NBA Grind Down: Wednesday, January 22nd
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
L.A.Clippers at Charlotte
- Vegas Line – L.A.Clippers -6, 200 Over/Under
- L.A.Clippers Proj. Starters – Collison-Redick-Dudley-Griffin-Jordan
- Charlotte Proj. Starters – Sessions-Henderson-Kidd-Gilchrist-McRoberts-Jefferson
L.A.Clippers
We have 10 games on the schedule tonight so let’s get right into it. The Clippers are 6 point favorites tonight against the Bobcats in what is expected to be a fairly high scoring game. The Bobcats haven’t been great defensively this season and I’m going to stray away from the DvP rankings a bit. Sessions shut down Lowry last game in the Bobcats last game and his defense hurts the value of Darren Collison. That said, I did notice that he is only $8k on StarStreet tonight. That makes him a must play there and a play that you can avoid elsewhere.
- Blake Griffin – I have a hard time seeing any of the Bobcats players defending Griffin tonight. The Bobcats have been pretty decent against opposing PF’s this season, but Blake’s style of play makes it hard for me to see McBob defending him well. Griffin has really picked up his play with CP3 out and I have a feeling he is going to post a 25/12/8 performance.
- DeAndre Jordan – Jordan has scored at least 39 fantasy points in 4 of his last 5 games and is really attacking the glass. He has recorded double-digit rebounds in something like 20 straight games. The Bobcats have really struggled against Centers this season and Jordan makes a nice play on sites that haven’t adjusted his price.
Charlotte
The Bobcats are in a decent position tonight. The Clippers have defended PG’s well this season, but with Kemba Walker out, Ramon Sessions makes a great value play. He looked good in his first start and is very cheap across the industry. Gerald Henderson should take over as more of a playmaker with Walker out and I think he makes a solid GPP play tonight. MKG is seeing solid minutes and makes a decent punt option at SF.
- Al Jefferson – Jefferson has been on fire recently. He has scored at least 40 fantasy points in 5 straight games and should see plenty of shot attempts tonight with Walker out. Sessions is a pass-first PG which actually helps Jefferson’s fantasy value.
Chicago at Cleveland
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Chicago Proj. Starters – Augustin-Butler-Dunleavy-Boozer-Noah
- Cleveland Proj. Starters – Irving-Miles-Deng-Thompson-Varejao
Chicago
The Bulls are going to be extremely short-handed tonight. Thibs already has an extremely short rotation and it’s likely going to get even shorter tonight with both Carlos Boozer and Kirk Hinrich out. The Bulls starting five is going to be: Augustin, Butler, Dunleavy, Gibson, and Noah. The crazy part is that I wouldn’t be surprised to see every starter play at least 35 minutes tonight. Due to playing time alone, there are quite a few options here. I wouldn’t hesitate to play 3-4 Bulls players tonight.
- D.J. Augustin – Augustin has been incredible off the bench and now we finally get to see what he can do with a full complement of minutes. He is close to a must play on every site tonight except for DS who has already adjusted his price. Don’t overthink this one, get him in your lineups.
- Taj Gibson – It’s not very often that my two favorite plays of the day are on the same team, but that’s the case tonight. With Boozer out, Gibson should step in and immediately produce. Gibson is cheap across the board and will likely be one of the most popular plays tonight. I will have both of these players on my lineups across the industry.
Cleveland
Any team that faces the Bulls loses some fantasy appeal for two reasons: 1. The Bulls play at an extremely slow pace, averaging only 93 possessions per game. 2. The Bulls have a solid defense as they rank in the top 8 against every position on the floor except for SF’s. I think Anderson Varejao is matchup-proof, but I’m not sure I will be paying that much for him on a night with so many other options at Center. The only play that I will be considering here is Luol Deng, who will be facing his former team for the first time.
Atlanta at Orlando
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Atlanta Proj. Starters – Teague-Korver-Carroll-Millsap-Antic
- Orlando Proj. Starters – Nelson-Oladipo-Afflalo-Harris-Davis
Atlanta
The Hawks are favored by 5 tonight against the Magic with the total for this game set at 201 points. Both of these teams play at a fairly average pace, but both teams don’t mind getting into an uptempo game either. The Magic’s defense has really struggled without Vucevic in the lineup, they are ranked 23rd or worse against SG’s, SF’s, PF’s, and Centers over the last 15 days.
- Paul Millsap – Millsap tends to be under-owned a little more than he should and most of that has to do with the fact that there are so many fantasy studs that play the PF position. Millsap is a bit cheaper than players like Griffin, yet he has shown that he can produce at the same level with them if the conditions are right. I think Milly eats up this weak interior defense tonight.
- Pero Antic – Antic makes a decent punt option tonight at Center. He has been playing some nice basketball and will have a major height advantage down low over the under-sized Magic bigs. He can also step out and hit the 3 which helps his value on sites that award a bonus for 3’s.
Orlando
The Magic are facing a Hawks team that has not been great defensively this season. They have defended PG’s fairly well (11th), but haven’t been great against any other position. With Vucevic out again tonight, the Magic will roll out the same starters as they have the last few games. Victor Oladipo makes an interesting GPP play thanks to his high ceiling. Tobias Harris makes a decent play, but I’d much rather have Taj in that price range. Arron Afflalo is also in play, I expect him to bounce back after a very quiet game last night.
- Glen Davis – Big Baby continues to shell out 25 FP’s per game. He rarely gets above 35 and rarely gets below 20. He is a consistent fantasy option that has an affordable price tag. If you want to take a few chances elsewhere and need a player that you can rely on, Davis is your guy.
Dallas at Toronto
- Vegas Line – Toronto -1.5, 203.5 Over/Under
- Dallas Proj. Starters – Calderon-Ellis-Marion-Nowitzki-Dalembert
- Toronto Proj. Starters – Lowry-DeRozan-Ross-Johnson-Valanciunas
Dallas
The Mavericks take on the Raptors in a game that features a higher total (203) than I would have thought on first glance. The Mavericks are always a tough team to use from a fantasy point of view because they have so many contributors that there aren’t very often must plays. I think Shawn Marion could be in for a nice game though, the Raptors have been pretty average at defending SF’s and he is cheap on a few sites (only $5,000 on FD). Monta Ellis has the best matchup on the board as the Raptors are ranked 25th against SG’s, but I think there are better options in his price range.
Toronto
The Raptors are in a favorable position as they are facing a Mavericks team that averages 97 possessions per game. I’ve touched on this a lot recently, the Mavericks have been extremely average defensively this season. They rank between 16th and 19th against every position on the floor. DeMar DeRozan should continue his hot play and I’m guessing that the Raptors will look to exploit his height advantage over Ellis in the post.
- Kyle Lowry – Lowry is coming off of one of his worst games of the season, but he did turn it on in the 4th quarter. I expect him to bounce back in a big way tonight. He is one of the few PG’s in the league that does everything on the floor well and his defense is very underrated. Look for him to get back to posting 35+ FP outings tonight.
Boston at Washington
- Vegas Line – No Lines Set for This Game Yet
- Boston Proj. Starters – Pressey-Green-Wallace-Sullinger-Humphries
- Washington Proj. Starters – Wall-Beal-Ariza-Hilario-Gortat
Boston
The Celtics are extremely short-handed right now. They were already without Jerryd Bayless last night and then Avery Bradley turned his ankly only 7 minutes into the game. Both are expected to miss tonight’s game against the Wizards. Add to it the fact that Rajon Rondo is on a 25 minute-limit and we have a lot of minutes open for the likes of Phil Pressey, Jeff Green, and Gerald Wallace. There is some concern for a blowout here, but the Celtics always seems to play well in tough situations. I will be avoiding the bigs of the Celtics though, Nene and Gortat provide a tough frontcourt.
- Jeff Green – Green has been my fantasy kryptonite this season. Everytime he has a great matchup, I take him and he ends up with 12 fantasy points. Then I don’t take him the next night and he puts up 25 fantasy points. I’m hoping to change that trend tonight. Green could end up having to play 40+ minutes tonight. That’s good enough for me.
Washington
The Wizards aren’t in the best position tonight. They are facing a short-handed Celtics team that is on the second half of a back to back. This game definitely has the potential for a blowout. Not only that, but the Celtics aren’t exactly a fast-paced team. However, if you are going to target anyone from the Wizards, target one of the bigs. The Celtics are ranked 19th and 20th in the league at defending opposing PF’s and Centers.