Well, well, well, how the turn tables have…
The Blake Griffin trade…
Griffin to Detroit, Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris to the Clippers…
But it is not known whether any of these guys will take the court Tuesday night. It probably wouldn’t be worth playing them on the first night with their new teams anyway.
Hell, by the time the slate rolls around DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams could be gone as they have been in talks of being traded.
This slate is setting up to be an interesting one for us DFS folk, lots of injuries to wade through plus two teams will have completely different looking lineups and usage going forward. We also have to bear in mind that people can be traded even after lock and we don’t want to be stuck with a zero because of a last-minute trade.
Nine games, let’s go!
| O/U | Spread | Pace | |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 219.5 | -3.5 | 21 |
| Washington Wizards | 15 |
Injury News
Doubtful: John Wall
Washington: Stranger things have happened, but John Wall’s availability isn’t completely known. He is doubtful, but with there already a line available, it appears he’s most likely to sit. So we will look at this as if he isn’t playing. If he does play, forget everything I said. Bradley Beal is the elite option from the Wizards team when Wall is off the floor. Beal has a 34% usage rate and is averaging 1.11 fantasy points per minute. He also gets a boost because we don’t have to worry about Andre Roberson, one of the NBA’s best defenders who is out for the season, defending him. I saw a stat out there how OKC’s defensive rating goes from best to worst without Roberson on the floor. That bodes well for the WIzards here. Tomas Satoransky got the start last time out, but Tim Frazier also sees minutes and could even get the start himself. I think both of those guys are toss ups as the hot hand will see the bulk of the minutes. Otto Porter is the second guy we should be looking at here. With a 24% usage rate, Porter is averaging nearly a fantasy point per minute without Wall. The problem here though is that Porter has been wildly inconsistent all season. Gortat and Oubre are afterthoughts for me, even with Wall out. Markieff Morris is the interesting one here. He’s seen a spike in minutes with Wall out, playing more than 30 minutes in his last two games. He’s $5,500 and could be a decent source of value against Slowmelo Anthony.
Oklahoma City: No Wall, all Westbrook. The Wizards offer no scary rim protection and one of their best defenders will be out. There’s no reason Westbrook shouldn’t eat here. Paul George and Carmelo Anthony are secondary plays here for me as I just don’t play them very often. If you want to get creative, you can stack all three, and soak up most of the usage on this team, run it back with Beal and Porter for a game stack. George’s price is too high though right now, so he’s probably a complete stay away for me. Terrance Fergeson got a lot of Roberson’s minutes, but he’s a low usage guy who isn’t even seeing 30+ minutes, so hard pass for me. OKC keeps it simple here and Steven Adams is another secondary option but not a must-play considering his price and matchup.
Must Play: Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal
Bubble Plays: Otto Porter, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Tomas Satoransky, Tim Frazier, Steven Adams
Value Plays: Markieff Morris
| O/U | Spread | Pace | |
| Brooklyn Nets | 5 | ||
| New York Knicks | 215 | -5 | 17 |
Injury News
Out: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Caris LeVert
Brooklyn: RHJ is out, LeVertical is out. That doesn’t really help us out much with this Nets squad who isn’t really playing guys a ton of minutes at any position. However, with a game at Madison Garden, a fairly reasonable spread and an in-state showdown, I think there are a few plays to consider from the Nets tonight. The first we need to take notice is D’Angelo Russell’s last game where he took 14 shots and played his most minutes since coming off of injury. He’s $4,800 and i think he’s worth the tag even if he sees 20-25 minutes. His usage rate is 27%,, the highest on the team, when LeVert and RHJ are off the floor. Nik Stauskas saw a huge bump in minutes last time out, topping the 33-minute mark. He will likely be a popular value play with him presumably on tap for a huge share of the load again. Dinwiddie will become unplayable soon at his high price tag with Russell’s increasing minutes. I don’t play DeMarre Carroll or Allen Crabbe, so no. That leaves the big men where Jarrett Allen has seen a spike in minutes and usage in his last three. He’s still not seeing much more than 20 minutes, but he’s still playable at $3,800.
New York: I bet Trey Burke becomes popular throughout the day today. He’s seen 12 and 14 shot attempts in his past two and if he gets hot, Jeff Hornacek is clearly not afraid to play him big minutes. He’s still worthy of a tournament play at $3,700 in a pace-up spot where the Nets have trouble defending the point. Hell, he may be cash worthy as part of a stars and scrubs lineup. Courtney Lee is always an easy fade for me. Tim Hardaway isn’t a guy I ever feel comfortable with, but he’s certainly got upside in this matchup without RHJ. He’s one of the top usage guys on the team not named Kristaps Porzingis, who is out of the picture for me as usual. He’s barely topped 30 fantasy points in his last four games. Against Brooklyn this year, Porzy is averaging just 38 fantasy points in 3 games played. His price takes him out of the running. Enes Kanter should play tonight, but he’s averaging just 17 minutes in 3 games against Brooklyn. He’s seen a bigger role lately though, so he’s firmly in play in tournaments against the Nets, the dairy creamer of defense against centers. If Kanter or Hardaway sit tonight, lock in Beasley. He’s the guy that benefits the most when either of those guys sit.
