FanDuel Price: $4,700
Projected FanDuel Points: 28.5
Projected FanDuel Value: 6.07
As with Ellington, James Johnson is in line to benefit from the Heat's injury situation once again. As he's stepped into a more solidified role without Whiteside, the combo-forward has averaged 25.8 minutes per game and 1.29 FanDuel points per minute. He turned in a monster performance last game with 47.5 FanDuel points for a value better than 10 points per $1,000.
Johnson's big game came against the lowly Sacramento Kings, so it wasn't all that surprising. Tonight, the Lakers present a marginally tougher matchup as the NBA's 12th-best defense since the break. But it shouldn't matter much with the Lakers still playing at a top-five pace (104.25 possessions per game).
The Lakers' style and injury situation is also in favor of Johnson getting minutes. Kyle Kuzma's questionable, which could lead to the Lakers going small with Isaiah Thomas in the starting lineup. Either way, the Lakers have played a lot of smaller, offensively-charged lineups with Julius Randle leading from the center spot. The last time the two teams played, Johnson guarded Randle on 27.5% of Miami's defensive possessions, according to NBA.com. Expect more of the same with Johnson set to produce fantasy points at less than $5,000.