Daily Fantasy NBA News and Injury Updates - 12/12/18

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What We Know

John Wall is probable to return tonight against the Celtics

Things have been pretty weird in Washington with Wall. He's missed two of the last three games and played just 26 minutes in the game he did participate in. With that being said, he's supposedly good to go tonight. If he's a full go, he's at least interesting against Kyrie and the Celtics. If Wall happens to miss, it'll be Satoransky and Beal that benefit most.

Tristan Thompson has been ruled out for 2-4 weeks

This is a tough one for a Cavs team that just doesn't do much or have much at this point. Larry Nance Jr. is always a guy we pay attention to, but hasn't been playing huge minutes lately. With this news, it's safe to project him for 32+ minutes and 30+ fantasy points. Ante Zizic will also pick up some minutes, and he could easily see 20, but its tough to trust a guy that's been a DNP-CD. He's a tournament play at best. With Nance moving to the 5, Blossomgame could also pick up some minutes if the Cavs go small. All in all, Nance is the easy play and everyone else comes with risk.

Maurice Harkless will rest against the Grizzlies

Harkless doesn't do much from a fantasy perspective, but he plays a solid amount of minutes. His 25-30 minutes will go to Jake Layman and Evan Turner. Turner is the safe choice and should pick up 30 minutes. Layman is a bit more uncertain, but he's close to minimum priced and could get up to 25 minutes. He's solid when on the floor and has upside at minimum price.

What We're Waiting to Know

Jimmy Butler is doubtful to play against the Nets

All signs are pointing towards Butler taking the night off. This does a lot for the Sixers. Butler obviously takes up a ton of usage, so Simmons and Embiid will ba back to their normal role. I especially think Embiid will shoot a ton. J.J. Redick will also cement his minutes and will always be in play for cash games. Opportunity-wise, Furkan Korkmaz will be the ultimate guy to benefit. He's a solid fantasy point per minute player and could get up to 30 tonight. Wilson Chandler and T.J. McConnell will also pick up 5-10 minutes each and are perfectly fine in cash games and tournaments. This match-up is great and the Sixers are a team with a pretty concentrated offense.

Kawhi Leonard is considered questionable against the Warriors with his sore hip

Leonard went into last night questionable, but it was pretty obvious that he was going to sit out. Tonight seems like more of a true question mark. If he does play, we saw the battle he and Durant had just a couple weeks ago. He'd be in play in both cash games and tournaments. If he misses, Kyle Lowry will see a big uptick in usage and a phenomenal option in all formats. Anunboy, Miles, and Green are all candidates to pick up minutes as well, but it's really a crapshoot.

Mike Conley is questionable to play with hamstring soreness vs the Blazers

Conley is a huge part of the Grizzlies offense and has the ball in his hands for the majority of most possessions. If he does miss this game, Shelvin Mack is going to play 34+ minutes and is one of the top plays on the entire night. The Blazers are not a good defense and Lillard is nothing special individually. Selden and Brooks would also pick up a few minutes, but neither are worth looks on such a big slate. Gasol will see a few more shots and he's a quality play in any format at Center.

Every Lineup Guys

Joel Embiid FD - $10700 DK - $10500
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 61.79 DK - 63.8

With Jimmy Butler fully expected to miss the game tonight, Joel Embiid is going to have the ball in his hands a ton tonight. Ben Simmons will as well, but Embiid has already voiced his frustration with his role over the last couple weeks and should now be able to prove his point. He'll be able to do that against the easiest of match-ups, the Nets. They rank dead last against centers on the season and have only been getting worse. Embiid is going to put up 50+ fantasy points tonight and I don't want to miss out anywhere.

Larry Nance Jr. FD - $5800 DK - $5700
Opponent - NY
Proj Pts FD - 34.49 DK - 34.97

With Tristan Thompson out for an extended period, it's safe to lock Nance Jr. into 32+ minutes tonight, with the upside for much more. He's always solid when given the opportunity and has been a 1.2 FP per minute player on the season. He faces off with the Knicks tonight, who rank 27th against power forwards and 15th against centers. There are going to be a ton of rebounds up for grabs and nobody else to get them. Nance is a safe bet for 25-30 fantasy points and has the upside for 50. He's a solid option in all formats and you won't find a lineup of mine without him. Let me know if you have any questions or comments down below!

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