Daily Fantasy NBA News and Injury Updates - 10/18/17

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What We Know

Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out

This doesn't seem to be a serious injury, so expect Kawhi to be out there the next game or the one after it. As for tonight, with Tony Parker out for a while, we'll see a few guys asked to pick up the slack. Dejounte Murray and Patty Mills should both get close to at least 30 minutes with most at PG and some at SG. Kyle Anderson and Rudy Gay will also see an uptick minutes. We have no real idea how Popovich will use Gay, but he won't have much of a choice in this one. All in all, there is a ton of usage and about 35 minutes to go around. Expect a good amount of Spurs to hit value here. On the T-Wolves side, they won't have to deal with the best defender in the league. Wiggins and Butler both see a considerable bump.

Gordon Hayward is likely out for the season

Gruesome. If you happened to witness that injury on TV last night, you know what I mean. Hayward will be out for a long time and it will cause a huge domino effect in both fantasy and real-life. First, Kyrie Irving has free reign. Sure, they have some other talented players, but none that demand the ball like Hayward does. I wouldn't be surprised to see some insane ceiling games out of Irving this year. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will also see their roles cemented and you can expect 30+ minutes on both nights. PLay them while you can before the prices are way over $5k. Rozier is also an interesting GPP play as he seems like the guy who could see over 30 minutes when someone needs a rest.

C.J. McCollum has been suspended for 1 game

If you played NBA DFS last season, you know the drill here. McCollum and Lillard are the 2 scorers on this team and when 1 is out, you play the other. When 1 is out against the Suns, you DEFINITELY play the other. Lillard will see a huge spike in usage and is guaranteed to be over 36 minutes. Minutes-wise, look for Evan Turner and Maurice Harkless to fill-in. They are both already key players on the team and the bump in minutes is extremely valuable in this fast tempo game. You also get Devin Booker/ Eric Bledsoe being covered by Turner and Lillard, instead of the stingy McCollum. I'll have a ton of exposure to this late night hammer.

Nicolas Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will sit out tonight's game

Batum will be out for a lot longer than MKG, but it doesn't matter for tonight. Jeremy Lamb is going to see at least 36 minutes and he's going to be one of the more popular plays on the entire slate. You can't really argue against it. In GPP's, however, you have plenty of pivots for a guy that could end up being locked up by Avery Bradley. Malik Monk is another guy who will see a bump in minutes and he's shown the ability to score at will in the preseason. Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley will see some weak defenders as well and should be very low owned with so many options on the slate.

Markieff Morris is out for 4-6 weeks

Markieff Morris was found not guilty of felony charges, but he's still out with an abdomen injury for a while. I suspect Kelly Oubre and Otto Porter will share the starting lineup and the Wiz will play small against a team like the 6ers who play Simmons at the 4. This game figures to be fast-paced and I have a lot of interest in both starting lineups. Get some exposure to this game.

Rajon Rondo will miss up to 6 weeks with a sports hernia

Rondo impressed at the end of last season and many expected him to be a big piece for the Pelicans. With him gone for a few weeks, it looks like Jrue Holiday will move back to the ball-handling role and E'Twaun Moore will move into the starting lineup. Moore is pretty horrible, so you can ignore him. Holiday is interesting, but I'll save him for a faster game with more opportunities. The big guys are the ones you'll obviously want to focus on here and I like both. People see the Grizzlies and get a bad taste in their mouth. Green cannot handle either of these guys and neither can anyone other than Gasol. They aren't the studs you pay for in cash games, but Boogie and Brow have as much upside as anyone.

Marcus Morris will miss the first week of the season

With Hayward now out as well, it leaves a gaping hole in this Celtics back and frontcourt. Jayson Tatum will see a bunch of minutes and Yabusele will as well if he's active. Al Horford is locked into around 35 minutes and Baynes will see at least 22 if he plays well. He played like crap last night and you can expect more on a nightly basis.

Seth Curry is set to miss the first 3 games of the season

The Mavs are already pretty short-handed at guard, so the loss of Seth Curry will cause an impact. Yogi Ferrell will get the start and Dennis Smith Jr. will see plenty of action as well. Wesley Matthews has moved over to the 3, but he'll see close to 40 minutes with a few at SG. Harrison Barnes played extremely well last season and he should see at least 15 shots in most games. This game should remain close and is an interesting game stack in a tournament. In cash games, pick 1 or 2.

What We're Waiting to Know

Chris Paul is questionable to play with a knee bruise

If Paul misses, look for James Harden to play a lot of point guard and Eric Gordon to move into the 2. Trevor Ariza and P.J. Tucker will also see locked in minutes and make for very safe cash game plays against a quick Kings team. Harden and Gordon are also interesting in both formats. Harden may seem expensive, but you might want to remember last year when he was about $2k more.

Zach Randolph participated in shootaround, but remains questionable to play

Maybe I'm a bit biased, but Willie Cauley-Stein is very good and he was over 1 FP per minute last season. Skal Labissiere is also pretty interesting, but he's a very volatile player in general. This game should have plenty of points, so don't be afraid to get some exposure. I don't expect any of these guys mentioned here to be very popular.

Alex Len is unlikely to play, but remains officially questionable

This late night hammer is one I have a ton of interest in, and as long as Alex Len is out, I'll get some exposure to the Suns bigs. Tyson Chandler is a pretty boring name, but he's a double/double machine when given the minutes. He's fine in cash games, but probably not necessary. Dragan Bender and Marqueese Chriss are both slated to see close to 26 minutes and they have fit this match-up extremely well. Expect a lot of the sharps to be on Chriss in tournaments.

Every Lineup Guys

Giannis Antetokounmpo FD - $10200 DK - $10300
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 52.56 DK - 50.95

Mr. Hybrid. Giannis ANtetokounmpo has no position, so he's at PF on FanDuel and PG/SF on DraftKings. It speaks a lot to just how crazy of a player he is. There are only a few guys to pay up for on this slate and Giannis Antetokounmpo is the obvious choice for me. If you're looking for a more in-depth view, check out the main picks article that Doug posted. The Celtics are very short-handed and they already don't have anyone that can cover Giannis. I expect Hayward would have covered him, but now it should be Tatum or Brown. Neither have much of a chance to cover the 10-foot point guard with a jumpshot.

Jaylen Brown FD - $3700 DK - $3900
Opponent - MIL
Proj Pts FD - 28.96 DK - 29.8

This one is pretty cut and dry. With Marcus Morris already out and Gordon Hayward shattering his leg last night, the Celtics are immediately short-handed. Jaylen Brown already shot the ball over 20 times last night and I think you can expect at least 30 minutes on a nightly basis, at least. Tonight, he faces off with the Bucks in game with a 210+ over/under. The Bucks are a pretty good defensive team, but they also play fast, so it's fine. Brown is going to see a huge $ uptick very soon and he'll be in my lineup every day until that happens.

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