Like many people, I have been kicking around the idea of making some New Year’s resolutions. Of course, if I do not decide on some soon, I will have to call them something else. Mid-January resolutions just do not have the same ring to it.
As I began to write my resolutions I realized they all sounded pretty negative. I was resolving to never hit the snooze button, or drink no more than one can of pop per day. Those are fine resolutions, but I wanted my resolutions to be about more than just cutting things out of my life. I wanted to add some things as well, which is why I added “play more daily fantasy games” to my list of resolutions. I enjoy DFS, especially basketball, but I find I spend more time giving out advice to friends and on social media than I do actually participating in the games. I want to change that.
Fortunately my weekly NBA articles lend themselves to DFS games. While I tend to focus on season-long fantasy in my advice, injuries and the schedule are two great places to look when setting a daily lineup. Mark Kaplan’s DFS NBA Playbook is still the first place I look when setting my daily lineups, but players with increased opportunities due to injury are usually useful as well. There are not a ton of big-name players in the injury breakdown this week, though there are plenty of guys who are very useful in traditional and DFS games.
LeBron James is expected to miss two weeks with knee and back strains. Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters all had big games Friday with LeBron out, and fantasy players should expect that to continue. With this injury, LeBron will miss more games this season than in any of his previous 11 seasons. There has to be some concern he is breaking down, especially considering the way Cleveland has needed him to carry the load at times. He is still a top-five fantasy player when healthy, but Kevin Durant, James Harden, Anthony Davis and Stephen Curry have put some distance between themselves and LeBron.
Carmelo Anthony is looking increasingly likely to get shut down for the season at some point. Anthony’s fantasy owners should try to handcuff him to J.R. Smith or Tim Hardaway Jr. if possible, as they will probably take most of the shots with Carmelo out. Hardaway Jr. missed Friday’s game with a concussion, and J.R. Smith is a must-own when Anthony and Hardaway Jr. are both out.
Al Jefferson is out for at least four weeks with a strained adductor muscle in his left groin. Bismack Biyombo should see an increase from the 14.0 minutes per game he has averaged this season. He is not nearly the offensive player Jefferson is, but Biyombo is an athletic guy who can pound the glass on both ends while providing energy and defense. This is Charlotte’s best chance to showcase Biyombo for a trade, and also Biyombo’s best chance to drive up his price ahead of hitting restricted free agency after this season.
Zach Randolph missed his sixth consecutive game Friday, though he appears to be close to playing. If he does not play Saturday in Denver he could return Monday against the Knicks. Neither Kosta Koufos nor Jon Leuer has provided much for fantasy with Randolph out, though Koufos is a decent source of blocks for deep leagues.
Larry Sanders missed four consecutive games with a reported illness, though we learned Friday he is away from the team for personal reasons. In either case he will likely be out for a while, which is latest report on Ersan Ilyasova as well. Zaza Pachulia has averaged 12.2 points and 9.8 rebounds while shooting .558 from the field in the five games Sanders and Ilyasova have missed. John Henson meanwhile is averaging 8.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and three blocks while shooting .571 over those same five games. Both players are nice fantasy plays while Sanders and Ilyasova are out.
Rodney Hood is out for at least the next week, possibly longer as he deals with a heel injury, while Patrick Christopher dislocated his right kneecap and is expected to miss six to eight weeks. With Alec Burks already out for the season, Dante Exum, Ian Patrick Clark and Joe Ingles all played about 21 minutes Friday against Atlanta, though Exum had the best line with 13 points, two assists and three steals. He was +17 on the night, and if he continues to play well he should earn more playing time and more fantasy consideration. There will likely still be some growing pains, but he is worth a pickup in 12-team leagues based upon upside alone.
Enes Kanter sprained his ankle Friday and is out Saturday and likely beyond that. Rudy Gobert should see some more minutes, though Quin Snyder has been understandably reluctant to play Gobert and Derrick Favors together. Gobert has averaged 8.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks over his last 10 games, and he is a must-add for any team needing blocks.
Mike Dunleavy left Thursday’s game with an ankle injury, and it will keep him out Saturday against the Celtics. With Jimmy Butler out Saturday for Bereavement, the Bulls have very little left on the wing. Tony Snell is the only healthy small forward on the roster, though he is unlikely to play much once Butler is back. Nikola Mirotic could see some minutes at small forward, though Tom Thiobdeau has been reluctant to use him there in the past. Kirk Hinrich, Aaron Brooks and E’Twaun Moore should all see minutes at shooting guard while Dunleavy is out. Dunleavy’s injury does not sound serious, and he could return as soon as Monday against the Rockets.
The Bulls and their opponents are two good places to look for DFS value while Dunleavy and Butler are out of the lineup. In fact, all of the injury situations above can be useful for fantasy under the right circumstances.