Charlotte Hornets vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Hornets -8.5

Total - 215.

 

So if you listened to this mornings podcast you would have heard James and I pretty much rattle off every player in this game as a viable option. The reason for that is the fact that there is a lot of value priced players in this game and the fact that there are so many injuries which puts the majority of the roster in play. It goes without saying that Kemba Walker is the top play in this game.  I also think that Walker may be lower owned on this slate as many look to pay up for the Likes of Durant, Harden and Jokic. We have seen Walker put up 50+ on numerous occasions this season and this could be a matchup which he does it again. On the Cleveland side of things I am focusing on two players, Jordan Clarkson and Tristan Thompson . Clarkson is a usage monster who when given the playing time can score in the mid-20s while filling up the stat sheet.  I think he has a path to 30+ minutes tonight with Korver out and J.R Smith questionable. With Thompson I am unsure what else needs to be said. He should be a lock for a double-double tonight against this bad Hornets front court and he is under $6,000 on both DK and FD. After those three I think there are plenty of guys that can score you 20+ points at sub-$6k costs such as Colin Sexton, Jeremy Lamb , Nicolas Batum and so on. Like I said, there are a lot of options here.  I am guessing the value in this game is popular in “Stars and Scrubs” lineup builds.

 

Houston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets

Nuggets - 4.5

Total - 214

 

This is where things start to get interesting because I think we see Harden go under-owned even as he comes off his best game of the season because of what we just saw from Kevin Durant last night.  Playing this entire game could be contrarian to be honest because Chris Paul and Eric Gordon are also very solid options but costs of Paul may see him faded. The lack of SF options likely puts more appeal on Gordon but Grande mentioned Gary Clark on the podcast and I think he might be the answer here as we look to get some Houston exposure.  I am not looking at Capela given how good of a defender Jokic is so for me he is only a GPP play. On the flip side we have Jamal Murray in a tough matchup against Chris Paul . Gary Harris is in a nice spot but as he draws Harden/Gordon defense but I could also see him getting in some foul trouble given the frequency that Harden gets to the line.  I am very interested and hopeful that Juancho Hernangomez is back in the starting lineup as he is yet another value option to consider. Trey Lyles is very safe but he rarely plays more than 20 minutes which limits his overall upside. That said, on a three game slate he is very much in play. I would love to chase the points with Paul Millsap after we saw a vintage performance from him last time out but it seems unlikely we get that from him again.  Jokic is an interesting pivot down from the likes of Durant and Harden because we know he had 80 FP potential but this was a matchup last season that he really struggled in. Again he finds his was as a contrarian GPP options. Another value dart in this matchup is Monte Morris of the Nuggets. His minutes are steady in the mid-20s and so has been his production.
 

Atlanta Hawks vs Golden State Warriors

Warriors - 12

Total - 228

 

Here we have what I am expecting to be the chalk game of the night.  With all the value in that Hornets vs Cavaliers contest I am figuring that there will be plenty of salary left over to pay for the likes of Kevin Durant , Klay Thompson and Draymond Green .  This game also has the highest total of the night at 228. The 12-point spread isn’t even that scary to be honest because I actually think the Hawks have some guys that can score and allow them to hang with the Warriors for a bit. Now, Trae Young is a little too expensive for me but the matchup here certainly fits. Kent Bazemore is a nice price and has the GPP-upside we are looking for and Taurean Prince is coming off a strong game as well against the Lakers which saw him put up 37 FP in 35 minutes.  The intriguing play for me with Atlanta will be Alex Len with Dewayne Dedmon already ruled out. The Warriors often struggle with opposing centers as they lack a true big to matchup up. Len is a guy who when given the minutes can give you a double-double with a few blocks. Against the Lakers he scored 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds over 27 minutes. He is just $4,400 on DK and $5,000 on FD. I expect him to be a popular option for those not using Tristan Thompson tonight. As I opened this breakdown - the Warriors to use are pretty obvious.  Without Steph Curry on the floor the likes of Durant, Thompson and Green all average well over a fantasy point per minute. Last night DFS players saw Durant go for 33/11/10 on his way to 70 fantasy points. That upside is here again against a bad Hawks team. Thompson put up 44 FP as he took 31 shots in the team’s overtime loss to the Clippers. Draymond had an off night, scoring six points with 14 rebounds and just two assists but given that he averages 7.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game I think he makes up for that tonight. Some interesting value options for the Warriors are Andre Iguodala who scored 28 FP in 33 minutes last night at a sub-4k price tag and Kevin Looney, who may be their best bet to play against Alex Len , as he put up 21 FP over 26 minutes against the Clippers last night.  Quinn Cook let us down big time last night but it’s possible this is a bounce back spot for him and he may be lower owned because of last night’s performance.