Injury Report

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Chicago Bulls @ Charlotte Hornets

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

CHI -5 (-205), CHA +5 (+170)
Game Total: 226

Key Storylines

What are we doing Bulls?: The Bulls announced on Saturday that Ayo Dosunmu would be re-evaluated in 10 days and then listed him as doubtful for Monday’s game. I’ve seen this happen once or twice before and well, you can likely expect the original timeline to hold true. Doubtful practically means out on almost every occasion anyway. Sometimes teams are just confusing with their reporting.  In other news, Coby White has broken out of his shooting funk in the past two games (buy-low window closing or shut already) and Nikola Vucevic has finally missed some shots in three of his last four games, although, I still think his first two months of play will maintain some sell-high chances moving forward, for now. He might be more top 30-to-35 from here rather than the first-rounder he’s been so far. 

Many Doubts, but Mark Williams isn’t one of them: The big guy is trending up with 26 and 22 minutes in his last two games. His per-minute value has been excellent and he should firmly esconce himself as a 12-team as long as the health and minutes persist. I want to see him play around 25-to-27 MPG minimum, if he gets higher, even better for us, though maybe lower minutes are better for his health. LaMelo Ball (stream Vasilije Micic), Brandon Miller (Seth Curry got the spot start) and Cody Martin are all doubtful for this game. 

Stream of the Game

Vasilije Micic is the easy choice for dimes and maybe more.

Alternatives:

Patrick Williams
Josh Green
Seth Curry
Lonzo Ball (deep formats)

New York Knicks @ Washington Wizards

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

NYK -12 (-650), WAS +12 (+470)
Game Total: 230

Key Storylines

55: Jalen Brunson just dropped 55 points with nine dimes on the Wizards in an overtime win on Saturday. He was questionable for that game with calf tightness and is questionable again tonight. Maybe that means he should be fine. Or maybe playing big minutes in overtime (a Thibs special) might mean the calf issue is a little too bothersome this time. Miles McBride, Cam Payne and Landry Shamet should benefit in that order with McBride being the stream of choice if Brunson misses out. 

Kyle Kuzma exists: The Wizards forward returns from a month-long absence to the distraught of Justin Champagnie’s fantasy GMs. I don’t see a world where Champagnie continues to start with a full roster, but perhaps if Jordan Poole (questionable) is out, they may shift Brogdon (spot start for Poole last game) back to the bench and keep Champagnie in there a little longer? Champagnie has certainly earned more chances, but he is a player on a two-way contract (meaning he gets 50 NBA games). Since this game is early, you can wait for lineup announcements though I’m not sure Champagnie is worth risking outside of deeper formats as he might just disappear entirely despite his recent run. 

Stream of the Game

Bub Carrington is trending back up and had been starting over Malcolm Brogdon again even before the recent Poole absence. Points, assists, potential rebounds and 3s here.

If Poole is out, I prefer Malcolm Brogdon over Carrington.

Alternatives:

Alexandre Sarr (questionable, arguably more than a streamer but under 50% rostered)
Justin Champagnie (risky)
Precious Achiuwa
Miles McBride
Corey Kispert
Kyshawn George (had a better one off the bench without Poole on Saturday)
Landry Shamet deep formats
Cam Payne deep formats

Los Angeles Clippers @ New Orleans Pelicans

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

LAC -5 (-192), NOP +5 (+160)
Game Total: 220

Key Storylines

Jan. 4th for Kawhi Leonard: A bit of under-the-radar news broken by Law Murray of The Athletic (we got that to you on our blurb feed, which we have an app for now) over the weekend was that Leonard is targeting a return on January 4th, if my memory serves me right, that’s vs. the Hawks. Expect Leonard to be eased in. Expect him to sit half of every back-to-back set. If he gets going, expect strong per-game value. That right knee is clearly a problem though, just like Joel Embiid’s left knee (Leonard’s is worse though, I think). 

Week-to-Weeks: Last week we learnt that Zion Williamson and Jose Alvarado are expected to practice fully this week after beginning their reconditioning, and that they are considered week-to-week. It’s the most positive news we’ve had on Williamson in a while and hopefully it means we see him in January. 

Stream of the Game

Yves Missi is questionable, but should generally be rostered as far as I’m concerned. He has helped one of my 12-team 9-cat teams in need of some boards in recent weeks.

Actual streamer? Kris Dunn has played bigger minutes in the past few games and is a nice source of dimes plus steals.

Alternatives:

Kevin Porter Jr. (shaky)
Derrick Jones
Amir Coffey (deep formats)
Nicolas Batum (deep formats)
Brandon Boston Jr. (shaky recently)
Daniel Theis – better if Missi is out
Jordan Hawkins (think of the “it’s a make or miss league” advertisement)

Denver Nuggets @ Utah Jazz

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

DEN -7 (-270), UTA  +7 (+225)
Game Total: 239

Key Storylines

Aaron Gordon out for “a bit” but not expected to be as long as the first time: That was more or less the report on his right calf strain. Russell Westbrook has gotten the starts over Peyton Watson, though Watson still got decent production in the first game sans Gordon. I don’t think Watson will be as good as a streamer this time but he is still worth a flier from game to game, rather than a semi-permanent roster spot. 

Mixing and Matching: The story here is that you cannot trust Jazz streamers. Micah Potter fills in then becomes a DNP. Isaiah Collier gets one start. Svi Mykhailiuk gives us production in multiple starts then gets benched. Now Cody Williams started the last game (not a good stat-getter). Head coach Will Hardy is giving fantasy managers trust issues. 

Stream of the Game

Is Christian Braun becoming available? If so, add him and hold him. Otherwise, Peyton Watson is a low-end stream with upside assuming Russell Westbrook is rostered.

Alternatives:

Jordan Clarkson if he is on your waiver wire
Julian Strawther (risky)
Brice Sensabaugh (very risky)

Say a prayer and hope for the best:
Kyle Filipowski?
Johnny Juzang
Isaiah Collier
Svi Mykhailiuk

Dallas Mavericks @ Sacramento Kings

Game Time: 10:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

DAL +4 (+145), SAC -4 (-175)
Game Total: 229

Key Storylines

Dinwiddie, Grimes and the suspended Marshall: Marshall has three more games to serve on his suspension before he returns next Monday (January 6th @ MEM). Something that went under the radar I think, was that Marshall got the first spot start in the absence of Luka Doncic (calf) for the next month-plus. Spencer Dinwiddie and Quentin Grimes have been good so far, but when Marshall’s suspension is up, I’d be willing to take a flier on him to see if the Mavs revert to their original lineup…unless Dinwiddie just plays so well that he holds the spot from now on. 

Kings of Drama: De’Aaron Fox is speaking his unfiltered thoughts on a daily basis it seems like. Mike Brown was fired from his head coaching gig. Doug Christie is now the interim head coach. On @RunItBackFDTV on X, Lou Williams said that DeMar DeRozan was apparently asked to come off the bench and Fox was continuously singled out, which may have been contributing factors to Brown being fired and perhaps even losing the locker room. We don’t know the truth for sure, but the DeRozan thing is interesting considering the contract he just got; although, you might hope that would be to start Keon Ellis but we saw that Ellis didn’t even always get prioritized when DeRozan or other wings were sidelined…so…who knows? Doug McDermott was ready to shine and DeRozan didn’t allow it…

Stream of the Game

Spencer Dinwiddie (a long-term stream) and Quentin Grimes (also a potential long-term stream) may still be floating around in some parts of the world.

Alternatives:

Kevin Huerter (shaky)
Keon Ellis (shaky)
Trey Lyles (shaky)
Maxi Kleber (shaky with PJ Washington back after his one-game suspension, but could fill in for Dereck Lively II – questionable – in very deep formats)

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Golden State Warriors

Game Time: 10:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

CLE -4.5 (-185), GSW +4.5 (+154)
Game Total: 230.5

Key Storylines

Jarrett Allen looked better: Allen had been in a slight slump, but broke out of it vs. the Nuggets over the weekend with a strong showing. Allen should be fine, although, while Evan Mobley improving offensively helps them play together, we must remember that Mobley is more naturally a center so it could hurt Allen at times. Overall, Allen should be fine. 

Jonathan Kuminga career-high 2x in a row: That’s right. Kuminga dropped a career-high 34 points on Friday night without Steph Curry or Draymond Green. Then, he tied that career-high on Saturday night with Curry and Green in the lineup. Maybe this is the start of another hot streak from Kuminga, so roster him, although I’ll always remain unconvinced about it lasting throughout the season. Trayce Jackson-Davis is also doing his thing and should be rostered everywhere while his current role persists.

Stream of the Game

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