Daily Fantasy NBA News and Injury Updates for FanDuel and DraftKings - 12/29/16

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!

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

Goran Dragic expects to return against the Hornets

Dragic missed last game, and Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson took advantage. He expects t return tonight, and that will downgrade both of those guys a ton. If he soehow misses the game once again, Johnson and Richardson are both great plays once again.

Joel Embiid is out against the Jazz

Embiid has missed a lot of games this year, so we know what should happen here. Ersan Ilyasova has averaged over 1 FPPM with a 24% usage when Embiid is off the court, and at his price, you have to love his chances. With that being said, Nerlens Noel is said to be getting more minutes, which could murky up the waters. Against the Jazz, the right play could be to stay away.

What We're Waiting to Know

Kyrie Irving missed practice, but expects to play

I think the Cavs get up for this one, and Kyrie should be able to get in there. Against Isaiah Thomas defense, Kyrie should be able to get in the lane and have plenty of opportunities. This is a game I want to target heavily, so I am willing to play Kyrie off of an injury tag. You can target this game in all formats.

Mike Conley is questionable against the Thunder

Conley plays a lot of boring minutes at the PG spot, but is in play if he is in full health tonight. If he misses, Andrew Harrison would be one of the better value plays on this slate. Westbrook is very volatile on defense, as he risks it a lot which leaves his man open. Either way this goes, there is someone to play.

The "Every Lineup" Guys

DeMar Derozan

DeRozan and the Raptors face off with the Suns, who play at a fast pace and tend to play less than average defense. Between the two stars, DeRozan also has the better match up as Bledsoe is a much better defender than Bledsoe, who will be on Lowry. DeRozan isn't a guy I tend to roster a ton, but this is one of the better spots he could be in. As a note, DeRozan will gain even more minutes if DeMarre Carroll is rested.

Harrison Barnes

Barnes is a really safe play that will come through probably 9/10 times in this spot. The Lakers are not very good against mall forwards, mostly due to there fast pace and low efficiency defense. Barnes is the man on the Mavs, and will continue to get the most shots. The minutes are also a guarantee, and he has seen over 30 minutes in 20 straight games.

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