Sorare NBA | Game Week 26 Primer

Welcome to the Sorare NBA Game Week 65 Primer! 

The next round of action kicks off today, and we're here to break down all the relevant information for the upcoming slate. Be aware! Lineups lock early today with the first game tipping off at 1:00 p.m. ET! 

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Let's get into all the action for this weekend of hoops: 

Game Week Rewind ⏮

Big men dominated the top of the leaderboards during Game Week 25, led by Nikola Vučević who topped 80 Sorare Points with a 43-point performance against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. Scoring 39 points above his 10-game average placed him atop the outperformed leaderboard, alongside Gabe Vincent who put up 50 Sorare Points in his only game on the slate, a major boost to lineups given his small cap hit (only 11 L10).

Ironically, Vincent produced the exact same line against the same exact opponent in his previous game. 

A pair of other big men followed just behind Vuc, as Julius Randle and Domantas Sabonis continued their string of great play. The pair's ability to pick up peripheral statistics allows for the occasional ceiling game unlock, and Sabonis in particular has scored more than 70 Sorare Points in two of his last three games. 

Some other notable players that provided significant value included:

• Terance Mann (49 Sorare Points, +35) 
• Onyeka Okongwu (65 Sorare Points, +33)
• Terence Davis (42 Sorare Points, +33) 
• Chris Duarte (33 Sorare Points, +29)
• Damion Lee (41 Sorare Points, +28)

Multi-Game Monitor 🗓

In Sorare NBA, having a player with several games during a competition can be a big advantage — with an extra chance at a ceiling performance.

Nearly every team in the league has two games worth of play on Sorare this week - so I felt it was easier to count just the ones that don't!

3 games: Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors

1 game: Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs

0 games (!!!): Orlando Magic 

Injury Info 🏥

Here are some notable (not all-inclusive) injury/lineup situations to monitor and plan for ahead of this week's games.

• Ja Morant is questionable for Monday's game due to hip soreness. The Grizzlies host a depleted Phoenix Suns team and are more than 10-point favorites at the present time. Unfortunately though, since the Grizzlies' game tips at 6:00 p.m. ET, it's unlikely we'll have too much on Ja's status ahead of Sorare's lock. Though, if Ja were to sit - Tyus Jones slides right back into "PLAY ME" territory. 
  
  
• Lauri Markkanen has missed the last two games and is questionable again on Monday. Walker Kessler had been inserted into the starting lineup even with Markkanen, and his presence may be heavily requested to deal with Rudy Gobert in a "revenge game" on Monday. 

The info below is for Mon., Jan. 16 — but also gives insight into future availability for the rest of the Game Week:

Ruled Out  ❌

• Khris Middleton, MIL (knee), Joe Ingles, MIL (injury management), Chris Paul, PHO (hip), Tyrese Haliburton, IND (knee), Brandon Ingram, NOP (toe), Zion Williamson, NOP (hamstring), Kyle Lowry, MIA (knee) 

Doubtful 🤕

• Gordon Hayward, CHA (hamstring), Klay Thompson GS (injury management) 

Questionable ❓

• Taurean Prince, MIN (ankle), Anthony Edwards, MIN (hip), Rudy Gobert, MIN (groin), Myles Turner, IND (questionable), Herb Jones, NOP (back), Fred VanVleet, TOR (questionable), Andre Iguodala, GSW (hip), Bradley Beal, WAS (hamstring), Caleb Martin, MIA (quad), Clint Capela, ATL (calf), Lauri Markkanen, UTA (hip), Rudy Gay, UTA (back), Landry Shamet, PHO (hip), Ja Morant, MEM (hip), John Konchar, MEM (illness), Kevin Porter Jr., HOU (foot), Patrick Beverley, LAL (illness), 

The designations above are as of Monday at 10:00 a.m. EST. As injury information is breaking at all hours prior to lineups locking, an excellent resource for up-to-date news is the Underdog NBA Twitter account.

Value Plays 🤑

Last Game Week's Value Pick Performances:

Player | L10 | GW 25 Performance 

• TJ McConnell, 13 L10,  37 Sorare Points (+24) 🔥
• Terance Mann, 14 L10, 49 Sorare Points (+35) 🔥
• Dario Saric, 11 L10, 11 Sorare Points (+0) 😐
• DeAndre Jordan, 10 L10, 14 Sorare Points (+15) 😐

It was a mixed week, but McConnell and Mann were among the highest outperformed, leading to massive outputs for those who were creative enough to fit them in! 

Game Week 26 Value Picks:

*Note — these selections are based purely on L10 value in lineups — and do not consider the auction or market prices of the players listed.

TJ McConnell | 16 L10 — Yes, it's kind of unfair to pick up this article and leave the first value pick provided by the previous author (thanks, Ghost). However, Haliburton remains out, thrusting Andrew Nembhard into the starting lineup and McConnell into the lead ball-handling duties with the second unit. In each of his last two games without Haliburton he's recorded more than 30 Sorare Points, mainly on the back of great peripherals. I'd be remiss not to mention his backcourt teammates, who will also have plenty of opportunities alongside him. 

Also Consider: Andrew Nembhard (18 L10), Bennedict Mathurin (20 L10), Chris Duarte (7 L10)

Malachi Flynn | 10 L10 — I feel like I'm already scraping the bottom of the barrel, but I'll trudge on as the substitute value picker. While Flynn may not jump off the page in any way, I'm using a bit of liberty to make this selection. The Raptors are one of two teams that have three games this week and are one of two teams that start the week with a B2B. Fred VanVleet has already been ruled questionable due to a sore back, an area of his body he's already struggled with this year, missing time in December for back spasms. 

When I'm trying to find value, I really want to focus on maximizing opportunity and it just seems that the conditions (VanVleet + three games) are ripe for taking this risk. I do suspect that VanVleet will try to give it a go playing on MLK Day in the Garden, but tomorrow at Milwaukee? Who knows, maybe that's when Flynn shines. 

Walker Kessler | 24 L10 — Kessler has benefitted a bit from Lauri Markkanen's absence, but he was inserted into the starting lineup prior to Markkanen being sidelined. Though the 24 L10 does not scream value, I love banking on these guys that have a floor thanks to peripheral statistics (averaging 10+ rebounds last four games) and also offer immense upside with steals+blocks. In the last four in which he's received extended run, Kessler has had a six and seven block game - massive upticks on Sorare. There's a chance Rudy Gobert sits, and the Minnesota defense is already atrocious. This feels like a fun spot. 

Also Consider: Talen Horton-Tucker (10 L10) 

Follow Logan on Twitter @LHitch09

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