FanDuel
Carmelo Anthony , SF POR ($4,100)
Since Jusuf Nurkic ’s injury, Anthony has been playing more as Portland has adopted a smaller lineup. He’s also played more since C.J. McCollum went down because they needed an infusion of offense. He’s played 26 and 28 minutes the last two games and has scored in double-figures in three straight and 5-of-6 overall. We’ve seen the 40 FP ceiling out of Anthony and that’s because of his ability to give us defensive stats this year and he’s gone eight straight games with at least one block or steal. That only increases his FD value that much more.
Patty Mills , PG SA ($4,000)
I know we get the three-point bonus on DK, but if Mills ends up starting and playing 30+ minutes because Dejounte Murray is out, it doesn’t matter what bonuses we don’t get on FD look at this price tag! Mills didn’t capitalize on Murray’s exit last time out, but he played 36 minutes and that’s what is the most important here. The Spurs get a massive pace up spot as WAS is playing the fastest pace in the league. Washington also ranks 27th in DvP against point-guards this season. Mills is even in play at this price even if Murray plays.
Garrison Mathews, SG WAS ($3,900)
I know Bradley Beal is still here, but the Wizards are down a tremendous amount of players and could be without most of their guards as both Russell Westbrook and Raul Neto are questionable. Mathews isn’t going to fill in at point-guard, I suspect Bradley Beal or Jerome Robinson would, but Mathews has played 67% of the time at SG and 33% of the time at SF, so he’ll see a lot of minutes there. We’ve seen the last two games in which the Wizards have played that Mathews has entered this depleted rotation playing 20+ minutes in each game. He even scored 22 actual points in one of them.
DraftKings
Alec Burks , SG NYK ($4,800)
As Burks’ price tag dips, we should remain interested because the minutes have been there since returning. He’s played 27+ minutes in each game since returning from injury, outplaying starter Reggie Bullock . In the three games prior to his injury, Burks put up 29+ DKP in each and played 31 & 32 minutes in two of them. Portland ranks 29th against shooting-guards in DvP this year and with Reggie Bullock doubtful in this one, Burks could even find himself in the starting lineup. If Bullock doesn’t suit up, that’s a good sign for Burks because he has a 23.9% USG rate and averages .98 FP/min.
Robin Lopez , C WAS ($4,600)
Sure Washington went out and signed Alex Len and Jordan Bell , but how much impact will they have here or are they simply depth signings? We saw Lopez play 26 minutes his last time out -- albeit 13 days ago -- and put up an 11 point, 11 rebound double-double while going for 29.25 DKP. The Spurs are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league and Lopez could match his last output here.
Rodney Hood , SG/SF POR ($3,800)
Hood’s price over on FanDuel was spiked to 5K which I’m not paying, but look how tasty his DK price is. It’s been mentioned already that Hood will continue to start while C.J. McCollum is out and in his first start he scored 21 actual, played 25 minutes and put up 28 DKP; all season high’s. Hood doesn’t provide us with a lot of peripheral stats, but he can score and if he can score like he did his last time out, he’ll smash at this price tag.
Player News
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that Stephen Curry has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and is expected to miss at least a week.
Shams notes that Curry has already been ruled out for Game 2 on Thursday, but the week timeline means he’ll miss Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday with a chance to return for Game 5 on Wednesday. This is the first muscle strain of Curry’s career, so how quickly he returns will depend on how he responds to rehab. Fortunately for Golden State, the team came away with a win on the road in Game 1, and two of the next three games will be at home, giving the Warriors a chance to stay alive while their superstar PG is out. Expect Buddy Hield to step into a much larger role on offense while Curry is sidelined. Hield has totaled 57 points across his last two games while stroking a blistering 14-of-18 shots from beyond the arc.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters Stephen Curry is day-to-day with a hamstring injury and will undergo an MRI on Wednesday.
Kerr relayed that Curry was “crushed” after being forced from the game due to injury. While Kerr described Curry as day-to-day, he also mentioned that the 37-year-old point guard will undergo imaging on Wednesday to determine the severity of the injury. There should be an update on his status at some point prior to Thursday’s Game 2 showdown. With the Warriors taking Game 1 on the road Tuesday, Kerr added that it’s hard to imagine Curry being available for Game 2 on Thursday. With Game 3 Saturday at Golden State, Curry could have more time to rest and recover.
Naz Reid had 19 points (8-of-14 FGs), five rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block and three three-pointers in Game 1 against the Warriors on Tuesday.
Reid briefly left the floor with an apparent leg injury towards the end of the second quarter before returning in the second half. The 25-year-old center played 34 minutes and was the second leading scorer for the Timberwolves in what turned out to be a lackluster game for Minnesota. Reid appeared healthy in the second half and should continue to be counted on for starter-level minutes despite coming off the bench.
Anthony Edwards had 23 points (9-of-22 FGs), 14 rebounds, two assists, three steals, one block and one three-pointer in Game 1 against the Warriors on Tuesday.
Draymond Green had 18 points (6-of-13 FGs), eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and four three-pointers in Game 1 against the Timberwolves on Tuesday.
Buddy Hield had 24 points (7-of-19 FGs), eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and five three-pointers in Game 1 against the Timberwolves on Tuesday.