Boston Celtics & Los Angeles Clippers
Spread: LA Clippers -4
Total: 213
Boston Celtics:
Jaylen Brown - Out
Los Angeles Clippers:
Nicolas Batum – Questionable (COVID-19 conditioning)
**Please note that players not listed below are not necessarily a complete fade and any player listed can certainly be used as the MVP/Captain. These are merely suggestions for players to use when setting Showdown lineups.
MVP/CPT
Paul George, SG (LAC) – With Boston having played last night, let’s start things off with the best Los Angeles has to offer. The Clippers have been struggling as of late but George is still going to play in the high 30’s and be the best player on the floor for Los Angeles in most instances. After missing one game last week, George hasn’t been as strong offensively, especially from downtown, but he is still averaging 25 points per game, and if anything, he has picked up the pace a little bit from a rebound and assist perspective.
Jayson Tatum, PF (BOS) – We aren’t going to get efficiency from Tatum on a nightly basis, but we are going to get volume. From a DFS perspective we obviously want him to be perfect from the field, but Tatum gets enough work, and even at his most inefficient, he’s still going to score at a high level (25.2 points per game entering action on Tuesday). Tatum is getting closer to averaging a double-double on the season (8.8 rebounds per game) and Boston will continue to lean on him heavily.
Dennis Schroder, PG (BOS) – Schroder has a lot to prove this season, and Brown being sidelined gives him a chance to do just that. Heading into Tuesday’s game, Schroder’s full offensive ability has been on display with games of 26 and 31 points. It shouldn’t come as a true surprise as he is averaging 17.9 points per game, but at 4.9 assists his upside has been limited. As Schroder gets more comfortable in Boston, I would expect both of those totals to climb; especially the assists.
Util
Marcus Morris, PF (LAC) – Let’s keep the good times rolling on the offensive end for Morris. Even if Batum comes back tonight, he likely will be on a minutes limit, so I would expect another 30 minutes or so of action from Morris once again. In his last three games, Morris has scored 21, 21, and 17 points respectively but with limited rebounds and assists, there is a cap on the upside here. Of all the players in this tier though, Morris stands out as he is the cheapest.
Al Horford, C (BOS) – A back injury cost Horford just one game as he was back in the lineup last night, so while we should monitor things on a back-to-back, I don’t have much concern here. We get upside with Horford but with that also comes a pretty low floor as he has been between four and 21 points over the last few games. We aren’t going to see nine assists on a nightly basis, but Horford could go for a double-double tonight.
Marcus Smart, SG (BOS) – We obviously like Smart better when Tatum is sidelined and he carries more of the offensive load, but he also has benefited from Brown’s absence as well. It’s been hit at miss how involved Smart has been from an assist perspective but for the most part, things have been going his way. While I do like Smart for what he brings to the table and his upside tonight, I wouldn’t go out of my way to force him into the lineup.
Reggie Jackson, PG (LAC) – If only Jackson was more efficient with his shot. The volume still continues to be there for the guard and at 17.2 points per game, he does get his share of points. We can’t bank on much more than 30 fantasy points at most, so it comes down to lineup construction as the upside just isn’t there, but he’s a dependable option.
Dart Throws
Luke Kennard, SG (LAC) – Kennard’s price sends him down to this category, but the move to the starting lineup makes him my favorite play of the slate. Of course, that likely means chalk city based on the cost savings you get from a player who should get around 30 minutes of run, but the nature of Kennard’s game also generates some risk. Although, if Kennard continues to average 16.3 points per game like he did in his last four, then a lot of that risk is mitigated.
Josh Richardson, SF (BOS) – Boston relies on Richardson as their first scorer off the bench, but with it comes risk as his value is dependent on how efficient he can be from the field.
Isaiah Hartenstein, PF (LAC) – Considering how efficient Hartenstein is when he’s on the court, wouldn’t it be nice if played more than about 15 minutes per game? He isn’t going to block four shots a night as he did on Sunday, but he can hit double figures offensively on occasion while also grabbing a few rebounds.
Brandon Boston Jr, SG/SF (LAC) – Boston has been getting some playing time as of late, depending on the night so there is the largest piece of risk. In three of those games Boston has scored 13 points, so there is the reward, but the other nights haven’t given us much in the way of fantasy production. It remains to be seen how much playing time Batum will soak up if he returns tonight, but this is a true coin flip if you are doing multiple lineups.