The Rockets are heavy underdogs as they travel to Los Angeles to take on the undermanned Clippers. Will the Rockets’ bottom-tier defense continue to hand out fantasy points to opponents like it’s Halloween Candy? Here are the NBA DFS top plays we can invest in for our lineups on FanDuel and DraftKings!

 

 

 

NBA DFS Showdown Playbook

Houston Injuries:

 

Los Angeles Injuries:

 

MVP/Captain

Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers (SG)

The MVP question tonight in Showdown lineups is not whether you will have Paul George, but rather how much George is too much. He is far and away the most talented player in this game, there is no Kawhi Leonard to take away touches, and this is probably the best game environment he will have all year. The Rockets are 27th in defensive rating, fifth in pace, below average in rebounding, and allow more fantasy points to the shooting guard position than any other team. George has been pretty terrible his last two games, but shooting is to blame and I will be absolutely shocked if he shoots 26% from the field again as he did on Sunday.

 

Kevin Porter Jr., Houston Rockets (PG)

What I love about playing Kevin Porter in DFS is you pretty much know exactly what you are going to get for the salary. Porter has played 34-35 minutes in every game this season and has been between 34-50 fantasy points each game but one. On the season, he is averaging more than 40 fantasy points a night and comes into this matchup several thousand dollars less than Paul George in the MVP spot. The Clippers have played most positions tough this year, but not point guard. They allow the fourth-most fantasy points to that position in this early season. 

 

Ivica Zubac, Los Angeles Clippers (C)

I toyed with the idea of putting Jalen Green in this spot, who is truly on the verge of becoming one of the league’s next superstars. But once I saw what the Rockets are allowing centers to do every game, it became clear Zubac just might be worth his MVP salary of almost $4,000 less than George. In to allowing almost 20 points and 14 rebounds per game, plus a league-leading 3.6 blocks per contest to centers, they simply can not stop their opponents from scoring. The Rockets are the worst team in the league in opponents’ field goals they have defended (49.7%) and all field goals (47.3%). They also are the worst team at defending the paint, allowing opponents to make 65% of their shots within six feet, the worst mark in the league. 

 

 

 

Utility

Jalen Green, Houston Rockets (SG)

Jalen Green can go off at a moment’s notice, but he has been much more inconsistent than the selections for the MVP spot above. We have seen above 45 fantasy points this year but is averaging only about 31 per game as the Rockets look to keep his minutes in the low-30s. I do love that the Clippers are allowing 24 points per game to the position, including 4.14 three-pointers per game. Green has been shooting between 7-10 threes every night, so this is a game he could well outproduce his season average. 

 

Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets (C)

Ever since Sengun was inserted in the startling lineup two games ago after Bruno Fernando’s injury, Sengun has really taken off. In those contests, he averages 15 points, 10 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks in just 27 minutes per night. At just $6,800 tonight on DraftKings, that salary is too low for what his baseline is as a starting center. 

 

Reggie Jackson, Los Angeles Clippers (PG)

Once again, the formula is: bad defense + fast pace + high team total = fantasy output for key Los Angeles positions. One of those positions is point guard, to whom the Rockets have allowed 61.68 fantasy points per game, the most in the NBA. In his past five games, Jackson has been between 21 and 29 fantasy points five times, and he should get a lot of extra minutes with John Wall officially out in this game.

 

Dart Throws

Tari Eason, Houston Rockets (PF)

Eason has also been seeing the benefit of Bruno Fernando missing time with an injury for this Rockets’ frontcourt. He has now played over 15 minutes in every game save one this year and has also been above 15 fantasy points in every game except a fluke game in Portland. As expected, he has been productive in points and on the glass, but he has also proved to have a knack for the ball on defense. His seven steals in the last five games have added a boost to his seven points and five rebounds per game. 

 

Luke Kennard, Los Angeles Clippers (SG/SF)

Just like we saw with the area in the paint with Zubac, the Rockets also have trouble defending three-pointers this season, which is a huge upgrade to Kennard and his three-point accuracy tonight. The Rockets rank 20th this season, allowing opponents to hit 36.5% of their three-pointers this year plus the Rockets are top-ten in the number of threes that teams make. Kennard is playing between 18 and 28 minutes per night regardless of the outcome of the game, and he makes for some very affordable firepower in this up-tempo game tonight. 

 

 

 

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Dominate your NBA DFS Showdown contests today using our Player Projections that you can use specifically for Showdown!