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NBA Grind Down: Tuesday, April 4th

by Bryan Pauquette (bryanpauquette) Last Updated 2017-04-05 02:22:19

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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

Toronto Raptors at Indiana Pacers – 7:00 PM ET

Toronto Raptors Indiana Pacers
torontonba Vegas Total 205.5 indiananba Vegas Total 205.5
Vegas Spread 2.0 Vegas Spread -2.0
Team Total 101.8 Team Total 103.8
Pace +/- -0.5 Pace +/- -1.6
Proj. Starter Cory Joseph DeMar DeRozan DeMarre Carroll Serge Ibaka Jonas Valanciunas Proj. Starter Jeff Teague Monta Ellis Paul George Thaddeus Young Myles Turner
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 12 10 27 14 22 Adj. DvP 11 3 3 5 9
DRPM -0.16 -1.82 0.04 2.04 2.20 DRPM -2.53 -1.99 1.15 0.69 0.27

Toronto Raptors

Hey everybody! I’m going to be filling in for the GOAT, Notorious, today. We have a fun 11-game slate on our hands so let’s get right to it.

Toronto is in third place in the east with five games to play; the furthest they could fall is to fourth and it’s doubtful they’ll catch the Cavaliers or Celtics, so they don’t have much to lose or gain here. That said, they’ve won eight of their last nine. While DeMar DeRozan has been pretty hot as of late, he only played 31 minutes last game, and it’s possible he’s closer to 30 than his 35.4-minute average the rest of the way. His price is probably too high on FanDuel, but he’s a bit more viable on DraftKings. Cory Joseph has been pretty consistent with rebounds and assists as of late but his scoring has been up and down. The last time he played the Pacers, he only scored six points on five shots. He should shoot more tonight, but he could get stuck around 30 min as well. Serge Ibaka has put together some big performances over the last two games, including a six-block outing against the 76ers and a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double against the Pacers before that. The Pacers have gotten a bad rap as a poor rebounding team and they continue to struggle. Over their last ten their rebounding percentage is 48.2%, which is the sixth-worst rate in the league. That will help the likes of Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas, who’s also been hot. Valanciunas never gets extended run, but he’s demonstrated an ability to provide huge returns on his salary. He’s a better tournament option here. With P.J. Tucker available to play and DeMarre Carroll starting, neither guy will get enough minutes to be appealing.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Cory Joseph $5,400 $5,400 0.73 25.2 6.8 18.4 9.8 20.4% -0.7% 12 -0.16
DeMar DeRozan $9,200 $8,600 1.12 35.4 0.7 39.7 0.7 34.2% -1.2% 10 -1.82
DeMarre Carroll $3,800 $3,600 0.67 26.6 -3.3 17.7 -2.3 15.2% 2.2% 27 0.04
Serge Ibaka $5,600 $6,100 0.90 30.7 -0.9 27.7 3.5 20.3% 1.2% 14 2.04
Jonas Valanciunas $5,500 $5,900 0.99 25.9 0.9 25.8 6.5 18.9% -1.9% 22 2.20

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka, Jonas Valanciunas, Cory Joseph

Indiana Pacers

Unlike the Raptors, the Pacers have a lot on the line here. They’re currently tied with the Heat for the last spot in the playoffs and this is a must-win. This is incredibly valuable this time of year. They’ve been playing their starters a ton of minutes and that should continue tonight.

Paul George nearly triple-doubled in an overtime thriller with the Cavaliers on Sunday. He’s really turned it on over the past month; he’s scored 1.16 FD ppm and 1.25 DK ppm during that stretch, both rates are well above his season average of 1.03 FD ppm and 1.12 DK ppm. Even though the Raptors are third in DvP against small forwards, he’s a solid target tonight, especially on DK where he’s just $8,100. As of this writing, we’re projecting his ownership at 12.5%, which makes him an appealing tournament target. Jeff Teague has been fairly consistent and Cory Joseph is a poor defender. He’s slightly better for a cash, but he’s a fine target in all formats. Thaddeus Young has been rebounding and shooting well the past three games and he’s got a great price. Myles Turner can be a frustrating player but he has an ability to crush his salary. C.J. Miles and Monta Ellis are streaky scorers, but given their prices, could be worth tournament fliers. There isn’t much of a reason to look deeper into the Pacers bench.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Jeff Teague $7,000 $6,500 1.00 32.4 0.4 32.5 -3.5 26.2% -2.7% 11 -2.53
Monta Ellis $4,500 $4,500 0.65 27.2 5.4 17.8 2.7 18.4% -2.0% 3 -1.99
Paul George $8,900 $8,100 1.04 35.7 3.8 37.0 11.6 28.4% 1.8% 3 1.15
Thaddeus Young $4,500 $4,800 0.76 30.0 -3.0 22.8 1.5 16.0% 4.5% 5 0.69
Myles Turner $6,500 $5,900 0.95 31.4 5.7 29.7 -1.1 18.6% -5.8% 9 0.27

Elite Plays – Paul George

Secondary Plays – Jeff Teague, Myles Turner, Thaddeus Young

Charlotte Hornets at Washington Wizards – 7:00 PM ET

Charlotte Hornets Washington Wizards
charlottenba Vegas Total 218.0 washingtonnba Vegas Total 218.0
Vegas Spread 4.0 Vegas Spread -4.0
Team Total 107.0 Team Total 111.0
Pace +/- 1.0 Pace +/- -0.7
Proj. Starter Kemba Walker Nicolas Batum Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Marvin Williams Cody Zeller 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 17 16 22 20 Adj. DvP 19 22 19 18 14
DRPM -0.57 -0.70 0.22 1.55 1.26 DRPM -0.93 -0.27 2.27 -0.07 3.22

Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets are one game back from 8th place in the east, so this is a must-win game for them. Kemba Walker has started putting the team on his back. He’s scored more than 25 points in five of their last six, his FD ppm has risen 7.8% over that stretch and his DK ppm has increased by 7.2%. He has a great matchup against John Wall and the Hornets have a implied total 1.3 points above their average. It’s a great spot for Walker.

Nicolas Batum (FanDuel), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Cody Zeller all have very appealing prices that make them nice targets. Batum has the better spot with this defense and will get plenty of minutes. He’s been cold from the field recently, but Washington has allowed a 54.3% EFG over the past ten games, the sixth-worst rate in the league. Marvin Williams has been playing well, he’s definitely in play in this spot. Frank The Tank has a playable price tag, but he might be stuck around 25 minutes, which caps his upside. He’s probably the only one that will get meaningful minutes off the bench tonight.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Kemba Walker $7,600 $8,000 1.06 34.6 1.6 36.7 3.7 30.5% 1.3% 9 -0.57
Nicolas Batum $6,300 $7,000 0.93 34.3 -3.8 32.0 -2.0 24.1% -0.9% 17 -0.70
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist $4,600 $4,900 0.79 29.2 1.7 23.1 1.0 14.2% 0.6% 16 0.22
Marvin Williams $6,400 $6,200 0.79 30.4 2.1 24.0 3.8 15.9% -3.1% 22 1.55
Cody Zeller $4,900 $4,700 0.85 27.8 1.5 23.6 -0.8 15.8% -2.5% 20 1.26
Frank Kaminsky $5,400 $5,300 0.84 26.2 -0.3 22.0 2.8 21.5% 0.7% 22 N/A

Elite Plays – Kemba Walker

Secondary Plays – Nicolas Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller, Marvin Williams

Washington Wizards

Washington is currently fourth in the east and one game back from third; they can’t fall below fourth and it’s highly unlikely they move above third place. Therefore, there isn’t too much on the line here.

John Wall played just 27 minutes in a blowout loss to the Warriors on Sunday. He struggled in the game before that against Utah, scoring 27.3 FD points after dropping 34+ real life points in three straight games. He’s been an assist machine and he should bounce back at home after a lengthy road trip. His price has gotten a little too high on FanDuel, but on DraftKings his salary is more reasonable. Otto Porter and Marcin Gortat haven’t been getting minutes and Markieff Morris hasn’t been producing, so they can’t be trusted. Bradley Beal is scoring-dependent but he should get the minutes and has a nice spot, he’s worth a look in tournaments. There isn’t much to like on their bench. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 20 points last game, but that’s because he was provided extra minutes in a blowout.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
John Wall $10,400 $9,700 1.25 36.4 -0.9 45.5 4.5 34.9% 2.6% 19 -0.93
Bradley Beal $7,500 $7,200 0.94 34.8 2.8 32.7 -2.1 26.5% -0.3% 22 -0.27
Otto Porter $5,300 $5,300 0.82 33.0 -6.3 26.9 -6.8 14.8% -1.2% 19 2.27
Markieff Morris $5,500 $5,100 0.82 31.4 -4.2 25.9 -6.9 19.8% -0.5% 18 -0.07
Marcin Gortat $4,700 $4,200 0.85 31.5 -10.1 26.6 -7.9 14.7% 0.4% 14 3.22
Bojan Bogdanovic $3,600 $4,300 0.76 26.0 -5.8 19.7 -4.1 22.3% -1.6% 19 N/A

Elite Plays – John Wall (DK)

Secondary Plays – John Wall (FD), Bradley Beal

Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers – 7:00 PM ET

Brooklyn Nets Philadelphia 76ers
brooklynnba Vegas Total 221.0 philadelphianba Vegas Total 221.0
Vegas Spread 1.0 Vegas Spread -1.0
Team Total 110.0 Team Total 111.0
Pace +/- 2.2 Pace +/- 4.7
Proj. Starter Jeremy Lin Randy Foye Caris LeVert Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Brook Lopez Proj. Starter T.J. McConnell Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot Justin Anderson Dario Saric Richaun Holmes
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 15 15 21 17 30 Adj. DvP 29 24 30 23 26
DRPM 0.55 0.67 -2.33 -0.73 0.37 DRPM -0.22 -1.39 -1.54 1.29 0.31

Brooklyn Nets

As we all know, Brooklyn isn’t playing for anything at this point. They’re not a very exciting team to target, but they are playing the depleted 76ers so we can’t ignore them. Isaiah Whitehead is questionable with an ankle sprain, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him sit this one out. If he does, it would open up some value with Sean Kilpatrick and Spencer Dinwiddie, both of whom should receive some extra time on the floor. Of the two, Kilpatrick is much more interesting given his propensity to pop off for a bunch of points when he finds his groove. Unfortunately, he’s far from consistent – as we saw with his 1-for-8 game on Sunday – so he still shouldn’t be trusted for cash games. Jeremy Lin has been hovering around 30 minutes for the past week and it seems like that will continue. He has a better price on FanDuel, where we can expect him to be between 5-6X in this matchup, but it’s probably too high on DraftKings. Brook Lopez killed the 76ers last time they faced each other, scoring 26 points with three triples and nine boards and six assists. He’s a consistent scoring but up and down with peripherals; as we saw last time, the 76ers are one of the best opponents he could face for the latter. Of course, FanDuel jacked his price up again, which makes him better for cash there, but his DK salary makes him a fine target in all formats. It would be nice to see Rondae Hollis-Jefferson play more minutes, but he won’t. When he’s shooting well, he can still manage a great return on his salary and he should take an above-average amount of shots tonight. He’s a nice value play. Trevor Booker is not getting the minutes and it’s probably best to pass on him tonight.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Jeremy Lin $6,100 $6,600 1.08 23.9 6.0 25.9 5.0 28.6% -2.4% 15 0.55
Randy Foye $3,500 $3,000 0.59 18.8 -5.5 11.1 -4.3 16.1% -3.4% 15 0.67
Caris LeVert $3,900 $3,800 0.72 21.4 1.7 15.4 -0.3 16.5% 1.7% 21 -2.33
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson $5,300 $5,500 0.90 22.2 3.8 19.9 5.6 18.9% 2.1% 17 -0.73
Brook Lopez $7,900 $7,300 1.11 29.6 0.6 32.8 7.7 28.4% 2.2% 30 0.37

Elite Plays – Brook Lopez, Jeremy Lin (FD)

Secondary Plays – Jeremy Lin (DK), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Sean Kilpatrick

Philadelphia 76ers

At this pace, Philadelphia may be playing equipment managers before the end of the season. Among their many injuries, Robert Covington was shut down for the season last week, Sergio Rodriguez remains out, and Dario Saric will be on a 24-minute limit tonight with a sore heel. Of course, they aren’t playing for anything, but some of these guys are getting major opportunities to prove themselves on an NBA stage – while the front office may not care if they lose, these guys will be playing hard. It’s been really noticeable with guys like T.J. McConnell, who has not let up whatsoever. He’s been getting a ton of minutes, and should stay in the mid 30’s tonight against the Nets. He nearly double-doubled against them last week (eight points and ten assists). He’s also contributed two or more steals in ten of their last 14 games. Unfortunately, he’s not a big scorer, but he does score an extra 2.72 points per 36 minutes with Dario Saric and the rest of the injured players off the floor. Saric will be limited to 24 minutes tonight, which means he’s not in play. All of these injuries bode well for Justin Anderson, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Richaun Holmes, Nik Stauskas, and newcomer Alex Poythress (who isn’t available in DFS tonight). Given his price and recent consistency, TLC is probably the best of the bunch, he’s scored at least 17 points or grabbed 10 boards in each of the past four games and he should play into the mid 30’s tonight. Surprisingly, Justin Anderson played just 24 minutes Sunday, and he won’t get the same type of run as the other guys – it appears coach Brett Brown is already in love with fellow small forward, Alex Poythress, who may become a nice value target down the stretch (when he becomes available to roster). Holmes has upside, but you have to pay for it. Of course, he has a great spot tonight, and with Shawn Long sticking around 20 minutes, Homes is firmly in play. Stauskas doesn’t have a huge upside, but given his price, he’s worth a look as a tournament flier in this matchup.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
T.J. McConnell $6,000 $5,800 0.83 26.0 5.9 21.7 4.7 19.4% 0.7% 29 -0.22
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot $4,200 $5,100 0.60 16.0 17.0 9.6 14.2 17.0% 1.8% 24 -1.39
Justin Anderson $4,000 $5,000 0.82 15.4 7.8 12.6 6.0 19.5% -3.6% 30 -1.54
Dario Saric $7,500 $7,400 0.90 26.5 4.2 23.8 -0.6 24.1% 2.8% 23 1.29
Richaun Holmes $6,000 $6,300 0.97 19.9 9.3 19.3 8.3 17.9% -0.3% 26 0.31
Nik Stauskas $4,400 $4,600 0.61 27.4 3.4 16.6 4.3 16.8% 0.3% 24 N/A

Elite Plays – Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Richaun Holmes, T.J. McConnell

Secondary Plays – Justin Anderson, Nik Stauskas

Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers – 7:00 PM ET

Orlando Magic Cleveland Cavaliers
orlandonba Vegas Total 221.5 clevelandnba Vegas Total 221.5
Vegas Spread 9.0 Vegas Spread -9.0
Team Total 106.3 Team Total 115.3
Pace +/- -0.4 Pace +/- 0.1
Proj. Starter Elfrid Payton Evan Fournier Terrence Ross Aaron Gordon Nikola Vucevic Proj. Starter Kyrie Irving J.R. Smith LeBron James Kevin Love Tristan Thompson
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 23 29 26 9 16 Adj. DvP 27 21 15 28 23
DRPM -2.18 -0.99 1.20 2.02 1.12 DRPM -0.47 -0.83 -1.28 -0.63 1.93

Orlando Magic

Wow, Aaron Gordon has been ridiculous the last two games. He’s averaged 27.0 points and 15.5 rebounds. That’s clearly an unsustainable rate, but he’s really responded well to his move to power forward. Fortunately, for fantasy players he’s getting a ton of minutes even in blowouts and he’s been shooting quite a bit. Over the past ten games, Cleveland has been the seventh-worst rebounding team (48.6%) and they’ve posted the fourth-worst defensive rating (112.2). There’s no problem with attacking Gordon again while he’s hot in all formats in this spot. Terrence Ross, Elfrid Payton, and Evan Fournier have all been getting a ton of minutes as well. Ross had scored at least 14 points for seven straight games until Saturday when he put up a six-point dud. He’s still cheap on FanDuel and in play, but he’s $900 more on DraftKings and that feels too high. Payton is coming off a triple-double and he missed another one by a rebound the game prior. He’ll have the pleasure of facing Kyrie Irving’s defense tonight; Irving ranks 77th in DRPM among 89 qualifying point guards; gotta love it. Fournier is not as exciting as Payton or Gordon, but worth a look with the minutes he’s been getting. Mario Hezonja has been getting around 20 minutes but he hasn’t really been doing much with it and it doesn’t look like he’ll get much more.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Elfrid Payton $7,600 $7,900 0.98 29.5 4.0 28.8 12.0 25.3% 0.2% 23 -2.18
Evan Fournier $5,600 $5,700 0.77 33.0 0.2 25.3 1.6 23.8% 0.5% 29 -0.99
Terrence Ross $4,300 $5,200 0.72 25.0 8.1 18.0 6.3 18.4% 0.2% 26 1.20
Aaron Gordon $5,800 $6,400 0.80 28.4 7.2 22.8 14.8 19.9% 0.4% 9 2.02
Nikola Vucevic $8,400 $7,500 1.17 28.9 0.6 33.8 0.9 25.4% -0.4% 16 1.12

Elite Plays – Aaron Gordon, Elfrid Payton

Secondary Plays – Terrence Ross (FD), Evan Fournier, Nikola Vucevic

Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland is in second in the east and they’re a half game back from the first-place Celtics. As we saw in their exciting double-overtime game on Sunday against the Pacers, they want the first seed. It seems like they’ll play hard down the stretch to lock in home court.

Kyle Korver is questionable with a sore foot, he’s missed the past four games. J.R. Smith has done well during those contests, peaking with 18 points and five rebounds in the double-ot game. Of course, he needed 42 minutes to get those numbers and he’s shot an unsustainable 56% from three over the past three games. Even if Korver sits, Smith is nothing more than a streaky tournament flier in a nice spot – it’s probably best to avoid him.

Cleveland has an implied total of 115.3 which is 5.0 points above their average. They’re also favored to win by 9.0 points. This one could easily turn into a blowout, and Cleveland will want to rest their stars if they get up big as they did against Philadelphia last week. Despite playing one of the worst teams in the NBA, this could easily turn into a trap game for the Big Three. LeBron James is coming off a gigantic triple-double, Kevin Love had a double-double last game, and Kyrie had a nice 23-point, seven-assist game on Sunday. These numbers were inflated because of the extra time, though. Since Kevin Love returned from injury, James and Irving have both seen their usage rates and fantasy production decrease, as expected. Irving has been below 1.0 fantasy points per minute on both DraftKings and FanDuel when Love is on the floor, while James has produced 1.29 DK ppm and 1.21 FD ppm. Both players are probably too much on FanDuel given the circumstances, but they’re more affordable on DraftKings. Kevin Love could continue to play limited minutes, which is a big concern for him from a fantasy perspective. Although normally, this is a wonderful matchup to target these guys, James in particular, the blowout factor is a legitimate concern this time of year which makes them secondary plays.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Kyrie Irving $8,600 $7,800 1.08 35.1 -0.2 38.0 -6.8 32.2% -2.0% 27 -0.47
J.R. Smith $3,600 $4,100 0.55 28.4 4.8 15.7 3.8 14.4% -1.8% 21 -0.83
LeBron James $10,700 $10,200 1.30 37.6 0.6 49.1 4.6 33.1% 1.6% 15 -1.28
Kevin Love $7,300 $7,300 1.14 31.1 -1.6 35.3 -5.1 25.3% -3.1% 28 -0.63
Tristan Thompson $5,000 $4,500 0.77 30.1 2.0 23.2 -0.2 11.1% 1.4% 23 1.93

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love

Denver Nuggets at New Orleans Pelicans – 8:00 PM ET

Denver Nuggets New Orleans Pelicans
denvernba Vegas Total 228.0 neworleansnba Vegas Total 228.0
Vegas Spread 3.0 Vegas Spread -3.0
Team Total 112.5 Team Total 115.5
Pace +/- 1.2 Pace +/- 1.6
Proj. Starter Jamal Murray Gary Harris Danilo Gallinari Kenneth Faried Nikola Jokic Proj. Starter Tim Frazier Jrue Holiday Solomon Hill DeMarcus Cousins Anthony Davis
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 20 27 8 16 13 Adj. DvP 28 30 20 10 17
DRPM -1.57 1.49 1.68 0.91 3.79 DRPM -1.95 -2.34 0.33 -1.48 1.94

Denver Nuggets

Denver hasn’t been eliminated from the playoffs, but they’re a 1.5 games back from Portland; according to ESPN’s 538 that leaves them with a 5% chance of making it. However, there’s still a chance, and they should play hard for it.

Will Barton and Jameer Nelson have been ruled out, both players missed last game. Danilo Gallinari, Gary Harris, and Nikola Jokic all played over 35 minutes in that one, while Wilson Chandler and, surprisingly, Emmanuel Mudiay, played 31 each. Mudiay actually scored 17 and contribute nine assists. He’s been completely irrelevant for months, and he’s infamously inconsistent, so it’s going to be hard to trust him to do the same tonight even with the above-mentioned injuries. It’s more plausible that starter Jamal Murray gets more time on the court for this contest. Murray has averaged 0.94 FD ppm and 1.02 DK ppm over the past three months with Nelson and Barton off the court. He’s an excellent value option tonight against a defense that struggles against guards. Harris, Gallinari, Chandler, and Jokic are all fairly priced and in play. They all have better price tags on DraftKings. Although they should all get minutes, Harris and Jokic are in the best spots. Harris isn’t particularly exciting even though he’ll get a bunch of time on the floor. Chandler should get some run at the four and New Orleans ranks 16th in DvP against power forwards, he’s worth a long long on DraftKings.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Jamal Murray $3,700 $4,300 0.76 20.5 1.2 15.6 -0.9 22.1% -3.2% 20 -1.57
Gary Harris $6,100 $5,400 0.78 30.8 2.9 23.9 -2.9 19.1% -2.1% 27 1.49
Danilo Gallinari $6,600 $6,200 0.82 33.6 -1.1 27.7 2.6 20.0% 2.5% 8 1.68
Kenneth Faried $5,500 $5,200 1.03 21.7 -0.1 22.3 0.3 18.0% 1.6% 16 0.91
Nikola Jokic $10,000 $9,300 1.31 27.6 4.5 36.1 7.9 25.4% 0.7% 13 3.79
Wilson Chandler $6,700 $5,700 0.88 31.1 -1.7 27.4 -4.2 22.3% -2.8% 8 N/A

Elite Plays – Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic (DK)

Secondary Plays – Nikola Jokic (FD), Wilson Chandler, Gary Harris, Danilo Gallinari

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans have been eliminated from the playoffs. Anthony Davis is questionable due to a right ankle injury, but it seems like he’ll try to play. He’s posted nine straight double-doubles and he’s scored at least 30 points in five of his last six contests. DeMarcus Cousins has out-rebounded him the past three games since returning from an injury. Cousins has averaged 30.7 points, 15.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists over that stretch. Both players are great targets in fantasy but Cousins remains far less expensive on FanDuel at $9.6K while Davis is $11.2k. That’s far too cheap of a salary for DeMarcus and he’s a top play there. Interestingly, Davis is $200 cheaper than Cousins on DraftKings at $10.1k. It would make sense to play Cousins on FD and Davis on DK. Of course, if Davis is out, Cousins will essentially be a lock. The pair eats up most of the Pelican’s usage when they’re on the court. Jrue Holiday is third with a 21.2% usage rate and he has a wonderful spot against the Nuggets, who can’t defend guards very well. Tim Frazier will start, but he has a 7.8% usage rate. Solomon Hill averages 0.47 FD ppm, which makes him uninteresting. Jordan Crawford presents some decent value with his 21.0% usage rate, but he lacks upside and rarely plays more than 24 minutes. That said, he’s been pretty consistent and remains near the minimum on FanDuel; he’s worth a look on the site.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L5 +/- FP/Game L5 +/- True Usage L5 +/- DvP DRPM
Tim Frazier $3,500 $3,700 0.78 23.6 3.5 18.5 -0.3 20.2% -5.5% 28 -1.95
Jrue Holiday $7,300 $7,300 1.00 33.0 1.9 32.9 -0.6 26.6% -4.7% 30 -2.34
Solomon Hill $4,200 $4,000 0.54 29.4 2.7 15.8 -0.4 11.7% -0.8% 20 0.33
DeMarcus Cousins $9,600 $10,300 1.42 34.2 4.6 48.5 7.8 35.3% -4.4% 10 -1.48
Anthony Davis $11,200 $10,100 1.38 36.2 -0.4 49.9 5.7 30.4% -0.8% 17 1.94
Jordan Crawford $3,700 $4,600 0.88 23.0 3.1 20.3 2.2 24.1% -1.3% 30 N/A

Elite Plays – DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis

Secondary Plays – Jrue Holiday, Jordan Crawford

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About the Author

bryanpauquette
Bryan Pauquette (bryanpauquette)

Bryan Pauquette’s peak in life came in 2002 when he struck out live on the YES network in the New York State Little League championship. Unfortunately, his team lost to a squad that cheated their way to the U.S. Semi-Finals, so he feels forever robbed of a chance to go down swinging on ESPN. As it turns out, he’s much better at fantasy sports than actual ones and he’s been an avid cash game and small-field tournament player since 2015. He joined RotoGrinders in Summer Sixteen as part of their alerts and projections team. Outside of RG, Bryan is a television writer and producer based in the City of Angels (he does not root for any of their teams, but he’s thinking about the Chargers because he’s giving up on the Jets).