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

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What We Know

What We're Waiting to Know

Aaron Gordon is questionable to play against the Bucks

Gordon is a huge part of this Magic team and will be missed if he's out. Minutes-wise, it should be a mix of Jonathan Isaac and Jonathon Simmons. Khem Birch and Mo Bamba could also see a few minutes, but I think the Bucks playing small will lend towards more Isaac and Simmons. As for usage, Nikola Vucevic takes a few steps up and so does Fournier. Both will get a little extra involved and Vucevic is already in a spectacular spot.

Marc Gasol is questionable to play against the Raptors (Joakim Noah OUT)

With Joakim Noah already out, things could get interesting here. Gasol has voiced concerns about the organization and could want to be traded to a contender if they can't turn things around. He's questionable for tonight and is probably on the lowside of it. If he does indeed sit out, Jaren Jackson and JaMychal Green will be in line for huge minutes against a Raptors team that matches up exactly with the two big power forwards. Omri Casspi could also see a few minutes, but my focus will be on Jackson and Green.

Josh Richardson has been upgraded to probable after missing last night with an illness

Richardson is supposedly back to full health, so we can expect 30+ minutes out of him. I actually don't hate him in tournaments against a Bulls team that doesn't play any defense. Rodney McGruder and Dwyane Wade are both out of consideration for me now. Neither will get enough minutes to be worthy of consideration on this deep slate.

What We Know

Kawhi Leonard will rest against the Grizzlies

Leonard might have something that's aggravating him, or he genuinely is just getting some bed rest for the rest of a tough season. With Leonard out last game, Lowry, VanVleet, Siakam, and Ibaka were still the only ones to get over 30 minutes. Against a pretty slow Grizzlies squad, I'll play Lowry and move on. The other three guys are solid as a lineup filler, but I think you can do better on this slate.

Andre Drummond has entered the concussion protocol and will miss tonight's game

Drummond played just nine minutes before getting whacked in the head last night, so we got a taste of what to expect. Zaza Pachulia played 28 minutes and should get at least that tonight against a pretty big Kings team. Blake Griffin got almost every single PnR opportunity opposed to half of them and took advantage. The Kings play fast and I think Griffin fits perfectly into this style of game. Reggie Jackson could also pick up a few shots and is always in play in tournaments.

Gordon Hayward will miss tonight's game due to personal reasons

The Celtics never released the reasoning behind this, but he won't be there tonight. I'm not sure it does all that much as he comes off the bench and doesn't play huge minutes, but likely just solidifies anyone on the Celtics you like. Jaylen Brown, Marcus Morris, and Jayson Tatum are all going to see 3 or 4 extra minutes and are already solid plays against a bad Hawks defense.

Every Lineup Guys

James Harden FD - $14300 DK - $13400
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 71.05 DK - 74.62

The NBA Optimizer loves Harden tonight, even at the crazy price tag. The Rockets lost to the Nets in OT last game and Harden is going to come out again shooting. He'll put on a show one again and it just comes down to whether or not he can pay off the insane price tag. The Lakers and Rockets will be competitive throughout and Harden is going to put up 60+ fantasy points. They are playing extremely fast and don't have anybody on the perimeter that can stay with him.

Fred Vanvleet FD - $4700 DK - $4900
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 15.17 DK - 15.5

With Leonard out, Fred VanVleet is locked into his 30+ minutes and is going to shoot 10+ times. He'll have the ball in his hands all night long and will be second to Lowry on the perimeter. He's just far too cheap on both sites and the positional scarcity isn't there. There is little downside with VanVleet and he can give you 40 if he has a big night.

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