Elfrid Payton Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

In a surprising move, Elfrid Payton will start for Suns on Sunday after being out of the rotation for most of his time with the Suns. It is uncertain whether Payton will see full starter minutes with Devon Booker capable of playing the point as well as Aaron Holiday off the bench. Payton does come in at the stone minimum on DK and will start so he should at least garner some consideration for DFS contests.

Payton has had a marginal and sporadic role in the Suns' rotation of late, so his unavailability for Wednesday's matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder shouldn't have any overarching effects on the remaining members of the roster. If anything, it's possible Chandler Hutchison joins the rotation, but more than likely, head coach Monty Williams will spread those minutes amongst Cam Payne, Landry Shamet, and others this evening.

Despite clamors for him to be out of the rotation, Payton will remain in the starting lineup at point guard for the Knicks. Rose will come off the bench and should play more minutes, but his floor is slightly reduced coming off the bench. Payton started last game and only played eight minutes, so he's incredibly risky still.

The Knicks will have a different looking lineup today, as Randle will miss his first game of the year with a thigh injury as the Knicks take on the Milwaukee Bucks. Bullock will miss his second game in a row with an ankle injury. Rose is able to return after missing ten games due to COVID, while Noel and Payton are both available as expected. With Randle off the floor, Taj Gibson will start in his place, while Alec Burks stays in the starting lineup in place of Bullock. With Randle playing so many minutes and taking up so many of the Knicks production, there is certainly production to spread around. Rose may not play many minutes, but averages a team leading 1.42 FPM in 75 minutes per CourtIQ. Elfrid Payton, RJ Barrett, and Mitchell Robinson all benefit as well, as they are all expected to play heavy minutes and take some of the rebounds and usage from Randle.

Bullock has officially been downgraded from questionable and won't play in Thursday's matchup against the Washington Wizards due to a sprained right ankle that forced him to exit the Knicks' previous game early, while Payton and Noel are listed as probable on the injury report with their respective ailments. In Bullock's absence, Alec Burks will more than likely step into the starting lineup alongside RJ Barrett on the wing whereas Kevin Knox is a candidate to join the rotation as a depth piece but is still highly unlikely to receive meaningful minutes with the second unit. If Burks does start and Derrick Rose is still a DNP for conditioning reasons, then Immanuel Quickley is poised to lead the bench group in usage as the primary scorer and facilitator this evening.

Robinson is officially available as expected, while Quickley was upgraded from questionable and will be available to play against the Philadelphia 76ers. Payton being ruled out for his fifth straight game should mean Quickley gets the bulk of the point guard minutes, as he's averaged 30 minutes while Payton and Rose have been out. Robinson meanwhile will come off the bench, so Noel should start again as Robinson gets his conditioning back.

Coach Tom Thibodeau mentioned pre-game that Robinson is "pretty much good to go", and should be ready to play against the Philadelphia 76ers. Thibodeau did mention that Robinson would come off the bench, so Nerlens Noel should get the start again, while Taj Gibson's minutes likely get phased out of the rotation. Quickley and Payton are still game-time decisions however. If both were to miss, Alec Burks and Frank Ntilikina would likely get the bulk of the point guard minutes, while Randle would be in line for an even greater usage percentage than he normally has.

Quickley and Payton have officially been downgraded on the Knicks' injury report and won't play in Thursday's matchup against the Orlando Magic due to their respective ailments, and they'll join Derrick Rose and Austin Rivers, who both remain away from the team for different reasons, on the inactive list for tonight's contest. This will leave New York extremely thin at the point guard position, which should allow Frank Ntilikina to see an increase in playing time, but it is still unlikely that he'll be given full reign of the backcourt given the ability of Alec Burks and RJ Barrett to handle playmaking duties for extended stretches of games. Ntilikina is priced at or near minimum price on most daily fantasy sites across the industry, so while it may make him a cash game centerpiece, his poor per minute fantasy production and volatile minute floor likely makes him a viable fade in tournament formats this evening.

The two Knick point guards respond differently to their injuries pregame, as Payton will not be suiting up due to a right hamstring injury, while Quickley is available to play against the Oklahoma City Thunder despite being added to the injury report late last night with a sore groin. Derrick Rose remains out due to the health and safety protocols, while Austin Rivers is out for a personal matter, leaving the point guard minutes to Quickley and Frank Ntilikina. The last game that both Rose and Payton missed, Ntilikana received the start and played 24 minutes, while Quickley came off the bench and played 29. Ntilikina is getting the start again today. With all the injured players off the court, Quickley leads the team with a 29.3% usage, and averages 1.15 FPM in a 188 minute sample per CourtIQ.

Payton and Ntilikina have both officially been upgraded from questionable and will be available to play in Thursday's matchup against the Detroit Pistons despite battling their respective ailments, while Derrick Rose was already previously ruled out as he remains in the NBA’s health and safety protocols and may be required to continue to self-isolate for a currently undetermined amount of time. There haven't been any reports for a minute restriction for Payton, who is set to return from an extended injury absence, and he'll reclaim his usual spot in the Knicks starting lineup at point guard, sending Ntilikina back to the bench following a relatively underwhelming fantasy performance in Wednesday's blowout loss. It remains unclear how head coach Tom Thibodeau will deploy his guard rotation with Payton back in the fold, but no matter how it shakes out, Ntilikina and Immanuel Quickley should be avoided in all daily fantasy formats this evening.