The Raptors are playing for the second night in a row as they host the Nets on Wednesday night. Brooklyn is starting a back-to-back of its own, so both teams could be managing their rotations uniquely. The Raptors listed RJ Barrett ($9,300; illness), Gradey Dick ($5,700; hamstring) and Immanuel Quickley ($6,900; elbow) as questionable and ruled out Bruce Brown (injury management). With plenty of usage potentially available, Ja’Kobe Walter ($3,800) should be on your radar as a good bargain play for DFS contests on DraftKings. Walter was also added to the injury report as questionable with a sprained finger.
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SG/SF Ja’Kobe Walter vs. Brooklyn Nets, $3,800
With Barrett, Dick and Quickley out Tuesday afternoon, Walter got a spot start for the Raptors against the Celtics. He struggled, though, going just 1-of-10 from the field and 0-for-4 from three-point range. He finished with just three points, two rebounds, two assists and 10 fantasy points in 22 minutes. Part of his shooting issues could have been a result of his finger injury.
If he’s able to play through the issue on Wednesday, Walter should be in a much better spot to bounce back if he’s in a similar role on Wednesday. The No. 19 overall pick in last year’s NBA Draft has shown a good ceiling with big games against the Pelicans, Rockets and Knicks over the past few weeks.
On Sunday, Dec. 22 against the Rockets, Walter had a career-high 27 points before fouling out in 28 minutes. He added three assists and two rebounds to finish with 36.5 fantasy points in that contest. Before Tuesday’s letdown, he had reached at least 15 fantasy points in each of his prior 10 games with at least 20 minutes.
If he gets another start and has a clear path to 20 minutes, he should easily return good value and has the potential to go off like he did against the Knicks or like he did in his memorable double-double at the end of November against the Pelicans, when he finished with 40.25 fantasy points on 14 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
Walter was added to the injury report as well as questionable due to a finger injury, so be sure to check to find out who exactly is available for the Raptors. If Walter is out as well, Davion Mitchell ($3,300) and Jamison Battle ($3,100) could get more work, although neither has shown the upside that Walter has flashed.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
