NBA Weekly Team Matchup Preview
It’s the start of another week of the young NBA season and between the injuries piling up and some fantasy owners needing to start making some moves, getting an idea of the NBA week ahead can be the difference between winning and losing a week of fantasy hoops.
It can also give you a chance to plan ahead for DFS purposes. Knowing which teams have nice matchups and which ones only have a few games or tough stretches can get you a leg up on the competition.
Here are the teams you need to target for value in both seasonal and DFS hoops this week.
Philadelphia 76ers
When it comes to fantasy value from the 76ers, it’s Joel Embiid and a lot of lottery tickets after that (no pun intended). However that may not be the case this week. The Sixers enjoy four juicy matchups against the Rockets, Wizards, Wolves and Suns. Three of those four teams rank 21st or worse in defensive rating this season, while the Suns are playing at a faster pace than any team in the league. The Sixers’ four opponents this week are also giving up an average of 108 points per game. Trust the process may have a whole new meaning after this week.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns have been a fantasy goldmine this season. They are playing at the league’s fastest pace of 102.7 possessions per 48 minutes and this week while they only have three games, they are all three on the road against teams that play at top 11 paces or higher. All three of their opponents also have defensive ratings of 107.7 or worse.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls have an interesting week ahead of them as they start their long west coast road trip. After opening in Portland in what could be a nice fantasy matchup, their next two games against the Jazz and Clippers could be tough ones for Chicago. The Clippers have the best defense in the league, giving up only 94.7 points per 100 possessions this season, while the Jazz aren’t too far behind that and are playing at the slowest pace in the league. However, Chicago gets a nice one to finish the week with a game against the pace-up Lakers on Sunday.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks may not make the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make your fantasy playoffs riding guys from Big D. This week is especially juicy for the Mavs. They have three road games against the Knicks, Celtics and Magic, who are as of the beginning of the week, the three worst defensive teams in the league, allowing an average of 111.8 points per 100 possessions.
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Detroit Pistons
The Pistons will be without Andre Drummond on Monday night and it could open up some nice value in their frontcourt, but their schedule this week could mean even more to unlocking fantasy goodness from Detroit. They play a four-game week against the Thunder, Knicks, Cavaliers and Celtics. The Knicks have the worst defense in the league right now allowing 112.6 points per 100 possessions, while all four teams are playing in the top half of the league in pace.
New Orleans Pelicans
Fantasy owners breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday after Anthony Davis found his way back into the game after leaving to have doctors look at his back. He dropped 34 points in that game and if he stays healthy, the Pelicans have three home games this week and the first three games of their week are against Boston, Orlando and Portland. Even though they end their week against a tough Charlotte team, they play the Hornets at home and they could have Jrue Holiday back by then.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers have made a complete turnaround from previous years in fantasy. They used to be a team you faded players against and usually couldn’t find too many targets either because of their slow pace. Now their defense is horrible and their pace is way up, making for ideal fantasy targeting. With games against the pace-up Thunder and Suns, as well a game against Cleveland and one against Orlando, who is giving up 111.5 points per 100 possessions, the Pacers should provide your fantasy teams with value this week.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Russell Westbrooks...er...I mean Thunder...have an interesting four-game week ahead of them. After a tough game against the stout Pistons on the road, the Thunder finishes their week with home games against the Rockets, Nets and Celtics. Boston and Houston rank 28th and 27th respectfully in defensive rating this season, while Brooklyn is allowing their opponents to post an effective field goal percentage of 51.2% against them. More 70 and 80-point fantasy efforts may be ahead for Westbrook this week.
Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are fantasy player’s dreams this season. This week their chances of putting up more herculean efforts are good, with a four-game schedule of intriguing games. They start their week against the Bulls at home on Tuesday, followed by road games against the Rockets, Pelicans and Nets, who all three should give Portland’s guards a chance to shine. The four teams average out to allow over 0.81 FanDuel points per minute to shooting guards, so hello, McCollum this week!