NBA Grind Down: Friday, March 28th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2014-03-28 21:16:12

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 NBA 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

Charlotte at Orlando

Vegas Line – Charlotte -4, 193.5 Over/Under
Charlotte Proj. Starters – Walker-Henderson-Kidd-Gilchrist-McRoberts-Jefferson
Orlando Proj. Starters – Oladipo-Afflalo-Harkless-O’Quinn-Vucevic

Charlotte

There are 12 games on the schedule tonight which means we will have a TON of fantasy options to choose from. With the extremely large slate, the focus of the Grind Down today will be on the picks and I will try to keep the team analysis short and sweet. The Bobcats have a pretty solid matchup tonight against the Magic who play at a slightly quicker pace and are ranked 14th or worse against all five positions on the floor. While Gerald Henderson is worth a look, the top two fantasy options here are Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson. I like taking Walker more when he is at home, so Jefferson will get the nod as the top play.

Al Jefferson – Jefferson is having a career year and according to his opponents, he is “unstoppable” whether you double or triple team him. He can knock down 18 footers, is one of the best back to the basket players in the game, and he has even shown the ability to beat his opponents off the dribble. Jefferson is averaging 20 points and 14 rebounds against the Bobcats this season.

Orlando

The Magic have a less than favorable matchup tonight. The Bobcats are allowing the 4th fewest points per game this season and are ranked 8th or better against SG’s, SF’s, and PF’s. Jameer Nelson is expected to be back in the lineup which really hurts the value of Victor Oladipo. Both PG’s for the Magic will likely hurt each other’s fantasy production. I don’t mind taking Nikola Vucevic at Center, but there are so many good Center options today that I don’t see him making his way into any of my lineups.

Boston at Toronto

Vegas Line – Toronto -9.5, 194 Over/Under
Boston Proj. Starters – Rondo-Bradley-Green-Humphries-Bass
Toronto Proj. Starters – Lowry-Derozan-Ross-Johnson-Valanciunas

Boston

These two teams met the other night in Boston and the Raptors held the Celtics to only 90 points while picking up a 9 point victory. I expect much of the same tonight. The Raptors are allowing the 5th fewest points per game this season and are above average defensively against all five positions on the floor. Rajon Rondo could be worth a deeper look if his price is still cheap enough, he did manage to put up 39 FP’s in only 32 minutes of play against the Raptors the other night.

Toronto

The Raptors are gearing up for the playoffs and Coach Casey has really muddied the situation in terms of fantasy value. Casey has stated that he is going to try to limit Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan minutes down the stretch and it’s been very tough to predict which nights that’s going to happen. With that in mind and the fact that the Raptors are close to double-digit favorites, I’m going to avoid both Lowry and DeRozan in cash games. I don’t mind Amir Johnson at PF, but his price has finally caught up to his recent level of production so you can no longer take him at a discount.

Jonas Valanciunas – Big Val dominated the Celtics bigs the other night on his way to 15 points and 14 rebounds. I don’t see any reason why tonight would be any different. Patrick Patterson is still out for the Raptors and Big Val has topped 33 minutes in 3 of his last 4 games. He is a great punt option at Center.

Indiana at Washington

Vegas Line – Indiana -1.5, 187 Over/Under
Indiana Proj. Starters – Hill-Stephenson-George-West-Hibbert
Washington Proj. Starters – Wall-Beal-Ariza-Booker-Gortat

Indiana

The Pacers and Wizards are two teams that play at a below average pace and have above average defenses. That typically does not translate into high fantasy production from the players. The Wizards are allowing 100 points per game which is right around the league average. This isn’t a terrible matchup for the Pacers, but there are certainly more favorable matchups on the schedule. David West has been matchup proof all season long and makes a decent play at PF if the price is right.

Paul George – The Wizards are ranked 17th against SF’s this season and George’s price is depressed across the industry. In two games against the Wizards this season George is averaging 15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals per game. That equates to just under 40 FP’s per game. I think you can expect a similar performance from him tonight.

Washington

The Wizards have a tough matchup tonight against the Pacers who are starting to look like the defensive force that they were early in the season. The Pacers have held their opponents under 92 points in 6 straight games and will look to continue that trend tonight. If that isn’t enough to persuade you, how about the fact that the Pacers are ranked 7th or better against all five positions on the floor? This is an easy one, avoid all Wizards’ players tonight.

Cleveland at Brooklyn

Vegas Line – Brooklyn -9.5, 197.5 Over/Under
Cleveland Proj. Starters – Jack-Waiters-Deng-Thompson-Hawes
Brooklyn Proj. Starters – Williams-Livingston-Johnson-Pierce-Plumlee

Cleveland

The Cavs travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets who are gearing up for a deep playoff run. The Nets are a team that really likes to slow the pace of the game down and even though they have given up well over 100 points per game over their last 7, I’m just not a huge fan of this matchup. The Nets are better than average defensively against every position with the exception of SG. Jarrett Jack is still in play on FD at $5,200, but his price is too expensive on the other major sites.

Dion Waiters – Waiters is the only Cavs player that you should be targeting in cash games tonight. Waiters has been on an incredible run since Kyrie went down and is coming off of a game-winner the other night against the Pistons. The Cavs are ranked 23rd against SG’s this season. Waiters has played 6 games since being inserted into the starting lineup and his worst outing during that stretch was for 30 FP’s.

Brooklyn

The Nets have a decent matchup against the Cavs, but this game is expected to be played at an average pace and the Cavs have actually been very stout against opposing bigs. The Cavs are ranked 12th and 6th against PF’s and Centers this season. Deron Williams is in play at PG as the Cavs have surrendered the 3rd most FP’s to opposing PG’s this season. The best about about Williams is that he is always under-owned which could give you an edge on the rest of the field.

Shaun Livingston – Livingston has been extremely consistent for the Nets. He has topped 20 FP’s in 10 straight games and his price is still affordable across the industry. He doesn’t have incredible upside, but he has a very high floor which is something that you want to target in cash games. If you are looking to punt the PG spot, Livingston is a nice option.

Miami at Detroit

Vegas Line – Miami -6, 202 Over/Under
Miami Proj. Starters – Chalmers-Wade-James-Bosh-Oden
Detroit Proj. Starters – Jennings-Stuckey-Singler-Smith-Monroe

Miami

As surprising as it may sound, Dwyane Wade is a GTD tonight. Ray Allen has already been ruled out of tis game so the Heat are going to have to give big minutes to some of their role players tonight, especially if Wade ends up sitting out. It’s hard to give my analysis on this game without knowing Wade’s status, but if he ends up sitting out, Chris Bosh and LeBron James would both see a nice uptick in production. The Pistons have given up the 4th most points per game this season which really opens up the door for Bosh and James if Wade ends up sitting.

Detroit

The Pistons have a tough matchup against the Heat, but the good news is that they have the recipe to beat them. The way to beat the Heat is to dominate them down low and then try to limit their fast-break opportunities. While he Heat may struggle with the latter, they certainly have the talented bigs that can cause problems for the Heat. The Heat are ranked 2nd or better against PG’s, SG’s, and SF’s though so I highly recommend staying away from Jennings, Singler, and Smith.

Andre Drummond – Drummond is averaging 13 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game this season against the Heat in only 27 minutes of play. He has been in foul trouble in 2 of their 3 meetings and if he can manage to stay out of foul trouble tonight, he could easily have himself a 20 point, 20 rebound night. Drummond is one of my top plays tonight if you can find a way to get him into your lineups.