Pacers at 76ers
Vegas Line: IND -5
Total- 214
Indiana Pacers
Projected Lineup
PG- Jeff Teague
SG- Monta Ellis
SF- Paul George
PF- Thaddeus Young
C- Myles Turner
These two teams are facing off against each other in back to back games after the last game between these two teams ended in a shootout victory by Indiana. Jeff Teague carried the workload with 30 points and 9 assists in their last meeting, and while we can not expect Teague to repeat this type of production, he makes for a nice play as the price has not adjusted accordingly and he is still relatively affordable. Paul George just does not seem right this season and while he is coming off a big game, he struggled in his prior three games averaging just 11.5 points including an ejection in a game against Chicago. His price is too high to be trusted in cash games, but he does make for a nice GPP option if you’re looking to be contrarian as with all the great options out there spending up on a risky George is not a way a lot of people will go. The matchup is good for George as the 76ers have allowed the fourth most fantasy points to small forwards, but it just not one we want to trust.
Top Plays- Jeff Teague
Secondary Play-Paul George, Myles Turner, Thad Young
Philadelphia 76ers
Projected Lineup
PG- Sergio Rodriguez
SG- Gerald Henderson
SF- Robert Covington
PF- Dario Saric
C- Joel Embiid
We finally saw signs that Robert Covington was breaking out of his early-season slump as he went up against the Pacers team and dominated with 23 points and 6 rebounds. Covington draws a favorable matchup as the Pacers have allowed the 3rd most fantasy points to opposing small forwards, so Covington is in another spot where he should have the opportunity to have a big game. At his price, he is a top option on this slate.
Joel Embiid is in play every time he steps onto the court, as his fantasy points per minute are in the elite category this season at 1.4 FanDuel points per minute and while he is unlikely to see more than 24 minutes in this game, that may be all he needs to reach value in this game as he just fills up every category at a very fast pace.
Top Plays- Joel Embiid, Robert Covington
Secondary Options- Sergio Rodriguez
Cavaliers at Wizards
Vegas Line: -7.5
Total- 209.5
Cleveland Cavaliers
Projected Lineup
PG- Kyrie Irving
SG- J.R. Smith
SF- LeBron James
PF- Kevin Love
C- Tristan Thompson
LeBron James has been the one of the most consistent fantasy players in the NBA this season as he has gone for 42+ fantasy points in every game except one. He just does everything on the floor that you could ask for whether it be rebound, assist, score, steal. This is a good matchup for LeBron, as he will be defended by Otto Porter, who is 6’8’’ 198 pounds. LeBron is 6’8’’ but is listed at 250 pounds although likely heavier than that. LeBron will be able to push Porter basically wherever he wants to in this game and should have an easy time hitting that floor with the ability to have a monster game after meeting with Obama yesterday.
J.R. Smith is going up against the easiest matchup against shooting guards as Bradley Beal has been horrible defensively so far this year. If Beal plays, Smith is a nice punt play option, but if Beal sits it is hard to trust him as those defensive stats go out the window and with Smith being a streaky player already is not a premiere matchup.
Top Plays- LeBron James
Secondary Plays- Kyrie Irving, J.R Smith
Washington Wizards
Projected Lineup
PG- John Wall
SG- Bradley Beal
SF- Otto Porter
PF- Markieff Morris
C- Marcin Gortat
Otto Porter has been the story so far this season as he is coming off a 34 point, 14 rebound, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steal game against Boston. As we already mentioned in this article Jaylen Brown is one of the worst defensive players in the NBA so it should not be a shock that this happened, but what can we expect from Porter going forward especially in this contest? The short answer is he draws an incredibly difficult matchup going up against LeBron who has 50 pounds on the skinny Porter. He is a GPP play only as his price is prohibitive based on the potential production.
Bradley Beal is questionable for this game, and if he misses John Wall becomes one of the top plays on the slate. The Cavs have struggled historically against the point guard, and if Beal is out and James on Porter the offense will have to rely on Wall for production.
Top Plays- John Wall
Secondary Plays- Markieff Morris
Raptors at Hornets
Vegas Line: CHA -2.5
Total- 202.5
Toronto Raptors
Projected Lineup
PG- Kyle Lowry
SG- DeMar Derozan
SF- DeMarre Carroll
PF- Pascal Siakam
C- Jonas Valanciunas
Jonas Valanciunas is questionable for this game as he has not played in either of the last two contests. The disappointing news is that when he is out there really is not that one plug and play player as we have seen in other situations where the backup fills in nicely for the starter. So far this season the Hornets have been one of the better defensive teams this season. The two spots that are intriguing are the point guard and center positions as they are in the bottom half of the league defensively against those positions, but if Jonas misses there is not a center that we can include as a viable play. Even if Jonas plays, he is a long-shot GPP only, as this is not a hand injury where his legs are still good to go, it is a knee injury so they likely will limit his minutes in this one if he plays.
Kyle Lowry is the one guy that is very intriguing as he is playing incredible basketball right now. He is coming off a game where he had a near triple-double against Oklahoma City when he had 19 points, 13 assists, and 9 rebounds. Lowry is averaging 41 minutes per game over his last two games and is shooting the ball 18 times per game. He is going up against Kemba Walker has allowed the 12th most fantasy points to point guards so far this season. Lowry is one of the top point guards on this slate as he fills up all the different categories to keep his floor very high.
DeMar Derozan likely goes up against Nicolas Batum who is a very good defender, but Derozan has been largely matchup proof this season. In his last matchup, Derozan went up against one of the best defensive shooting guards in the NBA in Victor Oladipo. Derozan put up 37 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds which is largely showing that he will be matchup proof this season. Derozan has always been a scorer, but the level that he is at this season is a major step in his career.
Top Plays- Kyle Lowry
Secondary Plays- DeMar Derozan
Charlotte Hornets
Projected Lineup
PG- Kemba Walker
SG- Marco Bellineli
SF- Nicolas Batum
PF- Marvin Williams
C- Cody Zeller
The Hornets are one of the biggest surprises in the NBA so far this season, as no one expected this team to be 6-1 and playing as good as they have been so far this season. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been ruled out for this game, and that leaves Marco Belinelli expected to get the start. Belinelli is a pure punt play as he will see minutes, he will take shots, but he won’t do much else. This increases the usage of Batum and Walker, and Walker on DraftKings is criminally underpriced at just 7,500 for one of the top players in the NBA so far this season. The matchup is a neutral one as the Raptors are 15th in points allowed to point guards, but Walker does so much for this offense that he should be in play as he is averaging 25.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game over his last five contests which should put him in the 40+ point potential category. Nicolas Batum draws a difficult matchup in this one especially and it does not really matter if he goes up against DeMarre Carroll or DeMar Derozan as both have been tremendous this season. Batum’s price has increased to a point which makes him hard to be a top play, but he does fill up the categories enough and with Kidd-Gilchrist out should be in consideration.
Top Plays- Kemba Walker (DK)
Secondary Play- Nicolas Batum, Kemba Walker (FD), Marco Belinelli
Jazz At Magic
Vegas Line: Utah -4.5
Total- 192.5
Utah Jazz
Projected Lineup
PG- George Hill
SG- Rodney Hood
SF- Gordon Hayward
PF- Derrick Favors
C- Rudy Gobert
George Hill is questionable for this game, and if he does not play, Shelvin Mack will get the start. Mack will be one of the top value plays on the day and should be considered for all of your lineups. When Mack is playing he has been consistent, but not elite averaging around 20 points. His upside is relatively limited, so he is a better cash game play than a GPP if Hill were to miss, but at $3,900 is a nice play.
Derrick Favors is finally showing that he may be back to being 100% healthy and is in a very good spot in this one going up against a front court of Orlando that has allowed the 14th most fantasy points to power forwards and the second most fantasy points to Centers. Favors will split time between the two and has had a double-double in each of his last two contests. At right around $6k, Favors is one of the top plays of the night.
Top Plays: Shelvin Mack- Cash (If Starting), Derrick Favors.
Secondary Options: Rudy Gobert, Rodney Hood, Gordon Hayward
Orlando Magic
Projected Lineup
PG- Elfrid Payton
SG- Evan Fournier
SF- Aaron Gordon
PF- Serge Ibaka
C- Nikola Vucevic
Orlando has a ton of talent, they just seem like they can not put it all together as they are a young team that does not have an identity at the moment. Going up against the Jazz is not a good matchup at all as they are one of the best defensive teams and Orlando is the worst offensive team in the NBA at the moment. This is a game that Orlando will see a tough matchup at every position and likely a position that you can only start someone in a GPP to differentiate yourself.
Top Plays: None
Secondary Plays: Aaron Gordon GPP (DK)
Knicks at Celtics
Vegas Line: Bos -5.5
Total- 213
New York Knicks
Projected Lineup
PG- Derrick Rose
SG- Courtney Lee
SF- Carmelo Anthony
PF- Kristaps Porzingis
C- Joakim Noah
Carmelo Anthony is in a perfect matchup in this game as he is going up against Boston who is the worst against small forwards in the NBA. The Celtics defensively are largely non-existent this season as they are allowing the third most points in the NBA this season which is a drastic change from last season where they were a very good team. Jaylen Brown is a rookie out of Cal who has great potential as he was the #3 overall pick in the 2016 draft, but even dating back to college defense has never been a primary mindset for him as Cal was an up and down team last season.
Avery Bradley has allowed the third most points to shooting guards which is surprising as last season Bradley was a tremendous defensive player. It is possible that all the additional production on the offensive side of things had hurt him defensively, but this sets up well for Courtney Lee who is averaging 12.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1 steal per game. At under $4k, you could do worse for a punt, as in this matchup Lee should be able to get close to 20 fantasy points.
Top Plays: Carmelo Anthony, Courtney Lee
Secondary Options: Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick Rose (GPP)
Boston Celtics
Projected Lineup
PG- Isaiah Thomas
SG- Avery Bradley
SF- Jaylen Brown
PF- Amir Johnson
C- Tyler Zeller
The Celtics on this slate are projected to score the most point on the day. The issue is where are those points going to come from, as Isaiah Thomas has been tremendous so far this season, but he draws a tough matchup against Derrick Rose who has been the top overall defensive point guard so far this season. Rose should have a significant size advantage over Thomas which makes him a GPP play only as his price is increasing to a point where it is not favorable to target him. Avery Bradley’s price is starting to seem about right after his performance early this season. Bradley draws a very favorable matchup against Courtney Lee and Carmelo Anthony when Marcus Smart is in the game both of which have struggled defensively this season. Bradley is in line for another big game as over the past five games he is averaging 21 points, 8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and should have the opportunity to surpass those totals.
Top Plays: Avery Bradley
Secondary Options: Marcus Smart, Isaiah Thomas (GPP)
Clippers At Thunder
Vegas Line: LAC -4.5
Total- 202.5
Los Angeles Clippers
Projected Lineup
PG- Chris Paul
SG- J.J. Redick
SF- Luc Mbah a Moute
PF- Blake Griffin
C- DeAndre Jordan
This Clippers team is red hot as they have won their last two games by an average of 31.5 points per game. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have been absolutely dominant thus far this season even in limited minutes due to most of their contests being one-sided. The good news is that this game should be a much closer game than the previous two and the Clippers see an increase in pace as the Thunder are 7th in terms of pace stats this season. The Thunder are an average defensive team as while their statistics do not scream the players are a must start, they also do not deter you from starting them either. These teams matched up against each other early in the season where it was a slow paced game where neither shot the ball particularly well, and it would be hard to predict that type of game again with all of the talent on both sides of the ball.
Chris Paul is the favorite play on this game, primarily due to the amount of turnovers that Russell Westbrook has had this season. In their last meeting, Paul had six steals in their last outing and five steals in their last game last season. It is hard to project a player will have five or six steals in a game, but if he is able to do that it is a free 10-12 points which is a significant bump to his production level. Over the last two games, Paul’s three-point shooting has really come on as he is 8-11 from three and shooting 62.5% from the field. He is the hot hand right now and should safely be ridden in your cash game lineups.
Top Plays: Chris Paul
Secondary Options: Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan
Oklahoma City Thunder
Projected Lineup
PG- Russell Westbrook
SG- Victor Oladipo
SF- Andre Roberson
PF- Domantas Sabonis
C- Steven Adams
The entire Thunder team draws a tough matchup against the Clippers who have just been playing some of the best basketball in the NBA this season. Russell Westbrook has been relatively inconsistent recently regarding minutes played which is generally concerning for a player who is as expensive as Westbrook. Over his last four games, he has gone for 29, 28, 27, 39 minutes per game and for him to pay off his salary needs to see at least 33-35 minutes per game. He draws a tough matchup against Chris Paul who is generally considered a good defensive player, but Westbrook was able to dominate this matchup earlier this season where he took 30 shots in this game for 35 points, but did turn the ball over 10 times. For as good as Westbrook has been this season he is averaging 6.2 turnovers per game which kills his value particularly on FanDuel where you do not get bonus points for double-doubles and the turnovers are -1 instead of -0.5 on DraftKings. It is hard to fade Westbrook, but with the minutes being a concern, his price being a concern, the matchup being a concern, and the turnovers being a concern he is not the must play on this slate as he is on some other slates. He is still a top cash game play on DraftKings especially if there is breaking news that opens up some value, but on FanDuel due to the turnovers you have to at least think about it as there are other players who are in great spots on this slate.
Top Plays: Russell Westbrook (DK)
Secondary Options: Russell Westbrook (FD) Steven Adams
Pistons at SPurs
Vegas Line: SA -9
Total- 195
Detroit Pistons
Projected Lineup
PG- Ish Smith
SG- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF- Marcus Morris
PF- Tobias Harris
C- Andre Drummond
This is an awful matchup for Detroit as the Spurs are the top defensive team in the NBA so far this season. This season, the Spurs have been susceptible to one position as they have allowed the 4th most FanDuel points to power forwards this season which is a little bit surprising. Tobias Harris is really struggling at the power forward but makes for a decent under the radar power forward play this week as he is still shooting the ball 12.5 times per game this season. Early in the season, Harris was averaging 20 points, 5 rebounds per game but his shooting has really declined recently. If the Pistons are going to keep this game close they will need Harris to find his form as they have been struggling recently.
Top Plays: None
Secondary Options: Tobias Harris
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are a tricky team here as they are a big favorite which is always a concern with Popovich, and they play tomorrow against a division opponent at Houston. This is a game where even if the starters play, how much are they going to play and how effective they will be. The Pistons so far this year have been a very solid defensive team and are one of the slowest teams in the NBA. They have allowed the 5th fewest points defensively at just 97.4 per game.
Tony Parker is questionable for this game, and if he were to miss this game Patty Mills becomes an intriguing play as he is coming off a game where he had 10 assists. He is still relatively affordable and a viable punt play as when he starts he will see 30+ minutes in those games just due to lack of depth on the Spurs.
Kawhi Leonard is largely matchup proof although his price is starting to get up there with some of the top players in the NBA as it is right around $9k on both sites. Kawhi has a usage rate so far this season of 33.3 which puts him in the top echelon of the NBA and he fills up all of the categories making him a viable play in cash games or GPP’s. Marcus Morris is a league average defensive player, so this is a relatively neutral matchup for Kawhi outside of the pace which will be a slow paced game.
LaMarcus Aldridge draws a tough matchup, but his price is so cheap especially on DraftKings at just $6,800. Aldridge has really been struggling lately, but has the upside as a GPP at that price to pay off his salary.
Projected Lineup
PG- Tony Parker
SG- Danny Green
SF- Kawhi Leonard
PF- LaMarcus Aldridge
C- Pau Gasol
Top Plays: Kawhi Leonard, Patty Mills (If Parker sits)
Secondary Options: LaMarcus Aldridge (GPP only)
Kings at Trail Blazers
Vegas Line: Por -6
Total- 211
Sacramento Kings
Projected Lineup
PG- Darren Collison
SG- Arron Afflalo
SF- Rudy Gay
PF- DeMarcus Cousins
C- Kosta Koufos
Portland so far this season is one of the worst teams in the NBA defensively and should be safely picked on this season. They have allowed the second most FanDuel points to opposing power forwards, which sets up incredibly well for Demarcus Cousins who has been struggling a little bit in terms of his career production. So far this season his rebounding, steals, blocks, are all well below his career average and while his points are up, we would like to see him be that double-double threat that we have been accustomed to seeing. This is a great spot for him to get right, as whether it is Al-Farouq Aminu, Noah Vonleh, or Mason Plumlee guarding him none of them will be able to stop Cousins in this game.
If Darren Collison starts, he becomes an intriguing play, and we expect him to see his first start of the season. Collison/Lawson have been splitting almost 50/50 in minutes since he returned from his suspension which limits both players upside. Damian Lillard is the type of player who focuses more on his offensive production than defense, so if Collison were to start it is a sign that he is ready to get 30+ minutes which would make him a great play. Ty Lawson becomes a nice punt play if he is starting in this game.
Top Plays: DeMarcus Cousins, Darren Collison (If Starting)
Secondary Options: Ty Lawson (if starting)
Portland Trail Blazers
Projected Lineup
PG- Damian Lillard
SG- C.J. McCollum
SF- Maurice Harkless
PF- Al-Farouq Aminu
C- Mason Plumlee
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum have been difficult to figure out this season, as just when we were starting to trust Lillard he has had two poor games in a row. The last game was not really his fault as the Trail Blazers were never really in the game and were blown out from the onset. This is a tough matchup for Lillard as the Kings are a completely different team this year compared to last year as they are one of the slowest paced teams in the NBA and focusing on their defensive production. The Kings rank 21st in FanDuel points allowed to point guards, and 13th to shooting guards this season. McCollum has great upside as heading into the last game he had averaged 35 points per game in his last two games. He also has been more involved in the rebounding and assist portion of the game compared to his career average which is a great sign that he is developing into a more complete player. His price is still relatively affordable compared to his upside and he makes for a great play in this game particularly in GPP formats.
Maurice Harkless is a nice punt play in this game as his price is still cheap enough that his production should exceed his price. Excluding the blowout last game which no one did well, Harkless had been averaging 15 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in his previous four games which at a salary around 4.5k on both sites should have a great chance to get you to that 5x mark.
Top Plays: C.J. McCollum, Maurice Harkless
Secondary Options: Damian Lillard
