7:00 PM ET

Knicks @ Pacers, Suns @ Magic

NYK

Injured: Jose Calderon (Out)

Beneficiaries: PG Langston Galloway (DK: $4,900, FD: $5,400), PG Shane Larkin (DK: $3,000, FD: $3,700), PG Alexey Shved (DK: $3,200, FD: $3,800)

Jose Calderon's Achilles injury won't be re-evaluated for a couple of weeks, opening the door to continued extended run for the other point guards on the Knicks. Alexey Shved was the only Knick to break the 30 minute plateau Tuesday. The player who played the second most minutes in the blowout was Shane Larkin with 27. Langston Galloway totaled 23 minutes, but as I noted above, the game was a blowout. Reading too much into the minutes distribution in Tuesday's game would be unwise, however, the Knicks are rebuilding and regularly getting blown out. Head coach Derek Fisher has plenty of incentive to tinker with rotations as the Knicks should be looking at evaluating and developing players.

Galloway is the starter, but his price, the Knicks serving as double-digit underdogs and the extra playing time Shved's received of late are ample reasons to look elsewhere. Shved is extremely cheap and has bested 25 fantasy points in DraftKings and reached or bested 25 fantasy points in FanDuel games in three straight contests. The trade deadline acquisition is a solid GPP pick and has crept into the cash game discussion. Larkin has played 20 minutes or more in three straight games, and despite his up-and-down play, is a GPP option thanks to his minimum salary on DraftKings and near minimum salary on FanDuel.

ORL

Injured: Evan Fournier (Questionable)

Beneficiary: SG Willie Green (DK: $3,200, FD: $3,700)

Evan Fournier has missed consecutive games, and he's in danger of missing a third, with a hip injury. Fellow reserve Willie Green stands to benefit the most from Fournier's potential absence. Green isn't an efficient scorer, but he's attempted 10 or more shots in three of his last four games and nailed at least one triple in six straight. The veteran guard has played 24 minutes or more in six straight games. His limited ceiling hurts his GPP appeal, but he's steadily hovering around the 20 fantasy point mark and worth a look in cash games as a low price pick.

7:30 PM ET

Jazz @ Celtics, Hornets @ Nets, Cavaliers @ Raptors

TOR

Injured: Kyle Lowry (DTD)

Beneficiaries: PG Greivas Vasquez (DK: $4,600, FD: $4,200), SG Lou Williams (DK: $4,800, FD: $5,300)

Kyle Lowry was rested Monday, and Raptors coach Dwane Casey has indicated he could miss a few more. Greivas Vasquez is the obvious beneficiary as he'll move into the starting five. As a starter this year, Vasquez has averaged just under 29 minutes scoring 11.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.6 steals, and 4.0 assists per game. When Lowry has been off the court, Vasquez has averaged 0.84 points per minute in FanDuel games. If he plays his normal allotment of minutes as a starer and stays true to his per minute form, he should flirt with around 25 fantasy points in FanDuel games. He's a strong play across providers and in all games in the event Lowry is rested again.

Bench spark plug Lou Williams also gets a shot in the arm. He's reached or surpassed 30 minutes in back-to-back games, and there's little reason to think he'd fall short of that mark without Lowry receiving his typical 34-35 minutes per game. Williams isn't a model of consistency, however, 30-plus minutes of action with an average of 0.97 points per minute in FanDuel games when Lowry doesn't play is eye opening. Gamers get the green light to use Williams in all contest types if Lowry's rocking street clothes.

8:00 PM ET

Grizzlies @ Rockets, Nuggets @ Timberwolves, Pistons @ Pelicans, 76ers @ Thunder, Lakers @ Heat

MEM

Injured: Zach Randolph (Questionable), Beno Udrih (Questionable)

Beneficiary: PG Mike Conley (DK: $6,200, FD: $6,200)

Zach Randolph and Ben Udrih missed Tuesday's game due to illness and it's unclear if they'll play tonight. From a usage rate perspective, Mike Conley gets the most notable boost when Z-Bo doesn't play going 25.0 percent with him to 26.7 percent without. The extra usage has been worth an additional 0.10 fantasy points per minute for Conley at both DraftKings and FanDuel. If Udrih is also once again out, Conley will receive all the minutes he can handle (he played 36 on Tuesday).

DEN

Injured: Jusuf Nurkic (Out)

Beneficiaries: PF Kenneth Faried (DK: $5,100, FD: $5,800), PF J.J. Hickson (DK: $3,500, FD: $3,700)

The absence of Jusuf Nurkic opens up minutes in the frontcourt. Kenneth Faried will likely continue to start at center and best the 30 minute mark without Nurkic and J.J. Hickson could approach 20 minutes. Darrell Arthur was in the rotation Tuesday night -- the first game since Brian Shaw was fired -- and his playing time will most directly impact Hickson. Faried is playable in daily games, but there's too much uncertainty surrounding interim head coach Melvin Hunt's minute distribution to confidently net a tout from me for Hickson in any kind of daily game.

MIN

Injured: Kevin Martin (Questionable), Nikola Pekovic (Questionable)

Beneficiaries: SF Andrew Wiggins (DK: $6,700, FD: $6,700), C Gorgui Dieng (DK: $5,300, FD: $6,100)

Kevin Martin missed Monday's game because he was ill, and he's questionable in advance of tonight's game. Martin leads the Timberwolves in usage rate and his absence would pave the way to increased usage from Andrew Wiggins. An even bigger piece of the pie will be available for the near slam dunk to win the Rookie of the Year award if Nikola Pekovic's ankle injury keeps him out.

Pekovic has stated his desire to play, but the Timberwolves won't push it if his ankle remains sore. Gorgui Dieng will move from the bench to the starting center position if Pekovic is out. As a starter this year, Dieng has averaged 32.5 minutes, 10.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.9 blocks per game. He shined in his start Monday totaling a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and rounded out the box score with a steal and a pair of blocks. Dieng is a top flight play in all daily contests as a starter.

NOR

Injured: Anthony Davis (Questionable), Ryan Anderson (Out)

Beneficiaries: C Alexis Ajinca (DK: $4,900, FD: $5,500), PG Tyreke Evans (DK: $7,700, FD: $8,300), SG Eric Gordon (DK: $6,000, FD: $6,300)

The news on Anthony Davis is positive, as his questionable designation for tonight's game is an upgrade from previous expectations. He's a game-time decision. No one's fantasy relevance is effected by the outcome of Davis testing his shoulder in warmups than Alexis Ajinca. The reserve center has scored no fewer than 24 points at DraftKings (including a 34 and 39.5 point effort in two of his last three games) and he's exceeded 21 points at FanDuel in five straight games.

The backcourt of Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon would get a lift from Davis remaining out, as both players see a notable boost to their usage rates when the team's stud is unable to play. If Davis is able to play, Evans remains a viable option, albeit a lower ceiling one. Conversely, Gordon's price point coupled with the decrease in usage makes him a player I'll be leaving off rosters.

OKC

Injured: Kevin Durant (Out), Steven Adams (Doubtful)

Beneficiaries: PG Russell Westbrook (DK: $11,500, FD: $12,000), C Enes Kanter (DK: $5,900, FD: $6,000)

When Kevin Durant is out, Russell Westbrook thrives. NBAwowy credits Westbrook with 1.45 points per game in FanDuel contests when Durant is on the floor, and 1.71 points per game with Durant out. Westbrook has averaged 33 minutes per game this year, so a 0.26 point per game bump is roughly an eight point increase to his FanDuel scoring. The MVP candidate is a strong play universally.

Steven Adams has returned to practice, but it appears unlikely he'll play tonight. The continued lack of another true center to cut into the 30 minute quota for Enes Kanter makes the former Jazz big man a double-double threat (he's averaged 15.8 PPG and 10.2 RPG as a member of the Thunder). Kanter continues to be a non-factor in the defensive stat categories in his new home, though, his assists have soared from 0.5 per game in Utah to 2.2 per game with Oklahoma City.

LAL

Injured: Nick Young (Out)

Beneficiaries: SG Wayne Ellington (DK: $4,700, FD: $5,500), PG Jeremy Lin (DK: $4,100, FD: $5,200), SF Wesley Johnson (DK: $3,500, FD: $3,900)

Even with Nick Young expected to miss tonight's game, Wesley Johnson can't be trusted enough to use in daily fantasy rosters. Wayne Ellington, though, remains a viable punt play, as my colleague Justin Elick wrote yesterday. It's Jeremy Lin who is the apple of my eye. He's been on fire since the All-Star break with averages of 17.0 points, 0.8 three-point field goals made, 2.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in five games. Lin won't need to worry about ceding production to Young just yet, and he'll be a popular play (for good reason) with two straight games of 44-plus fantasy points at FanDuel and DraftKings.

8:30 PM ET

Kings @ Spurs

10:30 PM ET

Bucks @ Warriors, Trail Blazers @ Clippers

MIL

Injured: O.J. Mayo (Doubtful)

Beneficiaries: SG Khris Middleton (DK: $6,200, FD: $6,500)

O.J. Mayo has been relegated to bench duties, so some of the other reserves will get a minor boost in value with him out. That said, Khris Middleton is the man whose value is enhanced the most. The starting shooting guard's low in minutes in his last 10 games is 29, and he's reached or exceeded 35 minutes in five of his last 10 games. His usage rate for the season is 19.3 percent, and while it's probable the club's deadline deals have had a bigger impact on his usage than Mayo being off the court, his usage rate is pushing 23 percent without Brandon Knight, Kendall Marshall, Jabari Parker, Larry Sanders and Mayo per NBAwowy.

LAC

Injured: Matt Barnes (DTD), Blake Griffin (Out)

Beneficiaries: C DeAndre Jordan (DK: $9,000, FD: $9,700), SG Jamal Crawford (DK: $5,300, FD: $5,500)

Blake Griffin's absence isn't a recent development, but Matt Barnes' hamstring prevented him from playing on Monday. DeAndre Jordan has been playing as if he's from another planet without Griffin. In his last five games Jordan is averaging 13.4 points, 20.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game. In his last 10 games he's bested 50 points at DraftKings five times and done so at FanDuel four times. He's averaging 48.35 points at DraftKings and 45.74 points at FanDuel per game in that time span.

Jamal Crawford exited Monday's game early with a calf contusion, but he's hopeful the injury isn't more than a bad Charley horse. If he's a go tonight, he's a great bargain at both DraftKings and FanDuel. His usage rate has exploded in the absence of Griffin and Barnes and is 30.6 percent without those two.







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