Daily Fantasy Basketball Injuries and Updates for 3/8/16
In daily fantasy basketball, every edge matters.
One of the easiest ways to find an edge is to understand what happens to a team when injuries occur. Who stands to benefit? Who might struggle as a result? That's all vital information during the lineup-building process.
What should you know about tonight's slate of games? Let's break it down.
As always, you should make sure to double-check our NBA Player News page before finalizing your lineup.
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The Definites
Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili will all take a seat Tuesday night and gain some rest. The Spurs do this every year to keep everyone fresh for the postseason. Tonight, San Antonio travels to Minnesota and will be without the "big three" from a few years ago. With the veterans sitting out, basically everyone on the Spurs gets an increase in value. However, that isn't very helpful to you. So to narrow in on a few, Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Boban Marjanovic and Patrick Mills will all benefit the most. Below is a chart that showcases just how much their Usage Rate increases without those three on the court.
| Player | With Everyone | Without Duncan, Parker, Ginobili |
|---|---|---|
| Kawhi Leonard | 23.1% | 32.9% |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | 23.7% | 28.7% |
| Boban Marjanovic | 22.5% | 29.6% |
| Patty Mills | 16.4% | 22% |
Tonight could be a big night for these four as they take on the lowly Timberwolves. There's always a chance that the Spurs blow teams out, especially Minnesota, and rest their players in the fourth quarter. But, with Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili all sitting, the T-Wolves have a better chance to keep it just close enough all game long. As of now, though, the Spurs are 10.5-point favorites.
The To-Be-Determined List
Kobe Bryant: another day, another questionable tag for the Black Mamba. He isn't that noteworthy, but when he sits, the rest of the Lakers receive a much bigger role in the offense. Bryant is ninth in the league with a Usage Rate of 29.8%. So if he is sidelined tonight, look for D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson to carry a lot more weight.
Louis Williams is out or the next two games, so both Russell and Clarkson will continue to see a lot of the workload. Russell's price tag on daily fantasy sites are increasing as he improves, though. Our new NBA DFS tools show that Russell's price on FanDuel has increased the most in the league over the last 10 games.
As always, make sure to check our player news section for the latest notes and updates from around the league. Good luck tonight!
