Golden State Warriors vs. Utah Jazz

Spread: UTAH -1.5

Total: 223.5

 

Injuries:

Golden State

Utah

 

MVP/Captain

Stephen Curry, PG – Curry’s already elite usage gets another bump up with Thompson, Green and Iguodala all out. In those situations, Curry possesses a 33% usage rate and a 32.7% assist rate to go along with a 117.5 offensive rating. Curry should easily lead all players in this game in fantasy scoring and he finally has his shooting touch back – hitting over 50% from the floor in four of his past five games. Even at $16,800, the salary is not so prohibitive considering what kind of production you're likely to get tonight. 

Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG – Mitchell has been playing like a man possessed in his two games since returning from injury. He's averaged 50.75 DK points in those two games despite playing just a total of 58 minutes. The Warriors, of course, are a tough defensive matchup, but this is certainly a game where Mitchell can go off again with no Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala or Draymond Green to worry about. This is the tightest game environment of the night (1.5-point spread), and a win here would help Utah gain ground on the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the West. Look for Mitchell to take over in this one. 

Andrew Wiggins, SF – Wiggins also gets a nice bump based on the players the Warriors will be without tonight. His usage sits at 25% and he will also likely be called upon to run the offense when Curry gets his typical rest at the beginning of the second and fourth quarters. In their last 10 games, the Jazz have slipped to 21st in defensive rating and allowed opponents to shoot 47% from the floor. 

 

Utility

Udoka Azubuike, C – Both the minutes and the fantasy points are up the last three games for Azubuike as he starts for an injured Rudy Gobert. He was up to 28 minutes in his last game against New York and touched 30 DK points for the first time this season. While the Warriors rank as the fifth-toughest team against centers this year, they have really slipped over their last 15 games without Draymond Green. On the season, they allow 49.9 fantasy points per game to the position – but it’s up to 56.2 over the last couple of weeks. If Azubuike can even just split that production down the middle with Hassan Whiteside, he will easily reach value at just $4,000. 

Jordan Poole, PG/SG – Jordan Poole is going to have to play big minutes tonight, there's just no way to avoid it for the Warriors. That usually means great things for his fantasy production. In the last five games where Poole played at least 28 minutes, he averaged 36.35 DK points per game – which would be an easy 5x his salary tonight. The Jazz allow the fifth-most fantasy points per game to shooting guards in their last seven, so make sure Poole is part of your plans tonight. 

 

Value Tier

Damion Lee, SG/SF – Lee will also be needed for a lot of court time tonight, and he should benefit the same as Jordan Poole. In his last four games with at least 24 minutes, he averages 24.25 fantasy points per game. With three games below 10 fantasy points in his last five, though, the algorithms brought his salary down to just $3,400. He can easily reach 7x of that number tonight with all of the Warriors’ injuries. 

Trent Forrest, SG – Forrest has stepped up nicely into the Joe Ingles role and has now played more than 20 minutes in three straight games. His fantasy points per game in that span are just a hair over 26 – and that’s exactly what we are looking for in a player with a $3,000 salary. Forrest will especially be needed tonight as he has proven to be a defensive weapon on the perimeter. He has 16 rebounds in his last three games and also averages two steals per game in his last four.