NBA Grind Down: Wednesday, December 18th
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
Indiana at Miami
- Vegas Line – Miami -3.5, 190 Over/Under
- Indiana Proj. Starters – Hill-Stephenson-George-West-Hibbert
- Miami Proj. Starters – Chalmers-Wade-James-Battier-Bosh
Indiana
We have 12 games on the schedule tonight so I will keep my analysis on each game short and sweet and focus more on the picks from each team. The Pacers are 3.5 point underdogs tonight against the Heat. This game could change drastically if LeBron James doesn’t play. While I think Paul George should play well if LeBron is out, I like Roy Hibbert either way.
- Roy Hibbert – The Heat have had a solid defense again this season, but the one position that they have really struggled against is Centers. The Heat are ranked 19th against Centers and Hibbert has always had his way with this Heat team. I think he plays well on both ends of the floor.
Miami
The big question here is whether or not LeBron James is going to play tonight. It’s hard to break down this game until we know his status, but he’s listed as a GTD so we won’t know until much closer to tipoff. If LeBron plays, he’s really the only fantasy option that I like. However, if he sits, you can safely bump up Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and Mario Chalmers. Keep your eye on the injury news throughout the day and adjust your lineups accordingly.
Utah at Orlando
- Vegas Line – Orlando -4, 197 Over/Under
- Utah Proj. Starters – Burke-Hayward-Jefferson-Favors-Kanter
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Nelson-Oladipo-Afflalo-Davis-Vucevic
Utah
The Jazz have been playing much better basketball of late and I think it’s safe to ignore the blowout factor here. Vegas only has the Magic as 4 point favorites and it’s expected to be a pretty high scoring game. The Magic have really struggled to defend SG’s and PF’s, but I think Trey Burke offers great value on sites where he is still cheap.
- Gordon Hayward – Even though both Oladipo and Afflalo are considered good defenders, it doesn’t show in the DvP rankings. The Magic are ranked 29th against SG’s this season and Gordon is one of those players that can fill up the stat sheet. He makes a great GPP play tonight.
- Derrick Favors – Favors has topped 30 FP’s in 3 of his last 4 games and has a great chance to do so again tonight against the Magic. Favors plays both PF and Center depending on who is on the court with him. I think he posts a solid double-double here.
Orlando
The Magic are expected to score close to 100 points tonight which is promising, but they just have too many contributors on their team now that they are fully healthy. They have 6 legitimate players that can all have big fantasy games. While I will probably be fading the Magic completely tonight, Glen Davis does look like a decent play. He will have a big size advantage over Marvin Williams and the Jazz have not defended PF’s well this season. The only concern is that Tobias Harris will eat into his minutes.
Charlotte at Toronto
- Vegas Line – Toronto -6.5, 191.5 Over/Under
- Charlotte Proj. Starters – Walker-Henderson-Taylor-McRoberts-Jefferson
- Toronto Proj. Starters – Lowry-DeRozan-Ross-Johnson-Valanciunas
Charlotte
The Bobcats are coming off of a big win last night against the Kings and now travel to Toronto to take on Gay’s former team. The Bobcats have really struggled to score the ball this season and both of these teams play at a slow pace. Kemba Walker plays much better at home and will be locked up in a tough matchup with Lowry, I think it’s safe to avoid him tonight. Al Jefferson makes a decent cash game play, but there are so many options that he isn’t my favorite play.
- Jeff Taylor – The one player that I would consider here is Taylor. He has been seeing close to 30 minutes per game as the starter with MKG out and he is still close to minimum salary across the board. His upside isn’t great, but you can expect around 15-20 FP’s.
Toronto
The Raptors also have a very slow pace (95) and are dealing with trade rumors all centered around Kyle Lowry. I don’t think this hurts his fantasy value all that much, but if the Raptors are going to trade him, they might as well give Greivis Vasquez some minutes to see what he can do. The Bobcats have struggled against SF’s and Centers this season and I think those are the two safest plays here.
- Terrence Ross – Ross has been a nice fantasy option ever since the Raptors traded away Rudy Gay and he is not afraid to shoot the ball. In his 3 starts, he has put up an average of 14 shots per game. He is still close to minimum salary on a few sites and is flying under the radar tonight.
- Jonas Valanciunas – If you want to punt the Center position, your best option is probably Big Val. He is cheap across the board and has topped 30 fantasy points in back to back games. The most promising stat here is that he has played at least 27 minutes in each of his last 7 games.
Sacramento at Atlanta
- Vegas Line – Atlanta -6.5, 204.5 Over/Under
- Sacramento Proj. Starters – Thomas-McLemore-Gay-Thompson-Cousins
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Horford
Sacramento
The Kings played last night and lost to the Bobcats and now have a quick turnaround as they face the Hawks tonight. I’m surprised that the line isn’t higher than 6.5 points, but maybe Vegas knows something that I don’t. I am still avoiding Rudy Gay, I want to give him a little time with his new team before trusting him in any of my cash games. DeMarcus Cousins is a decent GPP play tonight, but I think his price is too high for cash games.
- Isaiah Thomas – Coach Malone said that Thomas is going to lead the league in minutes by the end of the season which is great to hear from a fantasy perspective. Thomas had a down game last night, but I really expect him to bounce back nicely here. The only site that I would avoid him on is DS, he’s really pricey on that site.
Atlanta
The Hawks are in a favorable matchup tonight, but I do think that this game has the potential to turn into a blowout. I won’t factor it in here, but keep in mind that it is very possible. The Kings have not defended PG’s, SG’s, or PF’s well this season. While Kyle Korver has a solid matchup, he just doesn’t do enough to be a viable fantasy option on a night with so many games.
- Jeff Teague – Teague finally broke out of his slump the other night against the Lakers and I think he keeps it going tonight against the Kings. The Kings are ranked 26th against PG’s on the season and I think Teague should post close to a double-double tonight. Great time to buy low on Teague.
- Paul Millsap – Millsap has had a fantastic season and has really been a bright spot as far as DFS goes. He has great upside and a great matchup against the Kings. His price varies across the board, but on sites where he is affordable, don’t hesitate to use him tonight.
Detroit at Boston
- Vegas Line – EVEN SPREAD, 195 OVER/UNDER
- Detroit Proj. Starters – Jennings-Stuckey-Smith-Monroe-Drummond
- Boston Proj. Starters – Crawford-Bradley-Green-Sullinger-Bass
Detroit
The Pistons and Celtics are expected to be in a very close game tonight. Both of these teams are filled with fantasy options and I think this is a very sneaky game to target that most people will overlook. I’m expecting Josh Smith to come back down to Earth tonight after back to back 30 point games. Jeff Green is an excellent defender and Smith should struggle. Brandon Jennings is also in a tough spot against Avery Bradley, but I think both of the Pistons bigs are in play here, with my favorite being Mr. Drummond.
- Andre Drummond – The Celtics have been much better defensively down low the last month or so, but Drummond is going to have such a size and length advantage that I think he will dominate both ends of the court. He is coming off of a game in which he was in foul trouble early so he should be well rested for this one. His price has come down and he’s one of my favorite plays at Center.
Boston
The Celtics are in a nice spot tonight, the Pistons have not played great defense this season as you can see by all of the blue and green rankings in the DvP section. The Celtics fantasy values really just come down to their individual prices. I think Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger, and Jordan Crawford are all in play, but their prices vary so much across the board that it’s hard to recommend one over the other.