NBA Grind Down: Sunday, January 12th
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: Any 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
Click ‘Stat Chart’ Buttons Below for Pop-Ups of Essential Game-Specific Statistics including Defense vs. Position and Pace
Cleveland at Sacramento
- Vegas Line – Sacramento -3.5, 205 Over/Under
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Miles-Deng-Thompson-Varejao
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Thomas-Thornton-Gay-Thompson-Cousins
Cleveland
Only 3 games on tap today, but there are still plenty of leagues to join across the industry. The Cavs and Kings both play at a decent pace and this game has a high total that is currently at 207 points. Looking at the Kings’ DvP rankings, the Cavs have quite a few favorable matchups that we can exploit. The one exception here is Luol Deng. While he does have a nice matchup, he was on a minutes restriction last game and will likely be on one tonight as he is still getting acclimated with his new team.
- Kyrie Irving – Irving is hands down the top PG option tonight. He has a great matchup against Thomas and the Kings who are ranked 29th at defending the PG position this season. Kyrie is one of those players that can have of league changing type of performance and he should play well tonight. If you can afford him, get him in your lineup.
- Tristan Thompson – I also like Varejao here, but he will be locked up with Cousins in a tough battle down low. Thompson on the other hand will be defended by Jason Thompson who is not a great defender. Thompson has been very consistent over his past few games and should be able to post double-double type numbers tonight. He makes a great cash game play.
Sacramento
The Kings are one of my favorite teams to target tonight. When you talk about the Kings, there are usually only 3 fantasy options that come up: DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas, and Rudy Gay. We will get to those matchups here in a minute, but I think a few of the role players could provide some value tonight.
Jason Thompson is dirt cheap across the industry and has been seeing big minutes, Derrick Williams has been playing well at home, and Marcus Thornton is now the starting SG. I think all 3 provide solid value plays on a night with only 3 games.
- Rudy Gay – If Deng was playing a full complement of minutes, I would probably avoid Gay tonight, but Deng will only be defending him for a limited number of minutes tonight. Gay has really stepped up his play lately with over 30 FP’s in 7 straight games.
- Isaiah Thomas – While Cousins isn’t on my list of recommended plays, you certainly can’t count him out tonight. He is the top option at Center, but you will have to pay up for him. I like the value of Gay and Thomas a bit more here. The Cavs have not defended the PG position well this season and Thomas has topped 30 FP’s in 8 of his last 9 games.
Atlanta at Memphis
- Vegas Line – Memphis -4.5, 193 Over/Under
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Antic
- Memphis Proj. Starters – Conley-Allen-Prince-Randolph-Koufos
Atlanta
This is an interesting game to me. While the Grizzlies are thought of as a slow paced defensive team, there have been players that have put up solid fantasy performances against them lately. The total for this game is set at 193 points, but the game is expected to be close. Pero Antic makes a nice punt option at Center, but you really can’t rely on him for anything more than 10 FP’s.
- Paul Millsap – I really like the matchup for Millsap tonight. He is much quicker than Randolph and should be able to score in the post at will. Millsap has had an amazing season and is their best offensive weapon now that Horford is out. Look for Millsap to top 35 FP’s tonight.
- Jeff Teague – Teague has a couple of things going against him in this one. He has really struggled in his last 6 games and the Grizzlies are ranked 8th at defending the PG position. The one thing he has in his favor is a depressed price tag. I value price over matchup anyday of the week and I think Teague is under-priced today on most sites.
Memphis
The Grizzlies have a pretty solid matchup against the Hawks. If you look at the Hawks DvP rankings, they have not really defended any position that well. The Grizzlies will be without Tony Allen again tonight and here is a minutes distribution of the wing minutes last game with Allen in the lineup (Prince 23, Miller 17, Lee 29, Johnson 29). As you can see, both Lee and Johnson got more minutes than the starters Miller and Prince. I have a feeling that this will continue going forward which makes both Courtney Lee and James Johnson interesting value plays.
- Mike Conley – Conley has really picked up his play over the last two weeks. He has averaged over 35 FP’s in his last 6 games and looks like a solid play again tonight. His price has remained relatively stable on most sites so it’s a good time to take him before his price reflects his recent production. I don’t mind Zach Randolph either, but I think Millsap posts better numbers.
Minnesota at San Antonio
- Vegas Line – San Antonio -6, 211.5 Over/Under
- Minnesota Proj. Starters – Rubio-Martin-Brewer-Love-Pekovic
- San Antonio Proj. Starters – Parker-Belinelli-Leonard-Diaw-Duncan
Minnesota
The Wolves and Spurs will ever be etched into my memory from the fire in Mexico. And it’s definitely not a great memory. However, the last time these two teams met, it was an extremely high scoring game. The Spurs ended up winning that game 117-110. I expect the game to be very similar this time around. Both of these teams will look to push the pace.
Before we get into my favorite picks here, let’s go over a couple of plays that should at least be considered. Ricky Rubio is priced fairly across the board and could be a gamble that really pays off. Corey Brewer has really stepped up his game lately and is cheap across the board. And finally, Kevin Martin makes a nice play in an uptempo, high scoring game.
- Kevin Love – Even though the DvP rankings may suggest otherwise, the Wolves dominated the interior defense of the Spurs in their last matchup. Love and Pek combined for over 90 FP’s in that game. Love is matchup proof and the Wolves typically rely on him more in tough games. I think he puts up a minimum of 25 and 15 tonight with the potential for much more.
- Nikola Pekovic – Pek is a solid cash game play tonight. He has been extremely consistent this season and seems to top 30 FP’s every time he takes the floor. I think he will overpower the interior of the Spurs and post solid numbers once again.
San Antonio
The Spurs are in a terrific spot tonight, but I will be watching the status of Manu Ginobili very closely. Hopefully we will find out before the first games tip off. If Ginobili is out again, I like the value of Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, and Marco Belinelli. I think they are all in play if Ginobili sits as the Wolves have really struggled to defend the SG and SF positions. Tim Duncan is a little overpriced in my eyes, you can take Z-Bo or Millsap for cheaper and they have just as much upside.
- Tony Parker – Parker is one of my favorite plays tonight. I always love to pick on the defense of Rubio and the fact that this game should be fast-paced and high scoring makes me think that Parker should be in for a 20 points, 10 assist game tonight.