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.
The Definites
Kevin Love will sit tonight to get some rest. There is nothing to worry for Love owners -- just a standard rest day. However, the daily fantasy world will see a boost to Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Channing Frye and Tristan Thompson. James sees a 13% increase in usage with Love off the court while Irving gets a boost of 20%. The last time Love sat out, Thompson saw 32 minutes and accrued 15 rebounds. In that game, Anderson Varejao played 27 minutes, and he is no longer with Cleveland anymore. Those minutes will likely go to Frye. While one person won't benefit the most, these four will all likely see an increase in production against Washington tonight.
Louis Williams is out tonight, and Kobe Bryant may sit again as well. Jordan Clarkson is actually in the same boat as Bryant for tonight with the questionable tag. D'Angelo Russell went off for 39 points last time Bryant sat out, and now with Williams out and maybe Clarkson joining him, Russell could be in for a big night, though he apparently has a minutes cap of around 35. There is a boost in value to Anthony Brown, too. Williams has a 22.6% Usage Rate while Bryant has a 30.2% Usage Rate, per NBAWowy.com. Someone who will benefit from these guys sitting that you may not expect is Julius Randle. His production increases when they are off the court, and there will be more shots to be going around.
The To-Be-Determined List
Jahlil Okafor has missed the last two games and is questionable again for tonight. His shin has been bothering him, and the 76ers are handling this injury very cautiously. Jerami Grant will benefit with him sitting again. Grant is just $5,000 on FanDuel and $4,900 on DraftKings.
Evan Fournier is probable to return tonight and if he does, Mario Hezonja's value will be destroyed, and it will also hurt Victor Oladipo's value a little. I'm afraid of playing Fournier tonight in daily fantasy because it is unclear how many minutes he will actually play.
Michael Carter-Williams has missed some time recently and is listed as questionable again for tonight's game. If he is officially ruled out, Jerryd Bayless has been great compared to his prices on FanDuel and DraftKings. Bayless just returned from his own injury a few games ago and has proven to be a valuable asset in the DFS world.
As always, make sure to check our player news section for the latest notes and updates from around the league. Good luck tonight!