Daily Fantasy NBA News and Injury Updates - 1/17/19

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!

Today'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

Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry will both rest tonight against the Suns

We'll start with the biggest news of the night. it's not necessarily surprising, with both of these guys playing tough minutes in a thriller against Boston less than 24 hours ago. We'll see a ton of guys move into relevancy here, with most attention on Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka, and Delon Wright. All four are legitimate phenomenal plays in cash games. You're going to have to figure out who you want at each price point. Personally, Siakam, Wright, and Powell are my favorites. This is just a tough situation as there is no real reason to get off of any of these guys. You can safely expect 30+ minutes and at least two of these guys to blow value completely out of the water.

Wendell Carter Jr. has been ruled out tonight against the Nuggets

He was upgraded to doubtful after the Bulls learned there was no serious injury, but he experienced pain this morning and has been ruled out. With the size of Jokic, I think the Bulls would like to go Portis and Markkanen, but may struggle. They may be forced to give minutes to Robin Lopez and Cristiano Felicio, though I'm far from interested in either on a slate with much better value. I actually think Portis will see an extra 5-7 minutes and is a great option in every format. He's one of my hidden gems of the night.

What We're Waiting to Know

Joel Embiid and Wilson Chandler are both questionable to play against the Pacers

This is huge news. Let's get Chandler out of the way. He's going to leave behind 25-30 minutes and quite a few shots if he's out. With that said, I think it's 4 or 5 guys that take his load. Butler, Redick, Shamet, Brewer, and Korkmaz should also see a few extra minutes and shots, but nothing that makes a huge difference. The real opportunity comes with the status of Joel Embiid. If he plays, he's one of the top plays on the slate against a weak Pacers interior. If he's out, Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler will see a ton of shots and minutes. Both would be excellent options in all formats. Mike Muscala drew the start last time Embiid was out and was very productive in 25 minutes of work. Jonah Bolden could also perform well against a Hawks team with athletic bigs. All in all, if Embiid is out, I'll have a ton of exposure to Simmons and Butler, with a little more scattered to Muscala, Redick, and Shamet.

Gary Harris and Will Barton are questionable to play for the Nuggets

Harris has been out for a while, so it's just a matter of him being healthy enough to play or not. With Barton, he just returned from injury, but was excused from shootaround this morning for personal matters. If Harris or Barton play, I'll stay away in general. They will only get 25ish minutes at best and muddy up the entire situation. Now if both are out, there is interest. Malik Beasley would play over 3 minutes and be an excellent value option. Torrey Craig and Monte Morris could also see close to 30 minutes and both are very cheap. The absence of Harris and Barton would leave a few more shots for the likes of Murray and Jokic as well, who are top of the line plays on this slate.

The "Every Lineup" Guys

Norman Powell FD - $3600 DK - $3900
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 16.19 DK - 16.42

There could be 4 or 5 guys here, but if you make me pick one, it's the close to minimum Norman Powell. The optimizer has him projected at 33 minutes, which should equate to an easy 25-30 fantasy points. Powell gets involved when on the court and we have no idea how this offense will run with big Leonard and Lowry out. He could easily assert himself and go off for 35+. Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka, and Delon Wright could all make their case for this spot, so it'll be very important to hit the right Raptors on this slate. Powell is low risk and huge reward.

Ben Simmons FD - $10000 DK - $9200
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 43.93 DK - 44.09

To be clear, this is only if Joel Embiid is ruled out. This game between the Sixers and Pacers holds the third highest total of the night at 226.5 and may fly under the radar. Simmons is absolutely dominating the floor recently and held a ridiculous usage when Embiid was out just a few games ago. The Pacers are typically great against point guards, but we know that Ben Simmons is just about the opposite of a typical PG. He will bully Collison and Joseph inside and have no problem putting up 50+ fantasy points for the fourth game in a row. Again, this only stands if Embiid is out. If he plays, Russell Westbrook is who I would put here as he's also currently in 100% of my lineups.

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