Plays of the Day
Value: David Nwaba has exceeded value in eight of his last nine appearances and makes for an easy target in what should be a fantasy-friendly matchup at home tonight against the Jazz. Utah’s been surprisingly vulnerable on the perimeter and is not yet stifling the paint with Rudy Gobert (knee) playing on a minutes limit, so Nwaba could be able to extend his streak of double-digit scoring games to five straight while providing peripheral stats over a healthy amount of run.
Fade: Kemba Walker will look to lead the Hornets in a tough matchup at red-hot Houston, but the Rockets (-12.5) are rolling right now and could blow out his shorthanded Charlotte team.
Point Guards
Rajon Rondo – (6,300 DK/5,800 FD)
Rondo flashed his still impressive ceiling with a triple double on Monday, and he makes for a great mid-tier option and a viable stacking partner with DeMarcus Cousins in tournaments tonight. If Anthony Davis (groin) misses another game, Rondo willhave even more appeal since he averages 1.12 FPs and 0.33 assists per minute when The Brow is off the floor this season and his playing time could continue to rise if Jameer Nelson (ankle) is also inactive.
Milos Teodosic – (3,900 DK/4,500 FD)
Teodosic is going to be relied upon heavily with Blake Griffin (knee) out and Danilo Gallinari (glute) appears to be headed back to the shelf as well. Orlando’s been a fantastic matchup for opposing PGs, giving up the second-most FPPG (51.04) to the position this year and the Magic cough up the most APG (25.0) overall this season, so a great passer like Teodosic could carve them up. He’s frankly quite under priced on DK as the floor general for a Clippers offense that has potential.
Potential Value
Mike James – (4,300 DK/4,500 FD)
James continues to flash a higher floor with surprising upside while Devin Booker (groin) is out.
Longshot
Jrue Holiday – (7,200 DK/7,400 FD)
Holiday seems to be the biggest beneficiary in terms of usage when Anthony Davis sits.
Shooting Guards
Victor Oladipo – (9,200 DK/10,000 FD)
After getting traded from the Thunder to the Pacers, Oladipo is flourishing in Indiana and is red hot with averages of 29.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.7 APG and 2.4 SPG over his last seven appearances. He’s logging a 31.96 percent usage rate during that span and is unquestionably the first option for a Pacers team that surprisingly plays at the tenth-fastest pace in the league. Look for him to go toe-to-toe with Westbrook tonight and possibly produce comparable DFS production.
Alec Burks – (5,100 DK/5,400 FD)
Finally healthy after a couple of injury-plagued seasons, Burks is making the most of his opportunities on a Jazz team that’s been searching for consistent offense. He started off playing behind Donovan Mitchell, but has since found a role alongside the Rookie of the Year candidate, averaging 19.8 PPG while playing 27 MPG over his last five appearances. Up next for the man who has been called “Easy 20” for his scoring ability – a Bulls team that ranks 21st in defensive rating and rotates a number of inexperienced defenders in the backcourt.
Potential Value
Jeremy Lamb – (5,400 DK/4,900 FD)
Lamb produced modest results but still met value and will remain reliable if Nic Batum (elbow) is out again.
Longshot
Jamal Murray – (5,200 DK/5,100 FD)
Murray went off last night and with Nikola Jokic (ankle) and Will Barton (back) questionable, he could become a primary scoring option for Denver in Boston tonight.
Small Forwards
Giannis Antetokounmpo – (11,300 DK/12,100 FD)
Giannis always has a high floor and he has a ton of upside as a correlation play if you stack Pelicans while looking to take advantage of the potential absence of Anthony Davis tonight. The Greek Freak is averaging 32.4 PPG, 11.4 RPG and 2.6 STL/BLK per game while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor over his last five appearances. Now he faces a Pelicans team that gives up the third-most FPPG (50.61) to opposing PFs and second-most PPG (111.6) overall this season, while ranking 26th in total rebounding.
David Nwaba – (4,100 DK/4,600 FD)
Listed as a combo guard on DraftKings tonight, Nwaba is a great value no matter where you insert him into lineups. The 6-foot-4 second-year man from the Los Angeles area has exceeded value in eight of his last nine appearances and makes for an easy target in what should be a fantasy-friendly matchup at home tonight against the Jazz. Utah’s been surprisingly vulnerable on the perimeter and is not yet stifling the paint with Rudy Gobert (knee) playing on a minutes limit, so Nwaba could be able to extend his streak of double-digit scoring games to five straight while providing peripheral stats over a healthy amount of run.
Potential Value
Lance Stephenson – (4,100 DK/4,500 FD)
Stephenson has been up-and-down but is a productive per-minute player with plenty of potential in a home tilt against the Thunder.
Longshot
Paul George – (7,700 DK/7,600 FD)
George will be extremely motivated tonight to prove that Victor Oladipo is not a superior player, as indicated by recent results.
Power Forwards
Nikola Mirotic – (5,200 DK/4,800 FD)
This is a night to save at PF in order to afford some high-priced guards and perhaps Boogie Cousins at center and Mirotic would become a very good value option if he starts for Lauri Markkanen (back) once again. The versatile forward went for 24 points and 8 rebounds over 32 minutes in a surprising win over Boston on Monday and draws a much better matchup on paper against a Jazz team that ranks 23rd in opponents 3PT shooting (37%) this season.
Kenneth Faried – (5,000 DK/5,500 FD)
The Celtics are a much better rebounding team this year, but remain vulnerable to ultra-athletic bigs such as Kenneth Faried. “The Manimal” has been hustling while seeing steady run for the Nuggets off the bench in the absence of Nikola Jokic (ankle) and he’s a better fit for a matchup against the small-ball Celtics than his main competitor for minutes, Mason Plumlee. He posted a double double with 12 points and 11 boards in his sole appearance against the C’s last year and could certainly reach that bonus again with Al Horford (rest) sitting out.
Potential Value
Trey Lyles – (4,400 DK/4,300 FD)
Lyles is coming off another solid game and will remain a good value option if Jokic is out tonight.
Longshot
Kelly Olynyk – (5,400 DK/6,000 FD)
Olynyk continues to make the most of his minutes with Hassan Whiteside (knee) on the shelf and he’s a tough cover for Portland.
Centers
DeMarcus Cousins – (11,000 DK/12,000 FD)
Cousins continues to show a very high floor and comes with insane upside when Anthony Davis sits out games. He’s sporting a ridiculous 39.1 percent usage rate and averaging 1.61 FPs per minute with Davis off the floor this season and is coming off another monster line with 24 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists in Monday’s loss to the Rockets. The Bucks are a cakewalk matchup for Boogie, as they give up the fifth-most FPPG (55.47) and second-most RPG (17.35) to opposing centers while starting a skinny big man in John Henson at the five.
Aron Baynes – (3,900 DK/3,600 FD)
If Nikola Jokic remains out for Denver, Baynes could serve as a nice source of salary relief tonight. He might struggle to guard the elite center if Jokic plays, but would otherwise look to dominate a Nuggets team that gave up the most FPPG to opposing centers with Jokic out over the past week. Baynes went for 6 points and 13 rebounds in a start for Al Horford on Sunday and posted a season-high 21 points when Horford missed a game on Nov. 11, plus Marcus Morris (knee) will be inactive, forcing the Celtics to rotate Baynes and Daniel Theis down low.
Potential Value
Bam Adebayo – (4,100 DK/4,100 FD)
Adebayo is earning run with Whiteside out for Miami and he matches up well against an athletic Portland team that could be without its starting center in Jusuf Nurkic (ankle).
Longshot
Dwight Howard – (7,600 DK/8,800 FD)
Howard is always motivated to face estranged former teammate James Harden and the Rockets.
