Daily Fantasy NBA News and Injury Updates - 12/20/17

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What We Know

Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier have been ruled out against the Bulls

These are 2 of the 3 biggest shot-takers on this Magic team, so there has to be some interest. With that being said, it's probably not a spot to go crazy at guard. Afflalo will return and eat into the minutes of the 3 PG. Mack is the guy I'll go with in some tournaments because of the price. At small forward, Hezonja and Simmons are 2 elite plays in all formats that can be penciled in for 30+ minutes. Simmons will shoot 20 times here and has a ton of upside against a weak Bulls defense. Nikola Vucevic has also been going nuts as of late and will see an extra few minutes + as many shots as he possibly wants. He's an elite play, but the price is somewhat prohibitive and this game won't be very fast. All in all, everyone that sees the court will have a very heightened usage and the minutes should be relatively concentrated.

Donovan Mitchell has been ruled out with a bruised toe

For a team that's missing it's big man, this kind of hurts. Only kind of because they have a lot of talented guards that can step in and play a similar role right away. Both Rodney Hood and Alex Burks will immediately see huge minutes and be in play every night until Mitchell comes back. This is a fast-paced game against a Thunder squad that can struggle against the 2 when Roberson isn't in there. They may also be without their rim protector in Steven Adams, who makes a huge difference. Mitchell is the number 1 option on this offense and it'll be a collective effort to make up for his absence.

Derrick Favors is probable to return for the Jazz

Where they lose Mitchell, they'll pick up some size in Favors with Gobert out. He excelled with Gobert our last time, but it's hard to trust a big man coming off an injury. Especially one named Derrick Favors. This just takes away from any appeal Epke Udoh and Jonas Jerebko may have had. My focus for the Jazz is still the guards we touched on just a second ago.

Danny Green is probable to return against the Blazers

This doesn't really do anything for us on the Spurs side, but it matters for the Blazers. If Green plays, he's a great defender and will be on either C.J. McCollum or Damian Lillard all night. I'm still playing Lillard in tournaments in hope that he sticks McCollum, but there's a clear risk. Lillard is still good enough to put up 30 on anyone and I'm not all too worried about this news.

Brook Lopez will miss at least 3 weeks with a sprained ankle

Lopez is already seeing a lackluster 20-ish minutes a night, but those are valuable minutes in this frontcourt. It slightly bumps up all 3 of Randle, Nance, and Kuzma. It just depends on the game script. Kuzma and Randle are my favorites, but Nance could easily surpass value. The Rockets like to run the floor and the sky is the limit for these guys if it stays close and high-scoring.

What We're Waiting to Know

Goran Dragic is doubtful to play against the Celtics

Dragic missed last night against the Hawks, so we know where the minutes are going here. Tyler Johnson ended up playing 39 minutes and has to be considered a top play at SG. Waiters and Ellington also both saw 33+ and are at least interesting. The match-up with the Celtics isn't a great one, but the minutes will be there and they are way too cheap.

Steven Adams is questionable to return against the Jazz

Adams has missed the last 2 games with a concussion, but he went through the motions this morning and looks to be closer to action than not. Against a Jazz team without Rudy Gobert, he's in play if he gets the minutes. I don't think I will go there with so many options at center, but it's there. If he's out, Pat Patterson and Jerami Grant will both see 20-25 minutes. Against a slow Jazz team, do better.

Every Lineup Guys

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