steals in 28 minutes. It marks the 13th time that the 7-footer has registered single-digit caroms. His minus-42 rating was not only the worst in the game, but a personal low this season. Towns has a fairly difficult matchup against the Spurs on Friday as he is averaging just 12 points along with 8.7 rebounds along with four assists in three games versus them.Source: Basketball-Reference.comKar
Cam Atkinson Extends Goal Streak Versus Devils
1/16:Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Cam Atkinson posted his second consecutive multi-point outing in Tuesday's 4-1 win over New Jersey, extending his goal streak to three games and picking up one assist. Linemates Artemi Panarin and Pierre-Luc Dubois also had a goal and an assist, with the latter scoring on a power play. Boone Jenner tallied the game-winner, while Blake Coleman was the only scorer for New Jersey. Atkinson has already scored more goals (27) than he did during the whole 2017-18 campaign (24) and he looks nailed on to surpass his current career-high 35 goals. He could even be a 50-goal scorer when it's all said and done if he manages to keep his current pace.Source: ESPN
Andrei Vasilevskiy Gets Another Shutout On Tuesday
1/16:Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy had a flawless performance against Dallas on Tuesday, recording a 35-save shutout in a 2-0 win. Ondrej Palat and Mikhail Sergachev produced the goals. Vasilevskiy now has three shutouts for the season, with two of them coming in his last four starts. The Russian improved his record to 19-5-2, and he carries a 2.46 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. Vasilevskiy has had a few setbacks in recent outings, but he's been an elite fantasy goalie, especially at home where he has lost just three times in 14 starts. The Bolts finish the week with back-to-back home games against Toronto and San Jose.Source: ESPN
Kyle Connor Produces Three Points In Win Over Vegas
1/16:Winnipeg Jets left wing Kyle Connor made sure that the team would get their revenge against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, finishing a 4-1 win with three points. He had two goals -- including a shorty -- and one assist. Mark Scheifele had two points with a goal and an assist, while Blake Wheeler collected two helpers. Brandon Pirri continued his recent success for Vegas, stretching his point streak to six games with a goal. Connor has come to life this month following a 10-game point drought, putting together two three-point efforts and registering nine points in total.Source: ESPN
Deandre Bembry Continues To Star In Starting Role
1/16:Atlanta Hawks shooting guard/small forward Deandre Bembry put together another excellent performance during Tuesday’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, finishing with 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting, adding eight rebounds, six assists and two steals across 34 minutes. The performance marks double-digit scoring outings in seven of his last eight contests, the last five of which have seen him inserted into the starting five. Even with Taurean Prince returning from injury, Bembry looks to have a solid hold on some significant run on the wing for Atlanta, making him worth the add in most formats.Source: ESPN
Dennis Schroder Drops 21 Points Against Former Club
1/16:Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Dennis Schroder went for 21 points off the bench during Tuesday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks, his first game against his former club as a visitor. Schroder went for 18 points versus Atlanta back on Nov. 30, but playing in front of his old fans Tuesday, he went 6-for-15 from the floor, adding six assists and three rebounds to his total. After five seasons in Atlanta where he eventually took over as the starting point guard, Schroder has transitioned to a bench role in Oklahoma City in 2018-19, seeing his numbers take a slight dip from where they were at last season.Source: ESPN
Alex Len Collects Double-Double Off Bench
1/16:Atlanta Hawks center Alex Len did not re-enter the starting lineup with Dewayne Dedmon out against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, but Len was able to post his sixth double-double of the year regardless. The big man outdrew starter Omari Spellman in minutes 31 to 22, collecting 24 points and 11 rebounds to go along with three assists and two blocks. Despite averaging 10.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest this year, Len remains primarily a DFS play on nights when Dedmon is out of the rotation due to his sporadic play. That could be the case again Saturday when Len faces the Boston Celtics, one of two teams in the league whom he is averaging in double figures (10.4 PPG) against during his career.Source: ESPN
Jabari Parker Leads Bulls In Scoring Versus Lakers
1/16:Chicago Bulls forward Jabari Parker missed only three shots on his way to leading the team with 18 points on Tuesday against the Lakers. Lauri Markkanen had 17 points, while Zach LaVine finished with only 10. Parker was 7-for-10 from the field in 17 minutes on the floor, including 2-for-4 from deep. He grabbed three rebounds and added two assists and two steals to his tally as well. Parker has looked good since returning from the doghouse and he should be fully motivated to keep up the form. His next opportunity to do so comes on Thursday against a Nuggets team that's had a few defensive issues in their last couple of games.Source: ESPN
Trae Young Delivers Second Straight Double-Double
1/16:Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young went for his second consecutive double-double during Tuesday’s victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, finishing with 24 points and 11 assists. Without the aid of backup Jeremy Lin, Young ran the show and delivered a double-digit assist total for the 13th time this year. In addition to helping lead his club to a season-high 142 points through the pass, Young did so through his shot, going 4-for-9 from deep, his sixth game this season with at least a quartet of makes. Turnovers remain flummoxing for Young, with his next match-up coming against the stout Celtics defensive unit Saturday.Source: ESPN
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Scores 17 Points In Fifth Start
1/16:Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope returned to the starting lineup for Tuesday's clash with the Bulls, producing a solid 17 points. However, his fifth start of the season was far from an impressive outing, as Caldwell-Pope shot just 4-for-11 from the field and 1-for-6 from behind the arc. His 8-for-10 record from the charity stripe helped him get into double figures. Caldwell-Pope also had four rebounds and two steals in the game. The sixth-year guard has had some good scoring performances lately, but using him in fantasy bball is like playing the lottery. With that said, Caldwell-Pope does get a nice matchup on Thursday against OKC, who have given up the third-most points to opposing shooting guards this season. Caldwell-Pope had 25 points in 34 minutes against the Thunder in the first meeting of the season on Jan. 2.Source: ESPN
