Minnesota Timberwolves & Los Angeles Lakers

Spread: Lakers -2

Total: 223

Injuries:

Minnesota Timberwolves:

None

Los Angeles Lakers:

Anthony Davis – Probable (Knee)

LeBron James – Out

Kendrick Nunn – Out

Austin Reaves – Out

Rajon Rondo – Questionable (Hamstring)

**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

Russell Westbrook, PG (LAL) – The birthday boy is going to cost you tonight, but he isn’t that much more expensive than the other two top options on the slate. Based on what we have seen from Westbrook in his last two games, this is exactly what we have been waiting on from him as he played 41 and 43 minutes, respectively, and put up two triple-doubles. What’s interesting though, is that he even left points on the table on Monday as he shot just five of 15 from the field. It was an improvement though after he made his just one of 13 field goal attempts the game prior so it was even nicer to see him bounce back on Wednesday shooting 10 of 22. Now, if only he didn’t turn the ball over 21 times in his last three games. 

Anthony Davis, PF/C (LAL) – Even though he is listed on the injury report, Davis’ thumb shouldn’t be an issue tonight as it hasn’t been over his past few games. He is taking full advantage of LeBron James being out of the lineup as we have seen a little boost to his scoring output, and in the last four full games he has played, Davis is averaging 28 points. The way things have been going, 50 fantasy points should be the baseline expectation. 

Anthony Edwards, SG/SF (MIN) – If you are going to fade a Laker, you might as well make it worth your while and pick up some cost savings. Edwards allows you to do that, and there is some upside in play as he is coming off a 48-point performance on Wednesday against Golden State. Edwards is a volume shooter, so if he gets hot look out, and if not, he is generally skilled enough to put some points on the board as he is averaging 25.9 points per game. We have to note that his rebounds (6.3) and assists (3.5) per game take away some of his floor, but there is a salary cap. 

Util

Karl-Anthony Towns, C (MIN) – Nothing against Towns, but you aren’t getting much of a price savings in the captain spot for fading Westbrook or Davis but you are losing out on some upside. That’s not to say anything bad about Towns, but of the three, he is the least likely to hit 70 fantasy points, although he is better off going against Davis and the Lakers than the other way around. Considering his affinity for taking three-pointers, at least eight in four of his last five games, Towns isn’t as efficient from a field goal perspective as other big men and he isn’t as proficient of a rebounder as others (9.7 per game this season). Although that’s not to say Towns is a slouch offensively, 22.7 points per game but there is some variability, and he has double digit rebounds in four of his last five games.  

Patrick Beverly, PG (MIN) – Beverly has found a home in Minnesota playing around 30 minutes a night. He still isn’t a great shooter, but Beverly is generally efficient based on his shot selection (even if the volume isn’t there) but he does enough in all of the other categories to be a valuable option for his price. 

D’Angelo Russell, PG/SG (MIN) – While the attention will be focused on Westbrook tonight, that could very well open things up for Russell as he is likely to meet much in the way of resistance. Russell still continues to put up double-digit shot attempts most nights with varying levels of efficiency, but he his value has taken a little hit thanks to the presence of Edwards and Beverly. 

Carmelo Anthony, PF (LAL) – The Lakers continue to lean on Anthony, and he is coming through at a high level on the offensive end averaging 17.2 points per game. All we get other than that is about four rebounds per game and there is some variability here as he sandwiched 12-point games around a 29-point effort. 

Dart Throws

Malik Monk, SG (LAL) – If only we knew if Monk was going to play 35 minutes tonight or not? I guess that is why it’s called a dart throw though as we saw Monk go off for 27 points on Wednesday. We know he is capable of it, so that is saying something compared to the other options in this price range but even if he doesn’t go crazy, there should be a 15 to 20 fantasy point floor tonight. 

Avery Bradley, SG (LAL) – The Lakers are dealing with a few injuries, but do we really think Bradley will get 39 minutes again tonight? Bradley is projected to be in the starting lineup, and he did score 17 points on Wednesday and while I wouldn’t be on a repeat, he has played at least 23 minutes in his last seven games. 

Naz Reid, PF/C (MIN) – While Reid comes off the bench for Minnesota, he has carved out a solid role playing around 15 minutes per game. It is a good matchup for Reid against the Lakers tonight and he generally doesn’t have a problem getting involved as he is averaging nine points a game and is active on the boards. 

DeAndre Jordan, C (LAL) – You can’t too much stock into Jordan as the starting center, but he is generally able to do enough with his 15 minutes of action to pick up around a fantasy point per minute averaging 5.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.