NBA Grind Down: Wednesday, April 16th
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 NBA 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
Dallas at Memphis
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Dallas Proj. Starters – Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Nowitzki-Dalembert
- Memphis Proj. Starters – Conley-Lee-Prince-Randolph-Gasol
Dallas
At one point it looked like this game would decide some sort of playoff spot but with the Suns eliminated on Monday night we are now left with precisely 0 games tonight with ‘in/out’ implications. The only thing being decided in this one is who gets the Spurs and who gets the Thunder. I’m definitely concerned about just how much Dirk will play, as well as Monta Ellis who the Mavs have said is playing too many minutes all season long. Memphis’ defense is one of the best in the NBA and considering that Dallas is a veteran team who might want to rest up for the playoffs.
Memphis
Much like Dallas, I have big concerns about how hard the Grizzlies will go tonight. Mike Conley is listed as probable but the fact that he even has an injury designation makes me think he might be somewhat limited. Marc Gasol is another candidate for some sort of rest given how many injuries he’s battled through all season.
- Zach Randolph – I’m going to be blunt. No one is safe tonight. ZBO has been terrific lately though and IF the Grizz take this game seriously then he should be in for a big night against a defense he’s averaged 20 and 10 versus this season.
Atlanta at Milwaukee
- Vegas Line –
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Brand
- Milwaukee Proj. Starters – Knight-Sessions-Middleton-Adrien-Pachulia
Atlanta
The Hawks and Bucks should be a thriller, said no one. The good news for Atlanta is they took Monday to rest Millsap, Korver and Carroll so you should see these guys play on Wednesday night in a somewhat full capacity. The matchups here are also juicy with Milwaukee ranking in the bottom-12 of the NBA for both season and last 15 splits against SFs, PFs and Cs.
- Paul Millsap – Not sure how much he’ll play, especially if this game gets even close to out of hand but he can rack up stats in a hurry against the Milwaukee frontcourt.
Milwaukee
Believe it or not, it’s the perfect night to trust the Bucks. Injuries have left them short-handed and a team facing the end of their season is a whole lot safer than a team prepping for the postseason. The Bucks have actually had decent fantasy-value of late as well, with Adrien and Sessions going from bargain bin plays to mid-range options based on their recent performances. Atlanta’s defense is below average and at home I’d feel confident rostering a couple of Bucks tonight.
- Brandon Knight – Atlanta’s defense vs. PGs has fluctuated between bad and awful all season and Knight has a ton of upside for Wednesday night’s tournaments. Knight’s also averaging nearly 40 FPPG in 3 games vs. ATL this year.
- Jeff Adrien – Adrien has proven he at least deserves to be on an NBA roster over the last month, with consistently impressive performances. He’s a lock to play 30+ minutes and can easily rack up a double double in that time.
Utah at Minnesota
- Vegas Line –
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burke-Hayward-Jefferson-Favors-Kanter
- Minnesota Proj. Starters – Rubio-Martin-Brewer-Love-Dieng
Utah
A juicy matchup between two non-playoff teams! For Utah the biggest question mark right now is the status of Marvin Williams, who is currently questionable. If he sits, you can definitely find value in Enes Kanter who has 4 straight 40 FP games and is averaging 37 minutes per game over his last two. Beyond that, I wouldn’t expect too many rotational changes today for the Jazz who are floundering as the worst team in the West.
- Enes Kanter – His minutes and production have been way up lately and I love him if Williams sits, but only like him if Williams goes.
Minnesota
UPDATE: Ronny Turiaf and Nikola Pekovic are DOUBTFUL
The Wolves are a risky bunch tonight, especially given the 8 PM start and how unwilling Adelman has been to disclose any injury news regarding their high-priced superstar. Other injury notes for Minnesota include Kevin Martin being probable and Nikola Pekovic being questionable, although it would absolutely boggle my mind if he played since they have nothing on the line and the oft-injured Pekovic would seem equivalent to the Lakers repeatedly forcing Steve Nash back onto the court.
- Kevin Love – Taking literally anyone is risky tonight, but assuming Love does play he is far and away the top option of the night at home against a Jazz team that has no one who can slow him down.
- Gorgui Dieng – Really hoping Pek sits so I can fire up the Gorgeous Dong train one last time. His price tag is up but he’s still underpriced on most sites considering the 45 FPPG average he has over his last 3.
Houston at New Orleans
- Vegas Line –
- Houston Proj. Starters – Beverley-Harden-Parsons-Jones-Howard
- New Orleans Proj. Starters – Rivers-Evans-Morrow-Babbitt-Ajinca
Houston
The Rockets are one of the riskiest teams tonight as they prep for the postseason. They’ve had some injury issues with their stars of late (D12’s long absence, Beverly’s knee, Harden’s wrist, Parsons random injuries). Watch their news carefully and also consider that if they all play, this one could quickly become a blowout against a severely short-handed New Orleans team. If they do play, expect somewhat limited rotations.
New Orleans
The Pelicans should be one of the top teams to target on Wednesday since they are so short-handed. Roberts is currently questionable but if he sits look for Austin Rivers to bounce back after being tossed on Monday. Beyond that, almost all of the healthy bodies will see big minutes. Tyreke Evans also returned to the rotation on Monday and had a MONSTER game, again playing extremely well when he’s able to run the point.
- Tyreke Evans – Evans has a great matchup with the Rockets on Wednesday and is the last talented, healthy piece of this Pelicans offense. His upside is through the roof and he’ll be one of the most popular plays tonight for sure.
- Austin Rivers – If Roberts sits, don’t shy away from Rivers who had 45 FP against the Rockets just two games back.
Detroit at Oklahoma City
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Detroit Proj. Starters – Jennings-Singler-Smith-Monroe-Drummond
- Oklahoma City Proj. Starters – Jackson-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins
Detroit
I think Detroit should be fairly safe to target, although the status of Bynum and Smith are still up in the air at this point. They should be facing an OKC team that will be at least somewhat resting a number of players tonight and that could keep this game a lot closer than expected. If Smith sits, Rodney Stuckey is in a great spot against this OKC defense which ranks 19th against SGs over the last 15 days. If Smith plays, you could take a real deep shot and try him out in a GPP since his upside is always there.
Oklahoma City
I don’t really know what to say or think about OKC who has nothing to play for here and it’d be shocking to see them risk any injuries to their two best fantasy options in Westbrook and Durant. It’s too bad because Detroit’s defense is downright awful and those two would otherwise be in line for huge nights. I think the best spot to target OKC would be some of their bench guys.
- Reggie Jackson – Jackson should see good minutes at the 1 and 2 positions as OKC likely spells Westbrook a bit more often tonight. Detroit has been god awful defending all guards over the last 15 days so Jackson should be very productive even if he only sees around 30 minutes.