Plays of the Day
Value: Montrezl Harrell is slated to step in for Blake Griffin and he draws a decent matchup tonight against the struggling Jazz. Sam Dekker is another candidate to soak up minutes with Blake, Danilo Gallinari and Patrick Beverley all ruled out for the Clippers.
Fade: Kevin Love is coming off a big game but he’s been far too inconsistent to ride with in cash games tonight. The Cavs are playing their third game in four nights and will be on the road in Atlanta.
Point Guards
Kyrie Irving – (8,400 DK/8,200 FD)
Kyrie continues to control the offense as the primary scorer on a Celtics team full of two-way role players and he could pile up points in a matchup against a team that gives up the sixth-most PPG (23.11) to opposing PGs while allowing the second-highest pace of play to that position this year. This is the second half of a B2B set for Philly and the Sixers will be without Joel Embiid. In their one game on 0 days rest this season, the 76ers lost 128-94, but this divisional tilt should stay closer while still providing good box score results.
Dennis Schroder – (7,500 DK/7,400 FD)
Schroder is a boom-bust option worth considering in GPP formats tonight against what should be a tired Cavs team. Cleveland’s playing its third game over the last four nights and has been notably thin at PG all season, coughing up the second-most APG (9.9) to the position and struggling overall with the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA. Schroder’s seen a rise in assist rate (37.4%) and usage rate (29.8%) with the Hawks moving on from Paul Millsap this year and he’ll do his best to keep Atlanta competitive at home tonight.
Potential Value
Jerryd Bayless – (3,400 DK/3,700 FD)
Bayless should start tonight with T.J. McConnell (shoulder) looking unlikely to suit up.
Longshot
Austin Rivers – (5,500 DK/6,000 FD)
Rivers is one of the few healthy bodies left available for the Clippers and that forces his father to give him extended run.
Shooting Guards
Donovan Mitchell – (6,900 DK/6,800 FD)
Mitchell continued to stand out as the best offensive player on the Jazz by far. He’s rocking a 28 percent usage rate and his poor FG shooting (.383%) is somewhat irrelevant on the main DFS sites. The Clippers have pulled out of their tailspin with three straight wins, but are still giving up tons of FPs to opposing backcourts with Patrick Beverley (knee) done for the year and two offensive-minded guards replacing his minutes in Austin Rivers and Lou Williams. Plus, Rodney Hood (ankle) is questionable for Utah and that could lead to even more usage for Mitchell.
Dwyane Wade – (5,600 DK/6,000 FD)
Kevin Love carried the Cavs offense and LeBron James grabbed headlines by getting ejected in the third quarter of Cleveland’s latest win, but Dwyane Wade simply continued to produce. The veteran dropped 17 points on 8-of-16 FG shooting and should remain a consistent cash play as the leader of the Cavs second unit. Wade is posting a 34 percent usage rate and averaging 1.40 FPs per minute with Love and James off the floor, which is a frequent occurrence since he’s coming off the bench, and he draws a great matchup tonight against a Hawks team that gives up the second-most FPPG (44.75) and most RPG (7.0) to opposing SGs this year.
Potential Value
Kent Bazemore – (5,400 DK/5,100 FD)
Bazemore is a solid bet to meet production in a matchup against a tired Cavs team.
Longshot
Lou Williams – (7,300 DK/8,000 FD)
Lou-Will is carrying the shorthanded Clippers offensively and he’s always a boom-bust candidate to consider in tournaments.
Small Forwards
Giannis Antetokounmpo – (11,100 DK/11,800 FD)
Giannis went off with 32 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals to meet value on his lofty price tag over just 28 minutes of run on Tuesday. Tonight the Bucks (+3) are underdogs against a Portland team with great defensive numbers, yet the Blazers couldn’t stop The Greek Freak when he went off for 44 points on 17-of-23 FG shooting last month. Portland is good defensively, but coughs up the second-most BPG (6.0) and commits 15.2 turnovers per game, which makes Giannis even more appealing on FanDuel where blocks and steals count for 3 FPs.
Marcus Morris – (4,700 DK/4,600 FD)
If you’re looking for a cheap cash play it’s hard not to love Marcus Morris after he produced 20-plus FPs in a seventh consecutive game on Monday. He’s playing limited minutes, but will be playing on two full days rest tonight and could see a little more run. The Sixers have a good defensive rating, yet they allow the eighth-most PPG (107.7) and as mentioned above, may be a little tired after facing Washington on Wednesday.
Potential Value
Sam Dekker – (3,500 DK/3,800 FD)
Dekker is a dark horse candidate to see a huge spike in production with Blake Griffin out and Danilo Gallinari (hip) still sidelined.
Longshot
Robert Covington – (6,200 DK/6,200 FD)
Covington should see a heavy rise in usage rate with Joel Embiid out tonight.
Power Forwards
Ben Simmons – (9,300 DK/9,900 FD)
With Joel Embiid slated to rest tonight, Simmons will have to try and carry the Sixers offense in a tough matchup at the Celtics. He boasts a 30.4 percent usage rate and averages 1.30 FPs per minute with Embiid off the floor and is coming off a career-high 31-point game in which he set an NBA record with 24 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter. The Celtics do a great job of limiting opposing shooters, but struggle at times to protect the rim and could have trouble keeping an elite athlete in Simmons out of the paint.
Montrezl Harrell – (3,500 DK/4,400 FD)
We’ll have to see how the Clippers rotation shakes out with Blake Griffin (knee) set to miss the next month or two, but it could certainly pay off to make a couple lineups with his potential replacements. Harrell could start at PF in certain matchups and is worth a look as a cheap option against a slow-paced Jazz team that gives up the eighth-most RPG (12.57) to opposing PFs this season. He’s averaging 1.16 FPs per minute with Blake, Danilo Gallinari and Pat Bev off the floor this season and is a candidate to double double if the ball bounces his way.
Potential Value
Dario Saric – (4,900 DK/5,500 FD)
Saric is another Sixers player who stands to benefit from the absence of Embiid.
Longshot
Derrick Favors – (6,600 DK/6,800 FD)
Favors’ outlook tonight is seriously improved by the injury to Blake Griffin.
Centers
Jusuf Nurkic – (6,700 DK/7,400 FD)
At 7-feet and a strong 280 pounds, Nurkic could dominate Bucks skinny center John Henson, who weighs south of 230 pounds. Even though he was struggling early in the season, Nurkic bullied the Bucks front line for 17 points, 11 boards and 3 blocks in the October and he comes into this home matchup rolling with averages of 18 PPG, 10 RPG, 3.5 APG and 2.3 BPG over his last four appearances. He’s at a very good price point given his floor-ceiling combination in what should be a close game.
John Collins – (5,500 DK/5,900 FD)
The Hawks are extremely shorthanded up front with Dewayne Dedmon (leg) set to miss about a month of action and Mike Muscala (ankle) ruled out tonight. That will likely force Collins into a starting role at the 5 in a plus matchup against the Cavs. The rookie is averaging 18 points and 11.2 rebounds per 36 minutes and was rolling prior to his dud against Toronto on Saturday, but he’s playing on ample rest while Kevin Love and the Cavs have to be gassed while playing their third game in four nights.
Potential Value
Richaun Holmes – (4,000 DK/3,500 FD)
Holmes will likely fill in for Joel Embiid tonight, but his apparent minutes restriction seriously caps his upside.
Longshot
DeAndre Jordan – (7,100 DK/7,400 FD)
Jordan could have a big game against a Jazz team that’s without Rudy Gobert (knee) right now.
