NBA Grind Down: Monday, November 11th
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
Atlanta at Charlotte
| Atlanta | Charlotte | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 194.5 |  | Vegas | 194.5 | |||||||
| Spread | -2.5 | Spread | 2.5 | |||||||||
| Pace | 100.39 | Pace | 94.14 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 2 | 2 | 25 | 14 | 23 | Season | 19 | 28 | 19 | 5 | 15 | |
| Last10 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 14 | 23 | Last10 | 19 | 28 | 19 | 5 | 15 | |
| Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Horford | Walker-Henderson-Kidd-Gilchrist-McRoberts-Jefferson | |||||||||||
Atlanta
The Hawks are playing at a quick pace (100) and are currently the 7th highest scoring team at 105 points per game. The story of the Hawks this season has been the play of their big men. Both Al Horford and Paul Millsap are playing at All-Star levels and have really gelled quickly. Both big men will be in play tonight against a weak interior of the Bobcats. With Al Jefferson expected to be back in the starting lineup, it only bumps up their value even more as he isn’t nearly as good of a defender as Biyombo.
The Bobcats play at a slow pace, but they are not a solid defensive team. While Walker and MKG have been shutting down opponents PG’s and SG’s, the rest of the team ranks in the bottom half of the league against their respective positions.
Players to Target
- Al Horford – Tough choice between Horford and Millsap, but I like the fact that Horford is facing a banged up Jefferson who doesn’t have great defense to begin with. Horford has scored over 40 FP’s in four of the six games this season and has a great shot to top that number again tonight.
- DeMarre Carroll – Carroll remains a great value play thanks to his 30+ minutes every night. Carroll is not the best offensive player, but he is a great defender and a good rebounder. He is going to get open looks in this uptempo offense and it’s hard not seeing him making value tonight.
Charlotte
The Bobcats are a team that plays much better at home. I expect this game to be a close one that goes down to the last couple of minutes. The Bobcats are one of the slower paced teams in the league (94) and are only averaging 90 points per game which is only higher than the Jazz. That said, now that Al Jefferson is back in the lineup, expect their offense to pick it up a bit.
The Hawks big men have done a decent job of defending as shown by their DvP ranks of 5 and 15 against opposing PF’s and C’s, but the rest of the team has struggled to defend their positions. A lot of that has to do with the fact that the Hawks want to push the ball and their defense often takes a backseat. That opens up a few options tonight on the Bobcats, but I’d suggest taking a wait and see approach with Jefferson.
Players to Target
- Kemba Walker – I think both wings (MKG & Henderson) carry some value in this game as well, but I really like the matchup for Walker. Kemba averages almost 8 more FP’s at home than he does on the road and should excel in an uptempo game. Kemba can attack the rim as well as create shots off the dribble. He has a great chance of topping 35 FP’s tonight.
Memphis at Indiana
| Memphis | Indiana | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 184.5 |  | Vegas | 184.5 | |||||||
| Spread | 6.5 | Spread | -6.5 | |||||||||
| Pace | 95.39 | Pace | 95.03 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 13 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 4 | Season | 10 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 2 | |
| Last10 | 13 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 4 | Last10 | 10 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 2 | |
| Conley-Allen-Prince-Randolph-Gasol | Hill-Stephenson-George-West-Hibbert | |||||||||||
Memphis
The Grizzlies and Pacers are two of the best defensive teams in the league. They are also two of the slowest paced teams in the league. That’s not a good combination for DFS. Neither the Pacers or the Grizzlies are giving up more than 100 points per game and this one has the feeling that it will be in the high 80’s or low 90’s for both teams.
The Pacers rank in the top 13 against every single position on the floor. They do not give us anything to work with. You could take a shot on Marc Gasol whose price is a bit depressed, but there just isn’t much fantasy appeal in this one. The Grizzlies are a safe fade tonight.
Indiana
The Pacers rank in the bottom half of the league in both pace of play (95) and points score per game (94). There have been a few bright spots on the Pacers this year though as Paul George has come out of the gates on fire and Lance Stephenson has been an excellent value play through the first couple of weeks.
The matchup against the Grizzlies isn’t a great one. Even though there are a couple of green numbers in the DvP rankings, the Grizzlies have a great defense and this game should be a defensive battle. George Hill is expected to be limited again tonight which hurts both his value as well as C.J. Watson’s value.
Players to Target
- Lance Stephenson – Even though the matchup doesn’t favor Stephenson in this one, he is still under-priced on a few different sites. Stephenson has scored at least 25 FP’s in five of his first seven games this season and has always played well at home.
San Antonio at Philadelphia
| San Antonio | Philadelphia | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 204.0 |  | Vegas | 204.0 | |||||||
| Spread | -6.5 | Spread | 6.5 | |||||||||
| Pace | 97.62 | Pace | 102.50 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 30 | 29 | 26 | 21 | 9 | Season | 14 | 5 | 11 | 9 | 12 | |
| Last10 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 21 | 9 | Last10 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 9 | 12 | |
| Parker-Green-Leonard-Duncan-Splitter | Carter-Williams-Anderson-Turner-Young-Hawes | |||||||||||
San Antonio
The Spurs are coming off of a dominant performance against the Knicks in New York. While I would typically be concerned about the Spurs players when they are in a back to back situation, none of the starters played over 25 minutes yesterday so they should have fresh legs heading into tonight’s game. The Spurs have slowed their tempo down a bit this season, but are right in the middle of the pack in both pace of play and points scored per game.
The matchup for the Spurs couldn’t get much better. The Sixers have been one of the worst defensive teams in the league this season giving up 107 points per game. The Sixers rank in the bottom third in the league against every position except for Center and that’s exactly how I will be treating this game. Everyone on the Spurs is in play except for Tiago Splitter.
Players to Target
- Tony Parker – Parker could still get ‘Popped’ in this one, but I think that he should get his regular minutes as he only ended up playing 23 minutes yesterday. The matchup really favors Parker in this one, the Sixers rank dead last against PG’s and he should make a push for 20 points and double-digit assists.
- Danny Green – Green got off to a very slow start this season, but he’s turned it on of late with two 40 FP performances in his last three games. The matchup couldn’t get any better as the Sixers often get lost on defense in transition. Look for Green to spot up and knock down quite a few 3’s tonight.
Philadelphia
The Sixers are one of the fastest paced teams in the league at 102 possessions per 48 minutes. That has translated into them scoring 106 points per game. They are an extremely fun team to watch that are always going to be on the fantasy radar when they take the floor. The problem with the Sixers is consistency, every starter has had huge swings in their fantasy performances except for James Anderson.
The Spurs have really improved on defense this season, but I don’t see much defense being played in this one. The Spurs rank in the top 15 against every single position, but they’ve really only defended SG’s really well.
Players to Target
- Spencer Hawes – Hawes is always an under-played fantasy option because he just doesn’t have that household name and people don’t think he can keep up this kind of production. But he’s averaging over 35 FP’s per game and has been an excellent fit in this offense. Until he slows down, there is no reason that you shouldn’t have him in your lineup.
- Michael Carter-Williams – MCW is going to have a big size advantage over Parker. He should be able to attack the rim and shoot right over him. While MCW has really struggled to contain other PG’s from scoring, he is averaging 2.5 steals per game and that’s really the only number that we care about.
Orlando at Boston
| Orlando | Boston | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 188.5 |  | Vegas | 188.5 | |||||||
| Spread | 3.0 | Spread | -3.0 | |||||||||
| Pace | 99.89 | Pace | 95.34 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 4 | 12 | 4 | 22 | 21 | Season | 9 | 15 | 5 | 30 | 13 | |
| Last10 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 22 | 21 | Last10 | 9 | 15 | 5 | 30 | 13 | |
| Nelson-Afflalo-Harkless-Nicholson-Vucevic | Crawford-Bradley-Green-Bass-Olynyk | |||||||||||
Orlando
The Magic and Celtics played the other night in Orlando and it came down right to the very end. Tonight’s game will be in Boston, but I expect the results to be very similar. It should be a fairly low scoring game and neither team will likely be able to pull away from the other.
If you look at the DvP rankings, the Celtics have really struggled against Centers, but a lot of that had to do with Faverani’s bad defense. Now that the C’s have Olynyk starting, they should be much better at defending Centers. For me, that takes Nikola Vucevic out of play and he has really been the only consistent player thus far for the Magic.
Players to Target
- Jameer Nelson – I like Jameer as a GPP play tonight. He’s off to a slow start this season, but his minutes haven’t wavered and he’s still the engine of this offense. It’s only a matter of time before he gets hot and has a big game. I don’t love him for cash games, but he has good upside that you need with GPP picks.
Boston
The Celtics are not a high scoring team, but they are full of cheap players that are getting above average minutes. Jeff Green, Avery Bradley, Brandon Bass, Jordan Crawford, and Kelly Olynyk are all in play every night because they are extremely cheap yet they are seeing huge minutes. The matchup against the Magic is good for everyone except for Green. The Magic have been very good against SF’s this season and Green struggled in their first matchup scoring only 20 FP’s. The rest of the starters are in play though.
Players to Target
- Jordan Crawford – Crawford is a scorer that usually doesn’t do much else on the floor. But he’s getting around 30 minutes a game as a starter and he is cheap across the board. No one seems to be playing him, but he’s scored over 25 FP’s in three of his last four games and has a good shot to get there again tonight against the Magic who haven’t been great against guards that can shoot.
- Kelly Olynyk – Olynyk took over the starting position and he’s not looking back. He has played very well in limited minutes this season and should really blossom as a starter. He is a much better defender than Faverani and should push for around 30 minutes tonight if he can stay out of foul trouble. If he’s minimum salary on the site that you play on, make sure to get him in your lineup.
Cleveland at Chicago
| Cleveland | Chicago | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Pts | 186.0 |  | Vegas | 186.0 | |||||||
| Spread | 8.0 | Spread | -8.0 | |||||||||
| Pace | 97.74 | Pace | 96.08 | |||||||||
| Opponent Defense vs. Position | Opponent Defense vs. Position | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | DvP Rks | PG | SG | SF | PF | C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 26 | 3 | 23 | 24 | 16 | Season | 24 | 13 | 22 | 16 | 7 | |
| Last10 | 26 | 3 | 23 | 24 | 16 | Last10 | 24 | 13 | 22 | 16 | 7 | |
| Irving-Waiters-Clark-Thompson-Varejao | Rose-Butler-Deng-Boozer-Noah | |||||||||||
Cleveland
Both of these teams are in the bottom 10 in points per game and tonight probably won’t help either team’s cause. The Cavs are only averaging 94 points per game and have a below average matchup against the Bulls who are only giving up 93 points per game. The value of the Cavs tonight is really going to depend on their individual prices, because the matchup on paper is not a good one. In other words, look for value and if there isn’t any, then avoid the Cavs tonight.
Players to Target
- Dion Waiters – Waiters is the one player on the Cavs that I noticed had a cheap price. His slump to start the season has brought his price down to a very playable level on a few sites such as FD and DK. I still don’t love the matchup, but he’s underpriced and has good upside as he can both hit open shots and create off the dribble.
Chicago
The Bulls really need Derrick Rose to get going. He is only shooting 32% from the field this season and has put up some awful fantasy performances. While I usually like to buy low on star players, I’m just not sure how long this slump is going to last for Rose. He’s hitting something that 8% of his pull up jumpers. Teams are giving him space and he just isn’t knocking them down. He’s going to shoot his way out of it, but he’s too risky of an option right now, even at his depressed price.
The Cavs have struggled to defense SF’s and PF’s this season so there is some value tonight in both Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng. Of the two, I think Deng has the better chance to cover his value because he is cheaper and usually plays more minutes.
Players to Target
- Luol Deng – Deng has played at least 36 minutes in each of his last 4 games and should reach that number again tonight. He is coming off of a huge game against the Jazz in which he was 1 assist shy of a triple-double. Deng has an above average matchup and a decent price tag.