Tonight brings a 8 game slate starting at 7p.m. ET.
Nice Friday slate with a solid 8 games instead of the 10-12. A few teams that are hit hard with injuries/players out due to health and safety protocol.
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. The Heat, Magic, Bucks, Kings and Lakers are all down players.
Players are dropping as the day goes on……….
Keep an eye on the injury status of players as they can be ruled out right before lock.
Game/s to Target
Hornets/Blazers– the two worst defensive teams in the league go head-to-head tonight. Blazers get the pace boost.
Grizzles/Kings
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CORE
D’Angelo Russell (PG/SG), Minnesota Timberwolves ($7600)
I was on Russell before I heard the Anthony Edwards news. He was not going to make my core, but was in my top picks as he plays well against his former team. Also, he has been playing well as of late hitting 50 plus twice in the last 6 games and exceeding 33 FPs in all 6. Take Edwards off the court and Russell gets a nice usage boost and should see some additional minutes. Also, this will be a fast paced game and a solid matchup for Russell. This could be another 50 burger for Russell tonight. Jrue Holiday will be a popular play tonight and you could easily go with him tonight for a few hundred dollars more. Russell will come in under 10% ownership and has similar upside. Can easily plug them both in.
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Jordan Nwora(PF), Milwaukee Bucks ($3300)
The Bucks are down players tonight with the main one Giannis. They will also be without Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez, and Donte DiVencenzo. This will open up the floor for Nwora who played 27 minutes last game and drooped 32 FPs filling in for the depleted Bucks team. With these other big men out tonight I expect Nwara to see similar minutes. He is a high usage played when on the court and likes to shoot, so I expect double-digit shot attempts while adding in 6-8 rebounds and a few other peripheral stats. A 20 real point game is not out of the question against the Pelicans who rank 27th in defensive efficiency. Coming in at only 3.3K he would need 16.5 FPs and I expect him to easily exceed 20 tonight.
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Davion Mitchell (PG/SG), Sacramento Kings ($3600)
The Kings are another team that will be without a solid portion of their players. He should pick up the start tonight with Fox out and play around 30 minutes and could see some additional minutes if Haliburton sits out. Mitchell has exceeded 22 FPs in 4 of the last 5 games and has barely seen a price increase. This is a solid matchup against the Pelicans and Mitchell’s price is too cheap to pass up with the playing time he should see tonight. **UPDATE- Mitchell is not questionble- if he sits out then Tyrese Haliburton will take his spot as core-if Haliburton ends up sitting(listed as questionable) I am not sure they will have enough players. Moe Harkless would be viable if the game does go. He is 3K and should play over 30 minutes,
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**Can easily add in Khris Middleton and or Jrue Holiday.
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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: Damian Lillard-love this spot for Dame tonight in this pace up game against the worst defensive team, Also no McCollum- this should be an easy 50 burger with an upside over 60., Jrue Holiday- no Giannis
Value: Gabe Vincent, Patrick Beverly, Rajon Rondo- bare minimum and should see additional time tonight.
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Also consider: Andrew Wiggins, Monte Morris
Value: Malik Beasley, Malik Monk, Mychal Mulder- no Suggs, Hampton and possible Anthony
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Also consider: Khris Middleton- too cheap, Gordon Hayward, Dillon Brooks
Value: Duncan Robinson, Grayson Allen, Cam Reddish
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Also consider: Jason Tatum, Draymond Green, Josh Hart
Value: Nassir Little-played over 30 minutes last game and gets an elite matchup, Jaden McDaniels(MIN).
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Also consider: Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jusif Nurkic- highest rated player on my model.
Value: Robert Williams- no Horford tonight(Also look at Enes Freedom), Dewayne Dedmon
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Dimes Play(GPP Play of the Night) Under 5k Player with low ownership and upside
Austin Reaves– has played 25 plus minutes in the last 3 games and hit 22 plus FPs in 2 of those 3 games. He should see similar minutes with the Lakers down a few guards tonight.
Double Dimes Play
Tristan Thompson– should see more minutes tonight as the Kings are down Bagley, Holmes, Len and possible Metu. This is an excellent spot for Thompson as he rates well on the model and is projected to return close to 8 times value.
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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!