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NBA Grind Down: Sunday, February 26th

by Chirag Hira (INSPYR) Last Updated 2017-02-27 01:57:10

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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.

Legend & FAQ

Phoenix Suns at Milwaukee Bucks – 3:30 PM ET

Phoenix Suns Milwaukee Bucks
Article Image Vegas Total 224.0 Article Image Vegas Total 224.0
Vegas Spread 6.5 Vegas Spread -6.5
Team Total 108.8 Team Total 115.3
Pace +/- -1.1 Pace +/- 3.3
Proj. Starter Eric Bledsoe Devin Booker T.J. Warren Marquese Chriss Tyson Chandler Proj. Starter Giannis Antetokounmpo Matthew Dellavedova Tony Snell Michael Beasley Thon Maker
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 3 12 24 25 22 Adj. DvP 23 29 9 26 17
DRPM 1.98 -1.88 -0.62 -0.80 -0.26 DRPM -1.12 -2.27 -2.62 -1.02 2.26

Phoenix Suns

Happy Sunday, Grinders! We have an interesting day of NBA action on our hands. The Phoenix Suns travel to Milwaukee after losing to the Bulls in overtime on Friday, and I’m really sad that the sites left this game off the main slate. Eric Bledsoe did not play well when these two teams linked up earlier this month, but the minutes are basically a lock. We should expect Bledsoe to bounce back, but even if he does, he lacks truly elite upside. Devin Booker missed the game-winning free throw against Chicago and will look to redeem himself today. His minutes are pretty secure as well, and he looks like a safe option. The upside is always there given his 28 percent true usage rate, and he’s cheaper than Bledsoe, which doesn’t hurt. T.J. Warren should also be able to exceed his salary-based expectations, but he’ll have the unenviable task of dealing with The Greek Freak for most of the afternoon.

Alex Len started against Chicago, and FanDuel will not let us have nice things. Len did not even play well against the Bulls in 35 minutes, but they jacked up his salary by $1,100. DraftKings was a little bit nicer and only moved him up $400. Marquese Chriss put up his second consecutive 30+ fantasy point game and is a lock to play 28 minutes. No one ever considered Michael Beasley an elite defender, so Chriss should be able to put up a serviceable line. Tyson Chandler did not even play against the Bulls, and Alan Williams had a nice impact in 15 minutes. Like Chandler, Brandon Knight was also a DNP-CD, and Tyler Ulis looks to be ahead of Knight moving forward. The tank-a-thon is on, folks!

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Eric Bledsoe $9,000 $8,200 1.12 33.4 3.4 37.3 8.1 30.5% 0.4% 3 1.98
Devin Booker $6,600 $6,800 0.83 34.6 -1.4 28.9 0.5 28.0% 1.7% 12 -1.88
T.J. Warren $5,200 $5,300 0.74 29.2 0.7 21.6 0.7 18.8% -3.6% 24 -0.62
Marquese Chriss $4,700 $4,500 0.77 19.0 6.7 14.7 7.2 18.8% -1.4% 25 -0.80
Tyson Chandler $4,300 $4,400 0.87 27.6 -7.4 24.0 -5.1 11.2% -0.8% 22 -0.26
Alex Len $5,000 $4,200 0.90 19.9 4.3 17.9 3.4 16.8% 6.7% 22 N/A

Elite Plays – Devin Booker, Marquese Chriss

Secondary Plays – Eric Bledsoe, T.J. Warren, Alex Len (DK)

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks lost to the Utah Jazz on Friday night but continue their home stand today with Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way. Whatever nickname you want to give him, it does not really matter; just know that he scored 64 DraftKings points against the Jazz, who have one of the stingiest defenses in the NBA. Giannis is basically matchup proof for the remainder of the season. The only thing that can hold him back is his own coach. If you’re playing the early slate and you’re not using Antetokounmpo, you’re just asking to lose. Michael Beasley also had a nice game against Utah and should be considered a strong option for this matchup. Khris Middleton played 24 minutes against the Jazz but did not have a strong game. Hopefully, the low-scoring night against a slow-paced team keeps users off Middelton. He should be much better against the Suns today. Thon Maker continues to start, but he’s only seen 20 minutes once in his last five starts. If you want to take a stab at his cheap salary on the early slate, I can’t really blame you. Greg Monroe had a bad game against Utah, but that is to be expected out of most centers. He’ll look to bounce back against the Suns today. He’s not exactly cheap, but the early slate does not have a ton of elite center options either.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Giannis Antetokounmpo $11,000 $10,800 1.31 35.4 2.0 46.3 4.5 29.6% 0.3% 23 -1.12
Matthew Dellavedova $3,900 $3,400 0.66 26.5 1.1 17.5 -4.5 19.1% -3.5% 29 -2.27
Tony Snell $4,100 $3,100 0.51 28.5 -1.4 14.7 2.0 11.4% -0.4% 9 -2.62
Michael Beasley $5,700 $5,600 0.94 17.2 9.8 16.1 9.9 23.8% -2.9% 26 -1.02
Thon Maker $3,500 $3,200 0.87 7.5 9.1 6.5 5.8 17.5% -1.3% 17 2.26
Greg Monroe $6,400 $6,000 1.14 21.8 4.6 24.8 6.7 23.6% -0.8% 17 N/A

Elite Plays – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Michael Beasley

Secondary Plays – Khris Middleton, Greg Monroe

San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers – 3:30 PM ET

San Antonio Spurs Los Angeles Lakers
Article Image Vegas Total 212.0 Article Image Vegas Total 212.0
Vegas Spread -11.0 Vegas Spread 11.0
Team Total 111.5 Team Total 100.5
Pace +/- 1.9 Pace +/- -2.0
Proj. Starter Tony Parker Danny Green Kawhi Leonard LaMarcus Aldridge Dewayne Dedmon Proj. Starter D’Angelo Russell Nick Young Brandon Ingram Julius Randle Tarik Black
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 28 19 27 27 30 Adj. DvP 4 14 2 2 3
DRPM -0.95 -1.93 -2.88 -0.06 2.41 DRPM -0.95 2.04 0.82 1.22 4.25

San Antonio Spurs

Hmmm, the Spurs are all healthy and play the Lakers. I hope they play their whole team, but this is setting up like a rest day for San Antonio. We should know before lineups lock since they play in the early game, but we’ll have to proceed with all the available players for now. The Spurs beat the Clippers on Friday and just enjoyed their weekend in Los Angeles. Kawhi Leonard was in foul trouble against the Clippers but should have a much easier path to success this afternoon. He has not scored 50 FanDuel points against the Lakers this season and at his elevated salary levels, it’s pretty much what we need. Pau Gasol had a nice game against the Clippers and played 27 minutes off the bench. He could return to the starting lineup against his former team. Gasol crushed the Lakers for 43.3 DraftKings points in 26 minutes earlier this season and should be the best center option available on the early slate. He’s simply too cheap and does not even have to play 30 minutes to make value.

LaMarcus Aldridge also played well against the Lakers in November, but he’s slightly riskier with his salary approaching $7k. He tends to disappear when we need it most, but nevertheless, he is somewhat reliable, with only only two games under 30 DraftKings points in his last 14 starts. Tony Parker played 30 minutes against the Clippers and should also be able to exceed value on his cheap salary. Dewayne Dedmon could remain the starter because he played well against the Clippers. If Dedmon starts, he’ll exceed value as well. Their bench should get some easy action too but are too risky because the minutes are not secure.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Tony Parker $4,600 $4,500 0.76 26.2 3.0 20.0 -1.7 23.2% -5.4% 28 -0.95
Danny Green $3,800 $3,900 0.63 26.7 2.0 16.8 -0.7 13.4% 0.2% 19 -1.93
Kawhi Leonard $9,600 $9,200 1.22 33.5 -0.4 40.8 3.7 30.6% 5.4% 27 -2.88
LaMarcus Aldridge $7,400 $6,900 0.97 32.4 1.1 31.4 0.3 24.1% 3.0% 27 -0.06
Dewayne Dedmon $5,000 $4,900 0.94 17.4 9.9 16.4 10.2 12.2% -0.6% 30 2.41
Pau Gasol $6,300 $5,700 1.04 26.4 0.3 27.5 6.8 20.4% -3.3% 30 N/A

Elite Plays – Pau Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge

Secondary Plays – Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker, Dewayne Dedmon

Los Angeles Lakers

D’Angelo Russell finally showed up against the Thunder and put up 50 fantasy points in a little over 35 minutes. The team was pleased with the way he played, but Luke Walton questioned some of the shots he took. It’ll be a tough test today against the Spurs, and I’m not entirely sure we can pay for him in cash. The Spurs defend every position pretty well, but Tony Parker owns the worst DPRM of the starters at -0.95. Russell is still a strong tournament play because his minutes look secure over 30 with Lou Williams out of town. Julius Randle and Larry Nance are splitting the power forward minutes, and Nance is cheaper, giving us more potential profit. I’d avoid Randle against Aldridge and Gasol/Dedmon. Nance is also simply a GPP play due to his limited role off the bench.

Ivica Zubac is FREE and should also play 24-28 minutes today. He’s under $4k on both sites and does not have to do much to exceed value. He’ll likely play in garbage time if this game gets out of hand. Brandon Ingram played 39 minutes against the Thunder, giving us a high expected floor to work with. He’ll have to deal with Kawhi Leonard for most the afternoon, so his upside is limited. Jordan Clarkson had a great game off the bench and could be the cheap point guard play outside of Parker.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
D’Angelo Russell $6,100 $6,700 1.00 26.7 0.6 26.6 -1.4 29.6% -0.2% 4 -0.95
Nick Young $4,600 $4,000 0.74 26.4 -1.9 19.5 -1.2 18.9% -0.1% 14 2.04
Brandon Ingram $3,700 $4,200 0.59 27.8 0.5 16.4 -1.0 16.3% -0.4% 2 0.82
Julius Randle $5,800 $5,500 0.98 28.3 -1.5 27.7 -1.1 23.5% 1.3% 2 1.22
Tarik Black $3,600 $3,400 0.89 16.2 0.2 14.4 -1.7 16.2% 0.7% 3 4.25
Jordan Clarkson $5,000 $5,200 0.77 27.4 -1.3 21.2 -0.5 23.5% 1.3% 4 N/A
Larry Nance $4,500 $4,100 0.84 22.4 1.4 18.9 1.9 13.7% -0.4% 2 N/A

Elite Plays – Jordan Clarkson, Ivica Zubac

Secondary Plays – D’Angelo Russell, Larry Nance, Brandon Ingram

Memphis Grizzlies at Denver Nuggets – 5:00 PM ET

Memphis Grizzlies Denver Nuggets
Article Image Vegas Total 215.5 Article Image Vegas Total 215.5
Vegas Spread 1.5 Vegas Spread -1.5
Team Total 107.0 Team Total 108.5
Pace +/- 2.0 Pace +/- -3.4
Proj. Starter Mike Conley Tony Allen Chandler Parsons JaMychal Green Marc Gasol Proj. Starter Jameer Nelson Gary Harris Danilo Gallinari Wilson Chandler Nikola Jokic
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 27 28 29 23 15 Adj. DvP 8 9 3 6 1
DRPM -1.20 -1.85 -0.14 -1.45 1.12 DRPM -0.99 2.01 0.46 1.07 1.30

Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies travel to Denver having lost two of their last three games. Mike Conley has not played well in the last two losses but should be considered an elite option against the 27th-ranked adjusted DvP of the Nuggets. Even though he has been struggling, Conley appears safe to use in cash. The Grizzlies crushed the Nuggets the last time they visited and Marc Gasol had a nice performance in 24 minutes. He’ll be a solid option again tonight, with the Grizzlies looking to right the ship against a division rival. Tony Allen played well against the Pacers and has scored over 25 fantasy points in four of his last five starts. He’ll be a fine low-end option tonight as well. JaMychal Green played 32 minutes against the Pacers and still underperformed. He’ll have to prove he’s all the way back before he can enter my circle of trust. Vince Carter is also not a bad low-end option. Brandan Wright missed their last game due to personal reasons and should be back tonight. He’s not a reliable option unless we can get him over 20 minutes.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Mike Conley $7,600 $7,900 1.03 32.7 0.6 33.6 -0.4 29.2% -0.8% 27 -1.20
Tony Allen $4,900 $4,800 0.75 27.8 -2.3 20.9 0.8 17.7% 4.4% 28 -1.85
Chandler Parsons $3,700 $3,500 0.64 19.4 2.5 12.5 2.1 19.0% -3.2% 29 -0.14
JaMychal Green $4,700 $4,100 0.72 28.6 -3.6 20.7 -3.8 14.2% 1.2% 23 -1.45
Marc Gasol $8,400 $7,900 1.08 34.3 0.9 36.9 -1.8 28.3% -1.1% 15 1.12
Zach Randolph $6,100 $5,500 1.09 24.3 -0.6 26.6 -3.3 28.4% -0.6% 23 N/A

Elite Plays – Mike Conley, Marc Gasol

Secondary Plays – Tony Allen

Denver Nuggets

The Joker has not played well in consecutive games for the first time this calendar year. He did not play in the game earlier this month against Memphis due to a hip injury and only saw 28 minutes against them in November. With Mason Plumlee proving himself as a reliable backup, Nikola Jokic might be too expensive to pay up for tonight. Kenneth Faried has started the last two games but is dealing with a bad back and is considered doubtful for this game. Darrell Arthur could start in place of Faried but is not a reliable option. He’s dealing with knee issues and the Nuggets could elect to start Wilson Chandler, as well. Chandler has been playing well off the bench but has not played over 30 minutes with all the Nuggets healthy. He’s been a solid high-floor option but won’t really exceed value unless he plays 30 minutes/starts. Gary Harris is coming off three straight games where he scored 20+ actual points, but will have to deal with Tony Allen (2.01 DPRM) tonight. He’s still a high-floor option, but his upside is limited against an elite defender.

Danilo Gallinari has also put up decent performances, and the lack of minutes in their previous game was likely due to the blowout. Gallinari is seems healthy, but it’ll be interesting to see if he can co-exist with Wilson Chandler against the Grizzlies. Mason Plumlee almost put up a triple-double against the Nets, but is not a strong option since he’s not a lock to play 30 minutes. Jameer Nelson, Jamal Murray, and Emmanuel Mudiay are all healthy, making it tough to trust any of the point guards.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Jameer Nelson $5,300 $5,600 0.74 26.3 5.2 19.5 13.7 19.8% 0.1% 8 -0.99
Gary Harris $5,000 $5,600 0.79 28.8 3.4 22.8 3.8 20.0% 2.7% 9 2.01
Danilo Gallinari $6,400 $5,700 0.79 33.9 -6.3 26.7 1.7 19.6% 2.3% 3 0.46
Wilson Chandler $6,300 $6,000 0.89 30.8 -0.2 27.5 -2.2 22.6% 3.2% 6 1.07
Nikola Jokic $9,800 $9,800 1.28 26.7 2.9 34.1 3.1 24.7% 0.5% 1 1.30
Will Barton $5,900 $6,400 0.88 29.2 3.6 25.6 4.6 22.3% 1.0% 9 N/A

Elite Plays – N/A

Secondary Plays – Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Gary Harris

Utah Jazz at Washington Wizards – 5:00 PM ET

Utah Jazz Washington Wizards
Article Image Vegas Total 206.5 Article Image Vegas Total 206.5
Vegas Spread 2.5 Vegas Spread -2.5
Team Total 102.0 Team Total 104.5
Pace +/- 0.5 Pace +/- -5.3
Proj. Starter George Hill Rodney Hood Gordon Hayward Derrick Favors Rudy Gobert 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
Adj. DvP 9 3 15 28 11 Adj. DvP 2 1 1 1 7
DRPM -0.37 -0.73 1.03 2.06 1.93 DRPM 0.78 0.54 -0.06 2.75 5.22

Utah Jazz

Will the Jazz actually stay healthy for the stretch run? Rodney Hood returned from a seven-game absence and played 21 minutes. Hood will likely stay limited but in the starting lineup. Gordan Hayward continues to churn out serviceable lines and is averaging 37.54 FanDuel points per game over his last 10 games. He might not have the elite upside with everyone healthy, but his floor looks safe. George Hill played 34 minutes against the Bucks and hopefully that means he’s healthy as well. He’s not scoring at an elite clip but his floor looks solid as well. Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert dominated the Bucks on Friday and Favors is still pretty cheap. He seems locked into his 26 minutes and could start to see more if he remains healthy. The Wizards rank 28th in adjust DvP against power forwards, making Favors an elite option.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
George Hill $6,100 $5,900 0.90 31.7 0.1 28.6 -3.3 24.8% 0.2% 9 -0.37
Rodney Hood $4,000 $4,000 0.73 28.5 -7.1 20.8 -12.9 22.8% -0.4% 3 -0.73
Gordon Hayward $7,800 $7,500 1.01 34.6 1.0 35.0 0.2 27.8% 0.8% 15 1.03
Derrick Favors $5,000 $5,100 0.88 23.5 3.2 20.8 1.7 20.0% -3.3% 28 2.06
Rudy Gobert $7,700 $7,100 1.03 33.5 -1.5 34.3 -0.3 15.6% 3.6% 11 1.93

Elite Plays – Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward

Secondary Plays – George Hill, Rudy Gobert

Washington Wizards

The Wizards caught an L in Philly and will return home to host Utah. John Wall crushed it in 41 minutes against the Sixers, but if it takes him 41 minutes for him to really exceed 5x, it might be wise to look elsewhere tonight against Utah. They have the worst projected pace differential and are expected to score below their season average. Bradley Beal also had a magnificant game against the Sixers, and it was the second time this month he’s scored 40 actual points. He needed to play 40+ minutes to achieve that, so keep your expectations in check tonight. There’s not a ton of appealing options on this Wizards squad since everyone is priced for their production and are not expected to achieve near their season averages. Otto Porter was playing well before the Philly game and could be a viable GPP play. Still, I’d rather spend my salary elsewhere.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
John Wall $10,200 $9,400 1.23 36.7 1.5 45.3 2.9 34.8% 1.0% 2 0.78
Bradley Beal $7,100 $7,000 0.92 34.6 0.6 31.9 2.9 26.4% 1.1% 1 0.54
Otto Porter $6,300 $5,800 0.83 33.9 0.0 28.3 1.2 15.2% 0.6% 1 -0.06
Markieff Morris $6,700 $6,300 0.86 32.0 -1.3 27.5 5.8 20.7% 2.4% 1 2.75
Marcin Gortat $6,500 $6,100 0.85 34.5 -0.4 29.4 -0.6 14.5% 1.1% 7 5.22
Bojan Bogdanovic $3,800 $3,900 0.75 26.8 0.5 20.0 0.3 22.5% -1.0% 1 N/A

Elite Plays – N/A

Secondary Plays -N/A

Portland Trail Blazers at Toronto Raptors – 6:00 PM ET

Portland Trail Blazers Toronto Raptors
Article Image Vegas Total 212.5 Article Image Vegas Total 212.5
Vegas Spread 4.5 Vegas Spread -4.5
Team Total 104.0 Team Total 108.5
Pace +/- -1.3 Pace +/- 0.9
Proj. Starter Damian Lillard C.J. McCollum Maurice Harkless Noah Vonleh Jusuf Nurkic Proj. Starter Kyle Lowry DeMar DeRozan DeMarre Carroll Serge Ibaka Jonas Valanciunas
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 7 2 16 10 13 Adj. DvP 10 22 21 20 18
DRPM 0.78 -2.65 1.03 0.52 0.42 DRPM -1.93 -2.03 0.18 0.91 2.32

Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers continue their road trip tonight in Toronto. They defeated the Magic on Thursday and are looking to face the Raptors, who are likely without Kyle Lowry. Damian Lillard was able to make value in 32 mintues against the Magic but needed to score 33 actual points. If Lowry is out, Lillard should be able to win his matchup against Cory Joseph. With C.J. McCollum dealing with DeMar DeRozan on both ends, we’ll have to look at Lillard as the most reliable option on the Portland squad. Al Farouq-Aminu is expected to be back tonight and was playing well before he suffered a knee sprain. His salary remains cheap enough to the point where he should exceed value if he plays over 28 minutes. He has not started in about six weeks, so we should expect him to play off the bench for this game. Jusuf Nurkic crushed the Magic on Thursday and both sites have already took away all the value he had. Nurk is over $5k now on both major sites and should still be considered a strong option in all formats. The Bosnian big man played a little over 34 minutes and should be able to grab a double-double again tonight. Moe Harkless also played 38 minutes in that game against Orlando, but with Aminu back should go back to his normal 28 minutes.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Damian Lillard $8,300 $8,500 1.10 35.9 1.6 39.6 -1.3 32.0% -0.5% 7 0.78
C.J. McCollum $7,600 $7,600 0.99 34.6 1.4 34.1 -2.3 28.2% 1.7% 2 -2.65
Maurice Harkless $4,700 $4,800 0.71 29.1 -1.1 20.7 3.1 15.6% 0.2% 16 1.03
Noah Vonleh $3,500 $3,000 0.68 13.3 5.3 9.0 0.3 13.4% -3.8% 10 0.52
Jusuf Nurkic $5,500 $5,600 1.01 18.4 9.5 18.5 16.0 22.8% -3.2% 13 0.42
Al-Farouq Aminu $5,600 $5,400 0.76 29.1 3.5 22.0 9.6 15.4% 5.0% 10 N/A

Elite Plays – Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkic

Secondary Plays – C.J. McCollum, Al-Farouq Aminu

Toronto Raptors

Kyle Lowry was ruled out of Friday’s contest due to a sore wrist. It seems that he is out indefinitely, but the team has not “officially” ruled him out of tonight’s contest. I don’t expect him to play but will wait for official word from the team. DeMar DeRozan has a usage rate of over 43 percent with Kyle Lowry off and has a usage rate over 41 percent with Lowry, Terrence Ross, and Jared Sullinger off. Pretty much, he’s a lock if Lowry is out. Cory Joseph will also likely start with Lowry out of the lineup and is a viable option. He’s no longer an elite play with both sites jacking his price up but he should be able to make value. With P.J. Tucker and Serge Ibaka in the lineup, Norman Powell went to the bench and is no longer a viable option. Ibaka played 36 minutes against the Celtics and should be able to exceed value. Since DeRozan takes up so much of the usage, the upside might not be as high for Ibaka with his salary levels sitting in the same range as it was while he was playing for Orlando.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Kyle Lowry $8,500 $8,100 1.04 37.7 0.1 39.4 -7.4 27.1% -0.7% 10 -1.93
DeMar DeRozan $8,600 $8,800 1.12 35.5 0.7 39.7 -5.8 34.4% 0.2% 22 -2.03
DeMarre Carroll $4,400 $4,400 0.67 27.3 8.2 18.4 5.5 15.3% -3.8% 21 0.18
Serge Ibaka $5,900 $6,000 0.92 30.6 0.5 28.1 -2.0 20.1% -2.1% 20 0.91
Jonas Valanciunas $5,600 $4,900 0.97 26.8 -2.9 26.1 -3.8 18.9% -0.5% 18 2.32
P.J. Tucker $4,700 $4,600 0.66 28.6 -1.0 18.9 4.5 12.2% 0.7% 21 N/A

Elite Plays – DeMar DeRozan, Cory Joseph

Secondary Plays – Serge Ibaka

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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.