Today there is a 5 game slate starting at 4pm EST.
The Sixers will be without Ben Simmons opening up some usage and playing time for other players. Joel Embiid will be the biggest beneficiary with the increase in usage. Tobias Harris, Al Horford, Josh Richardson and Shake Milton will also benefit. Alec Burks should see an increased roll with Simmons out and I do not think many will play him today. He has high upside as we saw earlier this year on the Warriors.
Games/Team to target
*Thunder get the largest pace bump at + 4 with an excellent matchup against the Grizzlies who rank 22nd overall. The Jazz just took advantage of this matchup.
*The Kings get the second largest pace bump at 3.2 and play the Nets who have allowed the most FPs in the bubble.
Game: Wizards and Pelicans will run at the fastest pace on the slate. They are both ranked on the bottom 5 defensively.
Different set up for article today. Listed the 5 players I have the most interest in first at each position with a writeup. These are the players are have locked in.
POINT GUARDS
D’Aaron Fox
Fox has been playing extremely well in the bubble with over a 30% usage and putting up 50+ FPs in three of the four games long with playing 35+ minutes. The matchup is in his favor as the Nets have allowed the most FPs in the bubble. He should have no problem out running Tyler Johnson or who even the Nets throw at him. Shot attempts are up as well taking over 20 a game in the bubble. Add in the increased assist rate along with at least a steal in each of the four games. Should see another big game from Fox tonight and prefer him over Ja Morant today due to Morant having a tougher matchup vs Chris Paul.
Other Options:
Alec Burks, Ish Smith, Chris Paul, D.J. Augastin
SHOOTING GUARDS
Josh Richardson
The Sixers will be without Ben Simmons today leaving extra minutes and usage to be divided up. Joel Embiid will be very popular and so will Al Horford, Shake Milton and Tobias Harris. I can see Josh Richardson and Alex Burks getting the least amount of ownership. Richardson is playing around 35 minutes a game and averaging 25 FPs over the last 2 games. In the bubble he has only had 2 rebound. This is unlike his play style and should see a nice bump today with Simmons off the floor. Increase in assists, rebounds and points.
Other Options:
Caris LeVert, Shai Gilgeos-Alexander , Terrance Ross, Fred VanVleet(Has played well vs Celtics and think he is sneaky today).
SMALL FORWARDS
Troy Brown Jr.
Brown has played well with Beal and Bertans off the floor. Put up three straight 30+ FPs game with one fo those over 50 FPs. He is doing it all for the Wizards scoring, rebounding, assisting and grabbing defensive peripherals. Love this matchup for his on a fast paced game against a team that lacks defensively.
Danilo Gallinari
Have him ranked right below Brown for value. The only thing that worries me some is Gallos minutes. He has played anywhere from 19-29 minutes, but has been productive when on the floor. Gets a nice pace him and excellent matchup, so should do well today’s
Other Options:
Bogdan Bogdanovic, James Ennis, Josh Hart
POWER FORWARDS
Jason Tatum
Last game Tatum put up 27 FPs in only 18 minutes. This shows what he is capable of producing on a nightly basis. The price has dropped and today he does get a tougher matchup but I think Tatum and the Celtics show up tonight against the Raptors who are one seed ahead of them.
Other Options:
Brandon Ingram-UPDATE(with Zion Williamson ruled out Ingram become and elite play).Al Horford, Brandon Clarke, Nemanji Bjelica
CENTERS
Rashaun Holmes
Holmes has seen his minutes increase with his salary decrease to under 5k on DraftKings. He easily has the upside to hit and crush value today vs one of the worst teams against centers. The Nets have been one of the worst teams in the year and have continued into the bubble allowing 60 FPs (3rd most). On the year Holmes has averaged about a FPPM. In this matchup he gets a boost in pace at +3.2 and DvP, which pushes his upside to 7-8x. The Kings will need Holmes size to keep up with Allen, so should expect him to see close to 30 minutes. I will have Holmes or Bjelica in all my lineups today. UPDATE: Holmes is listed as questionable now due to hip soreness. If he sits out then Nemanja Bjelica becomes an excellent play. This also opens up more minutes for Alex Len who becomes a sneaky play. Keep an eye on his status.
Other Options:
Joel Embiid, Norlens Noel UPDATE(Steven Adams is listed as questionable. If he sits Noel becomes an elite play at his price. He was already listed as one of the best value plays on my projections before this news.), Marc Gasol
