NBA Grind Down: Sunday, January 19th
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
L.A.Lakers at Toronto
- Vegas Line – Toronto -9, 204 Over/Under
- L.A.Lakers Proj. Starters – Marshall-Meeks-Johnson-Gasol-Sacre
- Toronto Proj. Starters – Lowry-DeRozan-Ross-Johnson-Valanciunas
L.A.Lakers
There are 5 games on the schedule today with the Lakers/Raptors game tipping off bright and early at 1:00 ET. These two teams have opposing styles of play and the Raptors receive a nice fantasy boost this afternoon against the Lakers because of the Lakers fast pace of play.
- Jodie Meeks – The only position that the Raptors aren’t great at covering is the SG position. I don’t mind Pau Gasol, but I think you would be overpaying for him in a bad matchup. Meeks is a safe bet for 20+ fantasy points today.
Toronto
The Raptors are in a terrific spot this afternoon. The Lakers rank in the bottom 4 against all positions except for SF and they are average at best against SF’s. All five starters are in play today and maybe even Patrick Patterson off the bench.
- Kyle Lowry – I like taking Lowry even in average matchups. He can do a little bit of everything on the floor and this Lakers defense should really inflate his numbers. I can’t wait to see the type of numbers he puts up today. If it stays close, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him flirt with a triple-double.
- Jonas Valanciunas – Like I said, everyone from the Raptors is in play today, but I really like the value of Big Val. He is dirt cheap across the industry and has great upside against the Lakers.
Boston at Orlando
- Vegas Line – Boston -2.5, 195.5 Over/Under
- Boston Proj. Starters – Rondo-Bradley-Green-Sullinger-Humphries
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Nelson-Oladipo-Harkless-Harris-Davis
Boston
The Celtics and Magic game is expected to be close and fairly high scoring. The big story in Boston is the return of Rajon Rondo. He looked a bit rusty in his first game back. He should be ignored for fantasy purposes until he starts playing 30+ minutes per night.
- Jared Sullinger – The Magic will likely be without Vucevic tonight so Sully will be defended by a combo of Davis and Harris. I like his matchup against either of them. Sully should post some big numbers and really dominate the glass.
- Jeff Green – Not sure what it is, but he has been my kryptonite this season. Everytime I like his matchup, he just forgets to show up. Once again though, he should play well here.
Orlando
The Magic take on a Celtics team that is very average defensively. They have really struggled to defend the paint this season because they just don’t have the size that a lot of other teams have. It doesn’t sound like Nikola Vucevic is going to play here so Harris and Davis will continue to see a boost.
- Glen Davis – Expect another consistent fantasy performance from Big Baby. If you are playing in cash games and need someone that can give you 25+ today, Davis is a nice fit.
- Jameer Nelson – Last game I picked on Rondo with Kendall Marshall and it worked out well. I am going to do the same thing today with Nelson. Rondo isn’t in game shape yet and the last thing that he is worried about is his defense.
Sacramento at Oklahoma City
- Vegas Line – Oklahoma City -8, 211 Over/Under
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Thomas-Thornton-Gay-Thompson-Cousins
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Jackson-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins
Sacramento
The Kings have been playing much better basketball recently and are actually over .500 since the Rudy Gay trade. This game is borderline blowout potential, but I think the Kings can keep this one close enough for the starters to see their usual minutes.
- Isaiah Thomas – Thomas is really the only play that I like here, the Thunder have really defended the SF and Center positions well this season. Jackson has struggled defensively though and I like IT2 to have a big game tonight.
Oklahoma City
The Thunder have a nice matchup against the Kings. The question becomes: are you playing Durant? His price has gone up to incredible levels, yet he is dropping 50+ points almost every other game these days. I think you can fit him in, but the rest of your team may have to consist of scrubs. I will likely be avoiding him tonight and focusing on more of a balanced lineup.
- Reggie Jackson – Jackson has been pretty inconsistent as the starting PG, but they are back home and he has a great matchup against Thomas. The Kings have not defended PG’s well this season and I think he offers great value.
Milwaukee at San Antonio
- Vegas Line – San Antonio -16, 199.5 Over/Under
- Milwaukee Proj. Starters – Knight-Antetokounmpo-Middleton-Ilyasova-Sanders
- San Antonio Proj. Starters – Parker-Ginobili-Leonard-Diaw-Duncan
Milwaukee
The Spurs are 16 point favorites in this one. The Bucks kept the game against the Rockets competitive last night, but I just don’t see that happening again tonight. You could take a flier on Giannis or Middleton, but personally this game has avoid written all over it.
San Antonio
The Spurs are huge favorites and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pop sit a starter or two in this one. They should easily win this game and he’s not going to play his starters any more than absolutely necessary. The only player that I would consider is Marco Belinelli, his price is affordable and he can get hot quickly.
Denver at Phoenix
- Vegas Line – EVEN SPREAD, 219 OVER/UNDER
- Denver Proj. Starters – Lawson-Foye-Chandler-Faried-Hickson
- Phoenix Proj. Starters – Dragic-Green-Tucker-Frye-Plumlee
Denver
This game has the highest total of the night and is a great game to target. Both of these teams love to push the pace and there should be plenty of fantasy points to go around here. The Nuggets are a hard team to predict though because their bigs are all very inconsistent, Foye is a shooter, and Chandler can disappear offensively at times. While I don’t hate any of those plays, Lawson is the only reliable options on the Nuggets right now.
- Ty Lawson – Lawson has been playing some great basketball lately and I really like the matchup today against Dragic and the Suns who have been average at best at defending opposing PG’s. Look for Lawson to really push the tempo here.
Phoenix
The Suns are in a favorable spot tonight. The Nuggets have not defended any position well this season. I love Gerald Green at home, I think he really plays well. I also like Miles Plumlee as a sleeper pick, his price has really come down and he’s played well at home this season.
- Goran Dragic – Dragic has really taken control of this offense with Bledsoe out and he is really establishing himself as one of the better PG’s in the NBA. I love the matchup against the Nuggets and think he keeps his hot streak going.