POINT GUARDS:
* ALL FORMATS
Ish Smith (DET vs BKN)
BKN is the top aDvP matchup for PGs this season – While Ish’s recent production hasn’t been anything to write a novel about, he does have a solid history vs BKN that we should feel comfortable with going into today. BKN does run the 5th-fastest pace in the NBA as well, so that’s a nice boost for Ish’s production. In the earlier meeting vs BKN 11 days ago, Ish’s productivity was clipped because of the blowout.
Darren Collison (IND @ SA)
There’s not much at the position today, and Collison has been posting respectable numbers for most of 2018.
* GPP
Spencer Dinwiddie (BKN @ DET)
Dinwiddie is a former member of the Pistons, so you know he’d love to atone for that stink-show 11 days ago… he only posted 9.8 DKP/9.1 FDP in 26 minutes. I was a bit skeptical of how Dinwiddie would perform with the return of D’Angelo Russell, but don’t forget these guys were able to coexist before. I’ll keep it as GPP because of that, though.
Corey Joseph (IND @ SA)
Corey Jo is a former member of the Spurs, and he has posted upwards of 7x value in two of the last four games.
SHOOTING GUARDS:
* ALL FORMATS
Tim Hardaway Jr (NYK @ LAL)
Jarrett Jack’s age has started to show over the last three games but, to be fair, I don’t think he was ever supposed to be playing a ton of minutes anyway. Now that THJ is back he can spell some of those minutes off Jack’s tab and even run the point at times. I’ve been a THJ fan for a while (even while everyone was doubting him early on this season) and I know that he’s capable of posting some huge numbers. KCP and Lonzo Ball, the Lakers two best perimeter defenders, are out as well, making this even more appealing.
Josh Hart (LAL vs NYK)
Hart is usually the guy I go to in these situations, and the minutes-situation played for him played out just like I thought they would on Friday. Instead, it turned into the Jordan Clarkson show and he was left standing around sucking his thumb. I don’t mind going back here while everyone is still drooling over Clarkson.
Jordan Clarkson (LAL vs NYK)
I’m always skeptical about the way Luke Walton handles his rotation, but you would have to think Clarkson gets another chance to increase his trade value after Friday’s performance.
Avery Bradley (DET vs BKN)
It’s somewhat unsettling that Bradley’s production has see-sawed over these last few games, but he does have the ability to post big numbers at a minimal cost.
* GPP
Victor Oladipo (IND @ SA)
I doubt he’ll be in most roster constructions going against the Spurs, yet Oladipo has been very consistent since missing four games at the end of December. A similar type of player in DeMar DeRozan just had a successful game vs SA on Friday, and don’t forget that Oladipo can add some blocks and steals as well. Sure, the price on FanDuel is a bit more than we’d like to pay, but I do think it’s more acceptable on DraftKings.
* MULTI-ENTRY
D’Angelo Russell (BKN @ DET)
He looked HORRIBLE in his first game, and that’ll likely keep his ownership% in the single digits. One thing I’ve noticed this season is players having a huge outing in their second game back from an injury, which is exactly where Russell finds himself today. I am not endorsing this as a play to use if you’re running one lineup, but for multi-entry it is very appealing, to say the least. Russell is a chucker, and if he gets hot he won’t stop.
SMALL FORWARDS:
* ALL FORMATS
DeMarre Carroll (BKN @ DET)
DET is the 2nd-best aDvP matchup for SFs on this slate (6th-best this season) – Carroll matched his career-high in points (26) vs MIA on Friday and has been playing some of the best basketball of his career recently.
* GPP
Kyle Anderson (SA vs IND)
The ultimate “will he or won’t he” guy in DFS, Anderson has been a real pain in the ass with his ability to have a big night and then fall off the face of the Earth the next time. I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt today against the Pacers. Why? Well, there just simply aren’t a ton of other options and he’s cheap. Hey, it worked for Robert Covington yesterday.
POWER FORWARDS:
* ALL FORMATS
LaMarcus Aldridge (SA vs IND)
IND is the best aDvP matchup for a power forward on this slate (5th-best this season) – They don’t have the bigs to deal with a guy like LMA, who sees a nice spike in fantasy points with Kawhi Leonard out of the lineup. Kawhi has missed the last three games, and LMA has posted at least 45 fantasy points on each site.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (BKN @ DET)
Once again, the price on RHJ remains at a discount on both sites ($6100 DK/$6500 FD). Friday vs MIA, he played his usual slate of minutes and came up a bit short on the production, but you had guys like DeMarre Carroll and Caris LeVert that really took over down the stretch. RHJ has posted at least 28 fantasy points (on both sites) in each of his last two meetings vs DET.
* GPP
Larry Nance Jr (LAL vs NYK)
Nance has posted at least 40 fantasy points in two of the last three meetings (at least 36 in three of the last five), and he’ll be needed a great deal against the surplus of bigs the Knicks have. In fact, I think his versatility makes him a better matchup to deal with Porzingis, but we’ll have to see if Luke Walton feels the same way.
Davis Bertans (SA vs IND)
It’s not a terrible idea to have some exposure to Bertans because Indy is so terrible down low. We have seen some back-up bigs (Larry Nance Jr, Ekpe Udoh) do damage against them recently, and we have Al Jefferson to thank for that. Bertans will typically play 20-24 minutes on a given night, but the matchup is the truly appealing part here.
CENTERS:
Andre Drummond (DET vs BKN)
BKN is the top aDvP matchup for centers this season – 11 days ago, Drummond posted 62 DKP/61.5 FDP (via 22 points/20 rebounds) against them in just over 30 minutes on the court. Not much of a sell-job needed here.
Pau Gasol (SA vs IND)
It’ll be tough to move off Drummond with that dazzling matchup, but if you’re interested in going a cheaper route, Gasol is your guy. He has posted at least 30 fantasy points in each of the last two games and IND is the 2nd-best aDvP matchup for centers this season.
