Philadelphia 76ers & Denver Nuggets
Spread: Nuggets -7.5
Total: 209.5
Injuries:
Philadelphia 76ers:
Joel Embiid – Out
Ben Simmons - Out
Danny Green – Out
Matisse Thybulle - Out
Denver Nuggets:
Jamal Murray – Out
Will Barton – Questionable (Back)
Michael Porter Jr. – Out
Bones Hyland – Probable (Ankle)
**Please note that players not listed below are not necessarily a complete fade and any player listed can certainly be used as the MVP/Captain. These are merely suggestions for players to use when setting Showdown lineups.
MVP/CPT
Nikola Jokic, C (DEN) – Some slates are a little more glaring than others about a clear-cut superstar option at the top, but Jokic is really going to cost you tonight, so tough decisions must be made. I know he is averaging 65 DK points in his last four games, but opposing centers haven’t had fantasy success against Philadelphia this season and you are paying for every ounce of that upside tonight. With 26.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game, Jokic is at his usual high level of performance, but a $5,100 price difference between him and the next highest priced option creates a huge opportunity cost.
Tobias Harris, PF (PHI) – Philadelphia continues to be shorthanded and they rely heavily on Harris. After returning from his own absence, he went for 32 points and 11 rebounds against the Pacers on Saturday but he followed that up with a rough performance against Utah in which nothing went right for the 76ers. Of all the wing players that will see usage tonight, Harris should see the highest shot total.
Tyrese Maxey, PG (PHI) – If you want to take a shot elsewhere at the top spot, and Maxey does give you a good amount of flexibility, this is my preferred direction. Even if we include the clunker against the Jazz when the 76ers lost by 35 points, Maxey is averaging 40 DK points over his last five games as he is the true backcourt option we can count on in Philadelphia’s backcourt. Maxey has also gotten a boost with Embiid being out of the lineup, and he is averaging 24 points over that stretch although his 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists do keep him from hitting the next level.
Util
Andre Drummond, C (PHI) – Drummond will never be confused for a light out scorer, so for him really to return the value we need tonight, he needs to come close to 20 rebounds. Over his last five games, Drummond is at 10.4 points per game as he is also losing out a little bit offensively following the return of Harris, although he is still averaging 15.8 rebounds.
Shake Milton, PG/SG (PHI) – With Green and Thybulle on the sidelines, Philadelphia will lean on Milton for scoring out of their backcourt. He’ll likely have the shot volume to support getting to 20 points, but he is one-dimensional when it comes to the majority of his DFS production. Of course, we can essentially take those same sentiments and apply it to Seth Curry.
Monte Morris, PG (DEN) – We don’t have to worry about playing time here as Morris starts at point guard for Denver. Morris’ offensive game has come around as of late as he hit double-digits offensively in four of his last five games, but he is also averaging five assists and four rebounds in this stretch. All things considered; Morris might be one of the better priced options on the slate.
Aaron Gordon, PF (DEN) – Gordon has been getting all of the run he can handle with Denver, now if only he could score consistently. Don’t go into this expecting Gordon to put up 23 points like he did a few games ago and instead we can expect something close to his season average of 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. At this point, I’m not sure I see enough here to dissuade me from a stars and scrubs strategy.
Dart Throws
JaMychal Green, PF/C (DEN) – In case there were any doubts about the strategy to target both ends of the pricing tiers, let’s kick things off with Green. Is he going to score 12 points on a nightly basis in his roughly 15 minutes of playing time or grab eight rebounds? Most likely, not. But it is nice to know Green has that potential if we are out here throwing darts as we know he is capable of both. Also, with the Nuggets favored by 7.5 points, it’s possible Green gets a little extra playing time in place of Jokic if Denver pulls away.
Furkan Korkmaz, SG/SG (PHI) – The problem with Philadelphia now is that with all of their absences, their players have gotten priced up to meet their success with enhanced playing time. Korkmaz is on here because he is the cheapest option, and even though he is back to coming off the bench, he still plays a lot and shoots a lot. If Korkmaz gets hot from downtown, it could be a good night.
Jeff Green, SF/PF (DEN) – Green has found himself in the starting lineup with Porter Jr sidelined, and the best thing we can say about him, is the run he is getting on a nightly basis. The good news is that Green is averaging 8.1 points per game and is just off a stretch of three straight games in which he scored double-digits, and he usually can accumulate enough in the other categories to give us a solid performance.
PJ Dozier, SG/SF, (DEN) – Even if Will Barton does return, Dozier has a solid role for Denver off the bench, but if not, he will be the likely beneficiary in volume. There are going to be some off shooting nights, and we have to hope that tonight is not one of those, but the price is right given the role.