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NBA Grind Down: Wednesday, January 25th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2017-01-26 03:10:06

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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.

Sacramento Kings at Cleveland Cavaliers – 7:00 PM ET

Sacramento Kings Cleveland Cavaliers
sacramentonba Vegas Total 216.0 clevelandnba Vegas Total 216.0
Vegas Spread 12.0 Vegas Spread -12.0
Team Total 102.0 Team Total 114.0
Pace +/- 0.5 Pace +/- -1.9
Proj. Starter Darren Collison Arron Afflalo Garrett Temple DeMarcus Cousins Kosta Koufos Proj. Starter Kyrie Irving Iman Shumpert LeBron James Kevin Love Tristan Thompson
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 26 27 28 13 5 Adj. DvP 23 22 14 11 14
DRPM -1.76 -0.70 1.15 1.78 2.23 DRPM -2.56 -2.16 0.30 0.51 2.82

Sacramento Kings

The Kings have lost eight of their last ten games and have to go on the road to face the defending-champion Cavaliers. They come into the game as 12-point underdogs with an implied total of only 102 points. The Cavaliers may not have the most efficient defense in the NBA, but there are too many factors working against Sacramento in this one. We have a ten game slate on tap tonight, which makes this potential blowout a pretty easy fade in cash games. DeMarcus Cousins always carries a high ceiling, but he hasn’t cracked the 50 fantasy point mark in any of his last three meetings with the Cavaliers. Cousins will see a lot of Tristan Thompson, who has an elite DRPM of 2.23 this season. Garrett Temple and Arron Afflalo could both see close to 30 minutes and could both return value, but neither player stands out as a must start in such a large slate.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Darren Collison $4,500 $4,500 0.74 29.2 -3.5 21.6 -5.5 21.3% -2.5% 26 -1.76
Arron Afflalo $3,500 $3,000 0.49 23.9 5.8 11.8 3.6 14.2% -1.9% 27 -0.70
Garrett Temple $4,300 $4,000 0.64 26.2 6.4 16.7 6.2 14.4% 0.8% 28 1.15
DeMarcus Cousins $10,500 $10,800 1.42 34.5 -2.5 49.0 0.9 36.6% 2.5% 13 1.78
Kosta Koufos $3,500 $3,000 0.76 19.4 0.8 14.8 -1.0 14.1% -1.5% 5 2.23
Ty Lawson $4,500 $4,100 0.78 24.9 -2.0 19.4 7.1 21.8% 6.7% 26 N/A

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – DeMarcus Cousins, Arron Afflalo, Garrett Temple

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers are melting before our very eyes. They have lost six of their last ten games and LeBron James is calling out his GM on social media and in interviews. I ultimately expect the Cavaliers to right the ship and be just fine when all is said and done, but this at least gives us some entertainment during a long regular season. Cleveland draws a get-right matchup against the Kings, who are ranked 19th or worse in points allowed per game, defensive efficiency, and rebounding differential. The Cavaliers come into the game with an implied total of 114 points, which is the fourth highest in the slate.

While I expect the Cavaliers’ offense to roll tonight, I am worried about a potential blowout. If you think they will play down to the level of their competition again, then you should certainly like Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, and Kevin Love in tournaments. I plan to have a small piece of exposure to the big three here, but will likely be avoiding them in cash games. The Kings are in the midst of a slump and they recently lost Rudy Gay for the rest of the season. Iman Shumpert and Tristan Thompson are decent punt plays here, but in a ten game slate, we certainly aren’t starved for value like we are in some of the smaller slates.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Kyrie Irving $8,500 $8,200 1.06 35.1 3.4 37.2 12.1 31.3% 0.6% 23 -2.56
Iman Shumpert $4,000 $4,000 0.60 24.8 7.0 15.0 6.0 13.9% -1.4% 22 -2.16
LeBron James $10,700 $10,000 1.27 37.5 5.2 47.6 3.8 33.0% -4.8% 14 0.30
Kevin Love $7,700 $7,800 1.14 31.9 4.8 36.4 1.1 26.0% -2.8% 11 0.51
Tristan Thompson $4,700 $4,400 0.77 28.9 -0.2 22.4 -3.5 10.6% 3.3% 14 2.82
Kyle Korver $3,600 $3,700 0.61 27.3 -3.0 16.6 -4.7 14.5% -2.3% 22 N/A

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Kevin Love

Miami Heat at Brooklyn Nets – 7:30 PM ET

Miami Heat Brooklyn Nets
miaminba Vegas Total 215.5 brooklynnba Vegas Total 215.5
Vegas Spread -3.5 Vegas Spread 3.5
Team Total 109.5 Team Total 106.0
Pace +/- 5.4 Pace +/- -1.5
Proj. Starter Goran Dragic Rodney McGruder Dion Waiters Luke Babbitt Hassan Whiteside Proj. Starter Spencer Dinwiddie Randy Foye Bojan Bogdanovic Trevor Booker Brook Lopez
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 30 30 30 28 29 Adj. DvP 12 14 16 10 9
DRPM -0.23 -1.53 -3.42 2.13 -0.34 DRPM -2.34 -1.00 -0.11 1.32 1.31

Miami Heat

The Heat have the second longest winning streak in the NBA right now. They are flying high after beating the Warriors at home on a buzzer beater from Dion Waiters. They should be able to extend their winning streak to five games tonight, as they take on the struggling Nets. As I mention all the time in this article, the Nets are the best possible matchup for fantasy production, especially when the game features a small spread. On the season, Brooklyn is ranked first in pace of play and dead last in points allowed per game. The Heat have an implied total of 109.5 points, which is 10.6 points above their season average.

Point guard is typically the deepest position in daily fantasy basketball. While there are a handful of point guards on my radar tonight, my favorite of the bunch may be Goran Dragic. With Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson out, he should play 35+ minutes against the worst defense in the NBA. Dragic is affordable on both FanDuel and DraftKings and has one of the highest floors of any player in the slate relative to his salary. Dion Waiters is getting expensive on a few sites, but $6,000 for a player that could shoot the ball 20 times against the Nets doesn’t seem like a bad play. I see Waiters as an elite play on FanDuel and a secondary play on DraftKings. Wayne Ellington has played at least 30 minutes in back-to-back games and is my favorite shooting guard punt in the slate. James Johnson has struggled recently, but he should bounce back against a Nets’ team that is ranked 27th in rebounding differential and 30th in blocked shots allowed per game. Hassan Whiteside is too expensive on FanDuel and too cheap on DraftKings. I like him for the same reasons that I like Johnson.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Goran Dragic $7,000 $7,300 0.95 34.4 1.1 32.6 2.3 29.0% -0.2% 30 -0.23
Rodney McGruder $3,500 $3,000 0.50 25.7 -2.0 12.8 -1.8 12.0% -0.2% 30 -1.53
Dion Waiters $6,000 $6,600 0.82 29.9 2.7 24.5 9.3 26.8% 3.1% 30 -3.42
Luke Babbitt $3,600 $3,000 0.53 16.1 4.4 8.5 5.4 13.3% -3.4% 28 2.13
Hassan Whiteside $9,200 $7,900 1.15 33.6 -2.1 38.7 -7.7 21.5% -1.8% 29 -0.34
James Johnson $5,800 $5,900 0.90 26.0 5.3 23.4 -4.2 22.1% -4.5% 28 N/A
Wayne Ellington $3,800 $3,900 0.62 26.9 2.3 16.6 0.8 17.2% -2.5% 30 N/A

Elite Plays – Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters (FD), Hassan Whiteside (DK)

Secondary Plays – Dion Waiters (DK), Hassan Whiteside (FD), Wayne Ellington, James Johnson

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets have lost nine of their last ten games, but have been competitive at home. They come into tonight’s contest as 3.5-point underdogs against the Heat in a game that features an over/under of 215.5 points. This will be a pace-down game for Brooklyn, but the home team can generally control the pace, so I do expect a fairly uptempo game tonight. The Nets currently have an implied total of 106 points, which is slightly above their average on the season. The issue with the Nets is that they don’t have a single player that is averaging more than 30 minutes per game this season. That’s not to say that we can never use Nets’ players, but they don’t always have the same minute upside as players from other teams.

I’m not particularly interested in the starting backcourt for Brooklyn tonight. Spencer Dinwiddie hasn’t shown enough upside and Randy Foye is nothing more than a deep tournament flier at this stage of his career. I do like the idea of targeting Sean Kilpatrick off the bench. He has scored 27 fantasy points in back-to-back games and his minutes should be secure with Joe Harris out. I really like watching Caris LeVert play, but he’s a little expensive for a player that hasn’t seen more than 25 minutes of playing time in his last ten games. For whatever reason, the DraftKings algorithm has something against Brook Lopez. He is constantly about a thousand dollars too cheap. Rather than complain, I just load up on Brolo shares. In his last three games against Hassan Whiteside, Lopez has scored 28, 44, and 33 fantasy points.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Spencer Dinwiddie $3,800 $3,400 0.66 19.9 7.7 13.1 2.7 16.3% -3.2% 12 -2.34
Randy Foye $3,500 $3,000 0.62 17.7 7.7 10.9 3.7 17.3% -1.0% 14 -1.00
Bojan Bogdanovic $4,200 $4,100 0.75 26.5 -0.3 19.9 2.3 21.3% 1.9% 16 -0.11
Trevor Booker $5,100 $4,800 0.96 27.0 -4.0 25.9 -9.1 17.3% -0.3% 10 1.32
Brook Lopez $7,300 $6,300 1.12 29.1 -3.5 32.6 0.3 28.4% 2.7% 9 1.31
Caris LeVert $4,300 $4,000 0.75 18.5 3.2 14.0 12.2 16.1% 1.3% 16 N/A
Sean Kilpatrick $4,200 $4,600 0.83 27.1 1.9 22.5 4.9 24.2% 1.6% 14 N/A

Elite Plays – Sean Kilpatrick (GPP), Brook Lopez (DK)

Secondary Plays – Sean Kilpatrick (Cash), Brook Lopez (FD)

Houston Rockets at Boston Celtics – 7:30 PM ET

Houston Rockets Boston Celtics
houstonnba Vegas Total 228.5 bostonnba Vegas Total 228.5
Vegas Spread -3.5 Vegas Spread 3.5
Team Total 116.0 Team Total 112.5
Pace +/- -0.3 Pace +/- 2.7
Proj. Starter Patrick Beverley James Harden Trevor Ariza Ryan Anderson Clint Capela Proj. Starter Isaiah Thomas Marcus Smart Jae Crowder Amir Johnson Al Horford
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 24 24 13 22 18 Adj. DvP 18 21 25 27 13
DRPM -4.42 0.58 1.11 1.94 1.31 DRPM 1.85 -1.54 1.16 -0.51 0.87

Houston Rockets

The Rockets have lost five of their last ten games, but are still third in the Western Conference standings. Tonight’s matchup against the Celtics is shaping up to be a good one, as the game features a low spread of 3.5 points and a high over/under of 228.5 points. The Celtics have really struggled defensively this season, ranking 22nd or worse in points allowed per game, defensive efficiency, and rebounding differential. The Rockets come into the game with an implied total of 116 points, which is the second highest in the slate.

Even though the Rockets have some nice rotation players around James Harden, he is really the only fantasy option that we feel comfortable using on a nightly basis. He sees a major boost with Avery Bradley out, as Marcus Smart doesn’t exactly have the length to bother him. Harden should be considered right there with Russell Westbrook as the top overall play in the slate. Patrick Beverley could see a few extra minutes tonight, as he will be tasked with defending Isaiah Thomas. Beverley is never a core building block of mine, but I don’t mind him if you need a point guard in his price range. Trevor Ariza, Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson, and Clint Capela are all nice tournament plays here. I will be doing a few different game stacks where I will be mixing and matching the different Rockets’ combinations with Harden.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Patrick Beverley $5,600 $5,300 0.84 30.9 -1.7 25.9 -2.5 16.1% 1.9% 24 -4.42
James Harden $12,100 $12,300 1.47 36.6 -0.5 53.7 -5.1 38.4% -5.7% 24 0.58
Trevor Ariza $5,300 $5,500 0.74 34.6 1.8 25.7 -4.1 14.8% -2.3% 13 1.11
Ryan Anderson $4,600 $4,500 0.71 30.3 -11.0 21.6 -11.1 17.1% -2.1% 22 1.94
Clint Capela $4,800 $4,200 1.06 23.2 -3.5 24.6 0.5 18.6% 7.1% 18 1.31
Eric Gordon $5,700 $5,300 0.82 30.6 -0.4 25.2 -4.1 23.8% -1.1% 24 N/A

Elite Plays – James Harden

Secondary Plays – Patrick Beverley, Trevor Ariza (FD), Ryan Anderson (GPP), Clint Capela (DK), Eric Gordon (GPP)

Boston Celtics

The Celtics are playing in the second half of a back-to-back, after losing to the Wizards in Washington last night. They will once again be without Avery Bradley, as they host the visiting Rockets. This game sets up to be a shootout and we can give the Celtics’ offense a sizable boost as a whole. The Rockets are ranked 24th in points allowed per game and 15th in defensive efficiency. Boston comes into the game as 3.5-point underdogs with an implied total of 112.5 points, which is 5.1 points above their season average.

You can make a strong case for four different Celtics players tonight. We will start with Isaiah Thomas. He may be one of the shortest players in the NBA, but he’s one of the toughest. I don’t love his matchup against Patrick Beverley, but the absence of Avery Bradley more than makes up for it. Thomas sees a small usage boost and he is averaging 46 fantasy points per 36 minutes when Bradley is off the floor this season. Marcus Smart didn’t play very well last night against the Wizards and he still managed to put up 26 fantasy points. He is one of my favorite point guard plays under $6,000 on FanDuel and he should get overlooked on DraftKings at a price of $6,000. Jae Crowder is one of the safest small forward targets in the slate. He should see around 35 minutes of action tonight and he has scored at least 25 fantasy points in six straight games. Al Horford has hit or come close to reaching 5x value on DraftKings in 11 straight games. At $6,800, he is firmly in the mix as my cash game center on DraftKings tonight.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Isaiah Thomas $9,300 $9,300 1.19 34.2 4.3 40.7 5.8 35.2% 2.8% 18 1.85
Marcus Smart $5,600 $6,000 0.76 30.7 4.4 23.2 4.6 20.0% 0.4% 21 -1.54
Jae Crowder $5,600 $5,600 0.76 32.2 4.7 24.3 3.1 16.0% 0.3% 25 1.16
Amir Johnson $3,900 $4,000 0.80 20.1 -2.8 16.0 -1.1 14.3% -1.2% 27 -0.51
Al Horford $7,300 $6,800 1.03 33.2 1.9 34.0 -1.4 22.6% -2.3% 13 0.87
Kelly Olynyk $4,100 $4,600 0.84 21.0 -1.0 17.6 -5.6 18.4% 0.6% 13 N/A

Elite Plays – Isaiah Thomas (GPP), Marcus Smart (FD), Jae Crowder, Al Horford (DK)

Secondary Plays – Isaiah Thomas (Cash), Marcus Smart (DK), Jae Crowder, Al Horford (FD)

Philadelphia 76ers at Milwaukee Bucks – 8:00 PM ET

Philadelphia 76ers Milwaukee Bucks
philadelphianba Vegas Total 207.0 milwaukeenba Vegas Total 207.0
Vegas Spread 11.0 Vegas Spread -11.0
Team Total 98.0 Team Total 109.0
Pace +/- -1.1 Pace +/- 0.8
Proj. Starter T.J. McConnell Nik Stauskas Robert Covington Ersan Ilyasova Nerlens Noel Proj. Starter Giannis Antetokounmpo Matthew Dellavedova Tony Snell Jabari Parker Miles Plumlee
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 3 26 29 16 16 Adj. DvP 17 10 9 5 24
DRPM 2.61 -0.69 -0.68 -1.54 1.53 DRPM 0.42 -1.20 2.68 0.31 0.65

Philadelphia 76ers

Last night was a great example of why you need to be constantly monitoring the injury news right up until lineups lock. Jahlil Okafor was a late scratch and one of the Sixers’ beat writers mentioned that Nerlens Noel would draw the start and potentially play 30 minutes. Noel became close to a must play in my eyes and he came through in a big way with 45 fantasy points. Being able to adjust on the fly is imperative for success in daily fantasy basketball. The Sixers come into tonight’s game as 11-point underdogs against the Bucks. They have an implied total of only 98 points, which is the lowest of any team in the slate.

T.J. McConnell offers a relatively high floor at his price point, but there are so many great point guard options in this slate that I probably won’t have any exposure to him. A matchup against Matthew Dellavedova is basically the sugar-free icing on the cake. The intriguing plays here are in the frontcourt. With Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid out, Nerlens Noel should draw another start at center. While he may not see 29 minutes of action again, he should be able to reach value even if he plays 22-24 minutes. He is going to be extremely high owned tonight, but for good reason. The sneakier play here is Ersan Ilyasova. He didn’t play well last night, but he has a 27% usage rate when Embiid and Okafor are off of the floor this season. Ilyasova also has a little added motivation, as he faces the team that he spent his first seven years in the NBA with. Dario Saric is worth a look in tournaments. In theory, he should play more minutes with Embiid and Okafor out. Robert Covington will get a lot of traction around the industry, but I’m a little worried about his individual matchup against Giannis Antetokounmpo. Not only is Giannis an elite defender, but he is one of the best in the NBA at drawing fouls.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
T.J. McConnell $5,500 $5,500 0.80 23.1 8.6 18.5 6.5 19.2% -0.7% 3 2.61
Nik Stauskas $3,600 $3,400 0.58 26.1 0.8 15.0 -0.4 16.1% -3.6% 26 -0.69
Robert Covington $5,400 $5,600 0.78 30.4 4.0 23.6 9.3 17.8% 2.7% 29 -0.68
Ersan Ilyasova $6,000 $6,000 0.91 27.3 -0.2 24.8 5.1 22.2% 2.3% 16 -1.54
Nerlens Noel $4,100 $4,300 1.04 16.4 4.7 17.1 7.6 18.4% -3.1% 16 1.53
Dario Saric $4,600 $4,200 0.80 23.9 -2.3 19.1 0.5 21.6% 4.8% 16 N/A

Elite Plays – Nerlens Noel, Ersan Ilyasova

Secondary Plays – Robert Covington, Dario Saric

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks have lost seven of their last ten games, but should be able to pick up a win tonight against the shorthanded Sixers, who are playing in the second half of a back-to-back. Philadelphia has been surprisingly good defensively, but that mostly has to do with Joel Embiid. With Embiid out tonight, their defense will likely put up little resistance against this Bucks’ offense. Milwaukee comes into the game with an implied total of 109 points, which is four points higher than their season average.

This will likely be the last time that we can take Matthew Dellavedova at this price point. In his last two games, he is averaging 33 minutes and 27 fantasy points. He offers great value tonight at point guard, the only question is whether or not he is worth the opportunity cost at his position. Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of my favorite plays in the slate. The Sixers don’t rebound well, they turn the ball over often, and they are near the bottom of the league in blocked shots allowed per game. If this game stays close, Giannis could drop a 60 burger on the Sixers tonight. I should also note that DraftKings has decided to make him small forward-eligible again. Jabari Parker had a monster game against the Rockets and has great upside in a matchup against Ersan Ilyasova. His price seems a bit high on FanDuel ($7,900), but he is firmly in play on DraftKings ($7,200).

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Giannis Antetokounmpo $10,400 $10,600 1.35 34.9 1.8 47.0 -4.2 29.9% 0.7% 17 0.42
Matthew Dellavedova $3,900 $4,100 0.68 26.7 -0.2 18.1 0.3 19.4% -1.5% 10 -1.20
Tony Snell $3,500 $3,200 0.52 28.9 -4.5 14.9 -4.1 11.7% -4.2% 9 2.68
Jabari Parker $7,900 $7,200 0.97 34.2 2.1 33.2 7.7 25.7% 2.1% 5 0.31
Miles Plumlee $3,500 $3,000 0.60 9.3 8.6 5.6 7.9 14.7% 1.7% 24 0.65
Greg Monroe $5,400 $4,700 1.13 21.1 -1.6 23.8 -2.0 23.8% 4.1% 24 N/A
Malcolm Brogdon $5,200 $5,100 0.78 25.2 6.7 19.6 1.7 20.3% -1.5% 17 N/A

Elite Plays – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Matthew Dellavedova, Jabari Parker (DK)

Secondary Plays – Jabari Parker (FD)

Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Pelicans – 8:00 PM ET

Oklahoma City Thunder New Orleans Pelicans
oklahomacitynba Vegas Total 217.5 neworleansnba Vegas Total 217.5
Vegas Spread -1.5 Vegas Spread 1.5
Team Total 109.5 Team Total 108.0
Pace +/- 1.4 Pace +/- 1.5
Proj. Starter Russell Westbrook Victor Oladipo Andre Roberson Domantas Sabonis Steven Adams Proj. Starter Jrue Holiday Buddy Hield Solomon Hill Dante Cunningham Anthony Davis
Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C Opponent Rank PG SG SF PF C
Adj. DvP 25 16 26 29 12 Adj. DvP 20 3 19 21 11
DRPM 1.13 -2.31 0.93 1.35 3.00 DRPM -0.08 0.33 2.15 1.24 2.36

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder are coming off of an impressive win against the Jazz. Russell Westbrook had another triple-double and he topped it off by hitting a game winner over George Hill. Tonight the Thunder head to ‘Nawlins to take on the Pelicans in a game that has sneaky shootout potential. Oklahoma City is listed as a 1.5-point favorite with an implied total of 109.5 points. The Pelicans have been an exploitable matchup all season, as they are ranked 22nd in points allowed per game and 29th in rebounding differential.

Russell Westbrook has as high of a floor and a ceiling as anyone in the slate. He draws a favorable matchup against the Pelicans, who are ranked 25th against point guards this season. Westbrook has also had some success in this matchup in the past, scoring at least 58 fantasy points in four of his last five games against New Orleans. As usual, Westbrook is in that fade at your own risk territory. Victor Oladipo has been quiet recently, but his price is affordable and he draws a solid matchup against the Pelicans, who struggle to contain opposing point guards. Steven Adams is a bit too cheap on both FanDuel and DraftKings. I don’t see him as a building block tonight, but he is certainly worth a look in cash games at his price. Enes Kanter minutes haven’t taken a hit with Adams back in the lineup, but Kanter is typically a better play for tournaments than he is for cash games.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Russell Westbrook $12,500 $12,800 1.65 34.7 -1.1 57.4 -1.5 45.8% 3.7% 25 1.13
Victor Oladipo $5,700 $5,500 0.78 33.8 -3.4 26.3 0.3 21.1% -0.4% 16 -2.31
Andre Roberson $3,700 $3,700 0.56 31.0 -0.6 17.5 -3.3 10.6% -1.0% 26 0.93
Domantas Sabonis $3,500 $3,000 0.61 21.0 -0.9 12.9 -2.1 14.5% -0.7% 29 1.35
Steven Adams $5,500 $5,000 0.84 30.1 7.2 25.4 -1.7 16.2% -1.7% 12 3.00
Enes Kanter $6,200 $5,400 1.13 21.9 5.3 24.7 -0.1 25.4% -2.3% 29 N/A

Elite Plays – Russell Westbrook, Victor Oladipo (FD)

Secondary Plays – Victor Oladipo (DK), Steven Adams, Enes Kanter (GPP)

New Orleans Pelicans

In the biggest surprise of Monday night’s slate, the Anthony Davis-less Pelicans took down the Cavaliers at home. They are expected to have Davis back in the lineup tonight, after he practiced on Tuesday. This should be an under-the-radar game to target tonight, as most people will be looking to stack the Rockets/Celtics game. New Orleans comes into the game with an implied total of 108 points, which is the ninth highest in the slate and 4.7 points above their season average.

Jrue Holiday had one of his best games of the season against the Cavaliers, but we obviously can’t put a lot of stock into it since Anthony Davis was out. Holiday’s fantasy appeal tonight hinges on the availability of Tyreke Evans, who is currently listed as questionable. If Evans is ruled out, you can certainly look to Holiday in tournaments on FanDuel ($6,800). The only other player on my radar here is the glass pelican himself. Davis is dealing with a number of injuries and everyone is going to be hesitant to take him. I’m not completely ruling him out of cash game consideration, but I’m certainly not going to recommend him as a cash game play. Any time we can get Davis at sub-20% ownership in a favorable matchup at home, I will have plenty of shares in tournaments. In his last two games against the Thunder, Davis has scored 58 and 67 fantasy points. Terrence Jones had one of the best games of his career on Monday, but unless they decide to move him into the starting lineup, he is strictly a GPP play.

Notable Fantasy Players

Player FD Salary DK Salary FP/Min Minutes L3 +/- FP/Game L3 +/- True Usage L3 +/- DvP DRPM
Jrue Holiday $6,800 $7,600 1.00 30.7 0.3 30.6 11.0 26.9% 2.5% 20 -0.08
Buddy Hield $3,600 $3,400 0.70 20.1 1.3 14.0 0.0 20.8% -2.8% 3 0.33
Solomon Hill $3,800 $3,400 0.52 27.5 -0.1 14.4 -0.4 11.1% -1.0% 19 2.15
Dante Cunningham $3,800 $3,400 0.55 25.4 4.0 14.1 8.7 10.9% 3.0% 21 1.24
Anthony Davis $10,900 $10,400 1.41 36.3 -8.3 51.4 -8.1 31.1% -0.2% 11 2.36
Tyreke Evans $5,400 $5,500 1.18 17.2 -2.3 20.3 2.3 31.5% 8.1% 3 N/A
Terrence Jones $5,800 $7,100 0.95 24.5 0.9 23.2 12.9 20.1% 4.5% 21 N/A

Elite Plays – Anthony Davis (GPP)

Secondary Plays – Anthony Davis (Cash), Jrue Holiday (if Evans is out), Terrence Jones (GPP)

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About the Author

Notorious
Derek Farnsworth (Notorious)

Derek Farnsworth (aka Notorious) is a lead RotoGrinders Expert and one of the most recognizable names and faces in all of DFS. Before joining the RotoGrinders team, Derek received a Master’s Degree from the University of Utah. When he’s not busy providing content, he’s dominating the DFS industry as evidenced by his consistent top rankings in several sports and multiple Live Final appearances. Noto provides expert NBA, NFL, MLB, and PGA analysis for RotoGrinders Premium members on a daily basis and has also been nominated for five different Fantasy Sports Writer’s Association (FSWA) awards. Follow Noto on X – @RG_Notorious