Nets at Knicks
Vegas Line: NYK -8
Total- 214
Brooklyn Nets
Projected Lineup
PG- Sean Kilpatrick
SG- Bojan Bogdanovic
SF- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
PF- Trevor Booker
C- Brook Lopez
EDIT: Sean Kilpatrick to start tonight
The Knicks so far this season have really struggled against the small forward and shooting guard positions. This sets up really well for Sean Kilpatrick coming off the bench again as his price still has not risen to a point where it should be. Since Jeremy Lin has gone out with injury, Kilpatrick has seen 29.6 minutes per game over the last three games. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is difficult to trust, but he is going up against Carmelo Anthony who has allowed the second most fantasy points so far this season. Hollis-Jefferson burned a lot of people early in the season when he had high expectations, but he has rebounded nicely over his last two games where he is averaging 12 points and 6 rebounds over his last two games. This makes for a nice punt play, as his price is still depressed based on his early season struggles.
Top Plays- Sean Kilpatrick
Secondary Plays- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
New York Knicks
Projected Lineup
PG- Derrick Rose
SG- Courtney Lee
SF- Carmelo Anthony
PF- Kristaps Porzingis
C- Joakim Noah
So far this season Brooklyn has been in the bottom ten against point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, and power forwards this season. They have been one of the premiere teams to target players against as they just look overmatched at times defensively. This game sets up really well for Carmelo Anthony in cash games as his floor is really high. So far this season Anthony has 20+ points in six of his seven games and 6+ rebounds in five of his seven games. He has faced some tough matchups so far this season such as Cleveland, Chicago, Memphis, and should excel in what is his best matchup of the year so far as Brooklyn has allowed the third most points to small forwards. Carmelo has a usage rate of 30.8, which is an elite number which is exactly what we want to see in cash games.
Kristaps Porzingis is an intriguing player especially in GPP’s, as his athleticism should give Trevor Booker a lot of trouble in this game. Porzingis got off to a slow start this season after coming in with high expectations, but he has been a lot better recently averaging 27.5 points, 6.5 rebounds over his last two contests. When he decides to take over a game the 7’3’’ power forward has the skillset that very few players in the NBA have with his size and athleticism.
Top Plays- Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis
Secondary Plays-
Celtics at Wizards
Vegas Line: BOS -1.5
Total- 215
Boston Celtics
Projected Lineup
PG- Isaiah Thomas
SG- Avery Bradley
SF- Jaylen Brown
PF- Amir Johnson
C- Tyler Zeller
Washington so far this season has been beaten by the shooting guard position as they have allowed the third most FanDuel points to opposing shooting guards early on in the year. John Wall has been absolutely dominant against opposing point guards allowing them to the league lowest in the NBA and by a wide margin. This is a game that sets up perfectly for Avery Bradley who has quickly turned into a DFS superstar so far this season. Bradley is averaging 37.8 minutes and has always been known for his scoring ability, but his rebounding and assists have skyrocketed so far this year. Bradley is going up against Bradley Beal who like a lot of shooting guards is more focused on offense than defense, and Bradley should be able to have a significant number of rebounds and assists and be forced to take more shots as Isaiah Thomas is drawing the tough matchup against John Wall.
Top Plays- Avery Bradley
Secondary Plays-Amir Johnson
Washington Wizards
Projected Lineup
PG- John Wall
SG- Bradley Beal
SF- Otto Porter
PF- Markieff Morris
C- Marcin Gortat
This may be a game where stacking opposing players is an intriguing strategy. For as good as Avery Bradley has been offensively he has been that bad defensively this season allowing the fourth most FanDuel points to opposing players. Bradley Beal recently has been tremendous over his last three contests averaging 21 points, 3 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game. His price is still relatively affordable across the industry and will be one of the more popular plays on tonight’s slate. Avery Bradley has a history of being a good defender, so this is where you need to be focused on choosing either recent data or historical data.
John Wall is in a good spot in this game as he takes on Isaiah Thomas in an up-tempo pace game for the Wizards. Wall was ejected in his last game and the NBA has not mentioned if he is going to be suspended for bumping into the official or not. If he is suspended, Tomas Satoransky would start and would become a top play on the slate.
Top Plays- Bradley Beal
Secondary Plays- Markieff Morris, Otto Porter, John Wall
Jazz At hornets
Vegas Line: CHA -2
Total- 194
Utah Jazz
Projected Lineup
PG- George Hill
SG- Rodney Hood
SF- Gordon Hayward
PF- Derrick Favors
C- Rudy Gobert
This is going to be one of those games that on an 11 game slate is hard to trust anyone from. This is expected to be the slowest paced game on the slate, and one where both teams put a big emphasis on playing defense. With the Jazz going on the road, the only DVP number that the Jazz might be able to exploit is that Cody Zeller is not a great defensive player and has allowed the 9th most FanDuel points so far this season. Rudy Gobert typically would be a great option at center tonight, but he just has not looked right compared to last season as his rebounding, blocks, steals are down, and his fouls per game are significantly up. Derrick Favors is an intriguing play if the Jazz elect to go small and he gets time to face off against Zeller.
George Hill is questionable for this game and if he misses, Shelvin Mack becomes a top punt play as he is near minimum salary on most sites.
Top Plays- None
Secondary Plays-Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors
Charlotte Hornets
Projected Lineup
PG- Kemba Walker
SG- Nicolas Batum
SF- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
PF- Marvin Williams
C- Cody Zeller
This is an awful matchup for Charlotte, as Utah defensively is one of the best teams in the league. They are amongst the top 5 in fewest FanDuel points allowed to point guards, shooting guards, and power forwards which typically would mean that we would look towards the small forward position, but Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is likely going to be on a minutes restriction in this game making him hard to trust. The one player for GPP’s to target here is Kemba Walker who has just been seemingly matchup proof every time he takes the floor. His price has not moved enough to justify not at least looking at him as he is averaging 25.8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists per game which to get to 5-6x he will need a few blocks or steals, at his current price, but he will not be highly owned in this contest due to the bad matchup and does have the upside of a monster game.
Top Plays- None
Secondary Plays- Kemba Walker
Timberwolves at Magic
Vegas Line: ORL -2.5
Total- 201
Minnesota Timberwolves
Projected Lineup
PG- Kris Dunn
SG- Zach LaVine
SF- Andrew Wiggins
PF- Gorgui Dieng
C- Karl-Anthony Towns
The Timberwolves are coming off the second half of a back to back tonight as they played in Brooklyn last night. Going from Brooklyn to Orlando is not a short flight, so there is some risk here regarding the team being a little bit sluggish. Orlando is allowing the 9th most points to the center position which sets up really well for the 20 year-old Karl-Anthony Towns who has a tremendous athletic advantage over Nikola Vucevic in this game. Towns has gone for 30+ points in two of his last three games. This is a player who is quickly becoming a superstar.
Top Plays- Karl-Anthony Towns
Secondary Plays- Andrew Wiggins
Orlando Magic
Projected Lineup
PG- Elfrid Payton
SG- Evan Fournier
SF- Aaron Gordon
PF- Serge Ibaka
C- Nikola Vucevic
This Magic team is a mess as Frank Vogel can not figure out a lineup that he likes to play. Evan Fournier is questionable for this game and if he misses time Mario Hezonja would become the starter. Hezonja is minimum salary and would make for a decent punt play if he starts. There have been some rumors that Bismack Biyombo would replace Nikola Vucevic, but that is remained to be seen so far this season, but if Biyombo starts he would also be a minimum priced player who you could plug into your lineup. As good as Karl-Anthony Towns has been, the Timberwolves are the second worst team against centers making whomever the starter is in play. While Towns is not that bad of a defender, the stats are what they are and at least have to be considered.
Top Plays- None
Secondary Plays- Mario Hezonja, Bismack Biyombo, Nikola Vucevic
76ers at Pacers
Vegas Line: IND -11.5
Total- 210
Philadelphia 76ers
Projected Lineup
PG- Sergio Rodriguez
SG- Gerald Henderson
SF- Robert Covington
PF- Dario Saric
C- Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid will miss this game due to rest as the 76ers continue to be cautious with him so far this season. This is disappointing, as he is really the only 76er that we can consistently trust. So far this season, the Pacers have really been susceptible to the point guard position so far this year which opens it up for Sergio Rodriguez as a potential play in this game. Rodriguez has been a nice surprise this year and his price still has not fully adjusted so there is some opportunity for him to take advantage of this nice matchup against the Pacers. On the season he is averaging 10.2 points, 7.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. He has come back to earth a little bit over the last two games as he is not consistently making the shots that he was making earlier in this season. He is a nice punt play if you need to find someone in your lineup but you should not build a core around him in a game that could end up becoming a blowout.
Top Plays- None
Secondary Plays- Sergio Rodriguez
Indiana Pacers
Projected Lineup
PG- Jeff Teague
SG- Monta Ellis
SF- Paul George
PF- Thaddeus Young
C- Myles Turner
The 76ers are in the top 10 in terms of FanDuel points allowed to point guards, small forwards, power forwards and are the worst team in the league against centers. Basically everyone is in play against the 76ers who are in contention for the worst team in the league for the fourth season in a row. With Joel Embiid missing this game, this should hurt the 76ers against centers even more than they already struggle with. This should be a good play for Myles Turner, but the problem is that his price is steep, the game is likely to turn into a blowout, and his recent form has been relatively poor. He is only averaging 4.2 rebounds per game which for a center who is only scoring 14.4 points per game is not good enough as you will have to rely on his block rate to be high and without Embiid most of the scoring for the 76ers will occur on the wings.
Jeff Teague is a top play on this slate, as his price is depressed after his last game where he struggled, but prior to that he had a great performance with 21 points, 6 assists, and 1 rebound. Sergio Rodriguez is a very poor defensive player and teams are looking to take advantage of him, as Kyrie Irving shot the ball 17 times, Kemba Walker led the team with 14 shots, Elfrid Payton led the team with 17 shots. So in three of the last four games the leading shooter on the team has been the point guard which is saying that Teague should have an excellent game in this one.
Top Plays- Jeff Teague
Secondary Plays- Myles Turner
Bulls at Hawks
Vegas Line: ATL -3.5
Total- 204
Chicago Bulls
Projected Lineup
PG- Rajon Rondo
SG- Dwyane Wade
SF- Jimmy Butler
PF- Taj Gibson
C- Robin Lopez
Atlanta has been great defensively with the exception of the point guard position in which they have allowed the most FanDuel points this season. The problem is that Rajon Rondo has largely been the third man out in this situation as Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler have seen most of the production. One thing to watch here is how much energy Wade puts into this game, as while he is saying all of the right things, he has to be focused on the game tomorrow against Miami. This should open up some production for Rondo and force him to potentially take more shots in this game.
Top Plays- Rajon Rondo
Secondary Plays-Jimmy Butler
Atlanta Hawks
Projected Lineup
PG- Dennis Schroder
SG- Kyle Korver
SF- Kent Bazemore
PF- Paul Millsap
C- Dwight Howard
Edit: Kyle Korver to start tonight.
The Hawks see a downgrade in pace in this game as they face off against the 25th ranked Bulls in terms of pace. This is reflected in the total as the Hawks are projected to score 103.75 points per game when they average 107.7 points per game. The Hawks are coming off a back to back after playing last night in a tough win against Cleveland. Keep an eye on who is playing in this game, as if anyone sits this could drastically change the dynamics of this game. The key matchups here are Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard. Millsap goes up against Taj Gibson who Millsap should be able to handle this matchup pretty easily as Gibson is 10th in terms of FanDuel points allowed. Dwight Howard has one of the biggest mismatches he will have on the season as he gets to face off against Robin Lopez who is a very poor rebounding center which Howard should easily get to double-digit rebounds.
Top Plays- Paul Millsap, Dwight Howard
Secondary Plays- Kent Bazemore
Raptors at Thunder
Vegas Line: OKC -3.5
Total- 201.5
Toronto Raptors
Projected Lineup
PG- Kyle Lowry
SG- DeMar Derozan
SF- DeMarre Carroll
PF- Pascal Siakam
C- Jonas Valanciunas
The Raptors see a big increase in pace in this game as the Thunder are the 5th fastest paced team compared to Toronto who is the 3rd slowest team in the NBA. This gives a big benefit to the guards on the Raptors as they have the highest usage rates on the Raptors and should have the ball in their hand for most of the game. DeMar Derozan is starting to see a regression to the mean after a terrific start as he had 23 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in his last game which is typical to what we saw last seasonand throughout his career. Derozan is a player who is drawing a tough matchup against Victor Oladipo who is one of the better defensive players in the league. Kyle Lowry is the top play here as he draws a very favorable matchup against Russell Westbrook who has a tendency to turn the ball over and is not the most focused on defense. Lowry is a player who throughout his career has filled up all of the statistical categories and he struggled early on this season with his rebounds and assists, but he is starting to get back to a triple double threat over the last two games.
Top Plays- Kyle Lowry
Secondary Plays- DeMar Derozan
Oklahoma City Thunder
Projected Lineup
PG- Russell Westbrook
SG- Victor Oladipo
SF- Andre Roberson
PF- Domantas Sabonis
C- Steven Adams
The Thunder see a tremendous pace decrease in this game as the Raptors are the second slowest team in the league. Russell Westbrook is always in play, but this is not a spot where you have to play him as it is a large slate with a lot of top options and he is extremely expensive. What does Steven Adams need to do to raise his price across the industry? On the season Adams is averaging 10.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 2.1 steals per game and his price stays in the low 5k range. This is not an ideal matchup to start Adams, but it is an average matchup and puts him in play at his current price.
Top Plays- Russell Westbrook
Secondary Plays- Steven Adams
Pistons at Suns
Vegas Line: DET -3.5
Total- 206.5
Detroit Pistons
Projected Lineup
PG- Ish Smith
SG- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF- Marcus Morris
PF- Tobias Harris
C- Andre Drummond
The Pistons as a whole are in a tremendous spot in this game, as the Suns so far this season have been the second fastest paced team so far this season and have given up the most points in the NBA so far this season. They have really struggled so far against point guards, small forwards and power forwards this season which makes for a great opportunity for three of Detroit’s core players, Ish Smith, Marcus Morris, and Tobias Harris. Ish Smith is a cash play only on this slate, as while he is cheap, his ceiling is relatively limited. Marcus Morris is more intriguing than Smith in this game for GPP’s as his upside is 20 point 10 rebound type performances that we have seen in the past. Morris draws a favorable matchup against his former team which is always a slight bump and draws T.J. Warren who has been great offensively has really struggled defensively. Tobias Harris goes up against the rookie Marquese Chriss who is a new starter to the team and is a great cash play.
Top Plays- Marcus Morris (GPP), Tobias Harris
Secondary Plays- Ish Smith (cash), Marcus Morris, Andre Drummond (If Chandler is out)
Phoenix Suns
Projected Lineup
PG- Eric Bledsoe
SG- Devin Booker
SF- T.J. Warren
PF- Marquese Chriss
C- Tyson Chandler
The Suns are in a major pace downgrade in this game which hurts their potential of the Suns in this game. Marquese Chriss let a lot of people down last night as he only saw 20 minutes, but the team is committed to him being a starter throughout the season at least in the short-term. Chriss is in a tough matchup against Tobias Harris who is a tremendous defensive player, but the Suns will still look to integrate him with his new teammates as he becomes a starter and plays with a new group of teammates. T.J. Warren has started to regress to the mean a little bit as he is only averaging 17 points per game over the last three games, but is still in play based on his ability to score on a given day.
Top Plays- None
Secondary Plays- T.J. Warren, Alex Len (If Tyson Chandler misses this game), Devin Booker
Rockets at SPurs
Vegas Line: SAN -8.5
Total- 210
Houston Rockets
Projected Lineup
PG- James Harden
SG- Eric Gordon
SF- Trevor Ariza
PF- Ryan Anderson
C- Clint Capela
The Rockets see a big downgrade in this game as they go on the road to face one of the best defensive teams in the NBA as they take on the San Antonio Spurs. James Harden is really the only player in play here as he is just on an absolute tear so far this season. Harden is averaging 31.6 points, 12.7 assists, and 7.1 rebounds so far this season and while his price is incredibly expensive he is going to see the highest usage on this team. Harden will likely draw Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green in this matchup who are two of the best defenders in the NBA and makes it a very difficult matchup. He is a GPP option only as while he is generally matchup proof this is a tough matchup that needs to be approached with a lot of caution.
Top Plays- None
Secondary Plays- James Harden
San Antonio Spurs
Projected Lineup
PG- Patty Mills
SG- Danny Green
SF- Kawhi Leonard
PF- LaMarcus Aldridge
C- Pau Gasol
The Spurs see a tremendous pace increase as the Spurs are one of the slowest paced teams in the league going up against a Rockets team that likes to run up and down the floor under Mike D’Antoni. Patty Mills looks as if he will be starting once again at the point guard, and the sites have yet to change his price. He is a great play in this matchup going up against James Harden who has a history of being a very poor defensive player. Mills as a starter is a tremendous punt play, as with most punt plays you are at risk that they do not rebound or create assists, but for Mills he is averaging 7 assists + rebounds per game over his last two games as a starter increasing his floor tremendously. Danny Green makes his return from injury in this game but is not in strong consideration primarily because we do not know what the minutes are going to look like for him.
LaMarcus Aldridge is a player who typically gets under-utilized as he is not a flashy player by any means, but at the end of the game you look at his stat column and realize that he was a good play. Aldridge has been relatively disappointing at times particularly in games that have turned into blowouts which seems to be a trend for the Spurs this season as their closest game that they have had is 8 points in either direction. Aldridge has tremendous upside as we saw in the season opener where he had 26 points 14 rebounds, but has not had a double digit rebound game since the opener. This is a situation where he is a GPP only play until further notice.
Top Plays- Patty Mills
Secondary Plays- LaMarcus Aldridge, Kawhi Leonard
Mavericks at Warriors
Vegas Line: GSW -16
Total- 210.5
Dallas Mavericks
Projected Lineup
PG- J.J. Barea
SG- Wesley Matthews
SF- Harrison Barnes
PF- Dorian Finney-Smith
C- Andrew Bogut
The Mavericks are one of the lowest projected teams in this 11 game slate at just 97 points going up against a Golden State team that is projected to win this game by 16 points. It is difficult to start any of the Mavericks in this game largely because of the team coming off a back to back in a win last night and if this game gets out of hand they are likely going to pull their starters. Seth Curry is intriguing as Dallas went with a 3 man bench last night and Curry saw 31 minutes, this is the first real time that we will see Curry vs Curry for an extended period of time, which Steph Curry is not a good defender, so Seth Curry should be able to reach value if he plays 25-30 minutes.
Harrison Barnes has been dominant over the last few games and this is a revenge game for him going up against the team and player that Golden State chose over him. Barnes has scored 30+ points in each of his last two games averaging 44 minutes over the last two games. If we could guarantee that Barnes sees 40 minutes he would be an elite play going up against Kevin Durant who has been suspect at times this season defensively.
Top Plays- Seth Curry
Secondary Plays- Harrison Barnes, J.J. Barea
Golden State Warriors
Projected Lineup
PG- Steph Curry
SG- Klay Thompson
SF- Kevin Durant
PF- Draymond Green
C- Zaza Pachulia
We finally saw the break out game from Steph Curry that we had been hoping for as he had 46 points 5 rebounds and 5 assists on Monday. This is encouraging to see, as Curry had really struggled so far this season compared to what we are used to seeing. Curry is in play tonight as he will be matched up against his brother for part of the game which should provide him extra motivation to shoot the ball against him. Getting Curry for 9k or less is always a good thing as he still has some of that rough start built into his price. Klay Thompson is still too cheap across the industry, but is very difficult to trust as his upside just does not justify potentially starting him in this matchup. He is a GPP play or a mid-range play simply because if he gets hot he can have a big performance, but otherwise he does not get enough rebounds or assists to make it worth the salary.
Top Plays- Steph Curry
Secondary Plays- Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green
Trail Blazers at Clippers
Vegas Line: LAC -9.5
Total- 208.5
Portland Trailblazers
Projected Lineup
PG- Damian Lillard
SG- C.J. McCollum
SF- Maurice Harkless
PF- TBD
C- Mason Plumlee
Al-Farouq Aminu is expected to miss this game, which will open up even more minutes for Maurice Harkless and whoever is starting for the Trail Blazers. The Clippers are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA this season and are in the top 3 at defending the shooting guard, small forward and center positions. Damian Lillard will not likely be highly owned in this game, but he did have a 29 point 10 rebound 3 assist game against the Clippers earlier this season, so he makes for a great upside GPP play at a reduced ownership simply because if
Maurice Harkless has been great recently, but draws a tough matchup against Luc Mbah a Moute. If Allen Crabbe starts, Harkless will go to the 4 and be matched up with Blake Griffin which is a much better matchup for Harkless and one that would make him a top play. Harkless is coming off a big night where he had 20 points and 6 rebounds and his price has not adjusted accordingly yet.
Top Plays- None
Secondary Plays- Maurice Harkless, Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum
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 defensively one of the best teams in the country, but they are always difficult to figure out offensively as they realistically have 5 different guys who can score (excluding Mbah a Moute and including Crawford). The Trail Blazers are allowing the fourth most points in the NBA at 110.8 and are in the top ten regarding fantasy points allowed to point guards, and centers. With Aminu out, it also puts pressure on a small forward stepping up to play the power forward as they do not have a true power forward with the exception of Noah Vonleh who they no longer seem to trust. Blake Griffin and Chris Paul have been carrying this team so far this season and even in a blowout win their last time out had tremendous performances as Griffin fell an assist shy of a triple double. DeAndre Jordan should have a size advantage over Mason Plumlee, which should help him get back on track after he struggled a little bit against Andre Drummond in his last game which ended up being a blowout early in that contest.
Top Plays- Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Deandre Jordan
Secondary Plays- None
