One game with a good amount of fantasy potential is the matchup tonight between the number one and number three teams in the Eastern Conference. The 20-11 Pacers, only 2.5 games behind the Raptors, had their 7 game win streak broken last night in a 92-91 at-the-buzzer loss to the 8-23 Cavaliers. Tonight they will be looking to come back from that disappointing loss as they travel to Toronto for the start of a short two game road trip, while the 23-9 Raptors will be looking to end their current two game losing streak, having suffered losses on the road to the Trailblazers and the Nuggets. 

Victor Oladipo ($8,700/40.10 FPPG) returned to the court last Wednesday after missing the previous 11 games with a knee injury. With him playing around 32 minutes per game with an average 16 points, 6 rebounds and 7.5 assists since his return to the lineup four games ago, his rebound and assist averages appear to have bounced back quickly (average 7.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists pre-injury) but he still needs to put in some work and take some time to help regain his pre-injury scoring average of 24.4 PPG. He also hasn’t had any trouble at all picking back up where he left off in regards to fantasy points with above 30 FP in all four games, including a 57.1 FP showing in the Pacers victory against the Knicks on Sunday. While it may take a little bit for him to get fully back to his pre-injury playing levels, Oladipo has already showed great progress, making him a valuable addition to fantasy lineups tonight. 

With the Raptors plagued by injuries, Kawhi Leonard ($9,700/46.02 FPPG) has seen an uptick in his already high usage lately with 37 and 38 minutes in the two games since he returned to the lineup after a minor injury of his own. In the Raptors loss against the Nuggets on Sunday, Leonard put up a double-double with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists. Except for a few scattered instances, performances like this one have been common for Kawhi this season, whose average 26.3 points per game makes him the leading scorer for the Raptors as well as the 8th ranked player overall in the league for average PPG scored. Leonard has had impressive fantasy performance this season, finishing with 40 FP or above in 73.7% of the games he has participated in since October 30th including two games above 60 FP. With the Raptors  relying on Kawhi even more than usual, he is a solid choice for fantasy players looking for a dominant pick to add to their rosters tonight.

For fantasy players looking for a value pick to add to their lineups, Fred VanFleet ($5,200/21.17 FPPG) might just fit that bill. While VanFleet was out of Sunday’s matchup due to a back injury, it appears that he will start tonight in place of the injured Kyle Lowry. The last time he was in this role he played for 37 minutes, put up a season high 21 points and was also able to add 4 rebounds and 8 assists for 33.8 fantasy points. His scoring has been pretty inconsistent this season, but he will definitely see his playing time increased tonight which will give him more time on the court to put up points. While VanFleet might not be a fantasy player’s first choice on a normal day, with the injuries on the Raptors team thrusting him into a bigger role and his last performance as Lowry’s replacement in mind he is worth looking at as a low priced pick tonight and if he doesn’t pan out Fanduel drops the lowest scoring player in a lineup so he doesn’t add much risk but the upside is substantial. 

Both teams in this matchup will be desperately seeking a win. While the Raptors are still the top team in the East, with their last two games ending in a loss for them they will be working hard to win tonight so they can keep their advantage against the number two Bucks, who only trail them by 1.5 games. The Pacers, who are the number three team in the East will be looking to close their 2.5 game gap to the top while also attempting to recover from an embarrassing loss against the Cavs last night. No matter what team a fantasy player is rooting for, the picks on both sides of this matchup will definitely leave it all on the court tonight as they look to lead their teams to victory.