Philadelphia 76ers & Los Angeles Lakers

Spread: 76ers -8

Total: 229

Injuries:

Philadelphia 76ers:

None

Los Angeles Lakers:

LeBron James – OUT (Knee)

Anthony Davis – Out

Talen Horton-Tucker – Questionable (Ankle)

*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

 

Joel Embiid, C (PHI) – Talk about star quality tonight as it’s either a stars and scrubs approach or one that requires multiple lineups. After missing one back with back soreness, Embiid is both back and off the injury report for tonight. In his last game, on Sunday, he struggled from the field making just six of 20 shots in what was a “down” effort with 21 points and 13 rebounds. That came after four straight games of between 32 and 35 points for Embiid, and he is a good bet to get back there tonight. 

 

 

James Harden, PG/SG (PHI) – Harden is in an enviable position tonight facing Russell Westbrook which means he should feast from a DFS perspective. After missing Philadelphia’s last game with a hamstring injury, Harden is good to go tonight. Not to say Harden has been bad since joining the 76ers, but he hasn’t broken the 60 DK mark or flashed upside to the level of James and Embiid. At the same time, it’s hard to really argue with 22.4 points, 9.6 assists, and 6.6 rebounds per game in his last five. 

 

 

Malik Monk, PG/SG (LAL) – With LeBron James ruled out, now it's James and Anthony Davis out for the Lakers. Monk sees a 3.7% usage rate increase with both of them out and averages .94 FP/min. Monk has not been starting, but with James out of the lineup, the chances he re-enters the starting lineup is very high.

Util

 

Tyrese Maxey, PG (PHI) – Let’s continue to target Westbrook here as Maxey has been finding success as defenses are forced to focus on Embiid and Harden. We can’t truly chase Monday’s performance of 28 points as it came while both were sidelined, but scoring hasn’t been an issue for Maxey either as he is averaging 17.4 points per game on the season. 

 

 

Russell Westbrook, PG (LAL) – We now have a three-game streak of seeing what Westbrook is actually capable of, and what we had become accustomed to. In his recent stretch, he is averaging just over 21 points per game along with eight rebounds and just under 10 assists. Depending on how you go about your lineup build tonight, Westbrook could represent a sneaky option at a solid price. 

 

 

Tobias Harris, PF (PHI) – Harris kind of receded into the background for Philadelphia as of late, but at 17.6 points and seven rebounds per game, we can’t overlook his production either. Just don’t go looking for upside or force Harris into a lineup as tonight isn’t the night to spend salary cap space we don’t have. 

 

 

Georges Niang, PG (PHI) – We need other options tonight, and Niang presents as cost effective one. After starting on Monday, he is back to the bench, but Niang still has been good for about 30 minutes of playing time a night. In each of the last three games, he has reached double figures in scoring while pulling down about four rebounds. 

 

 

Austin Reaves, SG/SF (LAL) – Reaves continues to play around minutes a night while scoring about 10 points. Factor in around four rebounds and three assists, and Reaves should get us to around 20 DK points at a minimum, and that is something we can feel comfortable with as long as the studs do what they are supposed to. 

 

 

 

Dart Throws

 

Wenyen Gabriel, PF/C (LAL) – After playing just 12 minutes against Washington on Saturday, Gabriel bounced back by getting the start on Monday. What will hold Gabriel back though is that all he had to show of his 32 minutes of playing time is nine points and six rebounds. If we expect similar playing time tonight, a repeat performance is possible.

 

 

Danny Green, SF (PHI) – I wish I felt better about this, but we need to find value somewhere. Nothing really seems to change for Green on a nightly basis as he plays about 20 minutes per game. Over his last five games, Green is averaging just 3.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, but all it takes is one or two more three-pointers to make this a good night. Green is more of a “in case of emergency, break glass” type of option. 

 

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