The Boston Celtics will travel to Detroit today to take on the Pistons at 3:00 PM ET for a showdown! The betting odds on the match are currently listed the Celtics as -7.5 favorites, while the over/under sits at just 213.5. Low total on this game as we have two teams here that sit in the bottom ten in terms of slowest PACE in the Association with the Celtics at 21st-slowest, and the Pistons at 20th-slowest. The Boston Celtics currently sit at 3-3 on the young season, while the Detroit Pistons at just 1-4 to start the year. Let’s jump into this game!

Player Breakdowns:

MVP/CAPT:

1.) Jaylen Brown SF (BOS) $15,300

Jaylen Brown has been phenomenal to start the season and I believe that he can bring just as much value as Jayson Tatum in this game at a cheaper cost as the MPV/CPT pick. Brown is nearly carrying the same usage rate as Tatum, as Brown is sitting at 29.0%, while Tatum sits at just 29.7%. This is a rubber-match, as these two teams just played two days ago where Brown went for over 45 fantasy points on 25 points, nine rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks in 38 big minutes. This makes the fourth game out of six played so far that Brown has eclipsed 40 fantasy points on the early season.

2.) Mason Plumlee C (DET) $11,400

ThIs is more of a value MVP/CPT pick for this game, as we are still unsure if Blake Griffin will play, and the options above Plumlee in Marcus Smart and Jerami Grant seem like better FLEX/UTIL plays. Plumlee has been a bit of a swiss-army knife to start the season, and if Griffin is somehow not available to go, he could be in line for a 30+ minute workload here today. In this same matchup two days ago, Plumlee recorded 36 fantasy points on eight points, 17 rebounds, one assist, a block and two steals, and that is exactly what I meant by swiss-army knife, because he does a little bit of everything while he is on the floor. If he scores one more bucket, he hits a double-double and is likely easily over 40 fantasy points for the game. It is also worth mentioning that the Celtics are allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing Centers on the season currently, as well.

MID-TIER:

1.) Jayson Tatum PF (BOS) $10,600 –

I won’t fault anyone for playing Tatum in the CPT/MVP spot here in this game because we know he possesses 50-point upside, but I think he can really help bolster a lineup as a UTIL/FLEX play more efficiently at this price. Tatum put up 42 fantasy points in this game two days ago on 28 points, six boards, two assists, a steal, and a block. He took 24 shots, making just 11, so it wasn’t the greatest shooting night for Tatum either. Tatum has topped 40 fantasy points in four of the six games played as well, and I do think he will garner Jerami Grant ’s defense once again, which is why I felt better about Brown as the MVP/CPT play over Tatum. Grant is an above average defender, and he is long and lanky, which can cause fits for opposing players.

2.) Jerami Grant SF/PF (DET) $8,800

Grant continues to play heavy minutes for this Pistons team, as he has now seen at least 37 or more minutes on the floor in his last five games. He has also been very active in the scoring column, recording 28, 27, 27, and 24 actual in his last four, while securing at least six rebounds in three of the four, with four total steals and six total blocks. He has taken 20+ shot attempts in his last three games, and the only thing that may change that is if Griffin is indeed able to play. Grant is currently third on the team in usage rate, and his 24.4% is only next to Derrick Rose ’s 28.0% and Josh Jackson ’s 24.9%. You have to like Grant in this matchup, as Grant has averaged roughly 43 fantasy points over his last four contests.

3.)  Blake Griffin PF (DET) $8,400

I feel that if Griffin is indeed able to suit up and take the floor for this game, he will be one that you likely will want to have in your lineup. Griffin is carrying a modest 20.5% usage rate so far in the three games he has played in before sustaining the concussion and flashed some major upside in his second game against the Cavs when he put up a whopping 48 fantasy points. His other two games were nothing to write home about, as he barely eclipsed the 20-fantasy point mark. However, one of those games he only played 17 minutes due to the head injury. Nonetheless, in the two games prior he played 35 and 44 minutes, so as long as he isn’t being limited or restricted upon return to the floor, he will be in play today.

4.) Derrick Rose PG (DET) $7,400

Rose leads the team in usage rate at 28.0% and has now recorded 30 or more fantasy points in three of the four games he has taken the floor in, including a 31-fantasy point outing against this same Celtics team last game on 17 points, five boards, four assist, and two steals. He has lived in and around the 24-to-27-minute span of playing time, and he is very active as we can see in his time on the floor. Rose is just priced well enough that he can be an easy UTIL fit with the right captain/MVP, and he can help give you a nice floor play here today.

Dart Throws:

1.) Tristan Thompson C (BOS) $5,400

Thompson made his return to the floor against this Piston’s team after taking a game off and put up 24 fantasy points across 26 minutes with a five-point, nine-rebound, two-assist, two-block, and one steal stat-line. He only took four shots in that game, which was about half of his regular attempts. Thompson is still somewhat being limited but his minutes have increased the last two games from 22 to 26-27. Hopefully, we are getting closer to a 30-minute Tristan Thompson , and if so, you will be getting a steal of a deal on him today. Either way, he has topped 23 fantasy points in three of the five games played, and I think he has 25-30 fantasy point upside today.

2.) Jeff Teague PG (BOS) $5,000

Teague has been a steady stream of fantasy points so far for the Celtics as he is the direct backup to starting PG in Marcus Smart . Teague has played around 19-22 minutes in each of his six games played, and has put up 16 or more fantasy points in five of the six games he has played in. The price is a bit higher than we would like for his type of production lately, but we know a couple of things; the minutes will be there, and we know Teague has upside as we saw him record over 21 fantasy points in three of the six with a massive 36-point game in the opener.

3.) Saddiq Bey SF/PF (DET) $4,600

Bey came on very strong in this game last time out, as he played a whopping 30 minutes after getting the starting nod and went off for 32 fantasy points on a 17-point, seven-board, one-dime, and two-steal stat-line. He shot very well from the field, as he hit 5-of-11 shots, with five made three-pointers on the day. This is the second 30-minute game for Bey in his last three, and he has put up 21, 16, and 32 fantasy points in those three as well, so you see the kind of upside he brings when he gets more run on the floor. IF Griffin does indeed return for this game, Bey likely won’t be in the starting lineup anymore, and this could hurt his value, so keep an eye on that.

4.) DEEP DART – Isaiah Stewart C (DET) $2,600

I was going to say that Stewart would only be in play if Griffin is out, but his minutes over the last three games have been quite serviceable. Stewart has played 14, 23, and 18 minutes over the last three games and put up 14, 20, and 14.5 fantasy points. We mentioned above that the Celtics are allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing Centers, and Stewart just put up 14 against them in this last game played, so at his price you would have gotten a return of around 5.2x of value. This is the deepest of dart throws, but I could see him being a value punt play if Griffin for sure doesn’t play.