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NBA Grind Down: Saturday, January 21st

by Chirag Hira (INSPYR) Last Updated 2017-01-22 02:41:53

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Welcome to the RotoGrinders NBA Grind Down. In this all-encompassing preview of today’s NBA action, every game will be broken down statistically, with several key elements highlighted in our charts.

Vegas lines are broken down to show projected team totals, to give you an idea of who is favored to win, and often more importantly, how many points they’re expected to score. We also provide pace numbers, so you can spot a game that might have a few extra possessions and more opportunities for fantasy points.

We also provide position-by-position matchup rankings for every team, to give you an idea of the players who will be in better situations to succeed. Using Defense versus Position data, every projected starter is listed along with his opponent’s rank in points allowed to players of his position. These color-coded charts will help you spot the best matchups of the night at a glance.

If you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use promo code “GRINDERS” to receive the best perks in the industry.

Click here to follow INSPYR on Twitter!

Portland Trail Blazers at Boston Celtics – 5:00 PM ET

Portland Trail Blazers Boston Celtics
Article Image Vegas Total 218.5 Article Image Vegas Total 218.5
Vegas Spread 8.0 Vegas Spread -8.0
Team Total 105.3 Team Total 113.3
Pace +/- -0.4 Pace +/- 1.1
Proj. Starter Damian Lillard C.J. McCollum Maurice Harkless Al-Farouq Aminu Mason Plumlee Proj. Starter Isaiah Thomas Marcus Smart Jae Crowder Amir Johnson Al Horford
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 23 19 24 16 26 Adj. DvP 13 10 27 28 22
DRPM -4.42 0.58 1.11 1.94 1.31 DRPM -2.60 -2.21 0.61 2.93 0.61

Portland Trail Blazers

Welcome to this HUGE Saturday slate! We have 11 games on tap and plenty to break down, so let’s get right into it. The Blazers are traveling to Boston fresh off their one-point loss to the Sixers. Damian Lillard started really well in that game but was unable to finish strong. Lillard’s salary took a slight dip on DraftKings and stayed the same on FanDuel, and he’s a solid play on both sites against Isaiah Thomas (-4.42 DPRM) and the Celtics 23rd-ranked DvP matchup. C.J. McCollum is much cheaper than Lillard on DraftKings but is basically the same salary on FanDuel. He’ll have some potential upside against Marcus Smart but remains a GPP option since he has been cold over his last three games. Make no mistake; he can still provide solid profit if he gets hot.

The Blazers made a starting lineup change AFTER lock last night and brought in Noah Vonleh and Evan Turner for Al-Farouq Aminu and Moe Harkless. That could stick again here tonight, but nothing official has been sent out by the team yet. Vonleh is really the ony interesting one and not even that much. He’s a viable low-end play in cash since he’s the minimum salary on DK and $100 above it on FD. Mason Plumlee had a solid showing against the Sixers and is an extremely enticing play on DraftKings, where his salary is only $5.5k. The Celtics rank 26th against centers, and Plumlee should be able to hit his floor and provide some potential profit. A lot of teams are playing on a back-to-back since there were nine games last night, and the Blazers are playing their third game in four nights.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Damian Lillard $8,400 $8,300 1.13 35.6 -2.1 40.3 -0.1 32.3% 3.1% 23 -4.42
C.J. McCollum $8,100 $7,100 1.00 34.4 -4.0 34.5 -5.1 28.3% 1.6% 19 0.58
Maurice Harkless $4,400 $4,000 0.72 30.4 -7.5 21.8 -10.1 15.7% 0.2% 24 1.11
Al-Farouq Aminu $5,600 $5,000 0.75 28.0 0.7 21.1 0.6 15.1% 1.3% 16 1.94
Mason Plumlee $6,300 $5,500 1.04 27.7 -1.4 28.7 -2.0 19.9% -1.9% 26 1.31
Evan Turner $4,400 $4,100 0.78 25.4 -3.7 19.9 0.6 20.1% 2.8% 24 N/A

Elite Plays – Damian Lillard, Mason Plumlee (DK),

Secondary Plays – C.J. McCollum (DK)

Boston Celtics

The Celtics were one of the few teams that did not play last night, and they last played on Wednesday. Avery Bradley will not be playing in this game due to a sore Achilles, and Marcus Smart will likely start in his place. According to CourtIQ, Isaiah Thomas sees a 2.9 percent usage rate increase with Bradley off the court this season. With Isaiah Thomas not being selected as an All-Star starter, expect him to come out and show the league why he should be selected as a reserve. This little man plays with a chip on his shoulder, and I know this will add some more fuel to his fire. He’s been an elite player this season and does not come cheap. If you’re playing the early slate, he makes a ton of sense and is cheaper than John Wall. Thomas leads the team with a 35 percent true usage rate and faces will face off against Damian Lillard (-2.60) for most of the game. Marcus Smart did not play well against the Knicks in his previous start, but he’s a strong options against the Blazers. You know the defensive stats will be there, and if his shooting form returns, he should easily be able to score 30+ fantasy points. If the Blazers can keep this game close, Smart will also see 30+ minutes chasing around C.J. McCollum.

Jae Crowder has been playing solid ball over his last four games, averaging 29.92 FanDuel points. He played over 36 minutes against the Knicks and should be able to make his salary-based expectations and provide some potential profit. Al Horford has not exactly played great but his minutes remain consistent. He’s a better play on DK since he’s under $7K and sees a 2.2 percent usage rate increase with Avery Bradley off the court this season. Jaylen Brown has played over 18 minutes in back-to-back games for the first time December and could be a viable low-end play if you’re making a stars and scrubs lineup or need some cheap plays in the all-day slate. Amir Johnson is too volatile for my liking, but he did have solid performances against the Blazers last season.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Isaiah Thomas $9,200 $8,900 1.19 34.0 0.8 40.3 3.3 35.0% 3.3% 13 -2.60
Marcus Smart $5,500 $5,400 0.75 30.4 1.4 22.8 -1.3 19.8% -3.0% 10 -2.21
Jae Crowder $5,600 $5,600 0.76 31.9 1.4 24.4 4.9 16.1% 1.9% 27 0.61
Amir Johnson $3,900 $4,000 0.81 20.3 -2.3 16.5 -0.8 14.6% -4.0% 28 2.93
Al Horford $7,300 $6,900 1.03 33.0 1.1 34.1 -2.3 22.9% -2.8% 22 0.61
Kelly Olynyk $4,100 $4,600 0.87 20.8 2.8 18.0 9.7 18.8% 0.8% 22 N/A

Elite Plays – Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder

Secondary Plays – Al Horford (DK), Jaylen Brown

Washington Wizards at Detroit Pistons – 6:00 PM ET

Washington Wizards Detroit Pistons
Article Image Vegas Total 211.0 Article Image Vegas Total 211.0
Vegas Spread 1.5 Vegas Spread -1.5
Team Total 104.8 Team Total 106.3
Pace +/- -2.4 Pace +/- 0.2
Proj. Starter John Wall Bradley Beal Otto Porter Markieff Morris Marcin Gortat Proj. Starter Reggie Jackson Reggie Bullock Marcus Morris Jon Leuer Andre Drummond
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 19 7 13 9 18 Adj. DvP 3 13 16 25 5
DRPM -2.30 -0.13 0.28 1.11 1.79 DRPM -0.22 -0.71 1.33 1.10 1.46

Washington Wizards

John Wall has been somewhat of a streaky player this season but is back to playing at an elite level again. He’ll have a really high floor/ceiling combo against the Pistons due to his elite 34.6 percent usage rate and his elite matchup against Reggie Jackson and his -2.30 DPRM. He’s played 37 minutes in back-to-back games and last played on Thursday, so he should be fresh. Bradley Beal has been in slump even though he is getting the minutes. His salary has dropped accordingly, and he’ll be a viable tournament option since Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is still expected to be out of the lineup. Markieff Morris has been solid over his last seven games, averaging 36.7 DraftKings points per contest. He’s a strong play if you’re playing the early only, since there are not exactly a lot of options to choose from. The bottom could fall out at any time but the position lacks depth.

Otto Porter is another strong play, and he’s had over 38 DraftKings points in back-to-back games. He’s pretty volatile, too, but he goes through stretches of strong play, and he’s in the midst of one of those stretches now. Marcin Gortat has been struggling lately, and his minutes have been trending downward. In addition to that, his upside is capped since the Pistons rank 10th in rebounding differential. Jason Smith has been taking minutes from Marcin Gortat and is the minimum salary on both sites. He lacks upside, but if you’re playing the early only slate, he does open up all the other expensive plays in tournaments. Kelly Oubre’s minutes have been trending in the right direction over the last seven games, but he’s an early only type of play as well.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
John Wall $9,900 $9,500 1.25 36.3 -2.2 45.3 3.6 34.6% 1.9% 19 -2.30
Bradley Beal $6,600 $6,600 0.91 34.3 0.2 31.3 -6.8 26.5% -3.8% 7 -0.13
Otto Porter $6,300 $6,000 0.83 33.7 -2.1 28.0 2.2 15.4% 1.8% 13 0.28
Markieff Morris $6,300 $6,200 0.82 31.5 2.8 25.7 12.3 20.0% -1.8% 9 1.11
Marcin Gortat $5,700 $5,600 0.82 35.2 -4.1 28.9 -6.8 14.1% -0.2% 18 1.79

Elite Plays – John Wall, Markieff Morris

Secondary Plays – Otto Porter, Bradley Beal, Jason Smith, Kelly Oubre

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons have also not played since Wednesday and have won back-to-back games. Andre Drummond has been beasting it on the glass, and he’ll obviously be the top play at the position for the early slate. Reggie Jackson found his groove against Atlanta, but most point guards have this season. He played over 31 minutes for the first time in three games and should play over 30 minutes in a game that is projected to be close. Marcus Morris has been lighting it up over his last couple games, but the frontcourt rotation depends on the availability of Jon Leuer. He was able to participate in practice and looks like he could be making a return. Leuer is not expected to start if he returns tonight, and Tobias Harris is expected to remain in the starting lineup. For what it’s worth, Marcus Morris sees a 4.7 percent usage rate increase with KCP off the court this season.

Reggie Bullock has been starting in place of KCP and the team has not provided an update yet on his status. Bullock is a solid option for the early slate if he starts. Stanley Johnson has also been playing well in the absence of KCP and his salary is also not too inflated. Both players are viable punt options on the early slate.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Reggie Jackson $6,400 $6,600 0.91 29.0 0.0 26.4 -3.1 30.9% 1.8% 3 -0.22
Reggie Bullock $3,700 $3,500 0.61 19.0 11.3 11.7 6.0 15.5% -1.7% 13 -0.71
Marcus Morris $5,100 $5,700 0.70 32.4 3.9 22.8 6.9 19.9% 1.5% 16 1.33
Jon Leuer $4,400 $4,200 0.80 26.8 21.6 17.0% 25 1.10
Andre Drummond $8,000 $7,300 1.17 30.7 -1.2 35.9 2.9 22.0% 1.9% 5 1.46
Tobias Harris $6,000 $6,100 0.81 32.9 0.2 26.7 0.1 21.4% 0.1% 25 N/A

Elite Plays – Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris

Secondary Plays – Reggie Bullock or Stanley Johnson, Tobias Harris

Brooklyn Nets at Charlotte Hornets – 7:00 PM ET

Brooklyn Nets Charlotte Hornets
Article Image Vegas Total 220.0 Article Image Vegas Total 220.0
Vegas Spread 12.0 Vegas Spread -12.0
Team Total 104.0 Team Total 116.0
Pace +/- 0.1 Pace +/- 5.6
Proj. Starter Spencer Dinwiddie Bojan Bogdanovic Joe Harris Trevor Booker Brook Lopez Proj. Starter Kemba Walker Nicolas Batum Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Marvin Williams Cody Zeller
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 18 27 14 8 28 Adj. DvP 30 30 30 24 30
DRPM -0.87 0.81 1.81 0.28 2.25 DRPM -0.23 -3.42 -1.52 2.13 -0.34

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets decided to rest Trevor Booker and Sean Kilpatrick on the front end of a back-to-back last night. It would not surprise me to see them rest Brook Lopez for this one. I’ll have to proceed with Lopez playing since I don’t have an update from the team yet. Lopez will be a risky GPP play since the Nets sit as 12-point underdogs for this game according to Vegas. Sean Kilpatrick and Trevor Booker should also be back in this one, killing the upside of Bojan Bogdanovic and Caris LeVert. Joe Harris has been ruled out, and the replacement starter has not been named yet. LeVert is still getting consistent minutes over his last nine games and should remain a viable tournament play that could get some garbage time run. Spencer Dinwiddie has been starting the four games but has yet to play over 28 minutes. Going to just move on since we have SO many other options to choose from on this slate.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Spencer Dinwiddie $3,800 $3,600 0.67 18.6 6.7 12.5 2.0 17.3% -3.6% 18 -0.87
Bojan Bogdanovic $4,100 $4,400 0.75 26.5 -3.1 19.8 -2.5 21.0% 1.6% 27 0.81
Joe Harris $3,500 $3,000 0.63 22.8 -1.8 14.3 -1.4 16.1% -1.9% 14 1.81
Trevor Booker $5,400 $5,200 0.97 27.2 -2.1 26.3 -1.6 17.2% 2.3% 8 0.28
Brook Lopez $7,400 $6,700 1.10 29.4 0.7 32.2 5.6 28.0% 6.4% 28 2.25

Elite Plays – N/A

Secondary Plays – Caris LeVert, Sean Kilpatrick

Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets get the top fantasy matchup but are also playing their third game in four nights. I could see them starting slowly, but since they did blow the Raptors out last night and their starters played limited minutes, they should have enough left in the tank to smash the Nets. Kemba Walker is always an elite play at home, and his salary actually fell $400 from last night on FanDuel. He’s a high-floor option, but I worry about his ceiling because the Hornets will pull him if this game gets out of hand, like they did the last two games. Nicolas Batum has not been playing his usual heavy minutes but should also be considered a high-floor option against the Nets. Cody Zeller only played 23 minutes last night, but we’ve been targeting centers against Nets and their 30th-ranked DvP matchup the entire season. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marvin Williams are also high-floor options, but I’d rather take a shot at Frank Kaminsky in tournaments if I want more Hornets on my rosters. Frank the Tank is really cheap and did play well last night. He’ll get some garbage time run if this game gets out of hand.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Kemba Walker $7,900 $8,000 1.09 33.8 3.4 36.7 -5.2 30.5% -1.2% 30 -0.23
Nicolas Batum $7,400 $7,600 0.97 34.5 -0.2 33.4 0.8 23.5% 2.1% 30 -3.42
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist $5,100 $5,100 0.76 29.6 3.9 22.4 5.3 14.4% -0.5% 30 -1.52
Marvin Williams $4,900 $4,700 0.74 27.2 -0.4 20.3 -0.2 17.3% 1.1% 24 2.13
Cody Zeller $5,000 $5,000 0.87 26.7 4.0 23.1 2.4 16.5% 1.6% 30 -0.34
Frank Kaminsky $3,800 $3,700 0.80 24.3 -2.5 19.4 -6.6 20.9% -1.5% 24 N/A
Marco Belinelli $4,000 $3,700 0.69 24.6 -3.4 17.1 -0.8 18.5% 3.3% 30 N/A

Elite Plays – Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum

Secondary Plays – Marvin Williams, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Frank Kaminsky

Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks – 7:00 PM ET

Philadelphia 76ers Atlanta Hawks
Article Image Vegas Total 199.5 Article Image Vegas Total 199.5
Vegas Spread 9.5 Vegas Spread -9.5
Team Total 95.0 Team Total 104.5
Pace +/- 0.8 Pace +/- 0.7
Proj. Starter T.J. McConnell Nik Stauskas Robert Covington Ersan Ilyasova Jahlil Okafor Proj. Starter Dennis Schroder Kent Bazemore Thabo Sefolosha Paul Millsap Dwight Howard
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 14 12 21 13 4 Adj. DvP 17 11 10 4 24
DRPM -2.38 -0.24 2.98 3.91 2.39 DRPM 0.42 -1.20 2.68 0.31 -0.86

Philadelphia 76ers

The Process (Joel Embiid) suffered an injury scare last night and was not allowed to finish the game against the Blazers. He has not been playing on the second nights of back-to-back sets, so his sitting out is not entirely a surprise. Embiid said he was good to go after the game and should be available on Tuesday against the Clippers. Jahlil Okafor will likely start in his place but is not a high-upside play against Dwight Howard tonight. He’s performed well in spot starts for Embiid, but there are better ways to allocate your funds today. As I mentioned above, mostly every point guard in the league plays well against the Hawks, and T.J. McConnell should be a viable GPP option. The Sixers are playing their third game in four nights and are also 9.5-point underdogs at the time of this analysis, making McConnell too risky for cash games. Ersan Ilyasova had a strong performance last night, but I don’t like to target guys against Paul Millsap (3.91 DPRM). Dario Saric could play well with Embiid out, but he’s not exactly cheap right now. Robert Covington hit a big three-pointer last night to help the Sixers win and he’s really the best option here. According to CourtIQ, Covington sees a 2 percent usage rate increase with Embiid and Bayless of the court this season.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
T.J. McConnell $5,500 $5,400 0.80 22.5 3.0 17.9 5.4 18.8% 0.3% 14 -2.38
Nik Stauskas $3,500 $3,500 0.57 26.0 -4.2 14.8 -5.4 16.3% -1.8% 12 -0.24
Robert Covington $5,200 $5,500 0.75 30.1 -1.2 22.6 -2.9 17.4% -3.0% 21 2.98
Ersan Ilyasova $5,800 $5,800 0.89 27.3 -1.7 24.4 0.9 22.2% 3.1% 13 3.91
Jahlil Okafor $4,600 $5,300 0.88 22.8 5.0 20.1 6.3 21.9% 1.2% 4 2.39
Nerlens Noel $4,200 $4,500 1.01 15.4 1.4 15.5 -4.0 18.7% 5.6% 13 N/A

Elite Plays – Robert Covington

Secondary Plays – T.J. McConnell

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks will continue their home stand tonight against the Sixers and are playing their third game in four nights. It should not really matter here because Paul Millsap, Dwight Howard, and Dennis Schroder have all played under 30 minutes in their last three games. Kris Humphries has been the man over the last week with Mike Muscala out, and if that’s been their most consistent option, I feel really bad for this team. Still, against the Sixers lacking Joel Embiid, we have to consider Millsap, Howard, and Schroder to be in nice bounce back spots. I read an interesting stat yesterday that really blew my mind. The Sixers, with Joel Embiid on the court, give up fewer points per possession (98.8 per 100) than the Jazz with Gobert (99.6). We all know that Rudy Gobert is an elite defender, but DAMN, Joel Embiid is a difference maker as well.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Dennis Schroder $6,300 $6,100 0.95 30.6 -2.3 28.9 -6.7 29.8% -2.5% 17 0.42
Kent Bazemore $4,500 $4,500 0.75 27.1 -0.3 20.2 4.8 20.8% 4.0% 11 -1.20
Thabo Sefolosha $3,500 $3,600 0.73 25.6 -2.3 18.6 -6.9 14.1% -0.8% 10 2.68
Paul Millsap $8,200 $7,700 1.06 34.1 0.1 36.3 1.6 25.4% 2.7% 4 0.31
Dwight Howard $7,000 $7,300 1.15 29.1 -2.6 33.5 -7.3 18.8% -5.2% 24 -0.86
Tim Hardaway $4,600 $4,900 0.77 22.7 3.1 17.5 0.2 22.7% -4.0% 11 N/A

Elite Plays – Paul Millsap, Dwight Howard, Dennis Schroder

Secondary Plays – Tim Hardaway Jr.

Milwaukee Bucks at Miami Heat – 7:30 PM ET

Milwaukee Bucks Miami Heat
Article Image Vegas Total 206.0 Article Image Vegas Total 206.0
Vegas Spread 2.0 Vegas Spread -2.0
Team Total 102.0 Team Total 104.0
Pace +/- -1.5 Pace +/- -1.2
Proj. Starter Giannis Antetokounmpo Malcolm Brogdon Tony Snell Jabari Parker John Henson Proj. Starter Goran Dragic Dion Waiters Rodney McGruder Luke Babbitt Hassan Whiteside
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 8 16 8 15 12 Adj. DvP 4 22 29 14 9
DRPM -2.34 -0.11 -1.00 1.32 1.31 DRPM 2.61 -0.25 -0.68 -1.54 1.50

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks are ALSO playing their third game in four nights, and Giannis Antetokounmpo fouled out of last night’s game and still put up a solid fantasy line. He did not have a huge performance like he did against the Rockets, but he didn’t entirely kill your lineup either. This is a slight pace-down game for the Bucks, but the Greek Freak deserves a TON of consideration on DraftKings. His salary has fallen all the way $10.4k, and he’ll likely play 37 minutes here tonight. He’s a little bit more risky on FanDuel since he is over $11k, but he is still a high-floor option who has proven multiple times this season that he has a high ceiling as well.

Jabari Parker got it going against the Magic last night but had been struggling up until that point. His salary has not been this low on DraftKings in exactly a month. I would not consider Luke Babbitt an elite defender, and there’s a lot of potential profit to be had here on Parker. Malcolm Brogdon has been a solid cash game play since he was named the starter and has played over 30 minutes again in back-to-back games. Since his salary is inflated to match his production, he’s lacking that elite tournament upside. With 11 games on the slate, we’ll want to keep our focus narrow. Also, I wanted to add that the Bucks are hopeful that they will get Khris Middleton back near the All-Star break. This is great news, and I look forward to how this team develops with his return.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Giannis Antetokounmpo $11,100 $10,400 1.36 34.7 0.5 47.3 4.7 30.1% 4.5% 8 -2.34
Malcolm Brogdon $5,400 $5,400 0.78 24.7 4.9 19.4 3.7 20.4% 0.8% 16 -0.11
Tony Snell $3,600 $3,300 0.52 29.3 -1.3 15.3 -1.0 12.0% -4.2% 8 -1.00
Jabari Parker $7,400 $6,700 0.95 34.1 -1.0 32.5 -1.9 25.3% -1.8% 15 1.32
John Henson $3,500 $3,500 0.87 20.2 1.8 17.5 0.1 15.8% -3.4% 12 1.31
Greg Monroe $5,600 $4,900 1.14 21.2 -1.5 24.1 -9.2 23.8% 6.5% 12 N/A

Elite Plays – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker

Secondary Plays – Malcolm Brogdon

Miami Heat

If your name starts with a J, maybe you should not play on the Heat this season. This team has been getting decimated by injuries and are basically out of the playoff picture. According to CourtIQ, Udonis Haslem sees the biggest usage rate increase with Winslow, Richardson, and McRoberts off the court. So, um, yeah, we’re just going to have to ignore that little bit of information. What we can take from that is Goran Dragic (28.6 percent) leads the team in usage while Dion Waiters (25.8 percent) and Hassan Whiteside (25.4 percent) follow behind him. Goran Dragic is back to playing well and roasted the Mavs and Rockets in his last two games. We’ve always known Kemba Walker to have huge home/road splits, but man, Dragic scores 7.9 more fantasy points at home than he does on the road this season. Dion Waiters has been solid since he was inserted into the starting lineup but will likely be defended by Tony Snell for most of this contest. Snell is not an elite defender but he’s more of a defensive player than he is an offensive option.

I’m not sure what happened to Hassan Whiteside, but can someone tweet me when they find him? He’s disappeared since that big game against the Warriors and that was the only time he’s played over 33 minutes since returning from a four-game absence. I know he’s going to go off soon, but this man has been in a prolonged slump, and unusable in both cash and tournaments. The only plus here is that the Bucks rank 18th in rebounding differential, so there is a chance he has a monster game on the glass. I’m just REALLY skeptical since he could not dominate Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs like Rudy Gobert did last night. Tyler Johnson has also been playing well, but his salary matches his production, so he’s better suited for cash than GPPs since there is not much profit to be had but still plays starters minutes off the bench. James Johnson let us down as we all knew he would eventually and he’ll be a solid GPP option against the Bucks tonight. Neck Tat looks like his minutes are pretty secure.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Goran Dragic $7,100 $7,000 0.95 34.4 2.0 32.5 3.8 29.0% -1.7% 4 2.61
Dion Waiters $5,200 $5,400 0.77 29.7 0.5 22.9 -0.3 26.1% 0.8% 22 -0.25
Rodney McGruder $3,500 $3,000 0.50 25.8 -5.9 13.0 -2.8 11.9% 0.2% 29 -0.68
Luke Babbitt $3,500 $3,000 0.52 15.7 6.1 8.2 5.0 13.4% -3.4% 14 -1.54
Hassan Whiteside $8,500 $7,800 1.16 33.7 -2.7 39.1 -8.4 21.7% -1.9% 9 1.50
James Johnson $6,100 $5,800 0.91 25.7 8.1 23.4 5.1 22.4% -4.3% 14 N/A
Tyler Johnson $6,100 $5,300 0.87 31.0 -0.5 27.0 3.4 21.9% 3.4% 4 N/A

Elite Plays – Goran Dragic

Secondary Plays – Dion Waiters, James Johnson, Tyler Johnson, Hassan Whiteside

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About the Author

INSPYR
Chirag Hira (INSPYR)

Chirag Hira, DFS alias “INSPYR”, has been playing fantasy basketball since 2001. He picked up DFS during the 2015 playoffs and has never looked back. In charge of DFS Alerts for the NBA, Chirag takes it as a daily challenge to break news before anyone else in the industry. He graduated with a degree in sports journalism and his career highlights include interviewing Kobe Bryant and Joe Torre. You can find Chirag on Twitter at C_Hira24.