Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers

O/U: 218.5

Spread: LAL -10

Injuries

Rockets

Jae'Sean Tate - QUEST

Daniel Theis - OUT

Danuel House Jr. - OUT

John Wall - OUT

Lakers

LeBron James - IN

Anthony Davis - IN

Wayne Ellington - OUT

Dwight Howard - OUT

Kendrick Nunn - OUT

Trevor Ariza - OUT

Talen Horton-Tucker - OUT

MVP/CPT

Russell Westbrook, LAL

When LeBron James and Anthony Davis are active, there may be a lot of times where Westbrook’s ownership is depressed. That would be a mistake here. He’s in a really good groove right now failing to have below 45 FP in just one game since opening night and we’re basically just throwing that performance out the window. Westbrook has one of the best individual match-ups on the board and this features the top two teams in pace and we know he loves those types of games.

Anthony Davis, LAL

I know they just held him to 16 points the other day, but who does Houston plan on sticking on him? Christian Wood? Daniel Theis? Alperen Sengun? Yeah, not happening. He has a robust 28.8% YSG rate this year and is the Lakers leader with 24.7 points and 11.4 rebounds. The Rockets are 27th in DvP against PF/C combo’s this year. They’re in trouble.

Christian Wood, HOU

For all the hype surrounding what Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green can do in this league, Christian Wood is already doing it. The big man leads Houston with 19.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. His 23.8% USG isn’t too shabby either and that’s second on the team, slightly behind Kevin Porter Jr. It’s a tough match-up but he has the highest ceiling and best floor amongst all Rockets players.

Mid Tier

Kevin Porter Jr., HOU

I mentioned it in Wood’s write-up, but you have to like Porter Jr.'s team leading usage rate of 24.3% even if the scoring production hasn’t been there and that he’s committing a lot of turnovers. Still, he leads the team in assists per game and steals and is contributing really across the board. He’s a solid mid-tier option and if his shot falls, he can help make this another competitive game.

Jalen Green, HOU

It’s the upside for me. He’s had ONE big game this year and in that game he went for 30 actual and 48 DKP. He’s shooting 34% from the field & 28% from three, but he hasn’t seen a shot he hasn’t liked. It’s only a matter of time before they start falling. He’s a sneaky CPT play too, not just a mid-tier option.

Carmelo Anthony, LAL

We can’t expect Carmelo Anthony to continue to put up the numbers he is in just 24 minutes a night, but he can be a really solid producer off this Lakers bench because of how well he’s shooting the rock. He’s not only making 50% of his overall attempts, but 52% of his three-point shots. Anthony has scored 23 and 24 actual points in back-to-back games and has given us double-figures in four-of-five. 

Value Tier

Alperen Sengun, HOU

This dude is a fantasy point per minute monster. On the year, he has a 24% USG rate and averages 1.19 FP/min. 1.19! Daniel Theis has been ruled out which should give Sengun all the room in the world he needs to roam around and dominate from a fantasy perspective. I LOVE him on this showdown slate and if you wanted to get crazy and wanted to fit as many studs as possible, you could use Sengun as your CPT.

DeAndre Jordan, LAL

I could get behind Jordan here with Dwight Howard officially ruled out. We’ve seen Jordan see a small uptick in minutes, mainly last game, and that’s directly correlated to Howard’s health.  Jordan played 20 minutes last time 17 minutes last time out, the most he’s played this year and put up 20 FP. He’s put up 14+ DKP in five straight games and in four of those games he was up over 18 DKP.