Tonight brings a 5 game slate starting at 7:30 p.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.
Players are dropping as the days go on…….
Keep an eye on the injury status of players as they can be ruled out right before lock.
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CORE
Jaylen Nowell(PG), Minnesota Timberwolves ($3300)
The Wolves have been down a few players over the last few games and Nowell has stepped in playing 18 and 19 minutes while putting up over 23 FPs in both of those games. Now Patrick Beverly will be out tonight and this should give Nowell a few additional minutes and possble 25-30. The increase in minutes and recent play along with his dirt cheap price make Nowell an excellent value play tonight. A possibility for a 10 x night.
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Brandon Ingram (SG/SF), New Orleans Pelicans ($8900)
Ingram has been in a groove as of late putting up 50 or more FPS in 4 of the last 8 games and hitting value in the rest. The matchup tonight against the faster pace Blazers is elite as they rank 27th in defensive effeciency. His minutes have been solid averaging 37 in that 8 game time-frame. An ideal spot for Ingram to put up another 50 burger tonight and that would give him close to a 6 times return.
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Tim Hardaway Jr. (SGF/SF), Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks are down a few players and THJ has stepped in and played over 40 minutes in the last 2 games dropping a 50 burger in one. The Mavs may also be without Kristaps Porzingas tonight and this would open up even more usage for the other players on the court- especially THJ and Jalen Brunson. This is a nice boost in pace for THJ and the Mavs as they see an pace differential of +5 tonight in a solid matchup against the Timberwovles. The minutes along with pace boost make THJ an excellent play tonight.
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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: Jaylen Brunson, D’Angelo Russell,
Value: Kemba Walker is seeing more minutes with the Knicks down some players- crushing value as of late, Devonte’ Graham
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Also consider: Devin Booker
Value: Evan Fournier, Malik Beasley, Hamidou Diallo
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Also consider: Sadiq Bey, Norman Powell
Value: Max Straus, Nassir Little
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Also consider: Julius Randle, Kristaps Porzingas- if he is a go
Value: Larry Nance, Carmelo Anthony
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Also consider: Karl-Anthony Towns, Jonas Valanciunas
Value: Naz Reid, Isaiah Stewart
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Dimes Play(GPP Play of the Night) Under 5k Player with low ownership and upside
Nikiel Alexander-Walker- minutes are on the rise with Pelicans down a few players. Kid loves to shoot and it is only a matter of time when he shots starts dropping. Excellent matchup in a fast paced game and the best part is his price has come way down.
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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!