On Monday, the Pelicans and Thunder meet in what should be a high-scoring Western Conference matchup in Oklahoma City. The Pelicans will be shorthanded in the backcourt, though, with CJ McCollum away from the team for personal reasons. Without McCollum, Jose Alvarado ($5,000) will likely have a much bigger role while Jordan Hawkins ($4,200) is also set for more work. With McCollum leaving behind plenty of offensive usage, Alvarado could be one of the top value plays on Monday night’s jam-packed slate.
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PG Jose Alvarado, New Orleans Pelicans at Oklahoma City Thunder, $5,000
Alvarado was unable to play in Wednesday’s 144-119 loss to the Nuggets due to an illness, but he was not only able to play on Saturday in Sacramento, he also made his first start since November.
In that contest, Alvarado played 29 minutes and had 27.75 fantasy points on just five points but added nine assists, three rebounds and three steals. He also had a big game on the last day of January against the Celtics when he scored 20 points and posted 37.75 fantasy points in 34 minutes in the game in which Dejounte Murray suffered a season-ending Achilles injury.
Over his last 14 games, Alvarado has produced 21.8 fantasy points per game, and with Murray and McCollum off the floor, he has produced 0.97 fantasy points per minute. He’ll look to facilitate Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson on Monday, but he’ll need to do some scoring himself if New Orleans is going to keep up with the Thunder.
Alvarado always brings plenty of energy and good non-scoring numbers, and with more shots available, he offers a high ceiling Monday.
