The Grizzlies are finishing a back-to-back on Saturday night as they host the Magic, and predictably, they had a lengthy injury report as a result:
Ja Morant ($9,300) has played each of the two games for Memphis so far this season, producing 45.25 fantasy points in a win against the Jazz and 25.0 fantasy points in Friday’s loss against the Rockets.
Morant picked up an injury at some point, though, since he is questionable with left thigh soreness for Saturday’s game. Jaren Jackson Jr. ($7,900) is also questionable after missing the first two games, so there’s a lot of uncertainty in the Grizzlies’ rotation at this point.
If Ja is na, starting Scotty makes sense
One of the biggest beneficiaries of Morant sitting out would be Scotty Pippen Jr. ($4,200), who played 20+ minutes in each of Memphis’ two games this season but would be in a much more productive role if filling in for Morant.
Pippen has produced 1.1 fantasy points per minute with an 18.3% usage rate. Forty of his 45 minutes have come with Morant off the floor, and he produces 1.21 fantasy points per minute in that scenario.
Last season, Pippen was one of the Grizzlies’ best backcourt performers with Morant sidelined. In the 20 games Pippen played with Morant out, he averaged 1.12 fantasy points per minute and 27.9 fantasy points per game.
If Morant is out or plays and is limited, Pippen will be a great play at just $4,200 in DFS contests like the NBA $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st].
Other players impacted by Ja’s potential absence
If Morant is a no-go, the other point guard option the Grizz would use besides Pippen would be Marcus Smart ($5,800). He’s obviously less of a bargain than Pippen and doesn’t have quite the same upside. He only played 20 minutes in Friday’s loss and produced 12.75 fantasy points. He’d have a higher ceiling vs. the Magic without Morant.
Desmond Bane ($7,800) would also get a boost in usage from Morant’s absence, and he showed last season that he can go off and post monster stat lines when called upon to be the alpha in the backcourt.
Meanwhile in the frontcourt
If Jackson returns, he too could help shoulder the usage that Ja vacates, but he’s expensive at almost $8,000 and could be limited in his return. He would be a boom-or-bust fantasy option if available with or without Morant.
Whenever Jackson returns, he’ll take playing time from Santi Aldama ($5,200), who started the season strong with 37.75 fantasy points against the Jazz before struggling to only 15.74 fantasy points in Friday’s loss. Jay Huff ($3,900) could also be squeezed out of the rotation despite back-to-back solid performances as a backup big man who is up from the G League.
The Bottom Line
Morant will likely do all he can to play through the soreness since the Grizzlies are playing their home opener. They are 2.5-point underdogs right now and Morant is -125 to score 20 points. Pippen’s props are off the board since they’ll be so impacted by Morant’s availability.
If Morant sits, Pippen will be an excellent DFS play while the other Grizzlies will all have a higher ceiling due to the added usage.
If Jackson is ready for his season debut, he’ll be a boom-or-bust play but take value away from the Grizzlies’ other frontcourt options.
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