FanDuel NBA 3-Man Challenge Strategy: Wednesday, November 27th
Hello Grinders. FanDuel is giving us four games to work with on today’s daily fantasy basketball 3-Man challenge. In terms of injury news, I highly recommend you keep tabs on The Situation Room. Here’s a quick recap of some news regarding the four games covered on this slate:
Atlanta Hawks – DeAndre Bembry is questionable
Milwaukee Bucks – George Hill is doubtful, Khris Middleton is probable
Los Angeles Clippers – Kawhi Leonard could rest on the back-end of this back-to-back
Memphis Grizzlies – Ja Morant is questionable, Kyle Anderson is questionable
Miami Heat – Justise Winslow is probable
Houston Rockets – Clint Capela is questionable
Minnesota Timberwolves – Jake Layman is out, Shabazz Napier is doubtful
San Antonio Spurs – N/A
I’m going to highlight some of my favorite DFS plays in each price tier:
$1 Range
JaMychal Green – It’s pretty ugly in the $1 range today, but Green stands out as one of the better options. As mentioned above, this is the back-end of a back-to-back for the Clippers, so there’s a chance they rest someone like Kawhi Leonard here, and perhaps even give Paul George a breather (or scale back his minutes). Leonard played 28 minutes on Tuesday, while George played 29. Green, meanwhile, put up a 5/8/1 line with 2 blocks in 23 minutes on Tuesday, so he should be fresh. There’s always a chance Green creeps into the starting lineup too should one or both of the Clippers studs rest. Oh, and this is a revenge game for Green against the Grizzlies. Narrative street!
Maurice Harkless – I won’t go into great detail about Harkless, as his situation is pretty much the same as I just discussed for Green above. There’s a chance he’s the one called upon to start over Green, which would enhance his outlook for this game. I do prefer Green over Harkless in the $1 range, however, as CourtIQ shows that when Leonard is off the court this season (I’m assuming he’s out here), Harkless averages just 0.68 fantasy points per minute while Green averages 0.82 fantasy points per minute. Given these numbers Green is my preferred target of the two, but both are worth monitoring.
Tyus Jones – This recommendation is only if Ja Morant misses the game. Morant tumbled into the stands in his last game and landed on some camera equipment, hurting his back. If Morant is out, that should shift Jones into the starting lineup. With Morant off the floor this season, CourtIQ shows Jones as averaging 0.81 fantasy points per minute. Jones is not a high usage player, but there would be a decent route to 25-30 FD points should Morant miss this game. If Morant plays, I wouldn’t have any interest in Jones.
Kelly Olynyk – Let me just preface by saying Kelly O dropped 37.7 FD points in his last game, but that was with the team missing James Johnson and Udonis Haslem to illness, and the team also without Justise Winslow. Johnson and Winslow are expected to play in this game, giving the Heat around 11 available bodies instead of the nine they had last game. I still expect Olynyk to remain in the rotation and play a key role, but it’s likely he doesn’t get 31 minutes again or this much usage. I still think Olynyk is a solid option in the $1 tier, but I do worry what his role might be with the Heat finally getting healthy.
$2 Range
Jonas Valanciunas – JoVal is averaging just 23.6 minutes this season, so he basically plays just half the game, which does cap his upside. Despite playing half the game, he’s still averaging 26.27 FD points per game, meaning he’s been a strong per-minute producer. This is a spot where the Grizzlies will likely need his size against the likes of Ivica Zubac and Montrezl Harrell. Valanciunas dropped 35 FD points last game in just 26 minutes so there is massive upside if he can get 24-28 minutes.
Khris Middleton – Middleton enters the day a complete wildcard, as he’s missed the team’s last seven games with a thigh injury. The coaching staff has already announced he’s going to be on a minutes limit, but refused to tell us what that limit would be. This is a juicy matchup against a Hawks team that ranks 29th in defense, meaning this is a very exploitable matchup for Middleton. We may not get any insight into how much playing time Middleton gets today, making him very risky. He could easily pay off his $2 price tag if he gets 25+ minutes, but it’s going to be a guessing game unless news leaks before lock.
Jaren Jackson – Jackson would benefit if the Clippers rest one or both of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. He’s now dropped 34+ FD points in back-to-back games and like teammate Jonas Valanciunas, he’s been a fine point-per-minute producer. The problem with Jackson has been his foul trouble – his 7.0 fouls per 48 minutes puts him 2nd in the NBA. If Jackson can stay on the court and avoid being too handsy, there’s fantasy upside here. It’s a big if, however, so just know there’s risk given his tendencies to hack his opponents.
$3 Range
Andrew Wiggins – It feels weird to tout Andrew Wiggins in the year 2019, but it seems like he’s turned a corner. The Timberwolves moved Jeff Teague to the second unit last game, which paves the wave for Wiggins to play more point and be more of a play-maker in the first unit. He’s now scored 31+ FD points in three straight games and the matchup against the Spurs isn’t as daunting as it looks initially. The Spurs actually rank as the 5th worst defensive team right now and haven’t looked good this season, meaning there’s a solid chance Wiggins continues to produce some fantasy goodness.
Bam Adebayo – I don’t love trying to pick on Clint Capela, but the Rockets are among the top third of the league in terms of allowing points to opposing centers. Adebayo has also been locked into heavy minutes this season, averaging a career-high 32 minutes per game this season. The return of James Johnson and Justise Winslow do complicate things a bit, but it shouldn’t impact Adebayo’s role too greatly as the team seems committed to him in this offense as one of their main centerpieces.
Lou Williams – If Leonard is out, CourtIQ shows us that Williams is second on the team in usage this season at a 32.8% rate and averages 1.19 fantasy points per minute. I would actually like Williams more if he remains in the second unit and comes off the bench, as he wouldn’t have to fight with Paul George in the starting lineup for shots (assuming George starts). This is a spot worth monitoring as Williams has a ton of fantasy appeal if Clippers rest their stars and give Williams more free reign to run the offense.
$4 Range
Trae Young – I don’t love picking on Eric Bledsoe or this stout Bucks defensive, but Young has shown 50+ FD point upside in any matchup and it’s hard to ignore. I do worry the Hawks won’t be able to keep this game competitive on the road and with the Bucks getting Khris Middleton back, but if the game does remain close, it’s going to be on the back of Trae Young.
Russell Westbrook – Westbrook has not been as dominant of a fantasy player this season as in previous years now playing alongside James Harden, but his box score may help keep his ownership down. Westbrook hasn’t topped 38 FD points in his last three games, but he has several games this season where he’s exploded for 58+ FD points. The upside is there, and there’s a chance Jimmy Butler is tasked with guarding James Harden, which could force more offensive responsibilities onto Westbrook.
$5 Range
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Giannis is my favorite $5 option, as Harden will likely get Jimmy Butler defense and Karl-Anthony Towns has not been good against the Spurs historically. Yes, Harden will can win any matchup and yes, KAT’s history against the Spurs isn’t predictable of what he’s going to do today, but those are reasons enough for me to prioritize Giannis over those two. Giannis gets the best matchup too, facing a Hawks team allowing the 8th most fantasy points to opposing power forwards. Jabari Parker isn’t going to stop Giannis, and frankly nobody is. The only thing that could keep Giannis from reaching a ceiling game is the score board, as I could see a route where the Bucks blow out the Hawks and Giannis doesn’t get his normal 4th quarter rotation. Still, if there’s a blowout, it’s possible it’s at the hands of Giannis anyway in the first three quarters.
Thanks for reading, and good luck tonight. May variance be on your side.