Sign In $

NBA Grind Down: Sunday, November 6th

by Chirag Hira (INSPYR) Last Updated 2016-11-07 04:11:20

Jump to Page 1 2

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.

grind%20down%20article%20faq

Utah Jazz at New York Knicks – 12:00 PM ET

Utah Jazz New York Knicks
utahnba Vegas Total 195.5 newyorknba Vegas Total 195.5
Vegas Spread -1.0 Vegas Spread 1.0
Team Total 98.3 Team Total 97.3
Pace +/- -0.6 Pace +/- -7.0
Proj. Starter George Hill Rodney Hood Gordon Hayward Derrick Favors Rudy Gobert Proj. Starter Derrick Rose Courtney Lee Carmelo Anthony Kristaps Porzingis Joakim Noah
Opponent DvP Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent DvP Rank PG SG SF PF C
2016-17 13 23 30 26 12 2016-17 6 7 6 4 8

Utah Jazz

Gordon Hayward is expected to make his season debut against the Knicks and will likely replace Joe Johnson in the starting lineup. Howard is immediately worth a look on the early slate tournaments. The Jazz continue to play at the slowest pace in the league, not leaving us a ton of upside with one of the lowest implied team totals of the entire day. George Hill leads the team in MPG and is also worth a look as second a second PG on FanDuel or as a second guard on DraftKings. Hill has multi-position eligibility and should be easy to fit into the short slate lineups.

Derrick Favors has seen his minutes continue to slightly increase, playing a season-high 27 against the Spurs on Friday night. He also took a season-high 13 FGA and will look to get back in the rhythm with all the original starters finally together. Favors come at an extremely favorable price across the industry due to his injuries to start the season. He’ll should easily be over $6k for the rest of the season and this could be the lowest we see him at. Rudy Gobert continues to play over 30 MPG but is only a strong option if Favors is out of the lineup. He’ll be contrarian with most users likely to chase Marc Gasol 40+ FPS night or Joakim Noah punt salary coming off a season-best performance against the Bulls.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary Rosters Pos Rosters Sal. Minutes FP/Game FP/Min Adj. Usage True Usage DvP
George Hill PG $6,000 PG/SG $6,400 33.7 31.0 0.92 24.4% 31.6% 13
Rodney Hood SG $5,400 SG $5,800 31.6 26.1 0.83 21.4% 30.6% 23
Gordon Hayward SF $7,300 SF $6,700 30
Derrick Favors PF $5,900 PF $5,600 21.7 19.0 0.88 19.2% 29.3% 26
Rudy Gobert C $6,700 C $6,900 30.8 27.1 0.88 10.2% 23.1% 12

Elite Plays – Gordon Hayward, George Hill, Derrick Favors

Secondary Plays – Rudy Gobert

New York Knicks

The Knicks had an impressive win in Chicago on Friday night and will look to keep the momentum going against an elite defensive team in the Jazz. The Knicks had a season-high 32 assists, with Derrick Rose dropping 11 dimes and Brandon Jennings dropping seven. Expect this game to be much tougher, making it hard to trust anyone really. Still, they are at home and playing on a two-game slate, so we have to get some plays here. Carmelo Anthony leads the team with 33:36 minutes and took a season-high 22 shot attempts on Friday. He was his usual inefficient self but the great part was that he played 36 minutes. With this game projected to stay close, we should see Carmelo Anthony out there a ton and has the highest ceiling of any forward listed on the slate.

It’ll be tough to target anyone else in this game, but if we had to force it in, it has to be Kristaps Porzingis. We can expect KP6 to play over 30 minutes tonight and fill the stat sheet. Kyle O’ Quinn also deserves an honorable mention because Lance Thomas is expected to be out with an ankle injury. O’Quinn only played 13 minutes on Friday, making him a risky GPP option, but might get some extra run against a big Jazz squad. Justin Holiday is another guy that could see run if Thomas is out when the Knicks move Anthony to the 4 and Porzingis to the 5.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary Rosters Pos Rosters Sal. Minutes FP/Game FP/Min Adj. Usage True Usage DvP
Derrick Rose PG $5,900 PG $5,700 32.3 29.2 0.90 23.9% 36.4% 6
Courtney Lee SG $3,800 SG $3,800 30.1 17.0 0.56 13.4% 18.2% 7
Carmelo Anthony SF $7,400 SF $7,100 33.5 32.3 0.96 24.5% 37.2% 6
Kristaps Porzingis PF $6,400 PF $6,600 32 28.2 0.88 18.9% 23.4% 4
Joakim Noah C $4,500 C $4,600 25 23.6 0.94 14.3% 24.1% 8

Elite Plays – Carmelo Anthony

Secondary Plays – Kristaps Porzingis, Kyle O’Quinn and Justin Thomas (GPP if Lance Thomas is confirmed out)

Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies – 3:30 PM ET

Portland Trail Blazers Memphis Grizzlies
portlandnba Vegas Total 203.5 memphisnba Vegas Total 203.5
Vegas Spread -2.0 Vegas Spread 2.0
Team Total 102.8 Team Total 100.8
Pace +/- -2.9 Pace +/- 2.6
Proj. Starter Damian Lillard C.J. McCollum Maurice Harkless Al-Farouq Aminu Mason Plumlee Proj. Starter Mike Conley Tony Allen Chandler Parsons JaMychal Green Marc Gasol
Opponent DvP Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent DvP Rank PG SG SF PF C
2016-17 17 15 3 10 9 2016-17 28 21 22 20 21

Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard has been on an absolute tear to the start the season and put up a season-high 42 points against the Mavs on Friday. Lillard is the most expensive player on the early slate and with Mike Conley questionable, should also be the highest owned. On the all day FanDuel slate, you have a couple of discounted options compared to Lillard that could perform as well as him. C.J. McCollum will likely be strapped up by Tony Allen, but could also switch over to Damian Lillard if he starts to go off. This will be something to watch for because if Allen switches over to or starts on Lillard, McCollum will likely have the better game. It’s too much to speculate but since the short slate is available, McCollum is a secondary option. Not sure which of the other guys will show up for the Blazers, but Allen Crabbe, Mo Harkless, and Evan Turner will contribute. Crabbe and Harkless are playing over 30 MPG in their last two games but don’t really contribute much in the stat sheet.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary Rosters Pos Rosters Sal. Minutes FP/Game FP/Min Adj. Usage True Usage DvP
Damian Lillard PG $9,700 PG $9,600 36.9 46.9 1.27 30.0% 47.4% 17
C.J. McCollum SG $6,600 PG/SG $6,800 33.7 30.0 0.89 20.8% 31.7% 15
Maurice Harkless SF $4,500 SF $4,100 30 17.2 0.57 12.8% 17.5% 3
Al-Farouq Aminu PF $4,900 PF $4,700 28.5 23.7 0.83 13.8% 20.3% 10
Mason Plumlee C $5,300 C $5,100 25.8 25.3 0.98 17.0% 29.3% 9

Elite Plays – Damian Lillard

Secondary Plays – C.J. McCollum

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies are Chandler Parsons, their free agent acquisition to start against the Blazers on Sunday while Mike Conley is listed as questionable for this game. Parsons is a viable GPP option and could even be a secondary ball handler if Conley is ruled out. We have no data with Parsons on his new team but on a short slate it’s worth a shot, but remember he could also be on a minutes restriction. If Mike Conley is ruled out, Wade Baldwin is a strong punt option. Baldwin has not had a chance to shine in this young season but will likely play over 30 minutes if Conley is out. With his salary sitting $100 over the minimum on both major sites, there should not be too much downside.

Marc Gasol leads the team in minutes and is second in true usage behind Mike Conley. We should expect the Grizzlies to work their offense through Gasol in the post if Conley is ruled out. He’s not been shooting at a high percentage but has now hit a three-pointer in every game has played this season. He’s had back-to-back games of 18 FGA and could easily grab a double-double with multiple steals and blocks to boost his fantasy value. He’s an elite cash game option even if Conley is in and seems pretty mandatory on the short slate. With JaMycal Green struggling, Zach Randolph has quietly scored double-figure points in 5 out of the 6 games he’s played in. He also has worked a three-pointer into his game and could get a couple looks from the corner in this game.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary Rosters Pos Rosters Sal. Minutes FP/Game FP/Min Adj. Usage True Usage DvP
Mike Conley PG $7,000 PG $7,200 33.3 33.8 1.02 26.9% 50.5% 28
Tony Allen SG $3,900 SG $3,300 21.8 10.9 0.50 14.2% 21.4% 21
Chandler Parsons SF $6,400 SF $6,000 22
JaMychal Green PF $4,400 PF $4,500 28.8 18.8 0.65 12.7% 17.7% 20
Marc Gasol C $7,200 C $7,000 33.6 35.6 1.06 25.0% 37.8% 21

Elite Plays – Marc Gasol, Wade Baldwin (if Conley is out)

Secondary Plays – Chandler Parsons (GPP), Zach Randolph

Sacramento Kings at Toronto Raptors – 6:00 PM ET

Sacramento Kings Toronto Raptors
sacramentonba Vegas Total 200.0 torontonba Vegas Total 200.0
Vegas Spread 9.0 Vegas Spread -9.0
Team Total 95.5 Team Total 104.5
Pace +/- -3.4 Pace +/- -4.3
Proj. Starter Ty Lawson Arron Afflalo Rudy Gay DeMarcus Cousins Kosta Koufos Proj. Starter Kyle Lowry DeMar DeRozan DeMarre Carroll Pascal Siakam Jonas Valanciunas
Opponent DvP Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent DvP Rank PG SG SF PF C
2016-17 11 1 6 7 9 2016-17 11 17 19 18 17

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings travel to Toronto to finish up a treacherous five-game road trip through the East Coast. The Kings got blown out last night against the Bucks and get another slow paced game tonight. We don’t have any updates on the status of Gay and Tolliver, but both players could be out again or play. Look for another update on our DFS Alerts page later today. Cousins disappointed last night and if you were able to see my CourtIQ post, you saw that I mentioned I was leery of the Boogie man. If Gay is out, I like Cousins as an under-owned upside play coming off a disappointing game. Still, he could easily put up another dud against an elite defensive team. This is not a spot for cash games at all. Jordan Farmar made his debut with the Kings last night and played 25 minutes. He’s a viable punt option but without a clear picture of the injury situation, we don’t have much more information to go on.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary Rosters Pos Rosters Sal. Minutes FP/Game FP/Min Adj. Usage True Usage DvP
Ty Lawson PG $4,900 PG $5,000 PG $8,100 31.4 21.5 0.68 16.4% 30.0% 11
Arron Afflalo SG $3,600 SG $3,300 SG $7,900 28.5 13.1 0.46 14.3% 18.5% 1
Rudy Gay SF $7,300 SF $6,800 SF $10,700 34 35.0 1.03 24.3% 35.7% 6
DeMarcus Cousins C $9,700 PF/C $10,100 PF $14,800 32.1 39.9 1.24 27.1% 45.4% 9
Kosta Koufos C $3,600 C $3,200 C $8,700 20.1 15.0 0.74 9.5% 17.8% 9

Elite Plays – N/A

Secondary Plays – DeMarcus Cousins (GPP if Gay is out)

Toronto Raptors

DeMar DeRozan leads the league in scoring with 35.8 PPG. He’s been playing out of his mind but still has really empty stats lines. He needed 40 points against Washington last week to break the 50 fantasy point mark. His salary is super inflated right now and this is projected to be one of the slowest games tonight. If DeRozan is not shooting over 50% or not getting to the line 10+ times, he’s not going to exceed value. There are too many good guard options on this slate to force DeRozan into your lineup but his recent form is too good to deny altogether.

Kyle Lowry is also starting to turn it on and always plays great at home. He played 41 minutes against the Heat and is now leading the team with 38 MPG. He makes for a solid cash game play but with so many good PG options, he’s not mandatory in GPPs. There is not much else to love in this game but Jonas Valanciunas is averaging 31:12 MPG and is a viable C option on this slate.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary Rosters Pos Rosters Sal. Minutes FP/Game FP/Min Adj. Usage True Usage DvP
Kyle Lowry PG $7,500 PG $7,700 PG $12,300 37.9 32.0 0.85 21.4% 38.2% 11
DeMar DeRozan SG $8,800 SG $8,300 SG $11,900 37.1 45.1 1.22 32.5% 48.7% 17
DeMarre Carroll SF $4,100 SF/PF $3,700 SF $8,500 27.4 15.0 0.55 12.2% 14.8% 19
Pascal Siakam PF $3,500 PF $3,000 PF $7,200 17.2 10.1 0.59 7.7% 12.0% 18
Jonas Valanciunas C $6,100 C $6,600 C $10,300 31.1 28.7 0.92 14.6% 24.5% 17

Elite Plays – Kyle Lowry

Secondary Plays – DeMar DeRozan, Jonas Valanciunas

Milwaukee Bucks at Dallas Mavericks – 7:00 PM ET

Milwaukee Bucks Dallas Mavericks
milwaukeenba Vegas Total 199.0 dallasnba Vegas Total 199.0
Vegas Spread 2.0 Vegas Spread -2.0
Team Total 98.5 Team Total 100.5
Pace +/- -2.7 Pace +/- 1.0
Proj. Starter Giannis Antetokounmpo Matthew Dellavedova Tony Snell Jabari Parker Miles Plumlee Proj. Starter Deron Williams J.J. Barea Wesley Matthews Harrison Barnes Andrew Bogut
Opponent DvP Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent DvP Rank PG SG SF PF C
2016-17 8 24 4 3 26 2016-17 20 19 22 28 29

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks travel to Dallas after blowing the Kings out last night at home. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker both only played 25 minutes in that contest. Expect both players to get closer to their 30+ MPG average. Both players are solid plays for cash games but this is their 5th game in 7 nights, meaning there is a chance for a letdown. The last time the Bucks played on a back-to-back, they got blown out by the Pistons, a team with a middle of the pack 101.3 OffRtg. Still, with Dirk Nowitzki out of the lineup and Deron Williams not expected to play, both players should have their way. Wesley Matthews was able to contain PG Harden in their two meetings and will likely man up against The Greek Freak. The Mavs could also roll out a small-ball lineup with Harrison Barnes at the 4 and he’s also played admirable defense when asked to play at PF. Greg Monroe stands out as a player that could make an impact if Antetokounmpo and Parker are not able to. Monroe only played 14 minutes last night and should have low ownership levels.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary Rosters Pos Rosters Sal. Minutes FP/Game FP/Min Adj. Usage True Usage DvP
Giannis Antetokounmpo SG $9,900 PG $9,700 SF $13,800 33.7 47.6 1.41 27.5% 42.7% 24
Matthew Dellavedova PG $4,600 PG/SG $4,800 PG $7,800 28.3 22.8 0.81 16.8% 29.9% 8
Tony Snell SF $3,800 SG/SF $3,800 SF $7,600 26.4 15.3 0.58 13.0% 17.7% 4
Jabari Parker PF $6,000 SF/PF $5,900 PF $10,300 30.2 28.8 0.95 21.2% 32.4% 3
Miles Plumlee C $3,500 C $3,000 C $6,700 14.1 10.7 0.76 9.8% 20.7% 26

Elite Plays – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker

Secondary Plays – Greg Monroe

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks will be without the services of Dirk Nowitzki for the next week and are highly questionable to have Deron Williams in the lineup. J.J Barea is expected to start in the place of one of those guys, but we don’t really have much to go on at this time. The Mavs could send out some length against the Bucks or decide to go small. Hopefully, we get an update before lineups lock, but there are no promises coming from the shady Mavs. This is the same team that ruled out Dirk after lock with an “illness” after confirming him as a starter. Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews lead the team with 36:36 MPG. Expect both of them to play extended minutes again tonight, guarding the two best Bucks. Barnes looks like the better play with SG having some quality options today and SF with guys with all in the same price range.

With Devin Harris out of the lineup and Williams status unknown. It might time to jump on the Seth Curry bandwagon. He has better matchups this coming week against the Lakers and against his brother, but tonight is projected to be a slow-paced game, where he does not always thrive. He has not had his breakout game yet and if you can stomach the low floor, his ceiling is immense. He played 26 minutes against Portland on Friday, a season-high. Dwight Powell or Andrew Bogut could make an impact from the C spot, but with other higher upside plays at the position, they are simply viable low-end punts.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary Rosters Pos Rosters Sal. Minutes FP/Game FP/Min Adj. Usage True Usage DvP
Deron Williams PG $6,000 PG $5,600 PG $9,600 35.3 25.9 0.73 20.5% 33.8% 20
J.J. Barea PG $5,200 PG/SG $5,500 PG $8,400 31.3 28.0 0.89 24.4% 41.8% 20
Wesley Matthews SG $4,700 SG/SF $5,100 SG $8,300 36.4 22.0 0.60 19.4% 27.1% 19
Harrison Barnes SF $5,100 SF $5,900 SF $9,800 36.6 25.8 0.71 17.9% 22.5% 22
Andrew Bogut C $4,200 C $3,600 C $7,800 22.9 19.2 0.84 8.0% 22.0% 29

Elite Plays – Harrison Barnes, Wesley Matthews

Secondary Plays – Seth Curry (If Williams is out), Dwight Powell, Andrew Bogut

Denver Nuggets at Boston Celtics – 7:30 PM ET

Denver Nuggets Boston Celtics
denvernba Vegas Total 210.5 bostonnba Vegas Total 210.5
Vegas Spread 8.0 Vegas Spread -8.0
Team Total 101.3 Team Total 109.3
Pace +/- -0.1 Pace +/- 4.0
Proj. Starter Emmanuel Mudiay Jamal Murray Danilo Gallinari Nikola Jokic Jusuf Nurkic Proj. Starter Isaiah Thomas Avery Bradley Marcus Smart Amir Johnson Al Horford
Opponent DvP Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent DvP Rank PG SG SF PF C
2016-17 15 29 1 14 13 2016-17 30 27 1 29 1

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets travel to Boston to play their third game in four nights. They still have one of the higher implied team totals and should not be completely ignored. Danilo Gallinari leads the team with 36:36 MPG and could either be defended by Jaylen Brown or Marcus Smart. Brad Stevens has not named his starter yet, but there is reason to be concerned if Smart starts. He gives up a lot of size to Gallinari, but has the strength and quickness to play him without needing a ton of help. Gallinari would have to post him up to really take advantage.

The real question is does Mike Malone know what he’s doing out there or is he just faking it. We have no idea what his rotations will be like but this is a prime spot for Jurkic (Jokic+Nurkic) to dominate. Both players only saw limited time in the blowout last night and should see 24-28 minutes again tonight. Both are similarly priced around the industry and should at least return value. Hopefully, Darrell Arthur is held out on the second night of a back-to-back, opening the door for some more playing time for the bigs. Wilson Chandler also continues to get it done and is 4th on the team in MPG with 29:48. He’s still pretty affordable across the industry and has exceeded value in his last two games.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary Rosters Pos Rosters Sal. Minutes FP/Game FP/Min Adj. Usage True Usage DvP
Emmanuel Mudiay PG $5,900 PG $5,900 PG $8,800 31.3 25.0 0.80 19.5% 37.9% 15
Jamal Murray PG $3,500 PG/SG $3,500 SG $7,200 18.8 7.5 0.40 13.2% 22.9% 15
Danilo Gallinari SF $6,500 SF $5,800 SF $10,800 36.5 24.4 0.67 17.3% 24.5% 1
Nikola Jokic PF $5,700 PF/C $6,000 PF $9,600 22.9 22.9 1.00 16.4% 28.9% 14
Jusuf Nurkic C $6,000 C $6,400 C $10,300 27.4 34.2 1.25 18.7% 30.0% 13

Elite Plays – Danilo Gallinari

Secondary Plays – Wilson Chandler, Nikola Jokic, Jusuf Nurkic

Boston Celtics

Today is a really interesting slate with all the injuries and teams playing on a back-to-back. The Celtics get one of the best matchups and should be used with confidence. Avery Bradley leads the team with 37:48 MPG, making him a safe cash game play with some tournament upside. His salary has spiked over the past week but he still has some upside left. Isaiah Thomas is averaging 34:36 MPG and is the offensive leader of this team. It’s interesting to note that Thomas is only averaging 1 more FGA than Bradley so far this season, but gets to the line 8 times a game, boosting his PPG. Both players are elite options against the Nuggets with Al Horford and Jae Crowder out of the lineup tonight.

Marcus Smart is averaging 31 MPG in his two games this season and should be on the court a lot tonight as well. Smart’s salary still leaves some room for upside on DraftKings, but seems slightly high on FanDuel. Smart is not mandatory with a weak offensive game and plenty of options with upside at PG/SG tonight. Jaylen Brown started for Jae Crowder in their previous game against the Cavs and played 35 minutes. If Brown starts he’s a strong punt option that is cheaper on FanDuel than DraftKings. He’s a solid SF2, just hope we get some news on who is starting before lineups lock. One of the the bigs have to step up for the Celtics but why play that game? There’s not a ton of upside there. Amir Johnson is not hitting four triples again. He only had four in his entire career before connecting on four against the Bulls on Wednesday night.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary Rosters Pos Rosters Sal. Minutes FP/Game FP/Min Adj. Usage True Usage DvP
Isaiah Thomas PG $8,100 PG $7,500 PG $10,700 34.5 39.8 1.15 29.5% 50.4% 30
Avery Bradley SG $6,800 SG $6,000 SG $10,100 37.6 36.0 0.96 20.8% 29.8% 27
Marcus Smart PG $5,100 PG/SG $4,600 PG $6,900 30.9 20.0 0.65 14.2% 24.6% 30
Amir Johnson PF $4,400 PF/C $4,400 PF $7,700 22.3 20.1 0.90 14.1% 21.5% 29
Al Horford C $6,700 C $6,300 C $11,700 29.5 29.3 0.99 18.3% 25.3% 1

Elite Plays – Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley

Secondary Plays – Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown

Jump to Page 1 2

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.