Tastefully curated M-F by LineStar fantasy experts.

6 PM EST UPDATE: In Orlando, both Jonathan Isaac and Jonathan Simmons are now confirmed out. This doesn’t do much for us as we’ve seen this story recently. Mario Hezonja and Wes Iwundu haven’t done much with the increased playing time. I’d give a slight bump to the rest of the Magic, however, as the additional usage should be spread around. On the other side of that matchup, Devin Booker is confirmed out so fire up Josh Jackson and give a look to Troy Daniels as well. Our projections currently show Daniels as top two value on both sites. Perhaps the most interesting news so far is Rajon Rondo was ruled out for New Orleans. DeAndre Liggins is expected to replace him as the starter but he's done little with extra opportunity in the past. I prefer Ian Clark off the bench who's been productive recently scoring over 20 fantasy points in five of his last six including a game against these same Rockets. Look for him to take advantage of increased playing time. We also see increased usage for Jrue Holiday though the sample size is small so it's hard to put much weight on it. We still have nothing new on Chris Paul he's listed as questionable and a game-time decision. If he plays, and there's no minute restriction, he's a strong option. If he's out then give a bump to James Harden and Eric Gordon. Isaiah Thomas is out for the Lakers. We don't have much to go off of since he hasn't been on the team long so it's difficult to predict who this benefits. They don't have much else in their second unit so if anything we may see some increased minutes for Lonzo Ball. Tyreke Evans is out for Memphis. Andrew Harrison is still a game-time decision. This may lead to increased minutes for Dillon Brooks but personally, I'm staying away from Memphis right now no matter what. They are just too difficult to trust. That's it for now! Keep an eye on our news feed on the website or our Twitter feed @LineStarNBA if anything happens. Feel free to tag me on the chat @glandry if you have any questions!

Happy Saturday everyone! We have a five-game slate to talk about today. Both sites left the 6 pm EST game between the 76ers and Timberwolves off the main slate so we are going to skip that. For today's article, I'm going to avoid the stud players since on a short slate you'll need to find some less obvious plays to differentiate yourself from the field. Just know that guys like James Harden, Anthony Davis, Kemba Walker, Aaron Gordon, Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond are all playing tonight in good spots.

Remember to check back as we'll post an update closer to lock with any news.

Guards

Eric Gordon, HOU [vs. NOP] (DK: $6.8K, FD: $5.2K)

Ha! I just finished telling you I was going to focus on less obvious plays and here I am recommending someone I fully expect to be chalk. But, sometimes you need to eat the chalk when it makes sense to do so. Chris Paul is currently listed as doubtful which means Gordon should slide into the starting role once again where he was extremely productive on Thursday scoring 35 fantasy points. He is criminally underpriced on FanDuel at $5.2K in a matchup with the Pelicans who are 30th against opposing shooting guards over the last ten games. The game between the Rockets and Pelicans has the fastest projected pace, highest O/U and Houston has the highest implied total of the night. All add up to a recipe for fantasy production. I like Gordon's chances to flirt with 30 fantasy points once again which makes him one of the best point per dollar options tonight, especially on FanDuel.

Cameron Payne, CHI [@DET] (DK: $5.5K, FD: $5.2K)

Payne is currently listed as day to day so we'll obviously have to keep an eye on this one but I've read a few reports indicating he plans to play. He's put up over 25 fantasy points in four of his last six games averaging close to 29 minutes per game in the process. His current projections of 27 (FanDuel) and 28 (DraftKings) are the highest he's had all season. He sees an additional 9.3 fantasy points per game when playing in the lineup that's expected to start for Chicago tonight. Even in a blowout, the current spread is 11.5, Payne should get his minutes. If Chicago can keep this game close I like his chances to beat his projection.

D.J. Augustin, ORL [vs. PHO] (DK: $5.3K, FD: $5.3K)

This is a really interesting game. We have two teams who can't play defense but also play at a fast pace. There's no line at the moment as both sides have injuries that need to be sorted out but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets close to the highest O/U of the night. Augustin was on a streak of three straight games with at least 25 fantasy points (including a 45 point performance against the Bucks) before a rough game last time out. The Suns are ranked 26th in average fantasy points allowed to opposing point guards on the season and recently gave up 40+ point performances to both Quinn Cook and Ricky Rubio. On a small slate with several good options at guard, I like Augustin to fly under the radar a bit with the upside to do some damage.

Forwards

Josh Jackson, PHO [@CLE] (DK: $7.0K, $6.8K)

Jackson is another guy that may carry more ownership than we'd like, especially if T.J Warren and Devin Booker both miss. As I mentioned earlier I really like this game tonight as I think we will get a chance to see some younger guys put up points in a fast-paced environment. Jackson has now gone over 30 fantasy points in four of his last five yet somehow his price dipped $300 on FanDuel (and only increased $100 on DraftKings). The Magic are 26th in defensive efficiency against small forwards and 21st in average fantasy points allowed per game. I'm going to have a hard time not being overweight on him tonight.

Kyle Kuzma, LAL [@MEM] (DK: $6.6K, FD: $6.2K)

For the most part, I'm throwing out the Grizzlies defensive metrics after watching them lose by 61 points to the Hornets on Friday night. No team has made it more clear than Memphis that they've given up on the season. Kuzma has been hot recently averaging 24.5 real-life points per game. He's also getting a ton of playing time in Brandon Ingram's absence averaging 39.8 minutes per game last week. Last time these teams met Kuzma put up 39 fantasy points in 29 minutes of action. I don't expect Memphis to be the team that slows down Kuzma's recent production. I like several Lakers players tonight to have strong performances.

Denzel Valentine, CHI [@DET] (DK: $6.1K, FD: $5.6K)

On paper, this is not a great matchup as Detroit has been a bit stingy against the small forward position. But, this is a small slate and we need to take some shots somewhere. The Bulls are expected to be without several players tonight including Blakeney, Dunn, Markkanen, Zipser, and LaVine. If we run the usage matrix tool we see this leads to almost a 4% usage bump for Valentine. He's been consistent lately with at least 27 fantasy points in four of his last five games averaging 29.2 minutes per game during that span. The Bulls seem comfortable giving him run as the season winds down.

Centers

Nikola Vucevic, ORL [vs. PHO] (DK: $7.6K, FD: $8.1K)

Vucevic has been very up and down lately so there is absolutely no safety here but he certainly has the ceiling to give you a big fantasy night. The good news is because of the inconsistent play he's seen a large price decrease on both sites so this could be the perfect time to jump back on. Phoenix has been getting demolished by centers all season. They've allowed five centers to be part of the perfect lineup in the past 30 days. They are 29th in average fantasy points allowed to opposing centers. Vucevic is another player I like to go under the radar tonight as I think most people will either pay down at center or pay up for Drummond against the Bulls.

Alex Len, PHO [@ORL] (DK: $4.5K, FD: $4.5K)

If you've ever rostered Alex Len before then you're currently rolling your eyes as you read this sentence. Len has a tendency to take his fantasy owners on a roller coaster of emotions on his way to either a really poor, lineup crushing performance or a really strong, GPP winning performance. If you can stomach that then here is the good news. In their last meeting against the Magic, he had 43 DraftKings points (41 FanDuel points). Orlando is 26th in defensive efficiency against centers this season. Roster him at your own risk but Len definitely has the upside to win you this slate if he has a game that pushes his ceiling.

Cristiano Felicio, CHI [vs. MIL] (DK: $4.2K, FD: $4.2K)

I recommended Felicio yesterday and then Markkanen ended up playing which I figured would be a downgrade to his production. Instead, he put up another solid night turning in his fourth straight game with 25 fantasy points or more. Markkanen has already been ruled out tonight as the Bulls want to ease him back into the rotation plus Felicio's price dropped a few hundred on DraftKings. If we liked him yesterday then we have to like him again today. The Pistons are 21st in average fantasy points allowed to opposing centers (27th over the last ten games). He's currently listed as the best value play on both sites according to our projections. He's a great way to save some salary if you need it.

Injuries 🤕

Chicago at Detroit

Chicago:

• PROB: David Nwaba - SG/SF

• DTD: Cameron Payne - PG/SG

• DTD: Paul Zipser - SF/PF

• OUT: Lauri Markkanen - PF

• OUT: Antonio Blakeney - PG

• OUT: Zach LaVine - PG/SG

• OUT: Kris Dunn - PG/SG

• UPGRADE: Justin Holiday - SG/SF (If Payne is out), Denzel Valentine - SG/SF, Noah Vonleh - PF/C, Cristiano Felicio - PF/C

Detroit:

• OUT: Jon Leuer

• UPGRADE: N/A

Phoenix at Orlando

Phoenix:

• DTD: Devin Booker - SG/SF

• OUT: TJ Warren - SF/PF

• OUT: Tyson Chandler - C

• OUT: Alan Williams - C

• UPGRADE: Josh Jackson - SG/SF, Dragan Bender - PF/C, Alex Len - C, Marquese Chriss - PF/C

Orlando:

• DOUBT: Jonathan Isaac - PF/C

• DOUBT: Jonathon Simmons - SG/SF

• OUT: Evan Fournier - SG/SF

• OUT: Terrence Ross - SG/SF

• UPGRADE: Mario Hezonja - SF/PF

New Orleans at Houston

New Orleans:

• OUT: DeMarcus Cousins - PF/C

• OUT: Alexis Ajinca - PF/C

• OUT: Frank Jackson - PG/SG

• UPGRADE: Anthony Davis - PF/C

Houston:

• PROB: James Harden - PG/SG

• DOUBT: Luc Mbah a Moute - SF/PF

• DOUBT: Chris Paul - PG

• UPGRADE: Eric Gordon PG/SG, James Harden PG/SG

LA Lakers at Memphis

LA Lakers:

• OUT: Brandon Ingram - SG/SF

• OUT: Josh Hart - SG/SF

• UPGRADE: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - SG/SF, Kyle Kuzma - SF/PF

Memphis:

• QUEST: Andrew Harrison - PG/SG

• OUT: Mike Conley - PG

• UPGRADE: Mario Chalmers - PG

Charlotte at Dallas

Charlotte:

• DTD: Malik Monk - PG/SG

• DTD: Nicolas Batum - SG/SF

• DTD: Cody Zeller - C

• OUT: Michael Carter-Williams - PG

• UPGRADE: Jeremy Lamb - SG/SF

Dallas:

• OUT: Wesley Matthews - SG/SF

• OUT: Seth Curry - SG

• UPGRADE: J.J Barea - PG/SG

This is an interesting slate. I believe most of the ownership will funnel toward the Rockets/Pelicans and Magic/Suns games which could leave teams like the Lakers, Pistons and even the value players on Chicago wide open. Hit us up on chat if you have any questions and remember to check back for an update closer to lock. Good luck!

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