New York Knicks vs. Utah Jazz
Spread: UTAH -7.0
Total: 219
Injuries:
New York
- Derrick Rose OUT
Utah
- Jordan Clarkson QUEST
- Rudy Gay QUEST
- Rudy Gobert OUT
MVP/Captain
Julius Randle, PF, NYK – Are we to now believe that the old, dominant Julius Randle is back? After averaging 57.5 points his last two and absolutely dominating the Lakers in his last game, perhaps he is back in the circle of trust. I suppose there is a chance that we get another 24-point dud from him in this one considering the tough defensive matchup, but the usage is above 25% over his last three so hopefully that’s a pattern that will continue. Even with the highest MVP salary of the night, he checks in at a very reasonable $15,000.
Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG, UTA – Friday was Mitchell’s first game back and the minutes were managed, as expected. But he absolutely smashed in those 22 minutes, pouring in 42.75 in the limited court time. He went right back to a usage rate above 33% and will be an even dominant force of the offense with Rudy Gobert out and Jordan Clarkson banged up. The Knicks are stout defensively everywhere this year expect against shooting guards where they allow 21 points per game plus top-ten numbers in rebounds and assists.
RJ Barrett, PG/SF, NYK – Barrett comes in at a nice $2,000+ discount from Mitchell and Randle, but has shown recently his ceiling is just as high as either of those guys. Three of his last seven games have gone over 40 DK points, including dismantling the Lakers for 56 points on Saturday. The Jazz have really struggled lately on defense, with the sixth-worst defensive rating over the last six games. With those recent struggles and the Jazz being an 11-spot pace up bump for the Knicks, I will certainly be taking some shots with Barrett.
Utility
Hassan Whiteside, C, UTA – Despite moving back to the bench even though Rudy Gobert is still out, Whiteside has remained very consistent. He now lacks the ceiling of when he was playing 32 minutes and scoring 50+ DK points a couple weeks ago, but he is still producing. He has played at least 23 minutes and hasn’t scored less than 23 fantasy points since the eighth of January. The salary dipping down to just $6,800 makes it more likely he can get to 4x-5x on this slate.
Mike Conley, PG, UTA – Speaking of consistency, Conley may be the most reliable player on this slate over the past couple weeks. He has scored between 30.5 and 39.5 DK points in seven of his last eight games whether he plays 23 minutes or 33 minutes. He has really picked up the pace on three-pointers, making 11 in his last four games, and the Knicks allow the ninth-most three pointers made per game on the season.
Value Tier
Jared Butler, PG/SG, UTA – Even with Donovan Mitchell back in action, Butler played 23 minutes on Friday, scoring 20 DK points against the Nets. That’s five straight games with at least 17 minutes on the court and at least 15 fantasy points. If we learn that Jordan Clarkson is ruled out of this game, Butler will be close to a lock with all of the minutes that will be available.
Quentin Grimes, SG, NYK – Grimes, who routinely saw anywhere from three to six minutes on the court earlier in the season now has not played less than 16 minutes in a month and he has five out of six games with double-digit fantasy production. The nature of the Knicks and Jazz make this a very top-heavy Showdown slate so someone who can get 10x at just $2,000 may be exactly what you need in this game.