Update: Yes, Porzingis will return to action vs. the Clippers.
Kristaps Porzingis is scheduled to play, minutes undetermined right now but will likely play in shorter spurts, per Rick Carlisle
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) January 21, 2020
Porzingis will have his minutes watched, so he isn’t really a viable play in Showdown given the price.
Will Kristaps Porizingis ($8,200) finally return to action for the Dallas Mavericks? After missing the last 10 games, he’s listed as questionable to play, but Rick Carlisle says he expects the star to play as long as he feels good. Even so, we need an update since KP has been declared good to go only to be scratched shortly before the game as recently as last week.
Carlisle just now: “If he’s feeling good, he’ll play.” https://t.co/9tF9yKuEji
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) January 20, 2020
The Los Angeles Clippers are also dealing with a key injury of their own. Paul George is listed out because of a hamstring injury, making this his ninth consecutive missed game.
Captain’s Picks
For me, this really comes down to whether Porzingis plays or not. If he’s out, Luka Doncic ($19,800) goes from being a really good play to a really, really good play. With KP off the court, Luka has a 39.4% usage rating and scores 65.56 DKFP. If Porzingis is active, I lean towards Kawhi Leonard ($17,100) as the strongest play on the high end. Benefitting from the absence of George, Leonard usage is at 38.3% in the Clippers’ last four games. Over this stretch, he’s averaging 57.3 DKFP and offers a bit of salary savings compared to Doncic.
FLEX Options
If Porzingis is ruled out, we can expect Dwight Powell ($6,200) and Maxi Kleber ($6,000) to continue playing significant roles. If KP is in, both of them are fades. The other role player who benefits without him on the floor is Tim Hardaway Jr. ($6,400). THJ has a 22.8% usage rating and scores 32.82 DKFP sans Porzingis.
From the Clippers, Landry Shamet ($3,000) is a value play to consider. He recently moved back into the starting lineup and his minutes are on the upswing. In the last three games, Shamet is playing 29.3 minutes per game and averaging 21.83 DKFP. He’s one of the only cheap options in this game with reasonable upside.
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