Daily Fantasy NBA News and Injury Updates - 10/21/17

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What We Know

Elfrid Payton is out tonight against the Cavaliers.
Payton left Friday night's game against the Nets after just 14 minutes with a hamstring injury. There's no word on the severity yet, but the team will hold him out of tonight's game in Cleveland as a precaution. Look for Shelvin Mack or D.J. Augustin to draw the start, making for a solid value play at the position.

Derrick Rose is out tonight against the Magic
Rose injured his ankle last night against the Bucks, and will sit out again tonight. With Cleveland thin at the point already, expect Dwyane Wade to step up while Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith could see some benefit from his absence as well.

Dennis Smith Jr. did not travel with the Mavericks.
Smith was a late scratch on Friday night and did not travel with the team to Houston. JJ Barea drew the start on Friday and he and Yogi Ferrell will split PG duties for the Mavs.

Kawhi Leonard remains out for tonight's game against the Bulls
Leonard will miss a second straight game to start off the season with no timeline for a return. Kyle Anderson will continue to be a viable play in his absence after running the boards for 29 minutes against Minnesota on Wednesday.

Rodney Hood has been ruled out tonight against the Thunder
Hood will miss tonight's contest and is being considered day-to-day after straining his calf last night. Alec Burks, Donovan Mitchell and Thabo Sefolosha all could benefit from his absence, but none jump out as must have for DFS purposes.

Hassan Whiteside will sit out tonight contest against the Pacers.
Whiteside bumped knees with Nikola Vucevic on Wednesday in Orlando, and was held out of practice yesterday. Kelly Olynyk is the likely choice to start at the five for the Heat, with James Johnson most likely filling the four spot.

Myles Turner will miss a second game due to a concussion and sore neck.
Turner suffered the injury Wednesday and played through it for 33 minutes of run time, but was held back for last night's game against the Blazers, and will miss at least one more contest tonight as the Pacers head into Miami. Al Jefferson and Domantas Sobanis will likely see the bulk of Turner's minutes, though neither really impress me as options tonight.

Bogdan Bogdanovic remains sidelined.
Bogdanovich will miss the third straight game to start his career. Buddy Hield will continue to see extended run at the two for Sacramento while he remains unavailable.

Joel Embiid will sit out tonight's contest in Toronto on the second game of a back to back tonight
The Sixers are still using caution with the star center, and while they're playing loose with the minutes restriction in the games he's played, coach Brown doesn't feel comfortable pushing him on the second half of a back to back. With the Big man out, Jahlil Okafor could see his first action of the season tonight.

What We're Waiting to Know

Aaron Gordon is questionable tonight against the Cavaliers
Nikola Vucevic was impressive in 35 minutes of court time last night with Gordon out with an ankle injury. Gordon missed shoot around today and The Magic will try him out prior to tonight's contest to see how he feels before making a decision on his status against Cleveland.

Every Lineup Guys

Nikola Jokic FD - $9000 DK - $
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 49.69 DK - 51.66
If you read the picks article you know we love the Nuggets tonight as 11 point favorites against the Kings. It should be a good chance for Nikola Jokic to bounce back after a disappointing opening game against the Jazz where he just couldn't find the basket (3-10 from the field, 1-3 from beyond) and his only saving grace for fantasy owners was the 12 rebounds he nabbed while dishing out 8 assists. Sacramento will counter Nikola with Willie Cauley-Stein who will be completely outmatched against Jokic, who will be free to shoot at will. As long as the shot is falling it could be a big night for Denver's big man, and if it isn't falling then he can rely on his new partner in the front court in Paul Millsap to make the baskets while he dishes out the dimes, Jokic is looking like a terrific cash play in the system, and certainly has the upside at these prices to warrant GPP consideration as well.

Kevin Durant FD - $9600 DK - $
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 48.08 DK - 48.63
The Warriors travel into Memphis tonight to take on the Grizzlies, in a high scoring game that Vegas has relatively close all things considered, any time the Warriors are less than a 10 point favorite it's a good time to get in on the action, and KD ranks among the safest plays of the Golden State starting five, even when the prediction is a blowout, Durant generally tends to easily pay value with all the different ways he contributes to the Warriors offense. What makes Durant all the more appealing, is the way he has stepped up his defensive game through the first couple of outings this season, posting an impressive 11 blocks to compliment the 42 points he's posted while running the boards for 37 minutes in each outing. The Warriors have started the season where they left off last year, playing one of the fastest paces in the game, so the fantasy production should come fast and furious in this one and the system loves KD as a top play on the day.

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