The Grizzlies are in Oklahoma City this Sunday night in a fun Western Conference matchup, but Memphis will be without Ja Morant (shoulder) after the star point guard injured his right shoulder on Friday against the Pelicans. In addition, the Grizz will be without Marcus Smart (finger), who is out for at least two weeks after tearing of the proximal extensor hood of his right index finger. Without Morant and Smart, Scotty Pippen Jr. ($5,300) will be an excellent value play with a high ceiling from his salary at just over $5,000. He may be extremely chalky since he’s an obvious play, but he brings too much upside to overlook just because he’ll be popular.
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PG Scotty Pippen Jr. at Oklahoma City Thunder, $5,300
After starting his NBA career with the Lakers, Pippen has taken a huge step forward since arriving in Memphis. Last season, he stepped up while filling in for Morant and has continued to contribute this season.
In his 32 games this season, he has produced 1.14 fantasy points per minute and 25.5 fantasy points per game. However, he’s shown a much higher ceiling when filling in for Morant. In the 12 games he has played with Morant out, Pippen has averaged 34.0 fantasy points per game. Pippen has a 22.4% usage rate with both Smart and Morant off the floor and has posted 1.19 fantasy points per minute in that situation.
Pippen also comes into this matchup with solid form having posted over 27 fantasy points in three of his last four games, highlighted by 22 points and 44.75 fantasy points last Friday against the Haws. He could have similar upside with more work coming his way on Sunday despite a tough matchup against the Thunder.
Since he should get a heavy workload without Morant, Pippen is a relatively safe midrange value with a high ceilings on Sunday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $100K Fadeaway [$20K to 1st].
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