Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James holds the ball away from Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas during the second quarter of a NBA basketball game in Boston Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
Welcome to the daily updates and injury news article. We'll try and update it right up to line-up locks with as much information as comes across our desks. Let's get to it!
https://www.dailyfantasysportsrankings.com/2016/11/14/daily-fantasy-nba-basketball-picks-for-fanduel-and-draftkings-111416-2/, 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!
Dragic is finally out of a walking boot, but he is not going to play against the Hawks. We saw Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson and Dion Waiters pick up minutes. They will have another big role to play in this game, as the Hawks are not too stout on the perimeter. Tyler Johnson is my favorite, and I like him in both cash games and tournaments.
Whitehead has been out for a few games with a concussion, but is expected to come back tonight against the Lakers. Sean Kilpatrick and Yogi Ferrell will both lose some minutes, though Kilpatrick still has some upside. Looking forward, I would continue to play Kilpatrick if his price goes down. The Lakers are a great team t play guards against, so I don't mind deploying some of these guys in tournaments. Brook Lopez is the only nets player I would consider in cash games, assuming he plays.
LaVine is a guy that can take control of the Timberwolves offense on occasion, and can open up a ton of opportunity if he misses this one. If LaVine misses, you have to play Wiggins or Rubio. One of them is going to destroy the ball handling and should pick up a ton of peripherals. The Hornets are a lackluster team that can be taken advantage of, especially against athletic guards. Wiggins has taken his game to the next level and I wouldn't be surprised to see a big game here.
J.R. Smith missed last game with an injury, and it resulted in Iman Shumpert picking up 32 minutes. Shumpert doesn't have a ton of upside, but is a decent play in cash games at such a low price around the industry.
Rondo is questionable
Rondo has been downgraded to questionable for tonights game against the Blazers. If he misses, Wade and Butler both become elite lays as they will see the ball much more. Minutes wise, Isaiah Canaan can be expected to play at least 25.
DeMar DeRozan has elevated his game to a different level this year, and it has been a pleasure to watch. He is averaging almost 35 points per game, which is the highest in the entire NBA. The Cavs will surely throw LeBron at him at times, but I expect the volume to outweigh that. He is going to get a few different defenders, and should be able to get some clear holes to the rim. Aside from Tristan Thompson, the Cavs don't offer much rim protection and can be taken advantage of inside with Kevin Love defense. His price has climbed up there, but he has backed it up completely.
On the other side of this game, we are long at the best player in the world, LeBron James. The Raptors, like everyone else, have no answer to James and what he brings to the court. he can be the main scorer one night and come out with 17 assists the next night. You never know how he is going to approach a game, though he will always provide you with a solid statistical game. Like Kevin Durant, you can count on 45 with a solid 75 ceiling. The Raptors are considered one of the other contenders for the East, so I could see LeBron getting u for this one quite a bit. He has been quoted many times over the years saying how he gets up for games against teams that are competitive with them. I prefer LeBron in cash games, but he has plenty of upside on this slate and plenty of salary to spend.
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