Daily Fantasy Basketball Injury News and Updates for FanDuel and DraftKings - 4/8/16

Welcome to the daily updates and injury news article. We’ll update this article right up to lineup lock with all information that comes across our desks. You’ll probably find an ongoing discussion below in the Comments section – please jump in with questions, thoughts, etc. All input welcome!

Last night's picks can be found here, so you can wrap your mind around what you need to be looking at before lineups lock tonight.

By the way - we keep our projection system updated with all of the changes as they occur throughout the day right up until lineup lock. Every day. If you want access to that system so you can cut out a lot of the research element, click the button below!

What We Know

Editor's note: Sorry for pulling this article! Tons of news came out all at once and we wanted you to be fully caught up. Enjoy!

The Clippers Are Sitting Most of Their Starters
Coach Doc Rivers announced yesterday that four key starters will sit out tonight’s game. They did this a few games back, so we have a pretty good idea what the rotations and minutes will look like. You’ll see them in lots of optimal lineups, and need to take advantage of this in cash games. See one caveat below.

Rivers is out too Give Crawford an event bigger bump, and we're now firmly in Pablo Prigioni territory as well. I like Crawford best by far for safety from this group, but some bizarre Clippers punt stacks are now in play as well.

The Zinger is Doubtful
All signs point to KP sitting another game. This makes Derrick Williams a strong option, given his tremendous production in the Unicorn’s stead.

The Spurs are resting everyone except for Tim Duncan
They did this against the Thunder (albeit the circumstances were slightly different, since the Thunder blew them out), so we at least have some precedent. The big winners from the lineup optimizer's perspective seem to be Patty Mills (who becomes the top overall points per dollar play at point guard) and David West, with an honorable mention to Kyle Anderson. I'd be fine with any of these guys in any format, which just makes tonight totally confusing.

Aaron Gordon is Sitting

We know he’s not going to take the court. We don’t know if Jason Smith or Andrew Nicholson will be starting in his place, but both should get plenty of minutes, with the starter an intriguing option, especially for big tourneys.

Nic Batum will play tonight. When Batum sits, Courtney Lee tends to see a lot of court time, sometimes upwards of 40 minutes. That’s a lot of potential for fantasy production. Jeremy Lin is also seeing mid-thirties minutes, and while he sucked last game, he's shown serious upside on big minutes in the best. Definitely one to watch for big tournaments, and is probably a cash game play if he's starting.

Kristaps Porzingis and Jose Calderon are out
And Derrick Williams paid better than 6x points per dollar in his last game in 32 minutes. If we get word that he's starting, he's probably safe in any format with huge upside. The point guard situation remains a little murkier. Grant has been starting and paying out decently on his prices, but Langston Galloway has been getting more minutes. I wouldn't feel safe with either.

What We're Waiting to Know

John Wall's status
He missed last game, and Ramon Sessions was a revelation - putting up 40 fantasy points in 29 missions. Sessions would be a punt to prioritize if we get definitive news on Wall.

Will Wall play tonight? If Wall sits again, Bradley Beal will see his usage and minutes go through the roof. He in turn becomes a very strong option. SG is stacked tonight, so this may be more of a pivot play, but he could also be an every-lineup guy if the salary plays out right. Check the Optimizer close to lineup lock.

Is Ennis going to start again?As Doug pointed out last night, you need to keep an eye out to see if Ennis is in the starting lineup again for the Pelicans. If so, he has to be under strong consideration, given his salary and the minutes potential. He’s gotten about 30 for the past several games, and that could go up if he starts. He put up a 6x last game as a starter, and came off the bench for a 9x and 4x the previous times out. His ceiling goes up if he beings the game on the court, and he has a great floor for a punt in any event. There are lots of cheap options on Friday, and this is yet another solid one.

What will Pop do?We know lots of people are going to sit, just not who exactly. Kawhi Leonard often plays, even on Rest Nights. If he does, he's got to be under strong consideration on a night with so few alternatives to invest your full budget.

The "Every Lineup" Guys

Giannis Antetokounmpo - FD 9700 DK 9700
Opponent - BOS
FD Proj. Pts - 45.82 DK Proj. Pts - 46.99
With so many cheap options, you're going to have to spend up somewhere. Today, that looks like it's Giannis. He's put up 50 fantasy points in three straight games, he'll have a fast paced match-up with the C's, and the Bucks don't show any sign of slowing him down. With so much uncertainty among big money guys right now, he's the one guy you can at least guarantee will be out there for his full run. Famous last words and all, I know.

Crawford is another player showing in every lineup on both sites. The last time the Clips rested their starters, he went off. The Optimizer sees the same happening again, and highly advises he be in your lineups tonight.

Another Clipper reserve benefitting from Rest Night, Aldrich is recommended across the board.. He’s the chalk play of the night, and you can expect high ownership percentages. He's very attractive for cash games for sure, as he put up 24 points in 30 minutes against OKC the last time he started.

Good luck out there today! If you want access to all of our numbers, get started with a free trial below of our lineup optimizer, on us!