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NBA Grind Down: Sunday, March 26th

by Chirag Hira (INSPYR) Last Updated 2017-03-27 02:39:13

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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

Brooklyn Nets at Atlanta Hawks – 1:00 PM ET

Brooklyn Nets Atlanta Hawks
Article Image Vegas Total 215.0 Article Image Vegas Total 215.0
Vegas Spread 6.5 Vegas Spread -6.5
Team Total 104.3 Team Total 110.8
Pace +/- 1.0 Pace +/- 4.7
Proj. Starter Jeremy Lin Randy Foye Caris LeVert Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Brook Lopez Proj. Starter Dennis Schroder Tim Hardaway Thabo Sefolosha Ersan Ilyasova Dwight Howard
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 27 27 28 8 7 Adj. DvP 30 29 30 29 26
DRPM -2.86 -1.05 2.42 0.23 2.89 DRPM -0.37 -1.74 -1.09 1.24 0.30

Brooklyn Nets

Hello, and welcome to the Sunday edition of the Grind Down! Today I’ll be breaking the slates down into pages. Page 1 will contain the first five games and Page 2 will contain the five remaining games. It helps to have as much information as possible before hitting submit, so I’ll have Page 2 up a few hours after Page 1 is done. Our first game is Brooklyn traveling to Atlanta. The Nets caught an L in Washington on Friday and only played Brook Lopez 22 minutes. It was on the second night of a back-to-back, and it’s obvious they were going to limit him. Lopez should be back to his normal 30 minutes and is a viable option. He’s averaged 33.55 FanDuel points against the Hawks this season and is a solid cash game play. I slightly prefer Dwight Howard in this matchup, but Lopez is cheaper. Jeremy Lin was also limited on the second night of a back-to-back but is in a great spot to exceed value today. His salary is down to $5.4k on DraftKings, and he’s coming off a game in which he had a 36 percent usage rate.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has scored over 30 fantasy points in consecutive games and will also be viable with Paul Millsap still out of the lineup. K.J. McDaniels has seen his minutes rise for three straight games, and it’s directly affecting Caris LeVert. McDaniels is only $3.2k on DK and is actually viable on the early slate since SF is pretty shallow. Justin Hamilton has popped back into the rotation, and it’ll be something to watch for as we move towards the end of the season. Archie Goodwin is also being used as a backup guard but he’s only viable if someone gets hurt. The Nets won’t shut down Brook Lopez since they are actually trying to win and give the Celtics less ping pong balls.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Jeremy Lin $5,800 $5,400 1.10 22.9 -5.3 25.3 -7.4 28.8% 1.6% 27 -2.86
Randy Foye $3,600 $3,600 0.59 19.1 5.3 11.2 3.3 16.2% -1.2% 27 -1.05
Caris LeVert $4,000 $4,000 0.73 21.3 1.6 15.5 -1.4 16.3% -1.9% 28 2.42
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson $4,700 $4,800 0.87 21.9 0.1 19.2 3.0 18.7% 1.9% 8 0.23
Brook Lopez $6,700 $6,400 1.10 29.7 -0.9 32.5 -3.4 28.2% 1.9% 7 2.89

Elite Plays – Jeremy Lin (GPP), Brook Lopez (cash)

Secondary Plays – Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, K.J. McDaniels

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks have been without Kent Bazemore and Paul Millsap for four games now and have lost every single game during that span. They might actually have a shot at winning one today. Dwight Howard has really picked up the slack since both players went down and is averaging 39.37 DK fantasy points over his last four games. Dennis Schroder is coming off a huge 50-fantasy-point game and is also an elite stack with Howard. Tim Hardaway Jr. continues to log heavy minutes and also makes a strong case to be included on your lineups. Ersan Ilyasova has not been doing much, and he’ll be the overlooked GPP play on this team. Thabo Sefolosha has played over 30 minutes in consecutive games, but he lacks upside. Taurean Prince has seen his minutes dip for four consecutive games and is not worth the chase. Small forward might be shallow today, but I’d rather just punt completely with McDaniels than try to time the boom-or-bust nature of Prince’s game.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Dennis Schroder $7,200 $7,100 0.95 31.0 0.3 29.6 0.6 30.3% 4.0% 30 -0.37
Tim Hardaway $5,900 $6,300 0.80 26.2 7.5 20.9 7.8 22.8% 1.0% 29 -1.74
Thabo Sefolosha $3,800 $4,600 0.72 25.9 -1.4 18.6 -1.6 13.8% -1.8% 30 -1.09
Ersan Ilyasova $4,800 $5,700 0.90 26.1 -0.4 23.4 -1.0 21.8% -3.0% 29 1.24
Dwight Howard $7,200 $7,600 1.11 29.8 3.5 33.0 0.8 18.0% -0.4% 26 0.30
Taurean Prince $3,800 $4,100 0.73 13.6 13.9 9.9 9.8 16.9% 0.6% 30 N/A

Elite Plays – Dwight Howard, Dennis Schroder, Tim Hardaway Jr.

Secondary Plays – Thabo Sefolosha, Ersan Ilyasova

Phoenix Suns at Charlotte Hornets – 1:00 PM ET

Phoenix Suns Charlotte Hornets
Article Image Vegas Total 215.0 Article Image Vegas Total 215.0
Vegas Spread 12.0 Vegas Spread -12.0
Team Total 101.5 Team Total 113.5
Pace +/- -0.6 Pace +/- 3.8
Proj. Starter Tyler Ulis Devin Booker T.J. Warren Marquese Chriss Alex Len Proj. Starter Kemba Walker Nicolas Batum Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Marvin Williams Cody Zeller
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 14 19 12 21 15 Adj. DvP 26 25 13 27 27
DRPM -0.94 -0.37 2.21 0.28 3.08 DRPM -0.93 -2.24 -2.76 -1.19 1.33

Phoenix Suns

What a performance by Devin Booker on Friday night against the Celtics. That was really fun to watch and reminds us why we have to can’t ignore teams that are tanking when we’re building our lineups, even when they are large underdogs. Also, I hate the current state of the Phoenix Suns beat reporting team and really miss the days of Paul Coro. Derrick Jones was ruled out and ended up starting last game. If it hurt your lineups because the wrong information was provided, I’m sorry, but we did the best we could with the information available to us. Devin Booker will be a massively popular choice today, and for good reason. He’s going to play heavy minutes regardless of score, and he’s still priced under $8k on both major sites. If T.J. Warren returns this afternoon, Booker won’t have as much upside. If Warren is out again, just lock in Booker for cash games. While I understand the temptation to use Booker again, I’d rather target the OKC/HOU game first. Don’t worry: Booker won’t score SEVENTY actual points again. Alan Williams is back on track but is still splitting time with Alex Len. Williams’ salary is down to $5.4k on both major sites, and he’s not a terrible option. I’d rather just get the other centers available. Tyler Ulis finally played fewer than 40 minutes and Leandro Barbosa has played 30 minutes in consecutive games. Jared Dudley is also a part of the rotation and Marquese Chriss is no longer an elite cash game play since his salary has spiked.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Tyler Ulis $6,000 $6,700 0.80 14.5 26.7 11.7 16.7 23.8% -4.0% 14 -0.94
Devin Booker $7,600 $7,700 0.83 34.7 2.7 28.7 12.5 27.7% 8.3% 19 -0.37
T.J. Warren $6,400 $7,000 0.78 30.4 7.1 23.7 7.8 18.5% 0.2% 12 2.21
Marquese Chriss $5,100 $6,000 0.81 20.6 7.9 16.6 11.1 18.7% 3.2% 21 0.28
Alex Len $5,000 $4,800 0.93 20.1 7.1 18.6 8.7 16.9% 2.1% 15 3.08
Alan Williams $5,400 $5,400 1.17 13.7 6.9 16.1 7.1 20.7% 2.0% 15 N/A

Elite Plays – Devin Booker (cash)

Secondary Plays – Alan Williams (GPP), Leandro Barbosa (GPP)

Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets are chasing the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference but will have to jump a lot of teams to really have a shot. Kemba Walker played 39 minutes against the Cavs on Friday and will continue to play 32+ for the remainder of the season. Walker is an elite play against the Suns, but I just worry about his upside at this inflated price. He’s still a beast who scored 48 DraftKings points against the Suns earlier this month, but as I mentioned above, I’d start with the game in Houston for cash and work from there, seeing who fits. Nicolas Batum and Kemba Walker rarely have good games together, but Batum’s salary leaves more potential profit than that of Walker. Marvin Williams continues to log heavy minutes but rarely has a usage rate over 20 percent. Cody Zeller has scored over 30 fantasy points in three of his last four games and is a bit cheaper than Frank Kaminsky. The Tank has also seen his minutes dip for three straight games, and Zeller is the better play. Marco Belinelli has scored 27 FanDuel points in consecutive games and is worth a shot if you’re in need of a cheap wing. He’s not the first option and can easily bust since he’s so scoring-dependent. Miles Plumlee and Ramon Sessions are “healthy” but they are not playing.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Kemba Walker $7,800 $8,300 1.05 34.5 -1.5 36.4 -8.1 30.2% -0.9% 26 -0.93
Nicolas Batum $6,700 $7,100 0.93 34.6 -3.5 32.3 -7.0 24.0% 1.6% 25 -2.24
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist $4,800 $4,600 0.79 29.2 -5.4 23.0 -4.7 14.1% -0.9% 13 -2.76
Marvin Williams $6,500 $6,000 0.77 30.2 4.8 23.2 3.4 16.2% -3.9% 27 -1.19
Cody Zeller $5,300 $5,100 0.84 27.6 1.0 23.3 5.0 16.1% -0.4% 27 1.33
Frank Kaminsky $5,400 $5,500 0.83 26.2 4.9 21.8 0.9 21.6% 0.3% 27 N/A

Elite Plays – Nicolas Batum (GPP), Kemba Walker (cash), Cody Zeller

Secondary Plays – Marco Belinelli, Marvin Williams

Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Clippers – 3:30 PM ET

Sacramento Kings Los Angeles Clippers
Article Image Vegas Total 211.0 Article Image Vegas Total 211.0
Vegas Spread 13.5 Vegas Spread -13.5
Team Total 98.8 Team Total 112.3
Pace +/- -0.5 Pace +/- -1.9
Proj. Starter Darren Collison Buddy Hield Arron Afflalo Skal Labissiere Willie Cauley-Stein Proj. Starter Chris Paul J.J. Redick Luc Richard Mbah a Moute Blake Griffin DeAndre Jordan
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 10 6 25 19 13 Adj. DvP 17 24 26 25 18
DRPM 3.30 2.32 0.65 3.28 DRPM -1.77 -2.65 -2.85 0.19 0.73

Sacramento Kings

If it were not for the Suns beat reporters, the Kings would have the worst in the NBA. They really don’t care about getting any information out to the world and feel it’s appropriate to just mention “planned rest” once they get to the stadium on the day of the game. Since this is an early game but starts a few hours after the slate locks, don’t expect to have all the information needed. Buddy Hield has really taken over and has played over 30 minutes in seven of his last eight starts. He’s only had two poor games and is still fairly priced. He proved that he can still get it done even if Tyreke Evans is in the lineup, but his output is a good 10 percent less with Evans in there. Evans has been rested in three of the last four games, and I’m not sure he’s even worth a GPP shot if he plays. Darren Collison was rested in their previous game and Ty Lawson got the start. Expect Collison to play this afternoon against his former team. While I would love for him to get some revenge, it’s just not a good spot. Skal Labissiere has also been logging major minutes but now he’s priced for his production and does not leave us a ton of upside unless he posts solid numbers. He could get the garbage time run, but those types of plays are strictly for tournaments. Georgios Papagiannis has also been getting some nice run but has tailed off since his first big game.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Darren Collison $5,400 $4,900 0.76 30.6 -4.4 23.2 -8.0 21.8% -1.2% 10 3.30
Buddy Hield $5,400 $5,700 0.69 21.8 9.2 15.2 10.5 20.7% 0.3% 6
Arron Afflalo $3,500 $3,000 0.50 25.9 -0.7 13.0 0.1 14.3% 4.3% 25 2.32
Skal Labissiere $4,700 $4,900 1.02 14.1 11.9 14.4 14.1 21.8% 0.0% 19 0.65
Willie Cauley-Stein $6,100 $5,800 0.84 17.2 12.2 14.5 13.4 19.2% -1.1% 13 3.28

Elite Plays -Buddy Hield (if Evans is out)

Secondary Plays – Buddy Hield (if Evans is in), Skal Labissiere (GPP)

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers are finally healthy and have won four of their last five games. Chris Paul has been in a little funk but did not have to play over 30 minutes against the Jazz due to the score. He likely won’t log heavy minutes playing on a back-to-back. They’ve played both early games this weekend, and it would not surprise me to see someone rest. As I mentioned yesterday, CP3 is too expensive on FanDuel, and now he’s also over $8k on DraftKings, as well. There’s not a ton to like here, but he’s proven he can still return value in blowouts. Blake Griffin is slightly cheaper than Paul, but he has also not been playing great, with only one game over 40 DK points in his last seven. He’s too volatile right now for cash. DeAndre Jordan is cheaper than both of them and could do some damage inside, but center is pretty nice and stocked today. Jamal Crawford lit up the Jazz last night and is a fine GPP chase since he’s priced under $4k. He’s also scoring dependent, which means we can’t use him in cash. Mo Buckets (Marreese Speights) also had a huge game last night, but I’m not sure that’s a viable chase. If someone is resting, it makes sense, but otherwise, I’d just avoid.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Chris Paul $8,900 $8,100 1.26 31.2 -2.1 39.2 -4.5 28.9% -0.3% 17 -1.77
J.J. Redick $4,300 $4,300 0.71 27.9 -5.2 19.8 3.2 21.1% 2.9% 24 -2.65
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute $3,500 $3,000 0.52 21.7 -4.7 11.4 -1.9 11.0% 1.5% 26 -2.85
Blake Griffin $8,800 $7,900 1.15 33.8 -2.2 39.0 -5.6 29.3% 2.3% 25 0.19
DeAndre Jordan $7,900 $6,600 1.07 31.6 -3.4 33.7 1.8 14.7% -0.5% 18 0.73
Jamal Crawford $3,900 $3,600 0.70 26.4 1.3 18.5 -1.9 23.0% -4.7% 24 N/A
Austin Rivers $4,100 $3,500 0.68 27.9 0.7 18.9 0.1 20.9% 0.2% 17 N/A

Elite Plays – N/A

Secondary Plays – Chris Paul (GPP), Blake Griffin (GPP), Jamal Crawford (GPP), DeAndre Jordan (GPP)

Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks – 3:30 PM ET

Chicago Bulls Milwaukee Bucks
Article Image Vegas Total 204.0 Article Image Vegas Total 204.0
Vegas Spread 6.5 Vegas Spread -6.5
Team Total 98.8 Team Total 105.3
Pace +/- -1.7 Pace +/- -1.4
Proj. Starter Rajon Rondo Jimmy Butler Paul Zipser Nikola Mirotic Robin Lopez Proj. Starter Malcolm Brogdon Tony Snell Khris Middleton Giannis Antetokounmpo Thon Maker
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 8 3 18 12 20 Adj. DvP 25 16 15 17 4
DRPM -0.80 -0.68 0.52 1.93 -0.46 DRPM -0.61 1.99 -0.01 1.28 0.13

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are fighting for that eight seed and have lost two of their last three games. It has not been due to Jimmy Butler, as he has scored over 67 DraftKings points points in two of his last three games. Butler has also played over 42 minutes in those games and will once again be a strong cash game play. Rajon Rondo has taken a back seat to Butler and has seen his minutes dip for three straight games. Nikola Mirotic has been steady, but he’s priced for his production now. Denzel Valentine has played 30+ minutes in two of his last three games but will need to pick up the peripherals if he wants to exceed value. Robin Lopez is wack and Joffrey Lauvergne is not logging major minutes with Lopez in the lineup, even with Felicio out. Bobby Portis has been consistent and is still priced under $5k on both major sites. He’s behind Mirotic in the rotation comes at more of a discount on DraftKings compared to FanDuel.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Rajon Rondo $5,800 $6,400 0.90 26.4 2.3 23.8 0.8 22.5% -1.4% 8 -0.80
Jimmy Butler $10,000 $9,700 1.12 36.8 2.4 41.4 12.0 28.4% -1.1% 3 -0.68
Paul Zipser $3,600 $4,000 0.57 17.7 12.3 10.1 7.4 14.4% -1.1% 18 0.52
Nikola Mirotic $4,600 $5,600 0.84 23.2 4.9 19.4 5.0 19.3% 0.9% 12 1.93
Robin Lopez $4,700 $4,800 0.78 27.9 -1.6 21.9 1.2 17.2% 2.8% 20 -0.46
Denzel Valentine $4,300 $4,200 0.62 16.3 13.0 10.2 9.4 16.4% -1.1% 3 N/A
Bobby Portis $4,300 $4,600 0.82 14.9 7.4 12.2 10.0 18.6% 2.4% 12 N/A

Elite Plays – Jimmy Butler (cash)

Secondary Plays – Nikola Mirotic, Bobby Portis

Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo has really found his groove and has scored over 65 DraftKings points in back-to-back games. He’ll be a fine option today as well, but I’m slightly worried about the pace of this game. He’s priced up on FanDuel a bit, and as I’ve mentioned, building around the Houston/OKC game looks to be the way to go for cash. Khris Middleton shot 1-for-13 against the Hawks but still logged over 31 minutes. He’ll go overlooked and is a viable GPP play. Greg Monroe finally saw over 24 minutes for the first time in five games with John Henson officially out. Monroe does not have a ton of upside at his price on FanDuel but is a solid play on DraftKings. With center having so many options, you might have to make a double-center team on DK. Malcolm Brogdon is once again ahead of Matthew Dellavedova and is worth a shot on DK as well. Not sure I can confirm the Jet (Jason Terry) is back, but he’s playing more minutes than Matthew Dellavedova lately. The upside is not HUGE and the floor is really low. Spencer Hawes is also now in the rotation with Henson out.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Malcolm Brogdon $5,600 $5,100 0.78 26.2 6.3 20.4 2.8 20.2% -2.3% 25 -0.61
Tony Snell $3,900 $3,900 0.52 29.0 1.5 15.1 -0.4 11.9% 0.1% 16 1.99
Khris Middleton $6,300 $6,200 0.90 28.8 2.7 26.0 -0.2 24.1% 2.8% 15 -0.01
Giannis Antetokounmpo $10,600 $9,900 1.29 35.4 0.0 45.6 1.2 29.2% 1.9% 17 1.28
Thon Maker $3,500 $3,000 0.84 8.2 1.2 6.9 0.8 17.2% -2.9% 4 0.13
Greg Monroe $5,900 $5,300 1.11 22.5 -2.0 24.9 0.9 24.0% 3.2% 4 N/A

Elite Plays – Giannis Antetojounmpo (DK), Khris Middleton (GPP)

Secondary Plays – Greg Monroe (DK), Malcolm Brogdon

Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets – 3:30 PM ET

Oklahoma City Thunder Houston Rockets
Article Image Vegas Total 232.0 Article Image Vegas Total 232.0
Vegas Spread 6.0 Vegas Spread -6.0
Team Total 113.0 Team Total 119.0
Pace +/- 3.4 Pace +/- 1.7
Proj. Starter Russell Westbrook Victor Oladipo Andre Roberson Taj Gibson Steven Adams Proj. Starter Patrick Beverley James Harden Trevor Ariza Sam Dekker Clint Capela
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 22 20 27 23 23 Adj. DvP 12 13 11 11 14
DRPM 2.10 -1.65 1.67 -1.38 0.96 DRPM -0.19 0.93 2.16 1.56 1.34

Oklahoma City Thunder

WE MADE IT! We made it to the game of the slate! Welp, Russell Westbrook continues to be priced at $13k on DraftKings and is almost there on FanDuel. I’d still consider him a strong cash game play, but James Harden is slightly cheaper and my preferred option at home. In the battle of the two MVP candidates, expect both players to drop a triple-double today. Victor Oladipo found his stroke against the Sixers but was not needed to play a ton since the Thunder dismantled Philly. He’ll be a nice option as a game stack and works as a tournament pivot off of Beastbrook. Enes Kanter is playing better than Steven Adams right now and is more expensive than him on both sites. Kanter is a fine play against the Rockets but Adams has more GPP upside. Taj Gibson is getting no burn as a starter and should be avoided. He does not have to do much to hit his salary-based expectations, but he also lacks upside. The combination of low floor and lack of upside is just not useful right now.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Russell Westbrook $12,900 $13,000 1.68 34.6 -3.9 58.0 -4.4 45.7% -7.5% 22 2.10
Victor Oladipo $6,000 $6,400 0.80 33.3 -2.2 26.6 -0.9 21.4% 2.9% 20 -1.65
Andre Roberson $3,800 $3,900 0.59 30.2 -3.8 17.8 0.6 10.3% 0.7% 27 1.67
Taj Gibson $4,100 $4,000 0.82 26.2 -6.3 21.4 -4.5 18.3% 4.9% 23 -1.38
Steven Adams $4,900 $5,000 0.82 30.2 -3.1 24.9 -3.3 16.5% -1.1% 23 0.96
Enes Kanter $6,000 $5,500 1.14 21.6 -1.4 24.7 2.5 26.1% 4.2% 23 N/A

Elite Plays – Russell Westbrook (cash), Victor Oladipo (GPP)

Secondary Plays – Enes Kanter (cash), Steven Adams (GPP)

Houston Rockets

The Rockets have been on a nice roll thanks to James Harden and have won six of their last seven games. Harden has scored over 72 DraftKings points in five of his last six games and exceeded 80 in two of those games. He’s going to log major minutes and is my preferred option of high-priced plays on this slate. Clint Capela has scored 30 or more fantasy points in four of this last five games, but the Thunder have been known to neutralize bigs. Capela did score 38 DraftKings points against the Thunder earlier this season, so there is some potential profit to be had here. Still, center is stocked with a plethora of options, and you don’t need to force him in. He makes sense in a game stack though. Trevor Ariza is back to his slumping ways and has not played that great against the Thunder this season.

Ryan Anderson has already been ruled out due to an ankle injury, and we’ll see Ariza a lot at the 4 today. Eric Gordon or Sam Dekker is expected to start in place of Anderson, but the official word has not been sent out. Patrick Beverley loves playing against Russell Westbrook and is a nice cash game play with Harden. Nene has also turned up his game but also randomly disappears, making him only viable for GPPs. Lou Williams has been struggling but could see a boost if Eric Gordon ends up starting. Gordon is also cheap and could exceed value getting some easy passes from Harden. Gordon is consistently producing but rarely has a huge game. This could be a perfect spot for him, as he’s played over 32 minutes in four straight games. Sam Dekker went off in his one start this season and is also viable if he’s in the starting lineup.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Patrick Beverley $5,300 $5,100 0.82 30.6 -0.1 25.2 -4.7 16.1% 1.4% 12 -0.19
James Harden $12,500 $12,500 1.48 36.5 0.5 53.9 10.9 38.8% 3.4% 13 0.93
Trevor Ariza $5,000 $5,000 0.72 34.4 -1.0 24.8 -1.9 14.3% -1.6% 11 2.16
Sam Dekker $3,500 $3,500 0.74 18.5 -10.0 13.7 -6.7 15.4% 0.6% 11 1.56
Clint Capela $5,700 $5,200 1.07 23.5 0.5 25.2 2.2 19.3% -0.8% 14 1.34
Eric Gordon $4,800 $4,800 0.80 30.6 1.6 24.4 -2.8 22.6% -5.0% 13 N/A
Lou Williams $4,300 $4,800 1.08 24.1 0.3 26.0 -4.5 29.7% -5.1% 13 N/A

Elite Plays – James Harden, Patrick Beverley

Secondary Plays – Eric Gordon or Sam Dekker (either player is elite if they start), Trevor Ariza, Clint Capela, Nene

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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.