Daily Fantasy NBA News and Injury Updates - 12/23/17

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What We Know

Giannis Antetokounmpo is out.
I had originally written up Giannis as an every lineup guy, but had to yank him out of there as news just broke that a sore knee will keep him on the bench tonight. Matthew Dellavedova will draw the start in alphabets place, while Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton will seed huge bump in usage.

Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out tonight for the Spurs, Pau Gasol is listed as probable.
Leonard will sit this one out against Sacramento after feeling discomfort following shoot around. As is usually the case in this situation, Kyle Anderson and Rudy Gay will see extended playing time in his absence. Pau Gasol meanwhile has been upgraded to probable, which would kill any appeal of Joffrey Lauvergne, who however is a great play if Gasol does decide to sit out another game.

Jaylen Brown is a probable, Shane Larkin questionable against the Bulls.
Brown already missed one game with quad soreness, and is listed as probable for tonight's tilt with Chicago. Larkin also missed the last game with a sore knee which seems to still be a factor. If Brown plays, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier's playing time will see a reduction.

Donovan Mitchell is probable against the Thunder tonight.
Mitchell has missed two games with a toe contusion, and comes into tonight listed as probable for the Jazz. If Mitchell does suit up with no word of a minutes restriction, Rodney Hood will return to the bench and take a serious hit to his value.

Damian Lillard remains out for the Trailblazers.
Lillard will sit out at least one more for Portland with a hamstring strain. Shabazz Napier saw the start last night for Lillard and ended the evening paying 10X PPD. His price is up tonight, but he still remains a solid play in a great matchup.

Goran Dragic is not expected to play tonight against the Pelicans.
The Dragon has missed three games now with an elbow injury and will not play tonight against the Pelicans. Tyler Johnson remains a nice value play at the point in Dragics absence.

Dion Waiters left last night's game against Dallas with a sprained ankle.
Waiters left last night's game against the Mavericks with an ankle sprain, Miami has yet to release any word on the severity of the injury, but I would expect him to sit out the tail end of the back to back set as they exercise caution and don't risk aggravation. If Waiters is cleared and you trust he's healthy, he is in a great spot against a bad Pelicans defense, otherwise Josh Richardson and Wayne Ellington should see an increase in playing time.

What We're Waiting to Know

Marc Gasol is doubtful, and considered a game time decision.
Gasol is dealing with a left hip issue that has him questionable going into tonight's game with the Clippers. Brandan Wright was recently activated, and could see a hefty workload in the absence of Gasol at center. JaMychal Green is doubtful for Memphis as well, and Chandler Parsons will benefit from his absence tonight. If Gasol and Green join Mike Conley and Wayne Selden on the bench Tyreke Evans will also step up as the big playmaker for the Memphis offense.

Dennis Schroder is questionable tonight for the Hawks.
Schroder has already missed one game with a sore ankle and comes into tonight's game against the Mavericks listed as questionable. On Friday Marco Belinelli started at the two for Atlanta with Kent Bazemore sliding over to the one. We will keep an eye out for the Atlanta starting lineup to see how they plan to attack Dallas tonight if Schroder is unable to go.

Dwight Howard left last night's game after four minutes with a dislocated finger.
Both Howard and Kemba Walker left the Hornets game last night early, Howard with a dislocated finger, Walker with a possible concussion after hitting his head on the floor. If these guys miss this will be huge for how our lineups shake out. Michael Carter-Williams and Frank Kaminsky will likely step into the stating rotation with Malik Monk taking a larger role of of the bench. Monk, Jeremy Lamb and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist each see a 2.8 or better bump in usage with Howard and Walker off the court.

Devin Harris left last night's game with an illness.
Harris played just eight minutes last night before leaving the game with an illness. If he isn't feeling any better by tonights game against the Hawks, JJ Barea and Yogi Ferrell could see an increase in playing time.

Every Lineup Guys

Tyler Johnson FD - $6000 DK - $5400
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 32.18 DK - 31.97
We have a lot of cheaper value guys getting a starting nod tonight, allowing us the savings we need to spend up where needed. Goran Dragic has missed three straight games and Tyler Johnson has thrived paying at or just over 5X PPD against the likes of Atlanta, Boston, and Dallas, all of whom rank among the middle third of defenses against point guards making them average matchups. Tonight he gets his best opportunity to date against a Pelicans team allowing opposing ones to score 47.3 fantasy points on average, only five other teams allow more to the position. This game features a 99.7 pace factor, and has a 209.5 projection out of Vegas with the Pelicans as slight favorites. It could be a big night for Johnson so be sure you don't pass up this value at the point.

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