There is a lot of uncertainty as we wrap up Wednesday’s NBA schedule with the Pelicans traveling to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers. We know the upside, potential and buzz of Damian Lillard is flying over tonight’s game but we still need to fill out the remainder of a roster. With that being said, let us take a look at some other options for tonight’s NBA DFS Showdown Slate. 

 

Injury Report

New Orleans Pelicans

Zion Williamson – Out

Jonas Valanciunas – Questionable (calf)

Josh Richardson – Questionable (quad)

Larry Nance Jr – Out

Jose Alvarado - Out

Portland Trail Blazers

Anfernee Simons – Out

Jusuf Nurkic - Out

Justise Winslow – Out

NBA DFS Showdown Slate Picks

MVP/Captain

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

You had to know we were going to start here, right? I mean what other option do we have after Lillard absolutely lit up the scoreboard for an absolutely insane 71 points. Lillard had been scoring at high level as of late prior to Sunday’s game and it is impossible to ignore him. The point guard has not scored less than 28 points in his last 13 games, and considering how large of a part of Portland’s offense he is, it’s difficult not to expect this to continue. 

Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans

If you want to talk about volume, Ingram has not attempted less than 19 shots in any of his last five games and he is averaging 26.7 points per game in his last three. This isn’t a situation where we are going to be chasing a double-double, but Ingram is generally good for around five rebounds and assists per game, although it is the offense we are really after and it is difficult (other than with Lillard) to top the volume and offensive upside. 

CJ McCollum, New Orleans Pelicans

It is a homecoming for McCollum if you celebrate those types of things, and someone needs to keep up with Lillard on the offensive side of the ball. McCollum continues to shoot at a high volume on a nightly basis and despite a field goal percentage of just 43.4% on the season, he is still averaging 21 points per game along with 5.9 assists and four rebounds.

Utility

Nassir Little, Portland Trail Blazers

Little will continue to play a solid role with Portland, and I’m not sure how to read into the fact that he only took three shots on Sunday against Houston a game after putting up 26 points. The good news though is that all three of those shots were converted three-pointers and Little also added nine rebounds to finish off a solid DFS performance. This is still something we can work with. 

Drew Eubanks, Portland Trail Blazers

It is a favorable matchup for Eubanks and he should carry a heavy load once again with Jusuf Nurkic sidelined. We aren’t going to see Eubanks play much more than the 22 minutes he got on Sunday, but with nine points and eight rebounds it still is a solid DFS effort for the price. 

Herbert Jones, New Orleans Pelicans

Jones will continue to play at least 30 minutes per night, but we need him to do a better job of shooting the ball in his time on the court. That notwithstanding, the forward finished with 10 points and six rebounds on Monday and the expectation is that is the floor we are dealing with. 

Dart Throw

Matisse Thybulle, Portland Trail Blazers

Portland continues to bestow a heavy workload on Thybulle, and that meant 36 minutes of run on Sunday. We have seen him come through offensively in the past, and that is what will keep us on the hook despite the fact that all he did with his recent playing time was finish with eight points, three rebounds, and two assists. 

Naji Marshall, New Orleans Pelicans

Marshall has seen a slight decrease to his role as of late, but with Richardson’s status in question, the forward could expect to see a little more run tonight. In 23 minutes on Monday, Marshall scored just four points although he did add six rebounds and three assists which gives us a little bit to work with. 

Jaxson Hayes, New Orleans Pelicans

With New Orleans thin in the frontcourt tonight, there is a greater emphasis on Hayes. On Monday, we saw that take place as Hayes got 25 minutes of playing time, and the good thing is that we get him for practically free, so the bar of production isn’t too high. We don’t need much more than the six points and five rebounds Hayes put up on Monday, and there is a good chance we get it.