Tonight brings an 11 game slate starting at 7p.m. ET.
The “Droppin Dimes,” article will go over my favorite plays for the slate. It will consist of three to five core plays along with a few additional plays and a few value plays. You won’t always see the highest-priced players or the most obvious plays. Players listed first at each position are my favorite and a good start to build a lineup around.
(Note: All pricing and fantasy points are based on DraftKings but can be used for all sites.)
The NBA is in a tough spot right now with a few teams getting hit hard with COVID.
Keep an eye on the injury status of players as they can be ruled out right before lock.
Game/s to Target
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CORE
Jalen Brunson(PG), Dallas Mavericks ($6700)
I was on Brunson last game against the Hornets. He barely hit value posting 29 FPs in only 25 minutes. The lower minutes was mainly due to the fact that the Mavericks blew out the Hornets. Going right back to Brunson in an excellent matchup against the much faster paced Lakers (+6.2 possesions). Also, Brunson should have no problem playing against Russell Westbrook tonight. The increase in pace, plus matchup and the fact that he should see 30 plus minutes make him an excellent play tonight. We have seen his upside of over 40 FPs in the past with Doncic out.
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Evan Mobley(+$6900)/Lauri Markkanen(SF/PF), Cleveland Cavaliers ($5100)
This is an elite matchup for either of these players. The Rockets run at a much faster pace and are ranked 24th in defensive efficiency. Mobley has been a bit more consistent hitting 30 plus more often than not, but he is questionable tonight. This is the first game of the night, so the news will be available before lock. If Mobley sits out than Markkanen is a lock. If Mobley plays, than Mobley has the safer floor and should come close to 40 FPs and Markkanen is still viable at his price. Both options get an elite matchup and should easily hit value.
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Alperen Sengun(PF/C), Houston Rockets ($4500)
The Rockets will be without Christian Wood tonight and it looks like Sengun will enter the starting lineup. He has played well over the last 3 games exceeding 22 FPs or more in all games and hit over 30 in 2 of the 3. The start and increase in minutes give him the upside tonight where he should return 6-8 times value. The rookie big-man has shown his upside in the summer league and a few times this year adding stats in all categories including blocks and steals.
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Grayson Allen(SG/SF), Milwaukee Bucks($4000)
The Bucks will be without super-star Giannis Antetokounmpo and possible Khris Middleton. The absence of Giannis along frees up a lot of usage tonight for the Bucks and this will be distributed through out the team(mainly Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis, Khris Middleton(if he plays) and Allen should pick up some as well. With Giannis out, the Pacers will try to stop Holiday and Middleton leaving Allen to take some more shots and contribute in rebounds and assists while picking up some defensive stats. I expect Allen to have a solid game putting up 20 points, 5 rebounds 4-5 assists and a few steals/blocks coming in at over 6 times value.
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NOTES:
FPPM= Fantasy Points Per Minute, FPPG= Fantasy Points Per Game, PPG=Points per Game, Value=Projected points/salary(This will differ depending on the site).
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Also consider: Kyle Lowry, Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard
Dejounte Murray- GPP low ownership with 70 FPs upside.
Value: Ricky Rubio, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
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Also consider: Bradley Beal, Caris LeVert
Value: Garrison Mathews, Duncan Robinson
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Also consider: Gordon Hayward, Brandon Ingram
Value: Devin Vassell- boost with no Walker, Moe Harkless,
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Also consider: Bobby Portis, Domantis Sabonis
Value: PJ Tucker- fire as of late, Larry Nance Jr.
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Also consider: Nikola Jokic, Jakob Poeltl
Value: Alex Len, Isaiah Hartenstien
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Dimes Play(GPP Play of the Night) Under 5k Player with low ownership and upside
Tre Mann(OKC)- playing minutes with Dort out. Has shown 10x upside.
Double Dimes Play
Cam Redish-back to normal minutes and price has not caught up yet.
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**Options to help build lineups- Take these core plays and enter into optimizer with your favorite setting(rating, FBrating, FBprojections, FunkProjections, ownership or ratings). OR use this article to help you build a lineup with some of your favorite plays. The Dashboard is also a great tool to help build lineups- It contains a good variety of stats and projections from multiple sources.
Good Luck!