Los Angeles Clippers & Utah Jazz

Spread: Jazz -8

Total: 215.5

Injuries:

Los Angeles Clippers:

Paul George – Questionable (Elbow)

Kawhi Leonard – Out

Nicolas Batum – Questionable (Ankle)

Serge Ibaka - Out

Utah Jazz:

None 

**Please note that players not listed below are not necessarily a complete fade and any player listed can certainly be used as the MVP/Captain. These are merely suggestions for players to use when setting Showdown lineups.

MVP/CPT

Paul George, SG/SF (LAC) – This is obviously contingent on George returning after missing the last three games with an elbow injury, but if he does, he will be very busy working to keep the Clippers in the game. George is averaging 25 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game and we can expect him to take at least 20 to 25 shots tonight.

Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG (UTA) – Mitchell has found his offensive stroke as of late and continues to pace Utah on a nightly basis. While the rebounding (3.8) and assist levels (five) per game could be better, it’s hard to match his upside in the scoring department. If George is out tonight, Mitchell is the best player on the slate, but this might be a night to spend down in the captain seat for a more balanced lineup. 

Marcus Morris, SF/PF (LAC) – If George is out tonight then Morris might be my top option here as he went for 24 points and 11 rebounds on Monday against Phoenix. Of course, there is the risk of a blowout if George doesn’t play and the Clippers are careful with Morris’ minutes, but the forward will have a key role tonight regardless as he generally plays around 30 minutes per game. In five of his last six games, Morris is averaging 20.6 points per game as we selective exclude the two-point effort in between. 

Reggie Jackson, PG (LAC) – Jackson has benefited from Batum and George being out, but the point guard is pretty involved in the Clippers’ offense regardless. I want to see more than four assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, but if Jackson is going to continue taking 15 to 20 shots a game, he is certainly worth a look here at the price point. 

Util

Rudy Gobert, C (UTA) – Generally Gobert would find himself in the captain tier, and while I don’t a have problem with going with the Utah center there, I think this is a better fit for him. There is nothing wrong with Gobert averaging 15.1 points and 14.6 rebounds per game, and there is 50 fantasy point upside here, but playing time could be an issue here if Utah goes up big and I’m not sure there is enough here to warrant 1.5x price tag here. 

Luke Kennard, SG (LAC) – Kennard has been benefiting from the Clippers’ injuries from a volume perspective, but it’s really just one game (against Orlando) in which he took 16 shots that I’m questioning if George and Batum make their way back. The shots have been falling for Kennard at close to a 50% rate these days, with a lot of that production coming from downtown, and the rebounds have been a nice bonus. 

Bojan Bogdanovic, SF/PF (UTA) – Bogdanovic can get hot quickly and score in bunches as evidenced by his 16.8 points per game. He is on the one-dimensional side, but there’s generally enough offense to get us to where we need to be. 

Ivica Zubac, C (LAC) – With 10 points and eight rebounds per game, Zubac gets us to a solid place on a nightly basis and the price is right. We get the occasional double-double for a little more upside, but Zubac gives us a nice floor here. 

Mike Conley, PG (UTA) – Conley isn’t going to score 29-points every night, but he has been a consistent double-digit scorer while averaging 5.5 assists per game. If the dependable point guard fits into your lineup, he’s a solid option tonight, but not someone who I’m completely targeting either. 

Dart Throws

Royce O’Neale, PF (UTA) – O’Neale starts and plays around 30-minutes a game so that generally puts him on our radar here. With just 10 points in his last two games, O’Neale has struggled offensively and we aren’t getting the rebounds either. Prior to that, we were getting solid production out of the forward, so I’m not sure we should overreact over two rough games. 

Isaiah Hartenstein, C (LAC) – I’m perfectly fine playing both Los Angeles centers tonight, and it’s hard to miss what Hartenstein did on Monday with 12 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and two blocked shots. It might be a little heavy to chase from a performance perspective, but there’s no reason not to expect 20 fantasy points tonight. 

Hassan Whiteside, C (UTA) – Talk about efficiency. In his last two games, Whiteside has played a combined 35 minutes and has 77.5 DK points. Whiteside is scoring and rebounding at crazy levels on a per minute basis, and at the price, I’m comfortable chasing a third straight game with that performance. If Utah jumps out to a large lead, it’s possible Whiteside gets a little more playing time tonight, but even still, he has proven he can do a lot with 15 to 20 minutes of playing time.