NBA Grind Down: Sunday, February 1st
Welcome to the RotoGrinders NBA Grind Down Article. Each day, we’ll break down all of the matchups with a focus on defense vs. position stats. The Grind Down shows you Vegas lines, defense stats and projected starting lineups for each and every game.
The analysis should point you in the right direction, but it is still up to you to decipher the information and make your own selections. Use this article to help you gain a better understanding of the matchups for the coming week and build from there. We have everything you could possibly need on our Daily Research console for you to be a successful daily fantasy player!
Note: Fantasy Point Average Listed Uses FanDuel Scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s NFL Scoring System, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review.
Miami at Boston – 1:00 PM EST
- Vegas Line – Boston -3.5, 186.5 Over/Under
- Miami Proj. Starters – Napier-Chalmers-Granger-Bosh-Whiteside
- Boston Proj. Starters – Turner-Bradley-Crowder-Sullinger-Bass
| Miami | Boston | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 186 |  | Vegas Total | 186 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 3.5 | Vegas Sprd | -3.5 | |||||||||
| Team Proj. | 91.5 | Team Proj. | 95.0 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 91.75 | Team Pace | 98.97 | |||||||||
| 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 | Shabazz Napier | Mario Chalmers | Danny Granger | Chris Bosh | Hassan Whiteside | Proj Starter | Evan Turner | Avery Bradley | Jae Crowder | Jared Sullinger | Brandon Bass | |
| Opp. Season | 23 | 2 | 19 | 29 | 23 | Opp. Season | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 8 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 3 | 28 | 11 | 21 | 22 | Opp. Last 7 | 15 | 13 | 23 | 20 | 6 | |
Miami
There are only two games on the slate today, so there will be a few picks that we will have to reach for just because of the lack of depth. The first game of the slate pits the injured Heat against the struggling Celtics. Both teams may have a tough time scoring, and the total is set at 187 as a result. Yet, with the lack of games, we are going to have to find as many options as we can from this game. Wade will be out for this game, but the big news we are waiting for is on Luol Deng.
Editor’s Note: Luol Deng is out for this afternoon’s game.
Elite Plays
Hassan Whiteside – Whiteside is a very easy plug and play from this game. He has been the biggest surprise in the NBA and it looks like the Heat have now let him loose, as he has played 29 minutes and 36 minutes in his last two games. Add this to the fact that Boston is the 26th ranked defense against centers in the last three weeks, and you have the top center play of the day.
Mario Chalmers – Another simple play from this slate is Chalmers. Chalmers continues to show us this year that when Wade is out of the offense, he will play big minutes and produce. He let a lot of us down in his last game, but still manage 19.4 points, which didn’t kill anyone’s lineups for his price.
Chris Bosh – With the lack of studs in the two games, it is going to be simple to fit Bosh in your lineups across the industry. He has not been playing his best basketball of late, but he has a pretty big ceiling and is still getting close to 35 minutes per game. Boston’s inside defense is terrible and both Bosh and Whiteside should feast. It is great that FD moved Bosh to power forward, as I will be playing both.
Secondary Plays
James Ennis – If Carmelo sits and Deng sits, SF is the roughest position. In comes Ennis, who played 32 minutes last game to Granger’s 16. I hope Melo and Deng both play so I don’t have to make this choice, but he is a possibility, especially at FanDuel.
Boston
Boston is not a good team this year, at or away from their home court. They play bottom-third of the league defense and really do not have the firepower on offense to compete on a nightly basis. They are three-point favorites today against the Heat, so this game should stay close throughout.
Elite Plays
Editor’s Note: Sullinger is not starting this game and is coming off the bench. Tyler Zeller is starting in his place.
Jared Sullinger/Brandon Bass – Here is what I am finding as I create lineups: On DK, I actually need to fit pieces into the lineup so I can play Bosh and Whiteside. On FD, I can play any combinations of players and have some salary left over. This makes the decision between Sully and Bass a bit different on the sites. I would go with Sully on FD and Bass on DK to save some cap there. Neither has a great matchup, as the Heat’s inside defense does not allow many big games for bigs, but these are two guys that will get minutes today that should produce some of the higher scores at the position.
Secondary Plays
Evan Turner – FD almost forces you to either take Turner, Bradley or Hardaway today. Between the three, I think I like Turner the most with Hardaway a close second. If Carmelo sits, though, Hardaway becomes by far the better play. Turner makes a decent play today as he will have an undersized back court to deal with as he will face the likes of Chalmers, Cole, and Napier throughout the game. If Stevens gives him the minutes, he should reach value.
Tayshaun Prince – This is no joke, Prince does get a mention here. If and only if both Deng and Melo sit out, Prince enters the conversation as there are very few options. Prince has played 20+ minutes in his last three and has also scored 20+ fantasy points in each of those contests. Yet, I hope it doesn’t come to this.
L.A. Lakers at New York – 2:00 PM EST
- Vegas Line – New York -3, 190.5 Over/Under
- L.A. Lakers Proj. Starters – Clarkson-Ellington—Hill-Sacre
- New York Proj. Starters – Calderon-Galloway-Anthony-Smith-Amundson
| L.A. Lakers | New York | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Total | 190 |  | Vegas Total | ||||||||
| Vegas Sprd | 3.0 | Vegas Sprd | ||||||||||
| Team Proj. | 93.8 | Team Proj. | ||||||||||
| Team Pace | 97.13 | Team Pace | 92.89 | |||||||||
| 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 | Jordan Clarkson | Wayne Ellington | Jordan Hill | Robert Sacre | Proj Starter | Jose Calderon | Langston Galloway | Carmelo Anthony | Jason Smith | Louis Amundson | ||
| Opp. Season | 26 | 27 | 2 | 6 | 21 | Opp. Season | 30 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 24 | |
| Opp. Last 7 | 29 | 7 | 1 | 19 | 9 | Opp. Last 7 | 25 | 22 | 12 | 10 | 10 | |
L.A. Lakers
It is sad to see two of the biggest franchises in the NBA have two of the worst records in the league this year. Kobe is, of course, out for this game and Nick Young looks questionable. Last news about him was that he could run a bit, but could not cut. This leads me to believe he will sit this game and I will pick plays based on that. This game has a total of 190, yet both teams have some major holes on the defensive end.
Elite Plays
Jordan Clarkson – There are a few low priced point guards today, but Clarkson is the guy that may be trending upward the most. He is coming off playing 43 minutes in that overtime game against the Bulls. The coaching staff seems to really like Clarkson and may be letting him go out there and show what he can do. He has a great match up as the Knicks are 29th in the league against the PG position.
Wayne Ellington – I am not extremely happy about it, but Ellington will be on most of my lineups today. If Swaggy P sits, Ellington will get all the minutes he can handle and is probably the safest of all the shooting guards on the slate.
Secondary Plays
Jordan Hill – If, and only if, you want to diversify a lineup away from Whiteside, Hill is a possibility. He had a great game against the Bulls, and has shown 40-point upside this year.
New York
The poor Knicks have to deal with their superstar not deciding whether he plays right prior to the game over and over. If he is not in the lineup, Madison Square Garden should charge half price for the tickets today as literally no stars will be suiting up. The last news I saw, Melo looks to want to be in the lineup. If he is not in the lineup, like I said before, Hardaway makes for a great play at shooting guard and Lance Thomas makes a decent small forward. Make sure you check the news and hopefully it is given to us prior to lock.
Elite Plays
Carmelo Anthony – It is simple, the Lakers are bad on defense and there are no small forwards to actually trust on this slate. If he is playing, he is the top player in the position and you can easily fit him in. He becomes a must play on FanDuel and pretty much a must play at DK.
Jason Smith – Another price play, Smith makes a very good play over at DraftKings where value is a bit more important today. Smith has played 30+ minutes in his last six games and gets around that 25-30 range which pays off his salary nicely.
Langston Galloway – It is a pretty tough choice between Chalmers, Galloway and Clarkson. At this point with Carmelo playing, I think I like Chalmers and Clarkson a bit more. I will have shares of all three lineups as they are all in good match ups and should get a bunch of minutes. If Melo is out, Galloway jumps up to the top of this list right away.
Secondary Plays
None – Louis Amundson is an alright play, but I don’t think you need to play him here as he is still only getting about 20 minutes per game.