NBA Grind Down: Tuesday, January 7th
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
Washington at Charlotte
- Vegas Line – Charlotte -1.5, 190.5 Over/Under
- Washington Proj. Starters – Wall-Beal-Ariza-Booker-Gortat
- Charlotte Proj. Starters – Walker-Henderson-Douglas-Roberts-McRoberts-Jefferson
Washington
The Wizards and Bobcats game is expected to be close, but the total of the game doesn’t make it one of my favorite games to target. The issue with the Wizards is that they have a lot of talent that are all fighting for minutes. Their big men rotation of Trevor Booker, Marcin Gortat, and Nene Hilario all hurt each other’s fantasy value.
Looking at the Bobcats DvP rankings, the Bobcats rankings have really taken a dive over the last two weeks. This has a lot to do with the fact that they are starting to push the tempo more. The Bobcats have been below average against every position over the last two weeks which really helps the Wizards fantasy value.
- John Wall – I think Ariza also makes sense in some spots, but his price varies across the board so he is more of a site-specific play tonight. Wall on the other hand is in play across the board. His price has come down a bit and the Bobcats have really struggled to stop PG’s lately. Look for him to get back on track with a big fantasy game tonight.
Charlotte
The Bobcats really only have two viable fantasy options (Walker, Jefferson) and then they have two more fantasy options that come into play based on the matchup (Henderson, McRoberts). The Wizards DvP rankings aren’t all that favorable for the Bobcats. They have been below average at defending the PG and SF position, but neither matchup really stands out.
Al Jefferson should be avoided tonight, he will be in a tough matchup with Gortat. One player that you can possibly target in GPP’s is Chris Douglas-Roberts. He’s averaged over 30 minutes and over 25 FP’s in his last two games.
- Kemba Walker – I probably won’t have a ton of exposure to Walker tonight, but he does have a favorable matchup and he is playing at home where he has averaged over 32 FP’s per game this season. Look for Walker to continue to push the pace and attack the rim.
Philadelphia at Cleveland
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Philadelphia Proj. Starters – Carter-Williams-Turner-Thompson-Young-Hawes
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Miles-Clark-Thompson-Varejao
Philadelphia
The Sixers turned what could have been a fantasy gold mine into an awful game last night against the Wolves. Hopefully they can bounce back tonight against the Cavs. Vegas has the Cavs favored by 4 tonight with a total of 204 points. I think there are decent fantasy options on both teams tonight, but the low total tells me that Vegas expects this game to be played at a slower pace than the Sixers are used to.
The Cavs have really struggled to defend the PG and SF position this season. They are currently ranked 29th against PG’s and 30th against SF’s. I will be targeting both of these positions heavily tonight. I will likely be avoiding Spencer Hawes tonight, I think Varejao will be able to stick with him on the perimeter.
- Michael Carter-Williams – MCW has had three sub-par performances in a row, hopefully the favorable matchup against the Cavs will help kickstart him. MCW’s value gets an even bigger boost if Tony Wroten can’t play again tonight. Look for MCW to get back to filling up the stat sheet. He should easily top 35 FP’s tonight.
- Evan Turner – Turner is coming off of a terrible performance last night and he will be chomping at the bit to get back at it tonight. The Cavs have given up more FP’s than any other team to opposing SF’s and Turner should be able to take advantage.
Cleveland
The Cavaliers have the best matchup on the board tonight, but that’s not the biggest news in Cleveland. The Cavs finally found a taker for Andrew Bynum and they get a nice piece back in Luol Deng. Deng is not expected to play in tonight’s game though so that means Earl Clark will get one last shot at being fantasy relevant. It sounds like Kyrie Irving is on track to play tonight, but keep your eye on the status of both him and Jarrett Jack closer to tip-off.
The Sixers are awful on defense. Not only do they give up the most points per game in the league, but they don’t defend a single position well. They rank in the bottom 4 at defending every position on the floor. I do think Kyrie is in play if he is able to suit up, but both of the bigs look like the top plays here.
- Anderson Varejao – The Sixers are equally bad against every position on the floor. They play with such a quick pace that their defense really has no shot of stopping an opponent. Varejao has really played well ever since the Cavs suspended Bynum. His price has gone up a bit, but the favorable matchup more than makes up for it.
- Tristan Thompson – Thompson typically flies under the radar as a fantasy play and I’m guessing that will be the case again tonight. Thompson has a fantastic matchup and should really play well as long as he can stay out of foul trouble against Thad.
Toronto at Indiana
- Vegas Line – Indiana -7.5, 187 Over/Under
- Toronto Proj. Starters – Lowry-DeRozan-Ross-Johnson-Valanciunas
- Indiana Proj. Starters – Hill-Stephenson-George-West-Hibbert
Toronto
The Raptors have been playing some good basketball of late and have a very tough test in front of them tonight. Both of these teams like to slow the pace of play down and try to win with solid defense. The total of this game is set at 187 points which is pretty low. Neither team has great fantasy options here and the Raptors are facing a Pacers’ defense that ranks in the 8 against every single position on the floor. With 11 other games on the schedule, this game should be at the bottom of your list of games to target.
Indiana
The Pacers are playing at home where they have been excellent all season long. They are playing a Raptors team that is trying to mirror what they do. Slow the pace of the game down and play solid defense. While the Raptors struggle to defend SG’s and SF’s, the pace of the game and the low total have me wanting to avoid this game altogether. Paul George makes a decent play, but I think there are better options in his price range.
New Orleans at Miami
- Vegas Line – Miami -8.5, 204 Over/Under
- New Orleans Proj. Starters – Holiday-Evans-Aminu-Anderson-Davis
- Miami Proj. Starters – Chalmers-Wade-James-Battier-Bosh
New Orleans
The Pelicans got some bad news as Ryan Anderson will be out indefinitely. They already have Jason Smith who has missed the last 4 games with his injury. If Smith can’t go tonight, expect both Anthony Davis and Alexis Ajinca to see huge minutes. It’s not a great matchup for the Pelicans, but Anthony Davis is always in play thanks to his length and I think Ajinca could surprise some people. He has nice touch for a big man and would make a solid punt option at Center if he gets the start.
The other Pelicans players are in less than favorable matchups. The Heat have been very solid at defending PG’s (2nd), SG’s (6th), and SF’s (1st). Don’t get carried away with the Pelicans here.
Miami
The Heat have a solid matchup tonight against the uptempo Pelicans, but this game does have some blowout potential. The Pelicans will be missing one of their best scorers and the Heat are playing at home where they have been tough all season long. The Pelicans are ranked below average at defending every position this season except for SF’s and we all know that LeBron James is matchup-proof. For the most part, I will be avoiding the Heat tonight, but LeBron and Wade could both pick up some value if Mario Chalmers ends up sitting this game out.
Detroit at New York
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Detroit Proj. Starters – Jennings-Caldwell-Pope-Smith-Monroe-Drummond
- New York Proj. Starters – Udrih-Shumpert-Anthony-Bargnani-Chandler
Detroit
The Pistons and Knicks game is a very sneaky game to target. If you were to just look at these two team’s pace of play, it wouldn’t look like a great game to target. However, the Knicks have started to push the pace lately and have scored over 100 points in 3 of their last 4 games. Not only that, but the Pistons have really been pushing the pace recently and have allowed at least 106 points in 4 straight games.
The Knicks have been solid down low all season long, but I don’t think you can rule out Andre Drummond in this one. Especially considering the fact that Tyson Chandler won’t play in this one. Josh Smith also makes a nice upside play, we’ve seen the type of numbers he can put up.
- Brandon Jennings – Jennings makes a nice play tonight. Not only is Jennings the motor of this offense, but he will be facing Raymond Felton who will likely be very careful in his first start since coming back from injury. Jennings should get plenty of open looks and I could see him posting a 20 point, 12 assist type of game.
New York
The Knicks will be without Tyson Chandler tonight which means they will likely slide Andrea Bargnani over to the Center position and start Kenyon Martin at the PF slot. The Knicks will also have another change to their lineup as Raymond Felton is expected to be back for this game. I would recommend staying away from Felton, he could easily tweak his injury and he’s not likely to see big minutes tonight anyway. Iman Shumpert makes a nice GPP play, he has really played well over his last 4 games and while he likely can’t sustain that production, sometimes you have to ride the hot hand.
- Carmelo Anthony – Even through all the trade rumors, I think Melo is a safe play tonight. He is facing a Pistons team that is a fast-paced team that has given up the 3rd most FP’s to opposing SF’s this season. Don’t hesitate to take Melo in this favorable matchup.
- Andrea Bargnani – I may be in the minority here, but Bargnani is one of my favorite plays across the board tonight. He has been awfully quiet ever since Chandler has been back, but now that Chandler is sitting again, I’m expecting big things from Bargs. He should play around 35 minutes and Drummond will have a tough time defending his jumper.