DFSGhost 
We’re back with a somewhat normal schedule in the NBA this week, with only tonight and Thursday having fewer than six games in action. It’s a Mojito Monday edition of the Gems – let’s ride.
One thing I want to clarify based on the questions I have received over the past few years is that I will never list a player under the $5,000 price tag simply because I use the projection model to identify all targets in this range and below. While there are often plenty of options that I like at $5,000 and less, since I often find myself with not only one – but multiple – in my NBA DFS lineups, you all have access to the very model I use to make my own selections, so when asking yourself: “Should I use player X or player Y?”, make sure to check the model because that is how I make all of my own decisions and I truly ride or die by it on a daily basis.
Before running to the DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo lobby to construct your NBA DFS lineup after reading this article, please make sure to utilize the abundance of tools we have at Win Daily:
NY Knicks @ Cleveland Cavaliers
The Knicks will be travelling to Cleveland on the second half of a back-to-back, where Julius Randle and company are fresh off a home victory in yesterday’s afternoon tilt versus the Clippers. There is not much appeal in this one for our NBA lineups tonight, but both teams have suffered recent injuries to rotation players; on the Knicks side of the ball, Kemba Walker remains questionable having missed yesterday’s game with an ankle injury, while Mitchell Robinson left in the first half with an ankle injury of his own in yesterday’s win and did not return for the second half. More importantly than the back court impact that Walker has, it’s important to note that both Julius Randle and Nerlens Noel will benefit, should Robinson miss tonight’s game, while the former sporting a 33.1% usage rate with Robinson out this season, averaging 28.3/12.7/3.7 across 36 MPG in three contests.
On the Cavaliers side of the ball, Lauri Markkanen (ankle) remains out for tonight’s game, leaving Cleveland with an awfully thin rotation. As usual, Darius Garland will lead an offense featuring a star-studded front court duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, while Isaac Okoro will also log heavy minutes with Kevin Love and Cedi Osman being the main beneficiaries off the bench. The main trio of Cleveland’s offense is priced up, so I side with the value players off the bench in this one, if any at all.
Indiana Pacers @ New Orleans Pelicans
The Indiana Pacers will be without Myles Turner (foot), Domantas Sabonis (ankle), Malcolm Brogdon (achilles), and TJ McConnell (wrist), while Caris LeVert (calf) is a GTD. Meanwhile, the Pelicans will be without Brandon Ingram (ankle), while Devonte’ Graham (ankle) is a GTD. Needless to say, most of our interest on tonight’s NBA slate starts with this game. Beginning with the Pacers, Caris LeVert instantly becomes a priority on this slate, should be active; should he be ruled out once again, the trio of Chris Duarte, Jeremy Lamb, and Goga Bitadze will be strong plays on the mid range. On the Pelicans side of the ball, Jonas Valanciunas has a 24.4% usage rate and an FPPM of 1.23 on the season, but sees both increase to 26.9% and 1.29, respectively, and will get a ton of touches in the paint versus an Indiana defense that struggles mightily with Turner off the floor.
Chicago Bulls @ OKC Thunder
The Bulls will be on the second half of a back-to-back, but there is a ton to like about this offense heading into OKC. With Zach Lavine (knee) and Lonzo Ball (knee) both still out for Chicago, in addition to Alex Caruso (wrist), Javonte Green (groin), and Derrick Jones Jr. (knee), both DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic will be intriguing at the top of the pricing grid for tonight’s NBA slate. In over 240 minutes of action, DeRozan carries a 36% usage rate with a 1.15 FPPM, while Vucevic has been seeing plenty of volume, but hasn’t been as efficient. Should you want to get exposure to the Bulls without these two, consider both Coby White and/or Ayo Dosunmu.
On the flip side of this game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been one of the hottest players in the NBA as of late. The fourth-year pro has 20 or more points in six of his last seven, where he’s sported a 33.4% usage rate and has posted a 27.3/5.7/6.9 scoring line on 47.9% shooting. With the Bulls struggling to guard primary ball handlers in the absence of Lonzo Ball, including allowing Darius Garland to go for 20/5/12 just a few days ago, SGA is primed for another big performance tonight.
Utah Jazz @ Phoenix Suns
Either way, I will have a ton of exposure to this game for tonight’s NBA slate, but how much depends on the statuses of Rudy Gobert and Bojan Bogdanovic. While Donovan Mitchell (concussion) has already been ruled out, both Gobert (calf) and Bogdanovic (knee) have been diagnosed with injuries and now find themselves on the second half of a back-to-back; should either one miss, keep an eye on this rotation and looks for updates in Discord, but Joe Ingles, Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gay, and Hassan Whiteside (conditioning) will all be on my radar.
The Phoenix Suns also hold a ton of intrigue, as Deandre Ayton is doubtful to play in this one. While JaVale McGee continues to start in his absence, it has been Bismack Biyombo that has been more efficient off the bench, and is coming off a 21/13/5/1/2 scoring line against the Pacers in only 29 minutes. In addition, both Jae Crowder (wrist) and Cam Payne (wrist) have been ruled out for this one, making Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges strong plays on the wing, while Chris Paul will be a near lock for me in all formats on this NBA slate.
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