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Full Court Press:
Boston Celtics @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Vegas Total:
Vegas Spread:
Pace: Cle +3.1
Starting with the Celtics, Al Horford under $6k on Draftkings looks very enticing. The Cavaliers rank 20th in defense against opposing centers, Horford should be able to take advantage here. Kyrie Irving will be rested tonight, normally in this spot we can attach Terry Rozier, however, he is priced up across the industry. Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart are very solid options if you land on them, but not necessarily priorities. Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward may see some extra minutes with Kyrie out, of the two I would prefer Brown. From the Cavaliers, the Research Station really likes the two power forwards. Kevin Love and Larry Nance both project to go over 6x their price tag. Love is coming off a big 50 point fantasy game, I think you can go right back to the well here. The Celtics rank 22nd in defense against opposing power forwards, putting Nance in play as well, he has gone over 30 fantasy points in three straight games. Brandon Knight is a serviceable drop on Fanduel, but I wouldn’t go there on Draftkings. Cedi Osman, Jordan Clarkson, and Collin Sexton all draw a tough matchup, there will be better plays on this slate.
5-star play: Al Horford, Kevin Love, Larry Nance
4-star play: Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Brandon Knight
GPP Sleeper: None
San Antonio Spurs @ Charlotte Hornets
Vegas Total: 220.0
Vegas Spread: SA -3.0
Pace: SA +0.9
Starting with the Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge is in a great spot here. The Hornets rank 28th against opposing centers on the season, and they just don’t have the size to combat with LMA down low. Derrick White has been a bit up and down lately, I don’t mind using him in GPP, but I’ll likely go elsewhere in cash. DeMar DeRozan struggled in this matchup earlier this season, but his price is reasonable enough to where you can go back to him here. Bryn Forbes and Marco Belinelli are fine punt plays if you need them. From the Hornets, I love Kemba Walker here. I’ve been targeting point guards against the Spurs all season, and Kemba dropped 52.5 fantasy points in a previous matchup this season. Willy Hernangomez has played well, going over 21 fantasy points in his last three games. He’ll likely only see around 20-25 minutes, but he’s a decent value play here. Miles Bridges has gone over 27 Draftkings points in four straight games and will see minutes and usage boost with Batum likely out tonight.
5-star play: LaMarcus Aldridge, Kemba Walker
4-star play: DeMar DeRozan, Miles Bridges
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Bryn Forbes, Marco Belinelli, Willy Hernangomez
GPP Sleeper: Derrick White
Orlando Magic @ Miami Heat
Vegas Total: 204.5
Vegas Spread: Mia -5.0
Pace: Orl +2.0
This will be one of the slower games on the slate, it’s fairly rare to see a projected total under 205 this season. Starting with the Magic, the only guy I have any interest in is Nikola Vucevic. I can’t remember the last time he was under $9k on Draftkings, however, he’s a GPP play only given his struggles against the Heat this season. Terrence Ross is a fine GPP play as well, but that’s all the exposure I want from this team. From the Heat, it’s pretty much the same story. This game won’t be the fantasy gold mine we are looking for. Bam Adebayo is the only one that projects for over 5x in the Research Station and is the only one I have any interest here. Ugly, ugly, ugly game.
5-star play: None
4-star play: Nikola Vucevic
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: None
GPP Sleeper: Terrence Ross, Bam Adebayo
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Chicago Bulls @ Toronto Raptors
Vegas Total:
Vegas Spread:
Pace: Chi +1.4
Starting with the Bulls, they are banged up, to say the least. They will be without Zach LaVine, Otto Porter, and Kris Dunn tonight. Lauri Markkanen is going to have to shoulder the load tonight, his price has also come down. He’s been able to bounce back from his recent slump, to the point where he is a great play tonight. Ryan Arcidiacano and Shaq Harrison both project to 6.7x their price tag, according to the Research Station. Harrison is the better per minute producer at 0.85, making him my preferred play, but he is also the more expensive play. They’ll both likely get over 30 minutes, and should have plenty of opportunities to put up numbers. Antonio Blakeney can also be put into this group, he likely won’t see as many minutes as the other two making him a GPP play. From Toronto, the entire starting lineup draws great matchups. However, I don’t see a way that the Bulls can keep this game close. I will likely have exposure on Toronto more in GPP due to this. Kyle Lowry is coming back from injury and wouldn’t surprise me if he doesn’t see a full allotment of minutes here given the matchup. Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam are both GPP plays, they have great matchups, but again this game could get ugly quick. Fred VanVleet is probably my favorite play here, he’ll likely get minutes regardless of the score and the Bulls rank 29th in defense against opposing point guards.
5-star play: Lauri Markkanen, Shaq Harrison, Ryan Arciadiacano, Fred VanVleet
4-star play: Antonio Blakeney, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: The Bulls (Arcidiacano, Harrison, Blakeney)
GPP Sleeper: The Raptors starters
Houston Rockets @ Milwaukee Bucks
Vegas Total: 226.5
Vegas Spread: Mil -4.0
Pace: Hou +4.8
Starting with the Rockets, the Bucks have struggled with two guards all year long and this is evident with James Harden who scored 70 Draftkings points against them earlier this season. This needs to be taken with a grain of salt however, as Chris Paul was not active for that game. Harden is still a great play if you want to pay up for him. Clint Capela scored nearly 40 Draftkings points in that matchup, he makes sense as a nice mid-range play today. I don’t have a ton of other interest in this team, Chris Paul and Eric Gordon are fine GPP plays if you want exposure to this game. Of the two stars in this game, I would prefer Giannis Antetokounmpo who scored 62.8 Draftkings points in this matchup last time out. He’s averaged 1.7 fantasy points per minute this season and is one of my favorite spend up options on this slate. Sterling Brown is an interesting drop option on Fanduel. He will likely see some good minutes with Mirotic and Brogdon still out, I like him as a “sneaky” option. Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, and Brook Lopez are all secondary options, good plays, but not forcing them in my lineups by any means.
5-star play: James Harden, Clint Capela, Giannis Antetokounmpo
4-star play: Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, Brook Lopez
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Sterling Brown
GPP Sleeper: Chris Paul, Eric Gordon
Los Angeles Clippers @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Vegas Total: 230.5
Vegas Spread: Lac -2.5
Pace: Min +1.1
Starting with the Clippers, they all feel pretty reasonably priced. The Wolves rank 30th against opposing PF/C, which puts Montrezl Harrell into play he’s scored 37.9 Draftkings points per game in two matchups against them this season. Lou Williams is normally my favorite play from the Clippers and that doesn’t change tonight. He leads this team in usage at 32.8%. He’s averaged 41.6 Draftkings points per game in two games against the Wolves this season. Danilo Gallinari and Patrick Beverley are fine GPP options, while Landry Shamet is a nice value play. From Minnesota, I love Karl-Anthony Towns here, the Clippers rank 29th in defense against opposing centers on the season. He’s coming off a huge 71 point fantasy outing in his last time out. Jeff Teague and Derrick Rose are both out for the rest of the season, which gives Tyus Jones around 35 minutes per night. He gets a tough matchup against Patrick Beverley who is an elite on-ball defender, but a case can be made for him tonight. Josh Okogie has actually been playing well lately and makes for a decent low-range option.
5-star play: Lou Williams, Karl-Anthony Towns
4-star play: Montrezl Harrell, Tyus Jones, Josh Okogie
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Landry Shamet
GPP Sleeper: Danilo Gallinari, Patrick Beverley
Atlanta Hawks @ New Orleans Pelicans
Vegas Total: 240.0
Vegas Spread: No -1.0
Pace: No +0.7
This will be one of the higher scoring games on the slate, no questions asked. Starting with the Hawks, Trae Young stands out as a great play here, the Pelicans rank 23rd in defense against opposing point guards. The also rank 28th in defense against opposing power forwards, John Collins scored 45 against them earlier this season, putting him in play as a nice play. Dewayne Dedmon is also a good mid-range play at the center position if you fall in that range. Kevin Huerter scored 40 fantasy points against this team earlier and makes for a decent value play as well. From the Pelicans, Frank Jackson and Kenrich Williams are too cheap, plain and simple. I like Jackson more for cash, but both are very solid plays. Stanley Johnson has scored 22 and 32 fantasy points in his last two games and could make for a nice GPP value play. Julius Randle’s minutes have come way down, I won’t be targeting him here in anything more than a deep GPP. Elfrid Payton is probable for tonight, with the Hawks ranking dead last against point guards he makes for a nice play if he’s not limited.
5-star play: Trae Young, John Collins, Frank Jackson
4-star play: Dewayne Dedmon, Kenrich Williams, Elfrid Payton
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Kevin Huerter, Kenrich Williams, Stanley Johnson
GPP Sleeper: Julius Randle
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Sacramento Kings @ Dallas Mavericks
Vegas Total:
Vegas Spread:
Pace: Dal +4.7
Starting with the Kings, De’Aaron Fox is my favorite play here. The Mavericks rank 21st against opposing point guards on the season, and that came way down from first just last week. They have been brutal against the point position, Fox is one of my favorite point guard plays on the slate. Other than Fox there isn’t a lot I like from this team, other than Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley being secondary plays. I should say I’m a little higher on Bagley than I make it sound, the Mavs rank 20th in defense against power forwards on the season. From the Mavericks, Justin Jackson is popping in the Research Station, I like him more for GPP because of his volatility, but he does seem to be a nice value play. Luka Doncic can triple-double on any given night and is coming off of one in his last game. He is currently questionable tonight, keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates on who is affected by his situation. The only other guy on the Mavericks I have interest in is Dwight Powell as a secondary option.
5-star play: De’Aaron Fox, Luka Doncic
4-star play: Marvin Bagley, Buddy Hield, Dwight Powell
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Justin Jackson
GPP Sleeper: Buddy Hield
Detroit Pistons @ Denver Nuggets
Vegas Total: 211.5
Vegas Spread: Den -7.5
Pace: Det +0.4
This will be another one of those slower games, but we will start with the Pistons side of things. Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond both draw pretty difficult matchups, and I think there are better spend up options on this slate. With that said, I’ll never talk you off of them if you want to go there in GPP. Luke Kennard is rated as the best point per dollar play on this team in the Research Station, I don’t love him or hate him if you happened to fall on him. Other than that, this is a pretty ugly team tonight. From the Nuggets, Jamal Murray has been a bit all over the place recently which makes me hesitant for cash games, but certainly viable for GPP. Nikola Jokic struggled in this matchup last time, only scoring 30 fantasy points. He also draws a tough matchup against Andre Drummond, I don’t feel the need to spend up on him tonight. Paul Millsap is coming off a bit of a dud game but is a secondary play if you want to get something from this game.
5-star play: None
4-star play: Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond, Paul Millsap
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Luke Kennard
GPP Sleeper: Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond
Washington Wizards @ Los Angeles Lakers
Vegas Total: 233.0
Vegas Spread: Lal -2.0
Pace: Was +1.8
Starting with the Wizards, Thomas Bryant is grading out as one of the best value plays on the slate according to the Research Station. The Lakers rank 27th in defense against opposing centers and Trevor Ariza being doubtful may increase his minutes a bit. He’s not a complete slam dunk, but you can certainly do worse as he has played 35+ minutes in back to back games. Troy Brown is also popping in the Research Station, but I just don’t see the upside with him, I would rather target Jabari Parker or Jeff Green in Ariza’s absence. Bradley Beal has had a couple of dud games lately, but it has driven his price down and has already scored 45 fantasy points on the Lakers once this season. You can definitely use Beal here. Tomas Satoransky is also a decent mid-range option. From the Lakers, it feels dirty paying this much of a premium for JaVale McGee, but he has dropped 72 and 47 Draftkings points in his last two games and the Wizards have struggled against centers this season. McGee is strangely in play at his price tag. LeBron James will play tonight and has seemed to work his way out of a minute restriction, back up near the upper 30’s. If I’m paying up this high then I would try and find the extra money to get to Giannis, but I can’t talk you off of LeBron if you want to go there. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, and Rajon Rondo are all secondary plays for me, but all playable given the matchup.
5-star play: Bradley Beal, LeBron James, JaVale McGee
4-star play: Thomas Bryant, Tomas Satoransky, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Rajon Rondo
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: None
GPP Sleeper: Jabari Parker, Jeff Green
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