Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler stands on the court during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
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Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 40.41 DK - 44.61
The first big injury news of the day is that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will sit this game out with a knee sprain. Considering he has a 31.2 usage rate on the season, there are going to be a lot of shots and considerable opportunity opening up in this offense.
Dating back to last season, when SGA was out of the lineup, Josh Giddey’s usage rate climbs to 26%, the highest on the team. There are some new faces here for sure, but Giddey stands to be the primary ball handler and could see a minutes bump as well. He is a strong play on both sites, but especially FanDuel at sub-$8K.
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 38.91 DK - 42.36
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 34.18 DK - 36.91
The other big piece of injury news is that Scoot Henderson will miss at least one game with an ankle sprain. It’s very easy to see what opportunity this will open up in the Blazers’ offense. Malcolm Brogdon will draw the start at point guard and is due for a minutes bump at the very least. With Portland this season, he’s averaging 18 points, 4.4 assists, and 4.6 rebounds in about 27 minutes. If that bumps into the low 30s then he should hit value easily against a struggling Memphis Grizzlies team.
Meanwhile, Shaedon Sharpe has been playing massive minutes for Portland, averaging more than 39 (you read that right) over the last four. He blew it out of the box last game with 29 points, seven assists, and five rebounds and should be up for a solid line again in this one. The price is excellent on FanDuel.
Strongly consider Desmond Bane (FD 8100 DK 8800) against a weak Portland Trailblazers defense.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 44.24 DK - 45.94
The Washington Wizards are quickly becoming the dream matchup in fantasy, running the fastest pace in the league (109.1) while playing a bottom-five defensive efficiency. That’s right where we want to be when rostering opponents and Jimmy Butler rings in as a solid value for this slate.
It’s been a slow-is start for Emo-Jimmy this season, with his shooting efficiency way down through the first four. I’m not overly concerned with that and this is, for sure, a get right spot. Tyler Herro is taking a lot of shots in this offense, but Butler is underpriced for the matchup.
Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 35 DK - 37.51
Along with Josh Giddey, it’s easy to like Jalen Williams going into this slate with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Williams sees the usage rate climb to 23% with SGA off the court and the minutes should be robust here against the Warriors.
Even with Chet on the court more, Williams is still maintaining the same rebounding rate as last season and the assists have actually ticked up a bit. Everything lines up well for him to be a play on both sites tonight.
Strongly consider Luguentz Dort (FD 4800 DK 5600) who should also see more minutes and shots with SGA out.
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 45.42 DK - 45.31
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 33.45 DK - 33.78
To start the season, the Portland Trailblazers are getting blocked the most in the league. And that’s a great sign for the likes of these two Memphis Grizzlies bigs. Some of that is on Scoot, who won’t be here tonight, but in general this is a good matchup for Jaren Jackson Jr. and Xavier Tillman.
Memphis hasn’t won a game yet (0-5) and are likely desperate to get one in the W column as favorites in this game. JJJ has seen the minutes climb this season, playing over 30 per game though the blocks and steals are down some on a per minute basis. Could be small sample size and it’s kept his price relatively in check.
Meanwhile, Xavier Tillman is coming off a garbage 14-minute game against Utah when the Grizz got rolled so he could be a bit more of a risk here. There’s some chance we see a starting lineup change, though I doubt it. And we might have a chance to grab some value considering the recent performance.
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 35.37 DK - 37.33
We saw DeAndre Ayton get a bit more on track with Scoot out of the lineup last game and that makes a lot of sense. Malcolm Brogdon is going to be a bit more equipped, at least right now, of running pick-and-roll with the big man. Ayton desperately needs good (or at least adequate) point guard play to be successful and he should get that here. He’s got double-double range and the price on DraftKings is way too low if he’s playing in the mid-30s minutes.
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