NBA Grind Down: Saturday, March 18th

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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.

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Sacramento Kings at Oklahoma City Thunder – 3:00 PM ET

Sacramento Kings Oklahoma City Thunder
Article Image Vegas Total 215.5 Article Image Vegas Total 215.5
Vegas Spread 12.0 Vegas Spread -12.0
Team Total 101.8 Team Total 113.8
Pace +/- 1.8 Pace +/- -1.8
Proj. Starter Darren Collison Buddy Hield Arron Afflalo Willie Cauley-Stein Kosta Koufos Proj. Starter Russell Westbrook Victor Oladipo Andre Roberson Taj Gibson Steven Adams
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 17 14 9 9 18 Adj. DvP 12 27 26 23 11
DRPM -0.15 0.74 2.17 1.51 1.50 DRPM -1.48 -2.05 -2.79 0.95 2.65

Sacramento Kings

Happy Saturday, Grinders! Hope the end of the season is treating you nicely and you’re able to maintain a strong bankroll as we get ready for the upcoming MLB season. Both major sites only include the two afternoon games on the early slate, and the second game seems more enticing. The Kings continue their road trip today against the Thunder and are coming off a nice win against the Suns. Willie Cauley-Stein continues to play well and has played over 33 minutes in four straight games. His salary is over $6k now on both sites, but even with the price hike, he’s a viable option. The large spread does scare me; the last time the Kings lost by double-digits, WCS was unable to score 20 fantasy points. Due to the short nature of the slate, he’s in play, but we have to take a longer look at Skal Labissiere. He had his best game as a pro against the Suns on this past Wednesday and will likely log major minutes moving forward. His salary is over $4k on both sites, but he should be able to at least make the salary-based expectations.

Kosta Koufos continues to churn out cash game lines, but I’d be concerned about his minutes moving forward. Darren Collison and Anthony Tolliver were rested on Wednesday and should be back in the lineup. I’m sure glad that the Kings play in the first game of the slate, and we have all their confirmed guys already out. Tyreke Evans, Arron Afflalo, and Ben McLemore will not play tonight and that should open it up for Buddy Hield and Garrett Temple. Hield is the more expensive option, and he’s also fairly scoring-dependent, but he should go back to playing 30 minutes again. Temple has slightly more potential profit, but their ceilings are similar. Ty Lawson will go back to being a poor option and should be avoided today.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Darren Collison $5,700 $5,700 0.76 30.8 -2.4 23.5 3.8 21.8% 0.1% 17 -0.15
Buddy Hield $4,400 $4,800 0.70 21.3 6.3 14.9 5.7 20.7% -0.3% 14 0.74
Arron Afflalo $3,600 $3,200 0.50 26.0 2.3 12.9 3.9 14.1% 3.4% 9 2.17
Willie Cauley-Stein $6,200 $6,100 0.84 16.6 18.3 14.0 16.7 19.1% -0.9% 9 1.51
Kosta Koufos $4,500 $4,000 0.79 19.9 3.5 15.6 7.5 14.7% 4.9% 18 1.50
Ty Lawson $5,100 $4,500 0.78 25.2 -1.6 19.7 -2.7 22.5% 0.9% 17 N/A

Elite Plays – Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere

Secondary Plays – Garrett Temple, Buddy Hield


Oklahoma City Thunder

The Russell Westbrook show continues today, and Brodie has put up a triple-double in four consecutive games. His usage has actually been under 40 in three of those four games, and there is some concern about his upside today. It’s Westbrook, so he still remains an elite play, especially on such a small slate, but where is the value you’ll need to fit him in? Victor Oladipo has seen his usage increase for three straight games, and he’s scored over 30 fantasy points in four straight. Lock him in as an elite play, especially if you were looking to fade Westbrook in GPPs. Enes Kanter and Steven Adams made a great video about Russell Westbrook, but they have not been able to put it together when both have been healthy.

Taj Gibson has started the last four games and is cheaper than both Adams and Kanter; unfortunately, he has also been limited to under 25 minutes in his starts. Andre Roberson is coming off a nice game, but his lack of offensive polish makes him too tough to trust when stacking this team. This should be a coming out party for the team, so all five players mentioned in this section are viable.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Russell Westbrook $13,400 $13,600 1.68 34.8 -0.8 58.5 9.0 46.0% -0.7% 12 -1.48
Victor Oladipo $6,000 $6,600 0.81 33.3 -3.1 26.8 2.3 21.4% 1.5% 27 -2.05
Andre Roberson $4,000 $3,900 0.59 30.4 -1.3 17.9 0.4 10.3% -0.1% 26 -2.79
Taj Gibson $4,200 $4,400 0.83 26.6 -3.4 22.0 -3.5 18.3% 1.5% 23 0.95
Steven Adams $5,200 $4,500 0.82 30.4 -1.8 25.0 -5.8 16.4% -3.6% 11 2.65
Enes Kanter $5,500 $5,000 1.14 21.6 -1.9 24.5 -1.2 26.0% 1.8% 23 N/A

Elite Plays – Russell Westbrook, Taj Gibson

Secondary Plays – Steven Adams, Enes Kanter


Portland Trail Blazers at Atlanta Hawks – 4:00 PM ET

Portland Trail Blazers Atlanta Hawks
Article Image Vegas Total 216.0 Article Image Vegas Total 216.0
Vegas Spread 3.5 Vegas Spread -3.5
Team Total 106.3 Team Total 109.8
Pace +/- 1.0 Pace +/- 0.7
Proj. Starter Damian Lillard C.J. McCollum Maurice Harkless Noah Vonleh Jusuf Nurkic 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 23 18 29 7 9 Adj. DvP 21 9 15 20 16
DRPM -2.75 -0.99 2.35 3.14 2.95 DRPM -1.82 -2.09 0.19 1.02 2.49

Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers continue their road trip today in Atlanta after defeating the Spurs in San Antonio on Wednesday. Damian Lillard has a usage rate of 38 in three consecutive games and had a usage rate of 44 four games ago. He’ll continue to be an elite option, but rarely does he have those huge games over 50 fantasy points. He’s needed to play over 37 minutes the last three times he scored over 50 fantasy points, and I don’t think he’ll play that much with Evan Turner expected to be back in the mix. Turner’s return will likely hurt the minutes of Allen Crabbe, who has played 33+ minutes in three of his last four games. We can’t really trust any forward here, but C.J. McCollum looks like a nice alternative. CJM has scored 37 or more fantasy points in three of his last four starts and can be stacked with Lillard for this slate. Jusuf Nurkic also found his way against the Spurs, but we have so many eligible bigs from the SAC/OKC game that he’s not mandatory.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Damian Lillard $8,700 $9,100 1.12 36.0 -0.1 40.4 0.3 32.5% 5.4% 23 -2.75
C.J. McCollum $7,100 $7,200 0.96 35.1 3.4 33.9 -0.8 27.6% -4.6% 18 -0.99
Maurice Harkless $4,000 $4,400 0.70 29.2 -2.6 20.5 -6.9 15.4% -2.6% 29 2.35
Noah Vonleh $3,600 $3,100 0.69 14.3 6.1 9.9 6.5 13.1% -2.3% 7 3.14
Jusuf Nurkic $6,300 $6,700 1.03 20.4 10.1 21.1 13.8 23.4% 1.2% 9 2.95
Al-Farouq Aminu $4,800 $4,900 0.74 29.3 1.9 21.8 -4.4 15.1% -3.1% 7 N/A

Elite Plays – Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum

Secondary Plays – Jusuf Nurkic (GPP)


Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks have lost back-to-back games, and it’s no coincidence that Paul Millsap has struggled over that span. Sap has not been getting the usage but will remain an elite GPP play against the Blazers today. Portland ranks 20th in adjusted DvP against the position, and Noah Vonleh has never been known as a strong defender. Even though Vonleh only plays about 20 minutes a game, Al-Farouq Aminu also gives up some size to Millsap. We have so many power forwards available on this slate and that should make Millsap’s ownership come in a little bit lower than it should in a nice spot. Dwight Howard has a usage rate of 15 in four of his last six games, and even though he torched Portland about a month ago, it was before Jusuf Nurkic was on the team. Nurkic is not a strong defender but he should be able to keep Howard off the glass. Dennis Schroder was playing well before the loss to Memphis but we can excuse it. Schroder scored 39 or more DK fantasy points in his previous four starts and has played 35+ minutes in three of those games. He’s still under $7k on DraftKings and barely over it on FanDuel.

The emergence of Tim Hardaway Jr. has made Kent Bazemore useless to us in DFS land. THJ should see 30+ minutes again and is fairly priced on both sites. He’s only had one bad game in his last eight and it was also against Memphis. Taurean Prince has played 29 or more minutes in two of his last three games and should be considered a viable GPP play on this slate. We’ll need something to differentiate in tournaments. While he could easily bust, it’s worth a shot since there’s not a ton of value options on the slate. Due to the emergence of Prince, Thabo Sefolosha becomes more risky as well.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Dennis Schroder $7,200 $6,800 0.95 31.0 1.8 29.6 6.1 30.1% 3.4% 21 -1.82
Kent Bazemore $4,300 $4,100 0.74 27.4 0.3 20.3 -0.8 20.7% -1.4% 9 -2.09
Thabo Sefolosha $3,600 $3,800 0.72 25.9 -1.8 18.6 -1.2 13.8% 0.0% 15 0.19
Paul Millsap $7,300 $7,300 1.03 34.3 1.6 35.3 -4.0 24.8% -1.3% 20 1.02
Dwight Howard $6,800 $6,500 1.11 29.5 1.9 32.7 -3.6 18.1% -1.2% 16 2.49
Tim Hardaway $5,600 $5,500 0.80 25.9 2.8 20.8 5.5 22.4% -1.4% 9 N/A

Elite Plays – Dennis Schroder, Paul Millsap

Secondary Plays – Dwight Howard (GPP), Taurean Prince (GPP)


Washington Wizards at Charlotte Hornets – 7:00 PM ET

Washington Wizards Charlotte Hornets
Article Image Vegas Total 215.5 Article Image Vegas Total 215.5
Vegas Spread 2.5 Vegas Spread -2.5
Team Total 106.5 Team Total 109.0
Pace +/- -0.4 Pace +/- 0.8
Proj. Starter John Wall Bradley Beal Otto Porter Markieff Morris Marcin Gortat Proj. Starter Kemba Walker Jeremy Lamb Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Marvin Williams Cody Zeller
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 14 22 13 21 13 Adj. DvP 10 16 14 28 10
DRPM -0.70 -0.23 2.22 0.44 2.89 DRPM -0.50 -0.74 0.63 1.56 1.76

Washington Wizards

The Wizards travel to Charlotte after defeating the Bulls last night. Markieff Morris missed the game due to a sinus infection and is considered questionable for this game. Jason Smith started in place of Morris and played 38 minutes. Smith has really been productive all season long when given the minutes, and last night wasn’t a fluke. In fact, he’s averaging 21.22 DraftKings points in the eight games in which he’s played over 21 minutes this season before last night. The huge game obviously moves the average higher, but Smith will remain an elite value play against the Hornets tonight if Morris is out. John Wall is dealing with a sprained foot and was limited to 34 minutes last night. He’ll likely play tonight against the Hornets, but it would also not surprise me to see him sit on the second night of a back-to-back. Brandon Jennings will be an elite play in the event Wall sits out.

Bradley Beal has seen his fantasy production dip in three straight contests, and he only played 32 minutes last night. He was likely being saved for tonight’s game and will be a viable option. He does not stand out as a strong play, though, due to his salary being over $8k on DraftKings and FanDuel. He’s a scoring dependent player that has scored over 40 fantasy points just four times since the All-Star break. He also needed to play over 40 minutes to achieve those numbers, further proving his risk. If Wall is out, Beal will be an elite play, but if Wall plays, Beal will simply be a high-floor option. Otto Porter continued his funk and there are too many forwards who are nicer options on this slate. Ian Mahinmi also took advantage of Morris’s absence, but Jason Smith remains the better play if he starts. Also, the Wizards like to limit Mahinmi on the second night of back-to-backs.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
John Wall $10,400 $9,300 1.23 36.8 1.3 45.4 0.6 34.7% 1.3% 14 -0.70
Bradley Beal $8,500 $8,100 0.95 34.9 2.0 33.0 6.5 26.4% -0.2% 22 -0.23
Otto Porter $6,400 $6,500 0.84 33.9 2.4 28.3 4.7 14.7% 0.0% 13 2.22
Markieff Morris $6,100 $6,100 0.84 31.9 0.1 26.8 -3.1 20.0% -6.6% 21 0.44
Marcin Gortat $5,400 $5,000 0.84 33.0 -5.8 27.8 -5.8 14.6% 0.5% 13 2.89
Bojan Bogdanovic $4,100 $4,500 0.76 26.6 -2.5 20.2 -3.1 22.3% 2.3% 13 N/A

Elite Plays – Jason Smith (if Morris is out)

Secondary Plays – Bradley Beal (elite if Wall is out)


Charlotte Hornets

Nicolas Batum will rejoin the Hornets after missing two games due to severe migraines. The entire team came crashing down on Wednesday against the Pacers and will look to bounce back. Batum should be considered an elite GPP option, as he’ll have less than usual ownership after missing two games. Jeremy Lamb will go back to the bench and is no longer a viable option for this game. Kemba Walker really struggled on Wednesday and saw his salary decrease to $8k on both major sites. Walker will likely go back to playing 36+ minutes and will also be a prime bounce-back candidate against the Wizards. Batum and Walker rarely have good games together, and I slightly prefer Batum for this slate.

The return of Frank Kaminsky has taken away from Marvin Williams and Cody Zeller, but Kaminsky only played major minutes due to the blowout. It’ll likely continue to be a three-headed monster in Charlotte’s frontcourt rotation. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist went back to his volatile ways and is also a low-end option for this one.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Kemba Walker $8,000 $8,000 1.06 34.6 -0.7 36.7 -3.2 30.2% 0.2% 10 -0.50
Jeremy Lamb $5,200 $5,900 0.95 18.7 7.8 17.7 6.1 22.3% -2.9% 16 -0.74
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist $5,100 $5,200 0.80 29.4 -1.1 23.4 -2.9 14.2% -1.0% 14 0.63
Marvin Williams $6,600 $6,500 0.77 30.0 6.3 23.2 14.5 16.3% -1.0% 28 1.56
Cody Zeller $5,000 $4,900 0.84 27.5 7.3 23.2 -0.5 16.0% -4.4% 10 1.76
Marco Belinelli $3,500 $3,700 0.68 24.3 -0.3 16.6 -0.3 19.1% 1.3% 14 N/A

Elite Plays – Nicolas Batum

Secondary Plays – Kemba Walker


Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Clippers – 8:30 PM ET

Cleveland Cavaliers Los Angeles Clippers
Article Image Vegas Total 218.5 Article Image Vegas Total 218.5
Vegas Spread 3.0 Vegas Spread -3.0
Team Total 107.8 Team Total 110.8
Pace +/- -0.5 Pace +/- -0.1
Proj. Starter Kyrie Irving Iman Shumpert LeBron James Kevin Love Tristan Thompson Proj. Starter Chris Paul J.J. Redick Luc Richard Mbah a Moute Blake Griffin DeAndre Jordan
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 11 8 27 19 17 Adj. DvP 18 30 12 8 24
DRPM 3.45 -1.90 2.29 0.68 3.04 DRPM -1.82 -0.57 1.51 2.36 1.01

Cleveland Cavaliers

Editor’s Note: LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love have all been ruled OUT for tonight’s matchup with the Clippers.

The Cavs will travel to Los Angeles for tonight’s game against the Clippers. Kyrie Irving is dealing with a sore left knee and has only played 30 minutes in the last two games. Kevin Love returned on Thursday, but only played 20 minutes. He’ll be monitored as well, as he works his way back from a minor knee surgery. Iman Shumpert suffered a shoulder injury against the Jazz and is also questionable for tonight. Kyle Korver has been out with a sore foot and the team has not provided an update on his status. Derrick Williams missed Thursday’s game due to a quad injury and is also questionable. With so many questionable tags, the only true trustworthy option is LeBron James. The King will carry this team regardless, but is back to $11k on DraftKings and $11.1k on FanDuel. I love his floor and ceiling combo and think he should be a cornerstone of your build regardless of Irving’s status.

I’ve been mentioning J.R. Smith for the last couple games, and he’s been producing. Smith played 30 minutes on Thursday with Shumpert going down and could replace Shumpert in the starting lineup tonight. Smith is an elite punt play in all formats tonight and will see 25+ minutes even if Shumpert plays. If Irving, Shumpert, Korver, and Williams are all out, you have to lock in James and Smith. Deron Williams will likely start in place of Irving but lacks elite upside with his new team.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Kyrie Irving $8,600 $7,900 1.09 35.1 -0.4 38.4 -0.8 32.2% 0.1% 11 3.45
Iman Shumpert $3,600 $3,600 0.57 25.9 4.9 14.8 2.4 14.0% 1.2% 8 -1.90
LeBron James $11,100 $11,000 1.31 37.5 -0.8 49.0 2.3 33.0% 0.8% 27 2.29
Kevin Love $7,800 $7,600 1.14 31.6 -11.9 36.2 -16.4 25.6% -3.1% 19 0.68
Tristan Thompson $5,100 $4,400 0.78 30.1 -1.8 23.4 -1.7 11.2% -0.4% 17 3.04

Elite Plays – LeBron James, J.R. Smith

Secondary Plays – Deron Williams (if Irving is out)


Los Angeles Clippers

Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan were rested for Thursday’s game against Denver but should return tonight against Cleveland. Austin Rivers started in place of Griffin and played 33 minutes. He did not make a huge impact and is not a viable option with Griffin expected back. Mo Buckets (Marreese Speights) also busted in his start and continues to be limited regardless. Blake Griffin has been logging major minutes but the fantasy production has not been there. I’d still look his way in tournaments with his salary barely at $8k on DK. Chris Paul played well against the Nuggets and will continue to be an elite option tonight. You can stack both Griffin and Paul in what is expected to be a high-scoring, closely contested game.

DeAndre Jordan has scored over 50 fantasy points in two of his last four games, but he also scored under 25 fantasy points in the other two games. He’s extremely volatile and even though he’s a lock for 35+ minutes, he’s simply a GPP play. J.J. Redick got loose against the Nuggets but is not a strong play with Griffin and Jordan expected back.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Chris Paul $8,600 $8,200 1.26 31.4 1.1 39.6 -1.5 28.9% 1.0% 18 -1.82
J.J. Redick $4,300 $4,500 0.70 28.3 -1.0 19.9 1.9 20.9% -1.1% 30 -0.57
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute $3,500 $3,000 0.54 22.0 -5.4 11.8 -2.8 11.0% -0.2% 12 1.51
Blake Griffin $8,600 $8,000 1.16 34.0 0.9 39.4 -5.0 29.1% -7.6% 8 2.36
DeAndre Jordan $7,400 $6,500 1.06 31.8 4.5 33.6 3.9 14.7% -1.2% 24 1.01
Jamal Crawford $3,700 $4,000 0.69 26.3 -0.4 18.3 -2.2 23.2% -3.7% 30 N/A
Austin Rivers $4,100 $4,100 0.68 27.9 -2.9 19.0 -2.2 20.8% 2.2% 18 N/A

Elite Plays – Blake Griffin, Chris Paul

Secondary Plays – DeAndre Jordan (GPP)


Utah Jazz at Chicago Bulls – 9:00 PM ET

Utah Jazz Chicago Bulls
Article Image Vegas Total 191.0 Article Image Vegas Total 191.0
Vegas Spread -5.5 Vegas Spread 5.5
Team Total 98.3 Team Total 92.8
Pace +/- -1.3 Pace +/- -5.1
Proj. Starter George Hill Joe Ingles Joe Johnson Gordon Hayward Rudy Gobert Proj. Starter Rajon Rondo Jimmy Butler Paul Zipser Bobby Portis Robin Lopez
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 27 15 17 16 5 Adj. DvP 4 2 3 2 2
DRPM -0.19 2.15 -0.26 -0.31 0.23 DRPM 0.76 0.30 -1.34 -0.14 5.71

Utah Jazz

Utah continues their road trip tonight in Chicago after losing to the Cavs on Thursday. Rudy Gobert thoroughly dominated against the Cavs and should be considered an elite play against the Bulls tonight with Derrick Favors continuing to be out of the lineup. George Hill continued his slumping ways but is a solid GPP option for this slate with Rodney Hood still out. Gordon Hayward also played poorly against Cleveland but will look to bounce back against the Bulls. He’ll likely be defended by Jimmy Butler, also making him a risky option. If Butler does indeed stick on Hayward, that’ll make George Hill and Rudy Gobert better plays. The Jazz have one of the lowest team totals on the slate, so there’s not a ton to feel great about here. Joe Ingles is also viable once again with Rodney Hood out. Joe Johnson continues to churn out serviceable lines and is still under $4k on FanDuel. He’s right at $4k on DraftKings and looks like he has a solid floor.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
George Hill $6,000 $5,900 0.89 31.6 -2.4 28.2 -5.3 24.6% -1.1% 27 -0.19
Joe Ingles $4,100 $4,400 0.67 22.9 5.1 15.3 5.1 15.2% 0.7% 15 2.15
Joe Johnson $3,900 $4,000 0.66 23.0 4.5 15.2 4.0 18.3% 1.6% 17 -0.26
Gordon Hayward $7,700 $7,100 1.00 34.5 -2.0 34.5 -4.0 27.7% -0.5% 16 -0.31
Rudy Gobert $7,900 $7,200 1.03 33.7 2.8 34.9 3.1 15.7% 0.1% 5 0.23

Elite Plays – Rudy Gobert, George Hill (GPP)

Secondary Plays – Gordon Hayward, Joe Johnson, Joe Ingles


Chicago Bulls

The Bulls lost last night to the Wizards and will return home to host the Jazz. Jimmy Butler was able to provide us a nice cash game line and played pretty much exactly to the point he’s been at all season with Wade off. Butler is scoring about 1.25 fantasy points per minute with Wade off the floor and hit that number exactly last night in 38 minutes. Hayward, Johnson, Ingles, and Hood will not be able to contain Butler from scoring his usual, but the upside is severely limited, especially considering the slow pace of the game. The Bulls have the lowest implied team total on the slate, but Nikola Mirotic remains a viable play after he put together another strong performance. Mirotic has been volatile his whole career, so don’t rush to plug him into your cash game lineups. I’m hesitant to even look his way against the Jazz, but the minutes are too strong to deny. The emergence of Mirotic has made Bobby Portis a low-upside play.

Paul Zipser played 27 minutes last night and he’ll continue to see 25+ minutes in place of Wade. He also lacks elite upside and should be faded against the Jazz. Denzel Valentine ended up playing more minutes than Zipser and will be the stronger option moving forward. It’ll be tough to trust Valentine as well against the Jazz. Rajon Rondo has played 32+ minutes in three straight games but went back to his low usage ways against Washington last night. His salary still leaves some potential upside, but the position is stacked with plays and we don’t have to force Rondo in on a full slate. Robin Lopez showed up with a huge game last night against Washington but should be faded against Rudy Gobert.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Rajon Rondo $5,800 $5,800 0.91 26.1 0.8 23.7 3.0 22.5% 0.4% 4 0.76
Jimmy Butler $8,700 $8,000 1.11 36.7 -0.9 40.8 -7.2 28.6% -3.0% 2 0.30
Paul Zipser $3,500 $3,000 0.54 15.9 -2.4 8.6 -0.5 14.2% 4.6% 3 -1.34
Bobby Portis $3,900 $3,500 0.82 14.3 5.9 11.7 4.0 18.6% 2.5% 2 -0.14
Robin Lopez $4,500 $3,600 0.77 27.9 -1.0 21.6 -4.3 17.0% -2.6% 2 5.71
Nikola Mirotic $4,300 $4,400 0.82 22.9 5.3 18.9 11.7 19.2% 5.1% 2 N/A

Elite Plays –

Secondary Plays – Jimmy Butler, Nikola Mirotic


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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.