Daily Fantasy Basketball Updates for FanDuel and DraftKings - 2/2/16

Welcome DFSR’ers (just rolls off the tongue huh?) as we get you set for tonight’s NBA. We're going to try to put out a daily piece of content to update the previous night's picks (last night's picks can be found here) so you can wrap your mind around what you need to be looking at before lineups lock tonight.

By the way - we keep our projection system updated with all of the changes as they occur throughout the day right up until lineup lock. Every day. If you want access to that system so you can cut out a lot of the research element, click the button below!

Now let’s look at some news that’s come in throughout the day to see if anything’s changed in our minds or in the NBA landscape.

What We Know

Dwight Howard has been suspended
With Dwight on a 1 game suspension, we enter the familiar territory of having to figure out who the heck is going to get his minutes. In the three games he missed from 1/22-1/25, the big winners were Corey Brewer and Josh Smith, who both saw a substantial boost in both minutes and production. Clint Capela and Terrence Jones saw boosts earlier, but those gave way to Smith and Brewer toward the end of Dwight's injury. Capela's been named as the starter, but played just 16 minutes in that role the last time around.

In order of safety, I'd rank the plays: Brewer, Smith, Capela, Jones. Capela might have the highest upside, though, if he plays a full set of starter's minutes. We just have no reason to believe that will necessarily be the case, here.

Hassan Whiteside is out again
This means we can proceed as usual with guys like Justise Winslow, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Luol Deng.

James Johnson is out
Kind of small potatoes here, but it is 15-18 minutes that can get spread around. Terrence Ross played 27 minutes when Johnson went down early, and Norman Powell started the 2nd half against the Nuggets. I'll be listening closely who the starter will be, though, because this is an intriguing match-up with a terrible Suns team.

What We’re Waiting to Know

Jae Crowder's status
He suffered either a shin contusion or a calf strain, depending on which sources you want to believe. If it's the latter, he'll likely be out through the all-star break. Keep an eye on this one, because if he's out, things start to get pretty interesting. Evan Turner has been playing well on 27-30 minutes a game as it is, and any boost there would make him a great play on a short slate. Avery Bradley also saw a boost in minutes when Crowder exited the last game early.

Crowder's absence (and even his gimpiness, frankly) would also mean the Celtics would be desperately undermanned in defending Carmelo Anthony, who should see a significant boost if Evan Turner is chasing him around.

How will Earl Watson mix things up in Phoenix?
With Jeff Hornacek out, and the huge mix of weird pieces in Phoenix, it's very tough to project how everything will come together in Phoenix going forward. Early indications are that he's high on Markieff Morris, for instance, but how will that reflect in his minutes? Keep an eye out here to see if there are any updates to the Suns' starting lineup.

Jose Calderon's Status
If he's out, Langston Galloway has been a match-up proof source of 5x+ points per dollar on his current prices. Great match-up with the fast paced Celts. It's looking like Calderon will play, though.

Is Gorgui Dieng starting again?
He probably will, but we'd like a sanity check here. He's almost a "too good to be true" play at 38 minutes at these prices against the Lakers. Update to the Update: Dieng is starting. Roll him out there with confidence. 

Kobe Bryant's Status
If he's out, Lou Williams becomes a great play. If he's back - not so much. Byron Scott says he's "50/50" as of 2:30 PM EST.

What We Wish We Knew

I'm still trying to figure out why the Oklahoma City Thunder announcers were saying things like, "I think someone put in an extra order of chicken salad in the kitchen tonight!" when Serge Ibaka was making outside shots in the game last night. If you know, please email me personally at james@dailyfantasysportsrankings.com.

The "every lineup" guys

Another new feature, where I'll share the fundamental building blocks of our lineups tonight, per optimal lineups from our projection system (powered by LineUp Lab.).

Michael Carter-Williams at a reasonable price in a nice match-up against Damian Lillard.

Gorgui Dieng (if he starts) in a phenomenal match-up with the Lakers.

Andrew Wiggins in a likewise great spot against the Lakers. This is a high-floor play without tons of ceiling in all likelihood.

Kyle Lowry against Phoenix, but only if you assume he gets his full run of minutes.

Carmelo Anthony showed up more than I thought he would at these prices, but that's because of how tough it is to spend up today. It should actually be a great match-up if Jae Crowder is limping around.

Good luck out there today! If you want access to all of our numbers, get started with a free trial below - on us!