Stuff happens. My top Tuesday pick Andrew Wiggins (knee) was a last-minute scratch, and Anthony Davis $10700 (hip) is questionable tonight after leaving at halftime. Using either was unfortunate in DFS contests at DraftKings.Kevin Durant (hamstring), Rudy Gobert (ankle), Ricky Rubio (knee) and Kobe Bryant (back) were also added to the growing NBA injury list.
Already without DeMarre Carroll $5600 (foot), the Raptors lost Terrence Ross (thumb) so emergency starter James Johnson $3100 played 29 minutes and Cory Joseph $3300 got 27 off the bench. In a short rotation, both are good plays vs. the Sixers tonight, along with Philly native and former Villanova star Kyle Lowry $8000.
A couple of likely blowouts on the 11-game slate include the Rockets hosting the hapless Nets. Brook Lopez $7100 is banged up and Dwight Howard $7200 is well rested; James Harden $10100 will be unstoppable. Kevin McHale has gone small with Marcus Thornton $5200 for five straight games and Clint Capela $3900 might get extra run in garbage time.
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The Mavericks barely showed up in New Orleans — Charlie Villanueva $3000 was their best player (15 PTS, 9 REB in 26 minutes) — and will be no match for the Clippers. Chris Paul $8800 will be careful of that groin strain; Austin Rivers $3100 can finish up. Blake Griffin $9900 and DeAndre Jordan $7800 should overpower the Dallas bigs but may not be needed in the fourth quarter.
At home to the Lakers, Orlando should have some fun. Victor Oladipo $7500, Evan Fournier $6000 and Tobias Harris $5900 are the main scorers; Dewayne Dedmon $4800 is playable until Nikola Vucevic $7600 (knee) returns. Channing Frye $3100 (4 3PTM, 8 REB) is that busy only when the team is trailing. Aaron Gordon $4100 plays more in other circumstances.
The battle between Andre Drummond $9400 and DeMarcus Cousins $9800 will be fun to watch. With only one game under his belt since missing a week with a leg injury, Boogie is at a slight disadvantage. Saving more than $2000 over either, Howard gets my money.
Stephen Curry $10500 and Damian Lillard $8900 face tougher defenses than Lowry. Reggie Jackson $7300 is another midrange PG option. If Jrue Holiday $5300 is rested in this back-to-back, Ish Smith $4800 and Toney Douglas $3800 both deserve consideration.
With a $50K salary cap, you can’t afford a superstar (or even a star) at every position. Keying on Harden and Griffin means I can’t use Paul George $8800 or Kawhi Leonard $8200. That led to punting the SF position entirely with Johnson, who scored 22.8 FPTS last night against tougher opposition. Omri Casspi $4200 is another “bang for the buck” option.
My top four eat up almost 70 percent of the cap. Joseph, Capela and Dedmon are only one combination of many mix-and-match possibilities for the final three spots. is As we learned last night, values can change dramatically with breaking news — even after the lineup deadline. Good luck!
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Stephen Curry $10500 | Kyle Lowry $8000 | Cory Joseph $3300 |
| SG | James Harden $10100 | Victor Oladipo $7500 | Marcus Thornton $5200 |
| SF | Paul George $8800 | Kawhi Leonard $8200 | James Johnson $3100 |
| PF | Blake Griffin $9500 | Ryan Anderson $5700 | Clint Capela $3900 |
| C | Andre Drummond $9400 | Dwight Howard $7200 | Dewayne Dedmon $4800 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.