Hi there! I’m Glen but I go by Blande and you can find me on twitter as @DfsBlande. I’m a contributor and coach over here at the DFS Army.
I’m beginning to sound like a robot here, but: It’s a weekend slate and a Sunday to boot. Weird things happen on Sundays and this four-game slate is not pretty. Play extremely LIGHT today and please only do GPPs. I’ll be playing 1 lu today because I need to enter something after all the time spent on research. I won’t be playing more than 2% of my BR on that lineup. That said, let’s take an early look at some of the plays on this slate.
We have been on a nice winning streak. A shoutout to all the winners and a special shoutout to teambruce and dabbingpuggle for these takedowns!
Point Guards
Lonzo Ball (7100/6400): I like Lonzo Ball here. He gets that matchup against the Cavaliers. The Cavs give up 10.6% more FPs to PGs than the league average. It’s hard to pass up on that kind of matchup, even if it means playing Ball. He’ll definitely be in my lineup and he is a core play on both sites.
Jalen Brunson (3700/3800): With With JJ Barea done for the season (and perhaps his career), and Dennis Smith Jr. questionable, a lot of minutes will open up for Jalen Brunson here. The matchup at PG against the Warriors is the third best on the slate, so I have no problem going with Brunson here. He should see upwards of 30 minutes and is too cheap on both sites.
Shooting Guards
James Harden (12800/12700): You’ll have to decide what you want to do with Harden today especially on DK. 12.7k is a lot, but Harden is well Harden. Fade him at your own peril. Harden is the top player on this slate, and it’s hard to pass up on him on FD. On DK, I can understand not wanting to fork over all that cash for him though. The matchup is a good one for him. Core play.
Luka Doncic (8400/8500): Doncic is much cheaper on FD tonight, but that said he is in play on both sites. Without Barea and possibly without DSJ, Doncic will get all the usage and minutes he can handle. Doncic has been fantastic this season and is on a very good run right now. The matchup against the Warriors, while not the easiest is an exploitable one. He’s a core play here tonight.
Small Forwards
Kevin Durant (10000/9600): Among the Warriors studs today, my preference here is Durant. He gets an ok matchup against the Mavs, one he exploited last time they faced each other to the tune of 53.4 FDPs. With Klay being hot right now, and Steph perceived to have a cake matchup if DSJ is out, I’ll much rather go to Durant at lower ownership here on both sites.
Evan Turner (4500/4100): Turner has an average matchup here today. He could benefit too from both Barton and Harris being out. In any case, he’ll get good minutes here, 25-30 minutes and is cheap. Hitting value is well within range for him, anything else is just icing on the cake. He’s in there to free up salary for you.
Power Forwards
Kyle Kuzma (7300/6900): A lot of people got burnt by Kuzma last time out, but that was obvious. After his big performance, there was always a high probability of a letdown. We can go back to him tonight though. He gets a good matchup against the Cavs here and in a mid to top-heavy PF pool, he is a good choice at his price. He had a subpar game last time out against the Cavs and will be looking to rectify that here.
Maxi Kleber (4000/4000): As long as Kleber keeps getting 30+ minutes and is priced at 4k or less, I’ll keep going to him. His matchup is not a good one, but he is just too cheap for the minutes and he has sneaky upside too. He is a much better play on FD where he can be used as a drop-score candidate though.
Centers
Nikola Vucevic (9400/8700): I like attacking the Rockets with centers. Normally, you want centers that can stretch the floor here, but Vuc is just a beast on his own. This is in no way an easy matchup, but he can bang down low with the best of them and is athletic. While others can flock over to Jokic here, I like the outlook for Vuc in GPPs.
DeAndre Jordan (7200/6800): Last time these two faced each other, DJ put up 55.1 FDPs. We all know GS can be attacked through centers. DJ will be a popular option tonight and for good reason. He is an excellent play here in all formats. I love him on both sites, and the idea of pairing him up with another center like Vuc on DK is very appealing.
Those are your Sixth men for today. I’ll have notes out later for your consumption. Good luck out there today!