We have a seven-game slate to kick off the week and yet another slate where injuries and players in COVID protocols are creating some clear value plays to build our lineups around. Let's take a look at the top values of this slate!
Anfernee Simons, PG
Ok, so maybe he isn't the cheapest value on the board but given the circumstances right now in Portland with Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and now Norman Powell all out of the lineup, Simons is a great value at his price. He scored 31 points last night against the Kings and will face a Nets team that isn't the greatest on defense, especially with the fact that Kyrie Irving will be active for this game. Simons figures to be a core part of many lineups tonight.
Lance Stephenson, PG
Not so much of a value on FanDuel and this play will likely depend on the health status of both Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert, but at least on the outset we should be looking at Stephenson on DraftKings and Yahoo. Over the last two games he has given us 54 and 42 fantasy points while putting on an array of skills on display. In the first game, he scored 30 points and in the second game he dished out 14 assists. The matchup against Boston, though, could be a tough one here with the likelihood he faces off against Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown.
Nicolas Claxton, C
LaMarcus Aldridge is questionable to play tonight with a foot injury. While I do think LMA plays given the return to Portland, I'm not shook off of Claxton. He's been seeing steady minutes in the starting lineup lately for the Nets and has been producing. Over the last six games, he is averaging 29.2 fantasy points over 27 minutes.
Immanuel Quickley, PG
Quickley started against the Celtics the other night and looked strong, but that start came due to the fact that Evan Fournier was out of the lineup. Tonight the Knicks could have back BOTH Fournier and Kemba Walker which would limit the upside of Quickley, but boy is this matchup against the Spurs nice if one of those two end up missing this game.
Lonnie Walker, SG
Walker started against the Nets on Sunday and scored 25 points with three rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal over 32 minutes. The Spurs are very shorthanded right now and I would fully expect Walker to be back in the starting lineup tonight in a good spot against the Knicks weak backcourt. Bryn Forbes gets an honorable mention here as well as he came off the bench, played 25 minutes and finished with 32 fantasy points.
Joshua Primo, SF
Yep, another Spurs player. Primo played 39 minutes against the Nets on Sunday but shot poorly, just 4-for-16 from the floor and 2-for-7 from three-point range. What we like here however is the willingness to shoot the basketball, especially at this price range. If even a few more of those 16 shots fall in, we would be looking at 7-8x return.
Rajon Rondo, PG
Ok, so I have some worries that Rondo could be limited here on the second night of a back-to-back – especially after he played a whopping 29 minutes in his second game with the Cavaliers. Rondo did not start this game but he did finish it and put up yet another strong performance. This price tag is going to make him pretty popular today unless news comes out that would make him less appealing.
Ben McLemore, SG
As I mentioned at the very top of this article, the Blazers are hurting badly right now at their wing scoring depth and the absences of Lillard, McCollum and Powell have put McLemore into the starting lineup. Foul trouble limited him to just 25 minutes last night night, but he shot 5-for-12 from the floor and was 3-for-8 from three-point range. He isn't a huge contributor of secondary stats but he's likely going to be a free shooter like we saw back on New Years Eve when he took 22 shots against the Lakers.
Player News
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Zach Edey will undergo surgery to re-stabilize his left ankle.
Charania’s report indicates that Edey re-sprained the same ankle that forced him to miss some time last season. It came during an offseason workout, and he is expected to miss time to start next season. Edey secured the starting center spot for Memphis late last season after playing an inconsistent role for most of his rookie year. Head coach Tuomas Iisalo could opt to use Brandon Clarke as the starting center if he’s healthy, or he could use a smaller starting lineup with Jaren Jackson Jr. to start next season. The Grizzlies’ PR team announced that a preliminary timeline will be provided after he has the surgery, but as of now, the expectation is that he won’t be available for opening night.
De’Aaron Fox (finger) has been cleared for on-court work and will be ready for the start of next season.
Fox underwent season-ending surgery on his left pinkie finger in mid-March, about six weeks after being traded to the Spurs from Sacramento. He recently told Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle that he’s been cleared to resume on-court activities, which have included some 5-on-5 play. Also, Fox hopes to ink a contract extension with the Spurs this offseason. With one year remaining on his current deal, the point guard will be eligible for a four-year extension worth up to $229 million on August 3.
NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Mannix said recently that Sam Hauser could be a trade candidate this offseason if the Celtics decide to shed salary.
The cost of contending for championships has gotten steeper, especially with the salary cap rules instituted in recent years. For the Celtics, the Achilles tendon rupture suffered by Jayson Tatum may impact how the front office approaches this offseason. If the team decides that a group that won’t have Tatum for most of the season can’t be a factor in the East, the decision could be made to shed salary. And Hauser, whose four-year, $45 million extension goes into effect next season, may be a prime candidate to be moved. “Hauser, to me, is the most likely candidate to go, just because you have (Baylor) Scheierman there to effectively fill his role,” Mannix said. “I think they’d love to find a home for Jrue Holiday, just because of the contract and where they are as a team. (Kristaps) Porzingis, who knows? I don’t think they want to take on contracts that go on longer than Porzingis’ deal, but he’s certainly available.” Hauser being traded would make Scheierman worth a look in deep fantasy leagues next season.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported the Knicks are interested in talking to Mavericks coach Jason Kidd regarding the team’s head coaching vacancy.
Multiple names have been mentioned in the aftermath of the Knicks’ decision to fire Tom Thibodeau after he led the team to its first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000. One who has been mentioned prominently is Kidd, who is under contract with the Mavericks. His connection with Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson may be a factor, as the captain has repeatedly credited the coach with his development as a professional. However, Dallas would need to grant the Knicks permission to speak with Kidd. And if a deal were to be made, New York does not have much draft capital to give up as compensation. Also mentioned in connection with the opening are Cavaliers assistant Johnnie Bryant, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch and Rockets coach Ime Udoka. Stein also reported that Houston would quickly deny permission to speak with Udoka if the Knicks were to make that request.
Obi Toppin provided a boost off the bench with 17 points (6-of-9 FGs), five rebounds, two assists and five three-pointers in Game 1 against the Thunder on Thursday.
Toppin has been solid throughout this postseason, but he hasn’t had many big scoring nights. However, after he had 18 points in the Game 6 clincher over the Knicks, he added 17 more to kick off the Finals, with 15 of those points coming from beyond the arc. If Toppin is able to continue to make an impact off the bench like he did in this game, there should be more wins coming for the Pacers.
Aaron Nesmith recorded a double-double on Thursday with 10 points (3-of-9 FGs), 12 rebounds, one assist, one block, three three-pointers and five turnovers in Game 1 against the Thunder.
Indiana dominated on the glass in this game, but it wasn’t just because of the bigs. Nesmith was the leading rebounder in this game and was one of three Pacers to grab at least 10 rebounds. However, they lost the turnover battle 24-6, and Nesmith contributed five of those. The only player with more was Myles Turner, who coughed it up six times. Indiana won this game and still has things to clean up, which is an encouraging sign for them moving forward in this series.