NBA Grind Down: Friday, December 6th
Welcome to the RotoGrinders NBA Grind Down Article. Each day, we’ll break down all of the matchups with a focus on defense vs. position stats. The Grind Down shows you Vegas lines, defense stats and projected starting lineups for each and every game.
The analysis should point you in the right direction, but it is still up to you to decipher the information and make your own selections. Use this article to help you gain a better understanding of the matchups for the coming week and build from there. We have everything you could possibly need on our Daily Research console for you to be a successful daily fantasy player!
Note: Any Fantasy Point Average Listed Uses FanDuel Scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s NFL Scoring System, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review
Click ‘Stat Chart’ Buttons Below for Pop-Ups of Essential Game-Specific Statistics including Defense vs. Position and Pace
Philadelphia at Charlotte
- Vegas Line – Charlotte -6, 195 Over/Under
- Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Wroten-Turner-Thompson-Young-Hawes
- Charlotte Proj. Starters – Walker-Henderson-Taylor-McRoberts-Jefferson
Philadelphia
Lot of games on the schedule tonight, so I will keep the team analysis to a minimum and focus more on the recommended plays. This game features an extremely fast paced team and a very slow paced team. I think that the result will be somewhere in the middle. Michael Carter-Williams has been ruled out of tonight’s game which means Tony Wroten will get another start at point.
The Bobcats have defended all positions well except for SF and Center. While I do like the rookie Hollis Thompson, I don’t think he makes a great play with all of the other options available. Spencer Hawes makes a solid GPP play, I don’t think Jefferson is going to be able to guard him on the perimeter.
- Tony Wroten – Wroten will likely be one of the most popular plays tonight and for good reason. He really played well in his stint as the starter a few weeks ago and his price is so low that he’s close to a must play in cash games. Even though the DvP ranks suggest otherwise, the huge spike in minutes more than makes up for it. Play Wroten, you’ll be glad that you did.
Charlotte
The Bobcats are coming into this game as the league’s lowest scoring team. They are only averaging 88 points per game. Luckily for them, facing this Sixers defense cures all offensive woes. The Sixers are giving up a league high 110 points per game and if you look at their DvP rankings, you will see nothing but blue. They rank in the bottom 8 against every single position so everyone on the Bobcats is in play tonight.
- Kemba Walker – My favorite position to target this season has been the PG facing the Sixers. The Sixers have been ranked dead last against PG’s all season long and their struggles should continue tonight against Kemba. Kemba really plays well at home and should have no problems finding open shots for himself and his teammates.
- Gerald Henderson – Henderson is flying under the radar tonight. I think he makes a great play tonight against this Sixers defense that is also ranked dead last against SG’s. With MKG out, look for Henderson to play big minutes in a dream matchup. Things are lining up perfectly for him to top 30 FP’s in this one.
Milwaukee at Washington
- Vegas Line – Washington -10, 190 Over/Under
- Milwaukee Proj. Starters – Knight-Mayo-Middleton-Ilyasova-Henson
- Washington Proj. Starters – Wall-Webster-Ariza-Hilario-Gortat
Milwaukee
The Bucks are going to be without both Zaza Pachulia and Ekpe Udoh tonight. While you can never trust Coach Larry Drew’s rotation, you have to think this is a game that John Henson will top 35 minutes. If so, he is one of my favorite plays of the night. The Wizards have been a very average team defensively this season and haven’t defended any single position particularly well. They are ranked 17th against PG’s and 24th against SF’s so you could make a case for both Brandon Knight and Khris Middleton.
- John Henson – Henson is a walking double-double when he gets the minutes. He has such great length that he is able to block shots and grab rebounds that no one else can. With the injuries to Pachulia and Udoh, you have to think Drew finally lets him loose. If he does, this could be a monster night for Henson. I’m going out on a limb here and predicting a 15/15 type of game for Henson.
Washington
The Wizards started off the season as one of the more fast-paced teams, but that has really changed. They are now below the league average in both pace of play and points scored per game. While this game is not expected to be high scoring by any means, I do think there are some nice fantasy plays here. The Bucks are going to be short-handed down low and Nene Hilario and Marcin Gortat should both be able to take advantage. I also think that you can keep using Martell Webster as a value play with Beal out as he is seeing around 35 minutes per game. The price on John Wall is a little steep though.
- Trevor Ariza – Ariza has back to back 30+ FP games and has a nice matchup against the Bucks. He is one of my favorite upside players because he can do a little bit of everything. When he is aggressive defensively, he can get close to double-digit FP’s on blocks and steals alone. Treat him as a nice GPP play with some value in cash games.
Cleveland at Atlanta
- Vegas Line – Atlanta -6.5, 194 Over/Under
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Waiters-Gee-Thompson-Bynum
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Williams-Carroll-Millsap-Horford
Cleveland
The Cavs are only averaging 92 points per game this season, but this game is expected to be pretty high scoring with the total set at 195 points. They are only 6 point underdogs here so we don’t have to factor in a blowout. The Hawks have really only defended one position well this season and that has been PF’s. Expect Tristan Thompson to come back down to Earth after his monster fantasy performance the other night against the Nuggets.
- Kyrie Irving – Irving has played well at times this season, but he just hasn’t been able to string together 4 good quarters. That said, I am very tempted by his price tonight on a couple of the sites. He has a decent matchup against Teague and I think he plays well here. His price on DS might be too low to pass on.
- Andrew Bynum – Bynum is starting to look healthy and starting to play well. While he is still on a 25-28 minute cap, that’s more than enough playing time for him to make an impact on this game. He has a big size advantage over Horford and he could post a double-double tonight.
Atlanta
The Hawks have a nice matchup tonight against the Cavs. The Cavs are the 4th ranked team against Centers, but are below average at defending the other positions. The matchup doesn’t bode well for Al Horford, but both Jeff Teague and Paul Millsap could be in play here. Kyle Korver is going to try to break the all-time record for consecutive games with a 3-pointer. He isn’t a great fantasy option, but it should be fun to watch him get the record.
- Paul Millsap – I mentioned Teague above, but he’s more of a site specific play. Only use him on sites where he is priced at a discount. Millsap on the other hand is in play across the board. The Cavs are ranked 22nd against opposing PF’s this season and Milly has really been playing well over the last couple of games.
Denver at Boston
- Vegas Line – Denver -4.5, 200.5 Over/Under
- Denver Proj. Starters – Lawson-Foye-Chandler-Faried-Hickson
- Boston Proj. Starters – Crawford-Bradley-Green-Sullinger-Bass
Denver
The Nuggets have been a tough team to predict lately. They beat the Nets by 30 and then followed it up with a blowout loss to the Cavs the other night. Tonight they face a Celtics team that has been equally inconsistent. Vegas has the Nuggets favored by 4 and the total set at 200 points. The Celtics have defended SF’s well, but have been pretty average against the other positions on the floor. Wilson Chandler should still cover value in a tough matchup. I will likely be fading Ty Lawson tonight though as Avery Bradley should give him trouble.
- J.J. Hickson – The other day I predicted that Hickson would have a bounce back game against the Cavs and he came through with 15 and 11. My thought process is simple. Use Hickson when he is facing an opponent with a big frontcourt. That will be the case again tonight against the Celtics bigs of Bass and Sullinger. He should see good minutes here.
Boston
The Celtics are in a very favorable matchup against the uptempo Nuggets. The Nuggets are ranked dead last at defending PF’s on the season and are ranked 16th against Centers. The latest big man to have a big game against them was Tristan Thompson the other night. That puts both Brandon Bass and Jared Sullinger in play as the Nuggets have one of the worst interior defenses in the league. I also like the minutes that Jeff Green has been getting, when he sees 35+ minutes, it’s hard not to like him against this Nuggets defense.
- Jared Sullinger – Sully is one of my favorite plays tonight. He’s been right in the range of 25-30 FP’s over the last couple of weeks and draws a fantastic matchup against this weak interior of the Nuggets. Sullinger is one of the better rebounders in the game and I think he is the leading rebounder in tonight’s contest.
- Jeff Green – Even though Chandler is a good defender, Green gets his fantasy points in a variety of ways. When he is aggressive, he can be one of the best value plays on the board. I think the matchup lines up well for him and he puts up around 30 FP’s here.
Orlando at New York
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Nelson-Oladipo-Afflalo-Davis-Vucevic
- New York Proj. Starters – Felton-Shumpert-Anthony-Bargnani-Martin
Orlando
This is an extremely tough game to predict. The Knicks are only 5 point favorites, but they are clearly the more talented team and are playing at home. Last night’s game against the Nets may have been just what they needed to get going. While I won’t be factoring in a blowout for this game, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Knicks come out and dominate them. That said, let’s get to the individual matchups. The Knicks have been very solid down low this season and rank 2nd and 5th against PF’s and Centers. That’s a red flag for both Glen Davis and Nikola Vucevic. Speaking of Vucey, it sounds like he will try to play tonight.
- Victor Oladipo – At this point, Oladipo is going to make my suggested plays every night until he prices himself out. He’s still very affordable across the board and has a nice matchup against the Knicks who are ranked 18th against SG’s. Oladipo will get an even bigger bump if Nelson can’t play tonight. He would see time at the point. He’s one of my favorite plays because he can fill up the stat sheet.
New York
The Knicks are coming off of a monster win in their battle of New York last night. That game was a beating right from the beginning. Maybe that can get them going. Both Andrea Bargnani and Carmelo Anthony have been playing great over the last two weeks and both make good plays again tonight depending on their salaries. J.R. Smith should be avoided though as his thigh has been sore so the Knicks have put him on a minutes restriction.
- Iman Shumpert – Shump is one of the better value plays tonight. He’s close to minimum salary across the board and has a great matchup against the Magic. With Smith’s minutes being limited, look for Shump to play 30+ minutes tonight as long as this one stays close.
- Raymond Felton – Felton has played well since coming back from injury and will have a favorable matchup against the Magic regardless of who starts at PG. Felton is at his best when he is pushing the tempo and the Magic are a team that likes to push the ball as well.