Atlanta Hawks & Los Angeles Lakers
Spread: Lakers -2.5
Total: 230
Injuries:
Atlanta Hawks:
Trae Young – Questionable (back)
John Collins – Questionable (conditioning)
Cam Reddish – Probable (ankle)
Bogdan Bogdanovic – Questionable (conditioning)
Gorgui Dieng – Out
De’Andre Hunter – Out
Cameron Oliver – Out
Jalen Johnson – Questionable (conditioning)
Los Angeles Lakers:
LeBron James – Probable (abdomen)
Anthony Davis - Out
*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
LeBron James, PG/SF (LAL) – I’m going to stay on this train until I get kicked off. In his last five games, all James is doing is averaging 65 DK points and few are better than him currently. All things considered, James’ price still isn’t terrible, but we should note that the aforementioned average is due more to the first three games of that stretch (he went over the 70 DK point mark in all three) than his last two. The main thing is that James has slowed down on the boards with just 12 rebounds combined in his last three games after hitting double figures in his three previous games. James is still playing, and shooting, a ton and in what projects to be a high scoring game tonight, that trend shouldn’t slow down.
Trae Young, PG (ATL) – Young did miss Wednesday’s game with a back injury but he went through the shootaround on Friday and we are going to assume that he makes his return tonight. I always like to target point guards that go against Russell Westbrook so that puts Young firmly on our radars, and in what will be a high scoring game, the volume will be there. Young is one assist shy of five straight games in double digits and he is also coming off a 56-point effort as the point guard is playing his best basketball of the season.
Russell Westbrook, PG (LAL) – Based on his star quality, Westbrook is always going to be in this tier, but tonight it is more for differentiation purposes if you are setting multiple lineups than anything else. The 60-fantasy point night is still possible, but they have just been a little rarer than we had become accustomed to in previous years. After three straight triple-doubles, Westbrook has cooled down in his last two games, and it is captain or bust for me tonight with him; and strictly for exposure’s sake as it’s hard to top the potential advantage James and Young can give you in the top spot (even if it will cost you).
Util
Malik Monk, PG/SG (LAL) – The starting lineup agrees with Monk and he is getting both the minutes and shot volume to make it work on a nightly basis. Monk is averaging over 12 shots per game in his last five, and perhaps more importantly, he is shooting 55.6% from the field in that stretch which includes 17 of 37 from three-point land. Factor in a few assists and rebounds per game, and it’s hard to pass up Monk at what is a very fair price tonight.
Clint Capela, C (ATL) – While he isn’t really flashing the upside he did at times last season, Capela is still a walking double-double and that’s not something I’m going to take lightly. As Atlanta gets back to full strength, Capela will likely take a step back offensively and be closer to the 11.9 points he is averaging per game. However, if you couple that with 13.1 rebounds per game and the knowledge that he is capable of more with one of the better floors of the night, even if it might be a struggle to get him into your lineup.
John Collins, PF/C (ATL) – We haven’t seen Collins since Christmas, but after taking part in the shootaround earlier today, it looks like the forward is ready to make his return. Collins comes with a baseline of consistent production averaging 17.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, and tonight is not a night in which I worried about volume. Whether you use Collins though likely comes down to roster construction and whether or not you try and force both James and Young into your lineup and/or you really go off the board at the captain spot. Although I didn’t include Collins in that tier, he could be a good candidate for that as long as there isn’t any news about a minute restriction.
Danilo Gallinari, SF/PF (ATL) – With Atlanta seemingly returning to full strength tonight, there could be some risk involved with their swingman and who to target. The other issue is that in some cases, we are looking at you Cam Reddish, prices have risen and it’s a little more difficult to construct a lineup. Gallinari’s role seems to be secure off the bench even if he gets closer to 25 minutes of playing time tonight. While he can score 16 points like he did on Wednesday, I feel more comfortable banking on his season averages of 9.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Dart Throws
Stanley Johnson, PF (LAL) – Once again it appears we will get about 20 minutes of run out of Johnson for the minimum price. While I do worry about chalk, we are likely going to be spending a lot of time in this neighborhood and expecting 15 to 20 fantasy points isn’t all that crazy as he can flirt with double figures in scoring while grabbing a few rebounds.
Austin Reaves, PG/SG (LAL) – Based on the price, I want to be all over Reaves tonight, but despite playing 44 minutes in his last two games (22 minutes each), he only took two shots (one per game). We have seen Reaves have success previously, and rolling the dice with him tonight certainly helps with roster construction.
Avery Bradley, SG/SF (LAL) – Here we go chasing minutes again, but Bradley has averaged 27 minutes per game over his last five and we get him at a fair price. Bradley has the ability to score in double figures on a nightly basis and getting around 15 to 20 fantasy points on a consistent basis.