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NBA Grind Down: Saturday, January 9th

by Andy Smith (a25smith) Last Updated 2016-01-12 05:46:59

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.

Every game is also broken down by our NBA experts, providing an overview of the game and a selection of players to consider from each contest.

Note: As always, if you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use our DraftKings promo code and FanDuel promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.

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Charlotte at L.A. Clippers – 03:30 PM

Charlotte L.A. Clippers
charlottenba Vegas Total laclippersnba Vegas Total
Vegas Sprd Vegas Sprd
Team Proj. Team Proj.
Team Pace 98.24 Team Pace 98.40
Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters
DvP Rks PG SG SF PF C DvP Rks PG SG SF PF C
Proj Starter Kemba Walker Jeremy Lin P.J. Hairston Marvin Williams Cody Zeller Proj Starter Chris Paul J.J. Redick Paul Pierce Luc Richard Mbah a Moute DeAndre Jordan
Opp. Season 10 12 17 7 20 Opp. Season 14 21 9 27 15
Opp. Last 7 10 10 6 19 28 Opp. Season 22 27 23 28 5

Charlotte

Record: 17-18 — Road: 4-11 — Last 10: 2-8

The Hornets are dealing with a rash of injuries and the result has been that they’ve lost five straight games and are just 2 – 8 over their last ten games. The total and spread on this game are still TBD as Nicolas Batum is questionable.

The Clippers have shown improvement defensively, but they can still have their defensive lapses at times so they’re not a team to avoid. These two teams did meet 10 days ago and both teams had a ton of success offensively as the Clippers won 122-117. Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum, and Cody Zeller all had productive fantasy days, and the Clippers have particularly struggled against Small Forwards and Centers this season. The injuries to watch here are Nicolas Batum, who has missed the last three games, and Jeremy Lamb, who was very limited last game, with Jeremy Lin being the primary beneficiary.

Al Jefferson (O)
Nicolas Batum (Q)
Jeremy Lamb (Q)

Elite Plays

Cody Zeller

With Al Jefferson out, Cody Zeller has stepped into the starting lineup and provided solid production. He doesn’t provide huge upside, but he’s seen a four to five minute boost in playing time and has produced at least 20 FD points in nine of his last ten games. He’s flashed 6x upside at his price point, including a 30 FD point performance against a Clippers team that has struggled against centers. On a smaller slate, he’s one of the more viable value options at PF.

FD — $4,900 — PF
DK — $5,400 — PF
Min/Game —Season: 24.2 | Last Five Games: 28.6
FP/Game — Season: 19.6

Secondary Plays

Kemba Walker

With Nicolas Batum ailing and Al Jefferson out, Kemba has shouldered a huge offensive load as he’s averaging 22 FGA per game. Chris Paul is still a very good defender, but Kemba recently poured in 29 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists (46 FD points) against these Clippers. The primary worry here though is that he’s flashed big home/road splits as he’s shooting just 41% on the road, including only 29% from three point land. His usage increase could carry him here, but the presence of “(player-popup)Chris Paul”:/players/chris-paul-1087’s defense as well as road shooting woes are somewhat concerning.

FD — $8,800 — PG
DK — $8,500 — PG
Min/Game —Season: 35.4 | Last Five Games: 36.4
FP/Game — Season: 34.8

Nicolas Batum (if he plays)

He has missed the last three games and is questionable to play today. I typically like to wait a game or two with a player coming back from injury, but if he’s cleared with no minutes restriction then he draws a solid matchup. The Clippers biggest struggles defensively have come against SF and Center, and Batum produced a solid stat line of 19 points, 8 rebound and 6 assists in their first meeting (albeit in 42 minutes).

FD — $7,400 — SF
DK — $7,500— SF
Min/Game —Season: 34.8 | Last Five Games:
FP/Game — Season: 31.9

Jeremy Lin (if he starts)

With Batum missing the last three games, Lin has stepped into the starting lineup and averaged 31 MPG and around 22 FD PPG. There’s some high end PG options today, but not much value at PG so if Batum is out once again then Lin becomes one of the more viable options at PG. In addition to Nicolas Batum’s injury, Jeremy Lamb has also been limited so there are plenty of minutes at SG for Lin to play alongside Kemba Walker.

FD — $5,300 — PG
DK — $5,700 — PG
Min/Game —Season: 26.1 | Last Five Games: 31.3
FP/Game — Season: 21.6

L.A. Clippers

Record: 23-13 — Home: 11-6 — Last 10: 7-3

The Clippers have more than held their own despite the loss of Blake Griffin as they’ve won seven in a row. They’ll face a reeling Charlotte team that has lost five in a row, including a game to these Clippers.

The Hornets are slipping defensively and are now in the bottom half of the league in the above defensive metrics. In particular, they’ve really struggled during their losing streak as they’ve allowed point totals of 111, 111, 109, 104 and 122. This is a plus matchup for the Clippers and the trio of Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan and J. J. Redick are the primary options. Paul Pierce has stepped into the starting lineup for Blake Griffin, but is unlikely to play big minutes, while Austin Rivers, Wesley Johnson, and Jamal Crawford have had their moments but are tough to trust.

Blake Griffin (O)

Elite Plays

Chris Paul

The offense is now running through Chris Paul and he’s responded with increased production. He’s coming off of a monster game against Portland and has topped 40 FD points in four of his last six games.

FD — $9,300 — PG
DK — $9,200 — PG
Min/Game —Season: 32.1 | Last Five Games: 30.4
FP/Game — Season: 37.4

DeAndre Jordan

Jordan saw a big uptick in rebounding last year when Griffin was injured and that has been the case as well this season. He has at least 13 rebounds in each of the past seven games, and the Hornets don’t have the size on the interior to keep him off the glass. His price is on the rise and he hasn’t shown huge upside, but he’s been very dependable an is an elite option for cash games.

FD — $8,000 — C
DK — $8,100 — C
Min/Game —Season: 32.8 | Last Five Games: 32.6
FP/Game — Season: 33.7

Secondary Plays

J. J. Redick

FD — $5,100 — SG
DK — $5,400 — SG
Min/Game —Season: 27.1 | Last Five Games: 26.8
FP/Game — Season: 20.3

Redick doesn’t offer huge upside but like Chris Paul, he’s taken on a bigger offensive load recently and is averaging 19 real PPG over his last five games. The Hornets have struggled against SG all season long and have been even worse recently. The primary drawback with Redick is that he is very scoring dependent so if his shot if off then he will struggle to provide fantasy production.

Chicago at Atlanta – 05:00 PM

Chicago Atlanta
chicagonba Vegas Total 208 atlantanba Vegas Total 208
Vegas Sprd 2.0 Vegas Sprd -2.0
Team Proj. 103.0 Team Proj. 105.0
Team Pace 99.02 Team Pace 98.73
Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters
DvP Rks PG SG SF PF C DvP Rks PG SG SF PF C
Proj Starter Derrick Rose Jimmy Butler Nikola Mirotic Taj Gibson Pau Gasol Proj Starter Jeff Teague Kyle Korver Kent Bazemore Paul Millsap Al Horford
Opp. Season 12 20 19 13 24 Opp. Season 26 7 23 11 23
Opp. Last 7 2 29 19 24 26 Opp. Season 17 21 28 13 13

Chicago

Record: 22-12 — Road: 6-7 — Last 10: 7-3

The Bulls are on a roll as they’ve won six in a row, but will face a tough test in Atlanta. Vegas has this game with a solid total of 208 points and it’s expected to be very competitive so it’s a quality game to target.

The Hawks have not been the same defensive team that they were last season and their huge weakness is on the interior as they are dead last in rebounding differential. Joakim Noah is expected to miss another game so we can expect Taj Gibson and Pau Gasol to continue to be locked into quality minutes, with Bobby Portis chipping in around 20 minutes.

Joakim Noah (D)

Elite Plays

Pau Gasol

As mentioned the Hawks are dead last in rebounding differential so the Bulls starting frontcourt of Gasol and Gibson are in a great spot. Gasol is averaging almost 15 rebounds per game and around 48 FD PPG over his last three games, and draws another elite matchup against an Atlanta team that is 24th in DVP.

FD — $9,000 — PF
DK — $8,200 — C
Min/Game —Season: 31.4 | Last Five Games: 34.0
FP/Game — Season: 38.3

Taj Gibson

Along with Cody Zeller, Taj Gibson is one of the better value plays at PF on the day. Like Zeller, he doesn’t offer huge upside as he doesn’t get huge offensive usage. However, he’s been a lock for 20 to 25 FD points and draws a quality matchup with a struggling Atlanta interior.

FD — $5,300 — PF
DK — $6,000 — PF
Min/Game —Season: 24.9 | Last Five Games: 31.4
FP/Game — Season: 20.3

Jimmy Butler

Butler has taken his game to another level this season and is playing incredible basketball right now. He’s topped 40 FD points in five straight games, and has even registered double digit assists in two straight games. The Hawks’ lack an elite wing defender, which is evidenced by their poor DVP against SG, so Butler is in a nice spot to continue to roll.

FD — $8,600 — SG
DK — $8,300 — SG
Min/Game —Season: 37.9 | Last Five Games: 39.0
FP/Game — Season: 37.2

Secondary Plays

Nikola Mirotic

Mirotic has been tough to trust this year as he’s been very volatile. However, his minutes have become more secure recently as he’s played 27 minutes in four straight games, and has produced double digit real life points in each of those games.

FD — $4,900 — SF
DK — $5,300 — PF
Min/Game —Season: 23.9 | Last Five Games: 27.2
FP/Game — Season: 21.4

Atlanta

The Hawks have continued to play up and down basketball, but check in with a solid team total of 105 points, which is 2.5 higher than their season average.

The Bulls have played solid defense this year, but they are allowing plenty of fantasy points. The Hawks are a tough team to target in fantasy though as they really spread the production around. Their most consistent performer is Paul Millsap, while Al Horford also draws a quality matchup. In terms of DVP, this is a great matchup for Jeff Teague, but his minutes and production have been very unpredictable recently. He does offer tournament upside at his price point, but he’s not playing good basketball right now and is a low dollar GPP play only.

NONE

Elite Plays

Paul Millsap

Millsap has been the most dependable Hawk this season and always carries 40 to 50 fantasy point upside due to his ability to stuff the stat sheet. The matchup is neutral as Taj Gibson is a solid defender, but Vegas likes Atlanta here, and Millsap has been their top option all season long.

FD — $8,400 — PF
DK — $8,400— PF
Min/Game —Season: 33.0 | Last Five Games: 32.2
FP/Game — Season: 37.7

Secondary Plays

Al Horford (borderline elite on DK)

Horford draws one of the better matchup for the Hawks as Pau Gasol is a great offensive player, but sub-par defensively. Horford is particularly cheap on DK and has started to play much better recently with 40 fantasy points or more in four of his last six games.

FD — $7,600 — C
DK — $6,800— C
Min/Game —Season: 31.3 Last Five Games: 31.2
FP/Game — Season: 31.7

Kent Bazemore

Bazemore has been on a roll offensively over his past five games, and the Bulls have struggled against SF all season long. The question here is whether he or Kyle Korver draws the defense of Jimmy Butler as opposed to Nikola Mirotic. If he draws Mirotic’s defense then this is a quality matchup, but if he sees extended minutes against Butler then he will likely struggle.

FD — $5,900 — SG
DK — $6,400— SF
Min/Game —Season: 28.4 | Last Five Games: 29.6
FP/Game — Season: 24.7

Washington at Orlando – 07:00 PM

Washington Orlando
washingtonnba Vegas Total 198 orlandonba Vegas Total 198
Vegas Sprd 2.5 Vegas Sprd -2.5
Team Proj. 97.8 Team Proj. 100.3
Team Pace 100.13 Team Pace 96.42
Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters
DvP Rks PG SG SF PF C DvP Rks PG SG SF PF C
Proj Starter John Wall Garrett Temple Otto Porter Jared Dudley Marcin Gortat Proj Starter Victor Oladipo Evan Fournier Tobias Harris Channing Frye Nikola Vucevic
Opp. Season 17 8 16 14 10 Opp. Season 8 29 30 5 11
Opp. Last 7 21 6 15 16 27 Opp. Season 20 25 30 3 16

Washington

Points Scored Per Game: 101.1 (17 of 30)
Implied Team Total: 98.0
Projected Point Differential: -3.1

This is a below average matchup for the Wizards as they’ll face an Orlando team that plays at a slow pace. They have seen success against Orlando this year though as they have won all three meetings, but have averaged just 99 PPG.

Orlando is a fairly average but they haven’t been a great team to target due to their slow pace. Their primary struggles have come against Point Guards, Shooting Guards and Small Forward though which lines up well for John Wall, Otto Porter, and Marcin Gortat, who are Washington’s top options with Bradley Beal out.

The Wizards do continue to deal with injuries so Garrett Temple, Ramon Sessions and Jared Dudley continue to see solid playing time. Neither offers much fantasy upside but do occasionally have the ability to provide 20 fantasy points if you’re in dire need of value.

Kris Humphries (Q)
Bradley Beal (O)
Dejuan Blair (Q)

Elite Plays

John Wall

He’s struggled over his last three games so his ownership should be down, but those three games did come against top 10 defenses in Cleveland, Toronto and Miami. He’s otherwise been terrific and produced 46 FD points against Orlando on January 1st, and has averaged 19.6 PPG, 3 rebounds and 9 assists in three meetings with Orlando this year.

FD — $9,800 — PG
DK — $9,400 — PG
Min/Game —Season: 35.7 | Last Five Games: 38.2
FP/Game — Season: 40.1

Otto Porter

With all of Washington’s injuries, Porter’s minutes are very secure as he’s averaging 35 MPG over his last five games. He’s topped 30 FD points in four of his last six games, including a 46 FD point explosion against Orlando on January 1st. Tobias Harris is average defensively and Porter is averaging 12 PPG, 9.7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals against the Magic this year.

FD — $6,000 — SF
DK — $6,100 — SF
Min/Game —Season: 32.3 | Last Five Games: 35.0
FP/Game — Season: 25.2

Secondary Plays

Marcin Gortat

Gortat has produced double doubles in five of his last six games, and has been a reliable source of 30 fantasy points recently. This is a fairly neutral matchup so I don’t love his upside, although Orlando’s interior defense hasn’t been great recently. In the three matchups, he’s averaged 11 PPG and 11 rebounds, which are slightly lower than his season averages.

FD — $6,900 — C
DK — $6,700— C
Min/Game —Season: 31.3 | Last Five Games: 32.8
FP/Game — Season: 29.6

Orlando

Record: 20-17 –Home: 12-7 — Last 10: 5-5

While this is a pace down game for the Wizards, this is a pace up game for the Magic. They are slight favorites to finally break through and pick up the win against Washington to avoid the season sweep.

Washington has been one of the better teams to target this season and the key injury to watch here is the status of Elfrid Payton. Victor Oladipo has been very productive at PG with Payton injured, and would continue to be one of the elite values if Payton were to miss another game.

Elfrid Payton (Q)
C.J. Watson (O)

Elite Plays

Victor Oladipo (if Eldrid Payton out)

Oladipo has started the past three games for Payton and has played at least 35 minutes in each. He’s averaging around 35 FD PPG over those three games, and his price hasn’t adjusted around the industry so he’ll be one of better values and most popular plays on the day if Payton is ruled out once again. The matchup against John Wall isn’t ideal so a tournament fade could be an option, but he’s a plug and play for cash games if Payton is out.

FD — $6,000 — SG
DK — $6,800— SG
Min/Game —Season: 29.3 | Last Five Games: 31.4
FP/Game — Season: 26.5

Tobias Harris

Harris is a volatile option that can give you 40 fantasy points or 15 fantasy points, but small forward is thin tonight and the matchup is certainly there against a Washington defense that is dead last in DVP against SF.

FD — $5,700 — SF
DK — $5,700— SF
Min/Game —Season: 32.6 | Last Five Games: 33.6
FP/Game — Season: 27.1

Secondary Plays

Evan Fournier

Fournier also gets a boost if Elfrid Payton is out as Oladipo will spend his minutes at PG instead of SG. Like Harris, Fournier’s production has been up and down this season, but the matchups for the Orlando wings is elite as Washington’s defense against SG and SF has been terrible all year long.

FD — $5,100 — SG
DK — $5,300— SF
Min/Game —Season: 31.8 | Last Five Games: 30.2
FP/Game — Season: 22.7

Nikola Vucevic

Vucevic is playing some solid basketball right now, but he’s a secondary option today as he’ll draw the toughest matchup on the Magic. Marcin Gortat is a quality defender and he’s averaged just 14 PPG and 9 rebounds against the Wizards this season.

FD — $7,400 — C
DK — $7,000— C
Min/Game —Season: 30.4| Last Five Games: 27.6
FP/Game — Season: 32.6

Aaron Gordon

This is a GPP only punt option but Gordon has seen a small uptick in minutes recently. The Wizards are playing small ball with Jared Dudley at PF so this is a solid matchup for him to see extended run. Scott Skiles seems to like the way he matches up with the Wizards as he’s averaging 24.7 MPG, 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists against the Wizards this season, which pays off his near minimum salary.

FD — $3,700 — PF
DK — $3,900— SF
Min/Game —Season: 19 | Last Five Games: 23
FP/Game — Season: 16.4

Toronto at Philadelphia – 07:30 PM

Toronto Philadelphia
torontonba Vegas Total 202 philadelphianba Vegas Total 202
Vegas Sprd -9.0 Vegas Sprd 9.0
Team Proj. 105.8 Team Proj. 96.8
Team Pace 95.83 Team Pace 99.97
Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters
DvP Rks PG SG SF PF C DvP Rks PG SG SF PF C
Proj Starter Kyle Lowry DeMar DeRozan James Johnson Luis Scola Jonas Valanciunas Proj Starter Ish Smith Nik Stauskas Jerami Grant Nerlens Noel Jahlil Okafor
Opp. Season 21 16 29 29 30 Opp. Season 3 13 5 15 16
Opp. Last 7 30 26 25 23 30 Opp. Season 15 7 13 21 15

Toronto

Record: 23-15 –Road: 12-9 — Last 10: 6-4

On paper this is a great spot for the Raptors as face the hapless 76ers and have a team total of 106 points, which is 5.9 points higher than their season average. As always though, the primary concern is whether the 76ers can keep it close enough for the Toronto starters to see any run in the 4th quarter.

It should come as no surprise that the 76ers are bad across the board defensively and every Toronto starters draws a quality matchup. The one injury to watch here is Terrence Ross, who is listed as questionable. The Raptors are already without DeMarre Carroll so there could be plenty of minutes at SG and SF if Ross were to miss this one, which would boost the stock of James Johnson and even a Cory Joseph as value plays.

Terrence Ross (Q)
DeMarre Carroll (O)

Elite Plays

Kyle Lowry

Lowry is back to playing great basketball and has topped 39 FD points in five straight games. The matchup is ideal and the only thing that could slow him here would be reduced minutes due to a blowout. This is a homecoming game for Lowry as he’ll return to his hometown of Philly so he could have a little extra motivation.

FD — $9,000 — PG
DK — $8,600— PG
Min/Game —Season: 36.1 | Last Five Games: 38.4
FP/Game — Season: 39

DeMar DeRozan

DeRozan is in a similar spot to Lowry in that the matchup is great, but the blowout possibility is concerning. It does help that this game is on the road so hopefully Philly can keep it more competitive as the Vegas line is only 9. He’s coming off of a monster game last night and as long as he doesn’t overlook the 76ers, they have no one capable of slowing him down.

FD — $8,000 — PG
DK — $8,000— SG
Min/Game —Season: 36.6 | Last Five Games: 36.6
FP/Game — Season: 34.6

James Johnson

Johnson is always a very scary guy to roster, but tonight looks like a night to jump on board. SF is very thin and Johnson is minimum price and allows you to spend up elsewhere. With DeMarre Carroll out, he’s averaged 24 MPG over his last three starts, and now Terrence Ross is also questionable for this one. He could see upwards of 30 minutes in this one against a 76ers defense that is 29th in DVP against SF.

FD — $3,500 — SF
DK — $3,700— PG
Min/Game —Season: 14.7 | Last Five Games: 18.8
FP/Game — Season: 10.4

Secondary Plays

Jonas Valunciunas

Valunciunas has worked his way back from injury and is back to playing his normal allotment of minutes. He played 27 minutes on a back to back recently so minutes restriction shouldn’t be an issue as long as this game stays competitive. Center is top heavy today, but Valunciunas is one of the viable mid-range plays and produced 11 points and 12 rebounds in his only meeting against Philly this year.

FD — $5,900 — C
DK — $5,500— C
Min/Game —Season: 26.6 | Last Five Games: 26.8
FP/Game — Season: 24.8

Cory Joseph (only if Terrence Ross is out and GPP only)

If Terrence Ross is out then the Raptors become very thin on the wings and could be forced to play more 2 PG lineups. He doesn’t get much offensive usage so he can be risky but if Ross is out then he should be in line for 25 minutes and possibly more if the game turns into a blowout. In two meetings with the 76ers, he’s averaged 11 PPG, 4.5 assists and 3 rebounds in 30 MPG, which does pay off his almost minimum salary.

FD — $3,700 — PG
DK — $3,600— PG
Min/Game —Season: 25.7 | Last Five Games: 22.8
FP/Game — Season: 16.9

Philadelphia

Record: 4-34 –Home: 2-13— Last 10: 3-7

The 76ers have shown some improvements with the addition of Ish Smith, but they are still by far the worst team in the NBA and face a quality Toronto team.

Elite Plays

NONE

Secondary Plays

Ish Smith (FD ONLY)

Kyle Lowry is someone I typically try to avoid so I will probably avoid Ish tonight. However, he has played well in Philly and is still somewhat affordable on FD.

FD — $6,100– PG
DK — $6,900 PG
Min/Game —Season: 24.1 | Last Five Games: 27.6
FP/Game — Season: 22.1

Nerlens Noel

Noel has been rejuvanated with the return of Ish Smith to Philly as they have a great chemistry on the pick and roll. He has topped 25 FD points in six straight games, and Luis Scola is not a good defender. The only concern is that his minutes aren’t always there as he’ll sit the 4th quarters in blowouts.

FD — $6,300– PF
DK — $6,600 PF
Min/Game —Season: 29.1 | Last Five Games: 26.4
FP/Game — Season: 25.6

Jahlil Okafor

He can’t be trusted for cash games as his minutes are not secure, but he has stepped back into the starting lineup and did play 27 minutes last game, which is a positive sign. His price is depressed and he if can play 27 or minutes or so then he does draw the best matchup on Philly. The Raptors have been weak against centers and Okafor has averaged 24.5 PPG and 10 rebounds against Toronto this year, including one game against Valunciunas.

FD — $6,200– C
DK — $6,000 C
Min/Game —Season: 30.6 | Last Five Games: 21.8
FP/Game — Season: 28.7

Brooklyn at Detroit – 07:30 PM

Brooklyn Detroit
brooklynnba Vegas Total 194 detroitnba Vegas Total 194
Vegas Sprd 11.5 Vegas Sprd -11.5
Team Proj. 91.5 Team Proj. 103.0
Team Pace 97.38 Team Pace 97.73
Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks and Projected Starters
DvP Rks PG SG SF PF C DvP Rks PG SG SF PF C
Proj Starter Shane Larkin Joe Johnson Bojan Bogdanovic Thaddeus Young Brook Lopez Proj Starter Reggie Jackson Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Marcus Morris Ersan Ilyasova Andre Drummond
Opp. Season 7 10 2 21 8 Opp. Season 27 24 20 8 27
Opp. Last 7 9 8 20 7 8 Opp. Season 23 12 21 9 12

Brooklyn

Record: 10-26 –Road: 4-13 — Last 10: 3-7

There’s not a lot to like for the Nets tonight as they are on a road back to back and face one of the leagues’ better defenses in the Pistons.

The Pistons are top 10 in DVP against every position except for PF so this is a tough matchup for the Nets, especially when you factor in the Nets are a bottom five offense in the NBA. Shane Larkin and Bojan Bogdanovich are cheap and have seen a minutes bump but have been unproductive and draw tough matchups. The only potential plays would be Thaddeus Young and Brook Lopez as they are seeing all of the offensive usage with Jarrett Jack injured.

Jarrett Jack (O)

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (O)

Elite Plays

Thaddeus Young

Young is the top option on Brooklyn tonight as he’ll face off with the one weak spot of the Pistons’ defense – Ersan Ilyasova. PF has been the one position that Detroit has struggled to contain and Thad has been playing well and produced 19 points and 10 rebounds in the first matchup.

FD — $7,100 — PF
DK — $7,300— PF
Min/Game —Season: 32.6 | Last Five Games: 31.8
FP/Game — Season: 31.3

Secondary Plays

Brook Lopez

He’ll have his hands full trying to contain Drummond on the glass, but Drummond is still prone to his defensive lapses. The Nets have played quality interior defense and Lopez’ price is elevated right now so he’s a tournament only option for me. He only scored 15 points to go with 9 rebounds in the first meeting but still had a monster fantasy performance as he piled up 10 total steals and blocks – which likely isn’t replicable.

FD — $8,700 — C
DK — $7,900— C
Min/Game —Season: 34.1 | Last Five Games: 37.8
FP/Game — Season: 35.6

Detroit

Record: 20-16 –Home: 12-5 — Last 10: 6-4

This is a great matchup for the Pistons as they’ll face one of the worst teams in the league in the Nets, and have a team total of 103 points, which is 2 points higher than their season average. The only concern here is the 11.5 point spread and whether Brooklyn can keep it competitive for the Pistons’ starters to see 4th quarter minutes.

The Nets’ defense is very poor across the board as they’ve struggled against every position except for PF. That leaves Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marcus Morris and Andre Drummond with prime matchups. Of those four, I prefer Drummond and KCP as Morris has become very scoring dependent and Jackson has seen a minutes decline.

NONE

Elite Plays

Andre Drummond

While Brook Lopez is a very good offensive player, he’s not a good defender and is not nearly physical enough to deal with Drummond. Drummond produced 20 points and 18 rebounds in the first meeting between them, and the only thing that would likely slow Drummond today would be foul trouble.

FD — $8,900 — C
DK — $8,900— C
Min/Game —Season: 34.5 | Last Five Games: 30.6
FP/Game — Season: 42.4

Secondary Plays

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

KCP is never fun to roster as he’s very scoring dependent and can be volatile. However, he’s one of the league leaders in minutes, and he’s shooting the ball well right now. Joe Johnson is not a good defender, and KCP has been more active on the glass recently so he’ s a viable second SG on a site like FD where two are required.

FD — $5,900 — SG
DK — $5,400— SG
Min/Game —Season: 37.6 | Last Five Games: 37.4
FP/Game — Season: 24.0

Reggie Jackson

Jackson is a GPP only play as he’s only playing 28 to 30 minutes since “(player-popup)Brandon Jennings”:/players/brandon-jennings-924’ return. That means he’ll have to be very productive in terms of fantasy points per minutes and is still a little too expensive given his minutes drop. However, he does have the ability to go off, especially at home and especially against a bad defense like the Nets so he’s still on the GPP radar.

FD — $7,300 — PG
DK — $7,100— PG
Min/Game —Season: 31.1 | Last Five Games: 28.8
FP/Game — Season: 33.3

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About the Author

a25smith
Andy Smith (a25smith)