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.)
Keep an eye on the injury status of players as they can be ruled out right before lock.
Game/s to Target:
Hornets/Knicks-pace up spot for the Knicks with a slate best +5.2 possessions. Both teams are ranked in the bottom 5 in defensive efficiency.
Grizzlies/Suns
Wolves/Lakers
**Two teams that I have been targeting players against are the Lakers and Hornets. They both run at a fast pace and have been poor defensively.
If/Then….(Injury scenarios)
- IF Draymond Green sits out then Otto Porter becomes an excellent value play.
- IF Norman Powell sits out then Nassir Little becomes a viable value play.
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).
D’Angelo Russell, Minnesota Timberwolves ($7200$7100)
Russell just put up 30 points and 52.8 FPs just two games ago and this was right after he returned to the court from an injury. He has been inconsistent this year with a floor around 14 Fps and a ceiling over 50 FPs. This looks like a ceiling game as the Wolves get a nice bump in pace and play the Lakers who have not been the best team in defensive efficiency this year. As I stated earlier, the Lakers are a team that I have been targeting players against and it has paid off in most cases. He is rated in the top 10 on my model for tonight. Also, he gets to play back in LA .
Also consider: D’Aaron Fox is finally starting to put it together this season with back-to-back 46.5 FP games. Taking close over 20 shots per game, Ricky Rubio and Damian Lillard
Value: Patrick Bevelry, Alex Caruso
Will Barton, Denver Nuggets ($6900/$6700)
Barton has put up back-to-back 40 plus FP games and 3 over the past 4 with the other game at 36.8. One of these games was against a tough Miami Heat defense. He is playing at a high level right now pickup up some of the usage for Michael Porter. An excellent matchup against the Hawks tonight who rank 28th in defensive efficiency and run at a faster pace. Also, he fills up the stat sheet so if he has a lower scoring game he can still have a decent FP night. Like the fact that he is taking close to 20 shots a game and this gives him the upside tonight.
Also consider: Anthony Edwards, Zach LaVine
Value: Avery Bradley, Lou Dort, Malik Monk
Josh Richardson, Boston Celtics ($3300/$4800) DK PLAY
DraftKings has Richardson price wrong as they have not caught up on his recent minutes and FP production. Since Jaylen Brown has been out Richardson has been playing over 30 minutes a game and averaging 25 FPs with double-digit points in both of those game. This will be a fast paced game with a decent defensive matchup for the Celtics. The type of game where Richardson will pick up a few additional stats including a a few extra blocks and steals. He is one of the better value plays on the slate at his close to minimum price.
Also consider: Gordon Hayward, Jason Tatum, Jerami Grant
Value: Kevin Huerter, Kyle Anderson
Kristaps Porzingas, Dallas Mavericks ($6600/$7100)
Porzingas is coming off one of his better games this year with a double-double topping 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. This was against a tougher Bulls defense. Tonight, he goes against the Spurs in a pace up spot and they are down their starting center. A good spot for him tonight in this matchup where he can take advantage of this situation as they have been running with a smaller linuep.
Also consider: Julius Randle, DeMar DeRozan, Evan Mobley
Value:
Tony Bradley, Chicago Bulls ($3000/$4400) DK PLAY
The Bulls will be without their starting center Nikola Vucevic tonight and this could lead to Tony Bradley sliding into a starting spot as he is projected as the starting center. He has not played more than 15 minutes this year yet, but the Bulls have no other options for a true center. In the past, he has shown upside over 30 when given the opportunity. Also, this is a nice pace up spot for the Bulls against the Warriors tonight where a lot of shots should go up with the opportunity for some additional rebounds and blocks.
Also consider: Nikola Jokic, Jusif Nurkic, Robert Williams
Value: Isaiah Stewart, Frank Kaminsky and Daniel Theis
CORE PLAYS
- D’Angelo Russell
- Josh Richardson
- Kristaps Porzingas
Dimes Play(GPP Play of the Night) Under 5k Player with low ownership and upside
Alec Burks has been playing over 20 minutes a game in 4 of the tlast 5. He has put up 23 or more FPs in 2 of those 5. This is an excellent macthup for a ceiling game for Burks against the much faster paced Hornets who rank 29th in defense
DOUBLE DIMES PLAY
Cedi Osman
**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!