Daily Fantasy Basketball Injuries and Updates for 3/11/16
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
DeMarcus Cousins has been suspended for the Kings' game tonight following an altercation in the huddle with coach George Karl. This isn't the best case scenario for a Sacramento team that is trying to make one last push for the playoffs. Fortunately for us though, his absence will free up a lot of opportunities for his teammates. Willie Cauley-Stein and Kosta Koufos will see a large increase in minutes and usage. Below is a chart that shows the difference between Kings' players fantasy points per minute on FanDuel with Cousins on and off the court.
| FanDuel Points per Minute | With Cousins | Without Cousins |
|---|---|---|
| Rajon Rondo | 1.07 | 1.04 |
| Rudy Gay | .91 | 1.01 |
| Kosta Koufos | .81 | .83 |
| Willie Cauley-Stein | .79 | .79 |
| Quincy Acy | .75 | .90 |
| Omri Casspi | .81 | .91 |
Rondo actually sees a decrease in value while everyone else benefits. Also consider that this is a per-minute comparison, so if Koufos and Cauley-Stein see anywhere near 30 minutes of playing time, as they did last time Cousins sat out, they could both be great plays tonight on relatively inexpensive prices.
Nikola Vucevic has already been ruled out for Friday's game against the Kings. What could have been a great showdown of centers between Cousins and Vucevic has quickly turned into a much less appealing matchup between Koufos and Jason Smith. Smith will get the start again for the Magic and will be paired with Aaron Gordon in the frontcourt. Gordon has the higher ceiling between the two and could be put up very large numbers against a fast Kings team that is missing Cousins.
Mario Chalmers has been waved by Memphis after rupturing his Achilles tendon. On top of that, Mike Conley is apparently out indefinitely, as reported in the same article. The top two guards for the Grizzlies are out, and unfortunately, there isn't a clear answer to what they will do at the point guard position. They just signed Briante Weber from the D-League to a 10-day contract. Weber isn't even in the daily fantasy player pool, so you won't be able to play him even if you wanted to. Lance Stephenson will likely see a few extra minutes and may run the offense at some points.
The To-Be-Determined List
Zach Randolph is questionable tonight for the banged up Grizzlies. Randolph has missed the last two games. and in his absence JaMychal Green has been very productive. In his last two contests, he played 37 minutes in both and averaged 16.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Green is a very interesting DFS play tonight if Randolph does sit out. If Z-Bo can return to the court, Green's value will have a much lower ceiling.
As always, make sure to check our player news section for the latest notes and updates from around the league. Good luck tonight!
