UPDATE - With LeBron James being ruled out, a lot of value opens up in Los Angeles. Both Talen Horton-Tucker & Malik Monk get huge bumps, as well as Carmelo Anthony. Even with LBJ ruled out, this game features a slate-high 224.5 over/under and is super appealing from a game stack perspective.
Despite the slate being diminutive in terms of games, it’s not diminutive in terms of value. Combing through all the good/bad value will be key and I’m here to help you navigate those deep waters in today’s value vault!
All Sites
Anfernee Simons vs. DET
With Damian Lillard ruled out, the chalk of the slate is...drumroll please..Simons. He’s been great with Lillard active recently as he’s poured in 14+ actual points in three straight games, including 19+ in his last two. He gets a bad Detroit defense in this contest and when Lillard and Norman Powell are off the floor this year, Simons has a 26.2% USG rate. He’s going to possibly be the highest rostered player of the slate.
Svi Mykhailiuk vs. MEM
In this match-up with the Grizzlies tonight, the Raptors are without OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr. and Khem Birch. With Trent officially being ruled out, Mykhailiuk has been named a starter for the second consecutive game. He thrived in his role the last game, putting up 32 DKP while being on the floor for a whopping 38 minutes. This is a great spot for offense for Toronto considering Memphis is THE WORST defensive rated team in the league and they play at a top-11 pace.
Yahoo! Fantasy
Alec Burks vs. BKN ($12)
I mean, yeah, this is quite the spot to be in here. Burks is sliding into the starting point-guard spot for the Knicks and is priced at JUST $12. ATTACK! He played 39 minutes against the Hawks and had 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, good for 38.9 Y! pts. Is that going to be the case every time out? No, but Burks is a talented player that can put up a crooked number when his number is called. Well, his number has been called and this price is too good to pass up on.
Immanuel Quickley vs. BKN ($10)
This is as good of a situation as you’re going to find. Kemba Walker has been removed from the Knicks rotation and Derrick Rose is questionable to play. Yes Alec Burks is drawing the start, but Quickley is going to play big minutes with the way he’s performed of late. With Walker out, as well as Rose, against the Hawks, Quickley played 31 minutes, so if Rose is out again, skys the limit. With Walker off the floor this year, Quickley has a very strong 21.5% USG rate and averages .92 FP/min. Take Rose out of the picture as well and Quickley’s at 1.03 FP/min. He’s minimum salary on Yahoo! and that’s too good to pass on even if Rose plays.
FanDuel
Tyus Jones vs. TOR ($4,600)
We didn’t see how this situation at point-guard would play out because Memphis sent the Kings packing nice and early last game, but Jones started in Ja Morant’s absence and that's likely what will happen moving forward. The 23 minutes were good to see and I could see that approaching 30 in a more competitive environment like this game against Toronto expects to be. With Morant off the floor, Jones averages .99 FP/min, which is super effective for a guy priced below 5K.
DraftKings
Precious Achiuwa vs. MEM ($4,400)
Both Khem Birch and OG Anunoby have been ruled out of this game, which means Achiuwa is once again going to receive a big role in this Raptors game plan. He’s topped 33 minutes in back-to-back games and has slid back into the starting lineup in each of the last three contests. This is a massive pace up spot for Toronto and Memphis is the WORST defense according to defensive rating this season. This could be a spot where we see Achiuwa be featured a bit more offensively.
Larry Nance vs. DET ($3,700)
It’s been an absolute mixed bag of results for Nance this year, mostly bad, but here’s his best opportunity to shine yet. The Blazers are without Damian Lillard, Norman Powell and Nassir Little. We saw Nance play 13% of his time at small-forward last year in Cleveland per baseball reference, so with the Blazers two best SF out, could we see them go big here? They could also slide Rob Covington to SF, a position he’s awfully familiar with. It’s not something I’m willing to try in cash -- unless we found out he’s starting, which is doubtful, that likely goes to Tony Snell -- but I’m building multiple GPP lineups, I’m taking a shot on Nance.