NBA Grind Down: Monday, January 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
Minnesota at Philadelphia
- Vegas Line – Minnesota -6.5, 218.5 Over/Under
- Minnesota Proj. Starters – Rubio-Martin-Brewer-Love-Pekovic
- Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Carter-Williams-Turner-Thompson-Young-Hawes
Minnesota
With only 3 games on the schedule tonight, the Wolves/Sixers game should be the one that you are targeted the heaviest. This game has the highest total by far tonight. The total is currently set at 220 points which is a full 22 points higher than the totals from the other two games. As long as this game stays competitive, it will be a fantasy basketball gold mine.
The Wolves are in a fantastic spot tonight. The Sixers rank in the bottom 4 at defending every position on the floor. All five starters from the Wolves are in play. I wouldn’t hesitate to use 3-4 Wolves players tonight. Kevin Martin is probably the safest play that you are going to find at the SG position, he has a solid matchup and nice upside. Nikola Pekovic is priced fairly across the industry and should have his way down low with Hawes. Corey Brewer also makes an interesting play, he has finally broken out of his slump.
- Ricky Rubio – While the Sixers have been awful at defending all positions, they have been ranked dead last against PG’s all season long. Rubio has topped 38 FP’s in 4 of his last 5 games and excels in uptempo games like this one. While he doesn’t score a lot of points, he does everything else on the floor. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get close to a triple-double tonight.
- Kevin Love – Love is by far the top overall fantasy option tonight. With a few value plays on the board, you should anchor your team with Love. While he will be a popular pick tonight, he should be more than worth his roster spot. Love should have his way inside and post something like 30 and 15.
Philadelphia
The Sixers are also in a very favorable spot tonight. These are two of the fastest paced teams in the league as they both average at least 100 possessions per game. Like I mentioned above, you should really target this game hard tonight with such a short slate of games. The Wolves DvP rankings are very favorable for the Sixers and there aren’t any matchups that need to be avoided here.
All of the starters are in play here as well except for maybe Hollis Thompson. He just isn’t seeing enough minutes to warrant consideration. Evan Turner has been on a nice run lately and makes a solid play. As does Thaddeus Young who has topped 45 fantasy points in 6 of his last 7 games. Even though his price has crept up, he could be worth it tonight.
- Michael Carter-Williams – MCW has had back to back subpar performances and I think this is the perfect situation for a bounce back game. Rubio and the Wolves have really struggled to defend the PG position this season and MCW should get back to filling up all areas of the stat sheet tonight. I have a feeling he will be the top fantasy scoring option from the Sixers tonight.
- Spencer Hawes – Even though Hawes has the worst matchup of the Sixers, I think he is in for a big night as long as he can stay out of foul trouble. Pekovic should have a tough time defending him on the perimeter and Hawes has topped 33 FP’s in 3 of his last 4 games.
Atlanta at Brooklyn
- Vegas Line – Brooklyn -3, 197 Over/Under
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Antic
- Brooklyn Proj. Starters – Williams-Johnson-Pierce-Teletovic-Garnett
Atlanta
The Hawks and Nets is a sneaky game to target tonight. While it doesn’t carry the same fantasy value as the first game of the night, it’s probably the second best game to target. The total is fairly high and the Nets are only favored by 3 points. The Nets have been very average defensively and if you break down each individual matchup, there aren’t any Hawks that I am avoiding.
Kyle Korver has been a nice option at the SF position as he has steadily been right around that 20 FPPG mark. Pero Antic makes a nice punt option at Center tonight, he is playing close to 25 minutes as a starter and is around minimum salary across the board.
- Paul Millsap – Millsap has had a career year and has been on a tear ever since Horford went down with his injury. The Nets are going to have a tough time defending him down low and I have him listed as my 2nd PF tonight. I like him slightly better than Griffin and you can get him at a bit of a discount as well.
- Jeff Teague – With Horford going down, you would think that Teague’s numbers would get a slight boost, but the opposite has actually been true. This could be due to a number of reasons and I’m chalking it up to a long season more than anything. Teague needs to shoulder the load offensively and I think he gets it going tonight against the Nets.
Brooklyn
The Nets are in a pretty favorable position tonight. The Hawks have been very average defensively and have really struggled against the SF and Center positions. The value of a few Nets players tonight depends on the availability of Deron Williams. He missed shootaround this morning and is listed as questionable for tonight’s game. If he can’t go, you can give a nice boost to both Shaun Livingston and Joe Johnson.
The Nets do have Andray Blatche back which should really help bolster their frontcourt. He picked up right where he left off with over 20 FP’s in his first game back. He makes a decent option tonight. Kevin Garnett also makes an interesting value play, I can’t think of a time when his price has ever been this low.
- Paul Pierce – Pierce has had a nice streak of games. He has topped 23 FP’s in 5 straight games and should be able to keep it going tonight. I like his price across the industry and think he makes a nice play here. Take Pierce and possibly Johnson or Livingston if Williams is out.
Orlando at L.A.Clippers
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Nelson-Afflalo-Harris-Davis-Vucevic
- L.A.Clippers Proj. Starters – Collison-Crawford-Dudley-Griffin-Jordan
Orlando
This game is probably my least favorite of the night for fantasy purposes. The Magic are 9 point underdogs which is right on the brink of a potential blowout. While it is possible that this game gets ugly early, I just don’t think the Clippers have the firepower to blow teams out without Chris Paul at the helm.
Nikola Vucevic availability will be a big factor here and it doesn’t look like we are going to find out about his status before the first game tips off. He is currently listed as questionable. If he does get ruled out, give a nice fantasy boost to both Glen Davis and Andrew Nicholson.
- Tobias Harris – Harris is really the only Magic player that I will be heavily targeting tonight. His price is affordable across the board and he has topped 25 FP’s in 6 of his last 8 games. He always seems to be a bit under-owned which is just fine by me.
L.A.Clippers
The Clippers are really going to have to come together to stay afloat while Chris Paul is out. Luckily for them they have one of the best backup PG’s in the league in Darren Collison. The Clippers are in a nice spot tonight, but like I mentioned earlier, this game could turn into a blowout.
- Darren Collison – Collison is close to a must play across the board with the exception of DS who has already adjusted his salary. Collison is close to minimum salary on all of the other sites and should be on all of your rosters. Don’t overthink this one, he’s the top value play of the day and it’s not even close.
- Blake Griffin – When Paul first went down, I thought that it would really hurt Griffin’s fantasy value as Paul creates so many easy shots for Griffin. But looking at it now, I think his value remains about the same and it will be a nice test for himself and his offensive game. He is going to have to start creating his own shots. I like the matchup against the Magic, especially if Vucey is out.