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There are 10 games in the NBA on schedule for Wednesday night and we’ve got four Showdown contests on DraftKings to sift through. The late game is a matchup between the Magic and Lakers at Staples Center. We’ll have to patiently wait for Anthony Davis’ status up until 10:30 p.m. ET lock time. Davis is a game-time decision, though we’re hopeful to get word beforehand. If AD is ruled out again, we’ll have a good sense of how to approach lineup building for this contest. Anyway, let’s take a look at some of our options on DraftKings.
UPDATE: Evan Fournier (quad) is listed as questionable to play vs. the Lakers.
The Magic will list Evan Fournier as questionable for tonight against the Lakers due to a right quad contusion sustained during the Kings game.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) January 15, 2020
UPDATE: DJ Augustin and Michael Carter-Williams are both out.
INJURY UPDATE - JAN. 15:
— Orlando Magic PR (@Magic_PR) January 15, 2020
D.J. Augustin (sore left knee) and Michael Carter-Williams (AC joint sprain, left shoulder) will not play tonight at L.A. Lakers.
Who should you play in the Captain’s slot?
I talked a bit about this contest on DK Live’s The Sweat this morning. My colleagues thought it be wise to roll with the Lakers, specifically LeBron James ($20,100) and Kyle Kuzma ($11,400). My thinking is simple: don’t do that. I like the value at Captain and I think Quinn Cook ($2,100) makes the most sense.
Cook should see increased minutes with Rajon Rondo sidelined. If the game is a blowout, even better, Cook would be in line for garbage minutes as well. This game will likely be tight, so I don’t know if any one player really blows open the slate. If that is the case, then having Cook at Captain allows us to fit in pretty much every high-priced player. If AD is in and isn’t restricted, we’d be able to fit LeBron, AD and Kuzma into a stack as well.
Who should you play at the UTIL spot?
If you aren’t into that strategy and want to take a more traditional route, then there are a few values I’d like to highlight. With DJ Augustin doubtful for the Magic, Markelle Fultz ($7,400) will play the bulk of the PG minutes. He’s shot the ball well over the past four games and is already getting big minutes starting anyway. Terrence Ross ($5,400) may need to play backup PG if MCW can’t go, and I think Ross is a solid value. He has a streaky shot, but could drop 20-25 points and wouldn’t be limited by the outcome of the game.
As for the Lakers, I think Kuzma is the most appealing UTIL player if you aren’t captaining him. He scored a season-high 36 points over the weekend vs. the Thunder and if AD is out again, would start and see around 30 minutes if the game is close. Orlando has tough interior defense, but the usage and minutes for Kuzma are there.