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NBA Grind Down: Sunday, December 18th

by Chirag Hira (INSPYR) Last Updated 2016-12-18 19:52:04

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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.

Editor’s Note: Don’t yet have a Rosters account? Click here to create one. You’ll receive free access to our premium Rosters strategy content, which will build upon the guide below. Create your Rosters account now!

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Los Angeles Clippers at Washington Wizards – 3:30 PM ET

Los Angeles Clippers Washington Wizards
laclippersnba Vegas Total 216.0 washingtonnba Vegas Total 216.0
Vegas Spread -4.5 Vegas Spread 4.5
Team Total 110.3 Team Total 105.8
Pace +/- 0.4 Pace +/- -0.2
Proj. Starter Chris Paul Austin Rivers J.J. Redick Blake Griffin DeAndre Jordan Proj. Starter John Wall Bradley Beal Otto Porter Markieff Morris Marcin Gortat
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
DvP 10 11 10 19 16 DvP 16 1 6 1 8
DRPM -0.50 -1.35 1.39 1.13 1.68 DRPM 3.17 -1.18 -1.12 2.21 2.67

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers continue their East Coast trip today in Washington. They are on a four-game winning steak and Luc Mbah a Moute has missed the past two games. Not that he was a huge fantasy contributor but it has allowed for Austin Rivers to start. Rivers has played heavy minutes over the last two games but was not able to make an impact against Miami like he did against Orlando. He’ll look to get back on track tonight in the starting lineup and it’ll be interesting to see where the Clippers line him up. He gets an exploitable matchup against Bradley Beal but a tough one against Otto Porter. I’d just keep my focus narrow today and try to get Blake Griffin or Chris Paul.

Griffin looks like he is over his knee issue and has averaged about 37 minutes since taking a game off. He’s scored 20 or more actual points in all three games and it looks like he’s really found his form, shooting 60% in the last two games. The DvP works in his favor and it’s not like Markieff Morris is the best defender in the world. In a game that is expected close and high-scoring, Griffin is an elite tournament option. For the two-game slate, It’s tough to build a team with Cousins and either Wall or Paul as your anchor PGs and have it include Griffin and still have a lot of good options available on DraftKings. It’s somewhat doable on FanDuel but comes with risk and does not look like a cash game team. Chris Paul is also an elite option that averaged 43.05 FanDuel points against the Wizards last season.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary Rosters Sal. FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Chris Paul $9,200 $8,900 1.30 31.7 1.0 41.2 7.0 28.2% 1.4% 10 -0.50
Austin Rivers $3,900 $4,100 0.66 23.2 10.1 15.2 15.4 18.2% -2.0% 11 -1.35
J.J. Redick $4,100 $4,000 0.69 27.1 3.2 18.8 -1.3 21.0% -2.5% 10 1.39
Blake Griffin $8,700 $8,500 1.19 33.3 3.4 39.7 0.0 29.5% 1.0% 19 1.13
DeAndre Jordan $7,400 $6,700 0.99 31.5 -1.2 31.3 6.5 14.1% 2.6% 16 1.68
Jamal Crawford $3,800 $3,900 0.69 25.4 -2.7 17.7 -2.7 22.5% 1.8% 11 N/A

Elite Plays – Chris Paul, Blake Griffin

Secondary Plays – DeAndre Jordan

Washington Wizards

The Wizards have won four out of their last five games, basically on the back of John Wall. He’s been on a major tear putting up a double-double in three of those games. Over his last seven, games Wall is averaging 50.85 FanDuel points and that includes a 33.9 fps showing against Denver. He’ll be a viable option against the Clippers tonight but averaged 39.7 FanDuel points against them last season. Bradley Beal has also been playing extremely well since missing three games in November. The 1st ranked DvP matchup shows that he’s in a difficult environment but the -1.18 DPRM shows that he could still have an advantage. Having played 30+ minutes in 14 straight games and with a 26.1% true usage rate, Beal should considered a strong tournament option.

Marcin Gortat has been playing well and averaged 31.1 FanDuel points against the Clippers last season. He’s fairly priced but not necessary since you can use Cousins at C. Otto Porter salary continues to dip back near playable levels and you’re going to need guys in this midrange to make all the other guys work. He averaged 30.9 FanDuel points against them last season and should be able to hit his salary-based expectations. Markieff Morris only played 18 minutes against the Pistons and is too risky to trust even with Kelly Oubre out of the lineup.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary Rosters Sal. FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
John Wall $9,900 $9,600 1.24 36.2 1.4 44.9 5.2 35.8% 3.1% 16 3.17
Bradley Beal $7,000 $6,600 0.90 35.0 1.3 31.6 3.2 26.1% -0.3% 1 -1.18
Otto Porter $5,500 $5,600 0.81 34.6 0.7 28.0 -9.3 15.0% -4.0% 6 -1.12
Markieff Morris $5,000 $5,200 0.74 32.1 3.6 23.9 4.0 19.9% -1.5% 1 2.21
Marcin Gortat $6,300 $5,900 0.85 35.2 -0.9 29.8 0.2 13.7% 0.0% 8 2.67

Elite Plays – Bradley Beal, John Wall

Secondary Plays – Otto Porter

Sacramento Kings at Dallas Mavericks – 4:00 PM ET

Sacramento Kings Dallas Mavericks
sacramentonba Vegas Total 191.0 dallasnba Vegas Total 191.0
Vegas Spread 5.5 Vegas Spread -5.5
Team Total 92.8 Team Total 98.3
Pace +/- -5.3 Pace +/- -1.0
Proj. Starter Darren Collison Ben McLemore Omri Casspi DeMarcus Cousins Kosta Koufos Proj. Starter Deron Williams Wesley Matthews Dorian Finney-Smith Harrison Barnes Salah Mejri
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
DvP 1 15 6 6 12 DvP 11 25 21 25 9
DRPM -0.72 -0.31 0.16 -0.82 2.22 DRPM -0.61 -1.28 -0.12 0.79 2.34

Sacramento Kings

The Kings continue their road trip tonight in Dallas after defeating the Grizzlies on Friday night. DeMarcus Cousins did not have a great performance against the Grizzlies, as expected but is in a prime bounce back spot tonight. Cousins just smashed the Mavs for 55.3 FanDuel points a couple weeks ago and has really dominated over the last couple weeks. If we don’t count the expected duds against Utah and Memphis, Cousins is averaging 59.18 FanDuel points in his last seven games. Rudy Gay is considered doubtful for today’s game and Omri Casspi is listed as questionable. Garrett Temple continued his strong play in the absence of Rudy Gay and Omri Casspi on Friday and will be a strong option only if both players miss again.

Kosta Koufos has seen consistently heavy minutes for the first time all season over his last three games and has responded with three really solid performances. Since he’s been anything but reliable this season, he could easily turn in a poor performance but is still a strong punt tournament option on a two-game slate. Darren Collison has also seen a spike in his playing time and hopefully he’s able to turn in a good performance. He’s not done anything special in terms of tournament upside but has been hitting salary-based expectations and is under $5k on DraftKings.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary Rosters Sal. FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Darren Collison $5,800 $4,800 $8,500 0.77 30.6 0.3 23.6 -0.4 22.7% 2.6% 1 -0.72
Ben McLemore $3,700 $3,000 $7,200 0.57 16.1 -0.7 9.1 -5.2 18.5% -7.0% 15 -0.31
Omri Casspi $4,300 $4,600 $7,400 0.68 20.2 7.8 13.8 7.9 16.7% 2.8% 6 0.16
DeMarcus Cousins $11,200 $10,900 $14,800 1.43 34.5 -0.1 49.5 -2.1 36.3% 1.1% 6 -0.82
Kosta Koufos $4,200 $4,200 $7,200 0.73 19.7 3.7 14.3 4.5 13.6% -0.3% 12 2.22
Matt Barnes $4,200 $4,000 $7,800 0.69 24.8 -6.5 17.1 -5.7 17.3% -3.3% 6 N/A

Elite Plays – DeMarcus Cousins

Secondary Plays – Darren Collison (DK), Garrett Temple (elite if Gay and Casspi out)

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavs will continue to be without three main rotation pieces against the Kings but get a chance to right the ship. The Mavs have lost three of their last four games but Deron Williams has been playing well. His good play could vanish as fast as it got here but the Mavs are intent on playing him over 30 minutes. He’s played over 30 minutes in eight straight games, averaging 31.52 DraftKings points in those games. He’s under $6k on DraftKings but over it on FanDuel, making him the better play on DK with the additional 3PM bonus. He has only scored over 40 fantasy points once this season and has a 26.6% true usage rate, so keep your expectations in check.

Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews have been solid fantasy plays but Barnes is the more expensive option. He’ll have to deal with DeMarcus Cousins for most of the night if the Kings decide to continue the rotation they’ve been currently using with Kosta Koufos playing heavy minutes at C. Matthews will get an exploitable 25th ranked DvP matchup with a -1.28 DPRM, making him a high-upside play tonight. This will be a slow-paced game so the ceiling does seem capped. Seth Curry has seen consistent minutes over his last five games but is too risky for cash but is cheap enough that the production mitigates the downside.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary Rosters Sal. FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Deron Williams $6,300 $5,700 $8,800 0.81 30.0 3.2 24.2 3.4 26.6% -1.6% 11 -0.61
Wesley Matthews $5,600 $5,500 $8,300 0.69 35.9 -0.9 24.7 4.6 21.3% 1.2% 25 -1.28
Dorian Finney-Smith $4,000 $3,600 $6,500 0.53 21.4 9.1 11.4 12.6 12.6% 1.0% 21 -0.12
Harrison Barnes $6,300 $6,300 $10,300 0.80 36.8 -3.0 29.5 -3.2 25.1% -1.4% 25 0.79
Salah Mejri $3,900 $3,100 $6,900 0.84 13.0 7.2 10.9 7.5 10.5% -0.3% 9 2.34
Dwight Powell $4,100 $3,800 $7,600 0.82 20.9 1.9 17.2 -2.1 15.6% -3.0% 25 N/A

Elite Plays – Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews

Secondary Plays – Harrison Barnes

Toronto Raptors at Orlando Magic – 6:00 PM ET

Toronto Raptors Orlando Magic
torontonba Vegas Total 218.0 orlandonba Vegas Total 218.0
Vegas Spread -5.5 Vegas Spread 5.5
Team Total 111.8 Team Total 106.3
Pace +/- -2.0 Pace +/- -1.6
Proj. Starter Kyle Lowry DeMar DeRozan DeMarre Carroll Pascal Siakam Jonas Valanciunas Proj. Starter D.J. Augustin Evan Fournier Aaron Gordon Serge Ibaka Bismack Biyombo
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
DvP 21 5 13 12 27 DvP 14 1 11 16 11
DRPM -2.12 -1.66 -0.51 0.57 1.02 DRPM 0.15 -1.86 0.33 1.27 0.11

Toronto Raptors

The Raptors travel to Orlando after losing to Atlanta at home. DeMar DeRozn played extremely well, turning in first 50+ fantasy points game on DraftKings for the first time since early November. DeRozan has been extremely efficient, shooting over 50% in three straight games. Even though the DvP does not work in his favor the -1.66 shows us that he can really do some damage against Evan Fournier. He’s cheaper than Lowry on DraftKings but more expensive than him on FanDuel. Kyle Lowry also has a matchup (21st DvP, -2.12 DPRM) that he can dominate. With the top implied team total on the slate, both Lowry and DeRozan should be able to have their way.

Lucas Nogueira returned to the lineup on Friday, making it tough for Jonas Valanciunas to exceed value. We’ve been able to exploit the Magic with centers this season but Valanciunas has not been getting over 30 minutes with Nogueira healthy. Cory Joseph has been turning in some really good performances and is expected to play over 24 minutes tonight. He’s a solid punt option on DraftKings due to his salary being under $4k.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary Rosters Sal. FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Kyle Lowry $8,500 $8,600 $12,100 1.04 37.2 -1.5 38.7 -0.5 26.8% -1.5% 21 -2.12
DeMar DeRozan $8,600 $8,200 $13,000 1.14 35.5 -2.4 40.3 -5.8 34.4% -0.5% 5 -1.66
DeMarre Carroll $4,000 $4,200 $8,500 0.73 26.3 -2.0 19.1 2.2 16.0% 5.3% 13 -0.51
Pascal Siakam $3,500 $3,000 $7,200 0.68 18.8 -3.5 12.7 -3.1 13.0% 3.3% 12 0.57
Jonas Valanciunas $5,400 $5,100 $9,100 0.92 27.9 -0.7 25.7 -0.2 18.9% 1.3% 27 1.02
Patrick Patterson $4,300 $4,200 $7,600 0.67 28.8 -0.9 19.4 -2.0 12.7% -1.6% 12 N/A

Elite Plays – Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan

Secondary Plays – Cory Joseph (DK)

Orlando Magic

The Magic host the Raptors after defeating the Nets at home on Friday. Nikola Vucevic returned in a big way, posting 21 points and 10 rebounds, he even added 2 steals, 3 blocks, and 4 assists. He’s still pretty cheap $6.2k on DraftKings but sits at an elevated $7k on Fanduel. He has the highest true usage rate on the team with 24.1% and should play nearly 30 minutes tonight. Bismack Biyombo still put a healthy line against the Nets but did not see 30+ minutes like he had been seeing. Serge Ibaka also dominated against the Nets and even though he has a 1.27 DPRM matchup tonight against Pascal Siakam he should be able to exploit that 16th ranked DvP matchup. Siakam rarely plays 20 minutes and Ibaka has a considerable advantage over Patrick Patterson.

Evan Fournier has also played well over the past four games but it seems his production will take a slight hit with Vucevic back in the lineup. Fournier gets a tough 1st ranked DvP matchup but the -1.86 DPRM shows that it’s not completely out of the question to use Fournier in tournaments in what is expected to be a high-scoring close game. Elfrid Payton went back to being a pumpkin that we all knew he was against the Nets but did not completely ruin lineups. He’s too risky for cash games since he’s so volatile he makes for a viable tournament option that has a better price on DK. D.J. Augustine tore it up against the Nets not shown any consistency this season. Aaron Gordon also went back to being Aaron Gordon and he’ll remain a GPP option that has a shot at seeing nearly 30 minutes.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary Rosters Sal. FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
D.J. Augustin $3,800 $3,800 $7,400 0.71 20.5 2.5 14.6 -0.6 22.2% -7.1% 14 0.15
Evan Fournier $5,900 $6,100 $9,900 0.79 33.3 1.6 26.3 11.9 24.1% 2.7% 1 -1.86
Aaron Gordon $4,400 $5,100 $8,600 0.77 26.2 0.8 20.2 6.6 20.0% 2.6% 11 0.33
Serge Ibaka $6,400 $6,300 $9,600 0.90 30.5 2.3 27.5 4.2 20.1% 0.7% 16 1.27
Bismack Biyombo $4,600 $4,800 $7,800 0.74 26.3 7.4 19.5 6.9 13.0% -0.2% 11 0.11
Elfrid Payton $5,700 $5,500 $8,700 0.89 28.9 0.5 25.7 6.4 24.1% 4.0% 14 N/A
Nikola Vucevic $7,000 $6,200 $9,900 1.13 27.4 31.1 24.5% 11 N/A

Elite Plays – Nikola Vucevic, Serge Ibaka

Secondary Plays – Evan Fournier

Boston Celtics at Miami Heat – 6:00 PM ET

Boston Celtics Miami Heat
bostonnba Vegas Total 201.5 miaminba Vegas Total 201.5
Vegas Spread -4.0 Vegas Spread 4.0
Team Total 102.8 Team Total 98.8
Pace +/- -2.4 Pace +/- -0.5
Proj. Starter Isaiah Thomas Avery Bradley Jae Crowder Amir Johnson Al Horford Proj. Starter Goran Dragic Wayne Ellington Justise Winslow Josh McRoberts Hassan Whiteside
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
DvP 3 10 19 8 24 DvP 13 6 28 20 25
DRPM -2.08 -1.32 0.16 0.34 0.94 DRPM -2.86 -2.60 1.09 1.15 2.09

Boston Celtics

The Celtics are finally healthy and actually rolled out an interesting lineup to close out the game against the Hornets on Friday. Jonas Jerebko was slotted in at PF and he really paid off for the Celtics. It could have been Brad Stevens riding the hot hand but Amir Johnson has seen 20 minutes twice in the last month, so this is something that can possibly be used tonight. Jerebko is $3k on DK and $3.6k on FanDuel, so there is not much downside to be had here. Kelly Olynyk also made an impact against the Hornets and has been playing well over his six games. Olynyk is averaging 19.73 FanDuel points in those six games and is only $3.7k over there. He’s $3.6k over on DK and has multi-position eligibility and gains the 3PM bonus. Either Jerebko or Olynyk are going make an impact and it’ll depend on your roster construction which one you like more.

Isaiah Thomas returned from his groin injury but is still far too expensive on FanDuel. The Heat have limited fantasy production of PGs for most of this season and Thomas is really only playable on DK due to his discounted salary compared to that of FanDuel. Al Horford played really well against the Hornets and even had his fantasy value boosted by 5 blocks. He has a block in all but one game this season and a season-high of 6 blocks, so the defensive stats are not out of the norm for Horford. He’s played 30+ minutes in 12 of 13 games since returning from a concussion. The game he did not play 30 minutes he did see 29 minutes and the Celtics won that game by 30 points. His salary on DK is much more attractive than his salary on FanDuel. He adds in the 3PM bonus but has grabbed 10 or more rebounds only twice this season. Avery Bradley is also in a nice bounce back spot but lacks a ton of upside since Hassan Whiteside should be erasing his rebounding upside.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary Rosters Sal. FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Isaiah Thomas $8,100 $7,300 $11,700 1.15 33.3 38.2 35.0% 3 -2.08
Avery Bradley $7,000 $6,000 $10,900 0.91 35.5 -0.6 32.2 1.2 22.4% 2.4% 10 -1.32
Jae Crowder $5,500 $5,600 $8,900 0.83 30.1 1.9 24.9 0.3 17.9% 0.3% 19 0.16
Amir Johnson $3,500 $3,100 $7,700 0.78 19.7 -0.2 15.3 0.6 14.5% -0.2% 8 0.34
Al Horford $7,900 $6,800 $11,000 1.06 32.6 0.5 34.6 -3.6 22.8% 3.1% 24 0.94
Marcus Smart $5,000 $5,000 $8,300 0.73 30.9 5.2 22.7 3.7 20.2% 0.6% 3 N/A

Elite Plays – Al Horford (DK)

Secondary Plays – Kelly Olynyk or Jonas Jerebko, Isaiah Thomas (DK)

Miami Heat

The Heat take on the Celtics at home tonight after losing to the Clippers on Friday. Hassan Whiteside has posted a double-double in three consecutive games and put up 53.8 DraftKings points against the Celtics in November. He’ll be an elite option tonight and has averaged 46.2 Draftkings points over his last four games. He’s a much better play on DK than he is on FanDuel but main slate lacks truly expensive players if Anthony Davis is ruled out due to his leg issue, putting Whiteside in play on both sites. Dragic lit up Boston for 58 DKFP in his return from injury and is coming off a 50 fps game against the Clippers. The Dragon has averaged 42.47 DKFP over his last four games and played almost 40 minutes against the Clippers due to Tyler Johnson being out of the lineup. If Johnson is out again, Dragic is a lock-and-load play. Dragic averages 9.1 DKFP more at home than he does on the road.

James Johnson continues to to churn out solid fantasy performances but has seen his minutes dip for three consecutive games. With Justise Winslow getting healthy again, it’s tough to trust Johnson if he’s barely going to see over 20 minutes. If you really want to play Johnson, the better option is on DK due to the cheaper salary. Justise Winslow saw 29 minutes and is the same salary as Johnson on DK. I like his upside more than that of Johnson. He’s also slightly cheaper than Johnson on FD and makes for a solid SF2. The only concern is the defense of Jae Crowder but as the numbers show, it’s a 28th ranked DvP matchup with 1.09 DPRM coming at him from Jae Crowder. If he gets near 30 minutes, he’ll easily beat his salary-based expectations. Wayne Ellington was also injured in the Heat’s previous game and this could lead to a starting lineup change.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary Rosters Sal. FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Goran Dragic $7,400 $7,200 $11,100 0.96 33.5 0.0 32.3 4.4 29.8% 5.4% 13 -2.86
Wayne Ellington $4,400 $3,900 $7,200 0.64 31.6 -5.4 20.2 -2.0 17.7% 0.5% 6 -2.60
Justise Winslow $4,700 $4,400 $7,800 0.69 34.4 -13.8 23.7 -15.3 21.1% -4.7% 28 1.09
Josh McRoberts $3,800 $3,200 $7,000 0.76 17.7 1.7 13.5 4.0 19.9% -3.4% 20 1.15
Hassan Whiteside $8,900 $8,300 $13,900 1.21 33.3 0.0 40.3 4.5 22.8% 4.0% 25 2.09
Tyler Johnson $5,500 $5,100 $7,900 0.84 30.9 1.2 25.9 -0.2 21.4% -0.1% 13 N/A
Josh Richardson $4,300 $4,500 $7,600 0.67 28.2 0.3 18.8 0.2 20.1% -0.7% 6 N/A

Elite Plays – Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow

Secondary Plays – Goran Dragic (elite if Tyler Johnson is out)

Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers – 6:00 PM ET

Brooklyn Nets Philadelphia 76ers
brooklynnba Vegas Total 216.0 philadelphianba Vegas Total 216.0
Vegas Spread 2.5 Vegas Spread -2.5
Team Total 106.8 Team Total 109.3
Pace +/- -0.1 Pace +/- 5.1
Proj. Starter Isaiah Whitehead Sean Kilpatrick Bojan Bogdanovic Trevor Booker Brook Lopez Proj. Starter Sergio Rodriguez Gerald Henderson Robert Covington Joel Embiid Jahlil Okafor
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
DvP 18 16 25 12 19 DvP 30 28 30 28 29
DRPM -0.93 0.19 3.10 1.49 -0.17 DRPM -0.65 -2.53 -2.00 1.89 -0.70

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets travel to Philadelphia after losing in Orlando on Friday night. Brook Lopez has played over 30 minutes in five of his last six games and the only game he did not play 30 minutes was in a blowout loss to the Spurs. He’s slightly cheaper over on DK than he is on FD but has only grabbed 10 or more rebounds twice this entire season. So there is a low chance that he gets the double-double bonus even though the Sixers are 23rd in rebounding differential. He’s been hitting a lot more three-pointers this season but has not had one in three of his last four games. The floor looks extremely solid due to him averaging 36.8 DK fantasy points this season. His worst performances of the year were when he played under 24 minutes but outside of that he’s scored 28 or more fantasy points in every game this season. He’s also flashed 50+ fps upside and has a true usage rate of 28.3%. The Sixers could change their big man rotation after two consecutive losses but Lopez remains a solid fantasy option.

Jeremy Lin has returned to playing well but has yet to see over 20 minutes. His upside will be limited as long as he’s on a minutes restriction. He’s still a strong play on DraftKings because a full $1k cheaper than he is on FanDuel. Sean Kilpatrick was dealing with foul trouble for the game against the Magic but is still a viable fantasy option. He won’t have as much upside with the team getting healthy but should play nearly 30 minutes tonight. Bojan Bogdanovic has also been reliable over the past seven games but since he is scoring dependent he’s simply a GPP play. Trevor Booker was simply off against the Magic missing all of his field goals for the first time all season. This is a really nice bounce back spot for him as he was averaging 34.06 DKFP over his last ten games before the contest with the Magic.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary Rosters Sal. FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Isaiah Whitehead $3,700 $3,200 $6,000 0.63 23.0 0.9 14.5 0.0 18.7% -0.2% 18 -0.93
Sean Kilpatrick $5,400 $5,300 $8,600 0.89 27.8 1.1 24.7 -6.1 26.4% -4.7% 16 0.19
Bojan Bogdanovic $4,600 $4,700 $7,900 0.75 27.8 -1.8 20.9 1.9 21.2% 1.2% 25 3.10
Trevor Booker $5,800 $5,800 $8,500 0.99 28.4 1.2 28.1 -2.0 17.1% -1.0% 12 1.49
Brook Lopez $7,500 $7,100 $10,900 1.12 28.5 1.1 32.0 -1.5 28.3% -1.0% 19 -0.17

Elite Plays – Brook Lopez, Trevor Booker

Secondary Plays – Jeremy Lin (DK GPP), Sean Kilpatrick, Bojan Bogdanovic

Philadelphia 76ers

Hollis Thompson (questionable)
Jerryd Bayless (out)

It’s been a common theme in the young season to target whoever the Brooklyn Nets are playing against. The numbers back it up as well, 30th in fantasy points allowed per game, 28th in defensive efficiency, while giving the Sixers an implied total that is 11.1 over their season average. Joel Embiid has struggled since the Sixers have moved him to PF and started Jahlil Okafor alongside him. Then Nerlens Noel went and complained about his minutes, so I’m expecting a possible lineup change again here tonight. It’s possible that Okafor gets brought off the bench while Noel is used at PF and Embiid back at PF. One of these big men needed to get traded yesterday. Okafor has been solid as a starter averaging 26.91 DKFP in nine starts this season. This is a situation we’ll want to keep an eye on because the player that starts at C is the elite option tonight.

Robert Covington is locked into his role of playing over 30 minutes and is not shy about shooting. He’s averaged slightly over 18 actual points in his last three games and is cheaper on FanDuel than he is on DK. Sergio Rodriguez played slightly under 25 minutes against the Lakers but that could have been because they got blown out really early. Rodriguez is in a nice bounce back spot against the Nets. His salary dipped slightly due to his struggles but he’s still locked in as the starter. T.J. McConnell has been making the most of his opportunity and should be locked in for 20+ minutes tonight. McConnell is cheaper than Rodriguez and is averaging 7.8 assists in his last five games. Gerald Henderson is an extremely risky option but has the best matchup (28th DvP, -2.53DPRM) on the team. Ersan Ilyasova has also been extremely solid averaging 32.25 FanDuel points over his last seven games, two of which he did not start. It’s going to be really interesting to see if the squeeky wheel of Noel changes this rotation at all.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary Rosters Sal. FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Sergio Rodriguez $4,800 $4,800 $7,800 0.82 27.4 1.9 22.5 5.1 23.9% 2.3% 30 -0.65
Gerald Henderson $3,500 $3,300 $7,900 0.66 24.4 -0.8 16.2 -3.1 17.5% -1.9% 28 -2.53
Robert Covington $5,000 $5,600 $7,600 0.75 28.1 4.1 21.1 8.9 17.8% 3.6% 30 -2.00
Joel Embiid $6,800 $7,200 $10,300 1.34 23.8 3.2 32.0 -0.9 34.5% -7.1% 28 1.89
Jahlil Okafor $5,100 $5,700 $8,600 0.90 22.7 5.6 20.3 8.5 22.9% -2.4% 29 -0.70
T.J. McConnell $4,000 $3,700 $6,900 0.78 19.2 6.0 15.0 9.2 18.2% 2.2% 30 N/A
Ersan Ilyasova $5,500 $5,700 $8,800 0.87 26.5 3.0 23.1 5.8 21.0% 3.1% 28 N/A

Elite Plays – Robert Covington, Jahlil Okafor (if he starts at C)

Secondary Plays – Joel Embiid (FD), Sergio Rodriguez, T.J. McConnell (GPP)

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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.