Odds Story

  • Spread: Lakers -0.5/Pick ‘em
  • Total: 220.5

Key Injuries

Captain/MVP

LeBron James, SF/PF – I think two things can be true about LeBron James in this Lakers’ season. First, he approved a new Big Three of Lebron, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis. Second, he plans to assert his dominance this season to remind people who the true alpha is on this team. We saw just that on Tuesday when James put up 61 DK points in 36 minutes and 32% usage. With more defensive attention coming to Westbrook and Davis, we should get used to these huge games.

Devin Booker, PG/SG – We might have just gotten Booker’s worst shooting game of the season out of the way on Tuesday night. It’s unlikely Booker shoots just 20% from the floor again while it's EXTREMELY likely he shoots more than 15 times. Booker’s assists are down since Chris Paul came to town, but his scoring and shooting percentage are up and he ranked eighth in the NBA with a 31.9% usage last season.

Russell Westbrook, PG – After a miserable Lakers’ debut on Tuesday, the roster percentage for Westbrook may take a dip, particularly at a salary just $200 below Anthony Davis and $400 below Lebron. But we know Westbrook’s propensity for stuffing the stat sheet and piling up triple-doubles. That opportunity at the double bonus on DK makes him a strong Captain option.

UTIL

Anthony Davis, PF/C – I don’t really know how to feel about Davis playing 39 minutes on Tuesday. On one hand, I am thrilled for that DFS potential. On the other, that really is playing with fire considering Davis’ injury history. But as long as he is healthy, 39 minutes plus 30% usage rate is going to keep equaling massive DFS scores like the 58 DK points he posted in his first game. 

Chris Paul, PG – Checking in $1,000-$2,000 cheaper than the other high-end options, Paul is worth a spot for the likelihood of a points/assists double-double. In his long and storied career, Paul has traditionally torched the Lakers. Across 55 games, he averages 20 points, 10.4 assists, and 4.3 rebounds on 50% shooting. 

Kent Bazemore, SF – With Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, and Kendrick Nunn all out with injury, Bazemore is going to play buckets of minutes off the bench in this game. We saw him log 30 in their first game, which is DFS gold considering his $5,000 salary. Bazemore was at 0.86 fantasy points per minute last season so a 5x of his salary is not unreasonable to expect. 

Jae Crowder, PF – Crowder should play more than 25 minutes in this game as his defensive ability will be needed on Lebron, Davis, and the rest of the Lakers’ frontcourt. Crowder was a bust on Tuesday in the scoring department but still checked in with eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal in just 24 minutes. His $6,800 salary seems a tad high, but Crowder does have the ability to contribute in multiple ways.

Dart Throw

Mikal Bridges, SG/SF - There will likely be seven players who will play more than 30 minutes in tonight’s game. Six of them have a salary of more than $8,000. Bridges checks in at just $6,000 and will be a key contributor on both ends of the floor after signing a four-year contract for $90 million this offseason. Bridges is coming off a career year where he averaged 13.5 points, 54% shooting, and 2.0 stocks (steals + blocks). He picked up right where he left off in his first game when he produced 16 points, five rebounds, one steal, and one block for 27 DK points in 33 minutes.