***UPDATED CORE FOUR @ 7:15PM***
Afternoon Notes:
Kyle Kuzma has been ruled out. Dennis Schroeder is fine, but this is not a game I plan on investing much in, if at all.
Zach LaVine is available to play tonight, he is firmly in play (see breakdown in “key games” section). Vucevic remains viable, downgrade White.
Mike Conley is not on the injury report tonight and is expected to play on the second half of the back-to-back. He is viable in this matchup.
Kristaps Porzingis is not on the injury report and is expected to play. He can be added to the player pool.
Tyler Herro will play. This changes nothing as far as this game is concerned.
What’s up #elitemafia. Happy Thursday! Today I’ll be breaking down tonight’s seven-game slate.
News has been somewhat slow throughout the day, but we can expect that to change as we get closer to lock as there is plenty of news pending for tonight. DeAndre Bembry has been suspended for one game, so he will not play this evening, making this Toronto backcourt even thinner than it already is. Talen Horton-Tucker has also been suspended for a game and will sit out of tonight’s game against the Heat. Jerami Grant will sit out tonight as he is battling right knee soreness. Outside of that, we will need to wait for the statuses of multiple players throughout the day. It is expected to be a relatively low scoring night with three of the four games having implied totals of fewer than 220 points.
Keep in mind, I will be in the live chat tonight from 6:30PM to 7:30PM discussing news and any changes that we need to take note of, so make sure to stop on by and get all of your questions answered prior to lock.
Remember, the NBA differs from all other sports because one piece of news can change the entire look of a slate. Monitoring news throughout the day and keeping an eye on starting lineups is a key part of the daily process for those playing NBA DFS.
For the purpose of this article, I’ll be using FanDuel positions as they are less flexible than they are on DraftKings, but you should have plenty of options at each position to build on DK as well given the roster flexibility and multi-position eligibility of many players on their site.
Players are listed in order of preference by position.
Let’s jump right into it!
Top Projected Total
- Jazz 119
- Kings 116
- Mavericks 114.5
- Trail Blazers 113.5
- Clippers 113.5
Biggest Favorites
- Heat -9
- Kings -7
- Clippers -6
- Jazz -5.5
- Bulls & Cavaliers -4
Position By Position
Point Guard
- Luka Doncic
- Malachi Flynn (DK)
- Jrue Holiday
- De’Aaron Fox
- Coby White (if LaVine sits)
- Darius Garland (GPP)
Shooting Guard
- Donovan Mitchell
- Zach LaVine
- Gary Trent Jr.
- Tyrese Haliburton
- Joe Ingles
- Josh Jackson (GPP)
- Svi Mykhailiuk (FD)
Small Forward
- Khris Middleton
- Saddiq Bey
- OG Anunoby
- Taurean Prince (DK)
- Bojan Bogdanovic
- Kenrich Williams
Power Forward
- Pascal Siakam
- Isaiah Stewart
- Bobby Portis
- Tony Bradly (viable on both sites, but prefer on DK)
- Dean Wade
- Aleksej Pokusevski (check status)
Center
- Richaun Holmes
- Rudy Gobert
- Chris Boucher (GPP)
- Enes Kanter (if Nurkic sits)
- Aaron Baynes
Key News To Watch:
- Andre Drummond – probable
- Kyle Kuzma – questionable
- Tyler Herro – probable
- Zach LaVine – probable
- Coby White – probable
- Lauri Markkanen – probable
- Mason Plumlee – questionable
- Maxi Kleber – questionable
- Kristaps Porzingis – TBD
- Giannis Antetokounmpo – doubtful
- Jahlil Okafor – questionable
- Jusuf Nurkic – questionable
- Mike Conley – TBD
- Jordan Clarkson – doubtful
- Norman Powell – probable
Key Games:
Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers: This contest has the highest implied total on the slate, so naturally we want exposure to hit. We have some news here that could somewhat change the way we approach this slate, as Jusuf Nurkic is questionable. If he sits, Enes Kanter could be in for an expanded role and comes in at a reasonable price. The matchup for Kanter is far from ideal against Rudy Gobert, but at his price, Kanter is more than capable of returning value. Outside of Kanter, C.J. McCollum is someone you can consider in tournaments, although it is not the best of matchups. His price is not overly cheap, but it is at a point where he can exceed expectations if he gets going. Keep in mind, I would only consider him if you were game stacking. The Jazz are on a second night of a back-to-back where they played in overtime, which is somewhat concerning. However, they are just 1.5 games ahead of the Suns in the Western Conference standings at the top seed, so they are definitely bringing their A-game. Mike Conley has sat on the second night of a back-to-back the last two times they have been in this situation, which is something to take note of. If he sits, that will open up some backcourt minutes for the Jazz. Regardless of Conley’s status, I love this spot for Donovan Mitchell. He is too cheap on FD and even on DK where he is priced up a bit, I am willing to roster him in all formats. Gobert is also a center I like quite a bit this evening. He remains affordable on both sites and continues to play solid basketball. Jordan Clarkson was a late addition to the injury report and is considered doubtful, so the Jazz backcourt could be thin tonight if Conley is also held out. Joe Ingles and Bojan Bogdanovic are firmly in play if both of those guards are out.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Milwaukee Bucks: As noted above, Giannis Antetokounmpo is considered doubtful for tonight. He was listed as probable in his last game and ultimately sat out. I am not expecting him to play this evening, so will approach the slate as if he were out. When he is off the court, the main beneficiary is Khris Middleton who sees a 6.8 percent usage bump, as well as a 3.6 percent increase in assist rate. Jrue Holiday is not far behind, as he too sees a nice usage increase of 6.6 percent and an increase in assist rate of 12.1 percent. Those would be the two top options should Antetokounmpo sit, though Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez, and even Donte DiVincenzo become viable options as well. Pat Connaughton could also see an increased role and comes in at an affordable price tag, putting him in play as well. As far as Dallas is concerned the one thing to keep an eye on is Kristaps Porzingis, as this is a second night of a back-to-back and he was dealing with a wrist injury that kept him out of his previous two games. This is purely speculation on my end, though it is something I will keep an eye on throughout the day. Playing a few bucks and running it back with Luka Doncic is something I intend on doing tonight, at least early in the day.
Toronto Raptors vs. Chicago Bulls: Toronto will have just eight players suiting up tonight. They remain extremely shorthanded, especially in their backcourt with no Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry. We also received news that DeAndre Bembry will not play today as he is suspended for one game. This is huge for Malachi Flynn who is likely going to start and play as many minutes as he can handle. It also gives a boost to Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr. and Chris Boucher. Flynn remains affordable on DK this evening, but on FD his price is a tad high. However, given the circumstances, he can still be considered a viable option. Flynn continues to come off the bench, though he has played no less than 31 minutes in each of the last three games, which includes closing out games and playing the entire fourth quarter in each of those three contests. Tonight, he is likely to start. Flynn has now topped 30 DK points in the last three contests as well. As far as the other players are concerned, I would rank them Siakam, Anunoby, Boucher, and Trent Jr. I’d be fine with Siakam and Anunoby in cash, though prefer Boucher and Trent Jr. in tournaments. Stanley Johnson and Aaron Baynes can also be considered as cheap options given that the Raptors will run an extremely tight rotation this evening. In other words, you can make a case for most of Toronto’s players tonight. On Chicago’s side, Zach LaVine is considered probable tonight as he deals with a sprained ankle. Chances are he plays and if he does, he would be the top run back option. If he does not play, Coby White (also probable) becomes a strong play this evening, as he would be in line for an expanded role. Lavine’s absence would also benefit Nikola Vucevic, who is already in play, as he will become the primary offensive option for the Bulls. If LaVine plays, we can consider him and Vucevic as viable options in all formats this evening. If LaVine sits, Vucevic becomes an incredibly strong play and White also becomes a nice point per dollar play, while Thaddeus Young, Thomas Satoransky, and Preston Williams would also get a boost.
CASH GAME CORE FOUR
DraftKings: Luka Doncic, Kris Middleton, Malachi Flynn, Chris Boucher
FanDuel: Donovan Mitchell, Luka Doncic, Kris Middleton, Pascal Siakam
** Always check for updates to the core four closer to lock as it is subject to change with news**
