What is going on FANation! The NBA is absolute wild right now with the Covid-19 situation forcing top tier players out of the lineups and therefore putting a ton of value plays on the board for tonight's slate. Usually we break this down by platform whether it be DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo but because there is so much overlap with today's plays I am just going to break down my favorites for tonight!
Kemba Walker, PG NYK - Is Walker a bottom dollar play tonight? No, he sits in the mid-range with his price point however, he is in the starting lineup with Derrick Rose being out and we just saw Walker go off for 40 FP in 37 minutes against the Celtics the other night when he was forced into action. He has a great matchup tonight against the Pistons and should be a staple for lineups.
Isaiah Thomas, PG LAL - Just want to shout out my man IT here. He started the other night and went 5-for-11 shooting. He is 10-for-23 from the floor and 5-for-13 from three-point range this season. He is a DK only play tonight.
Jaylen Nowell, PG MIN - I talked about him on the podcast last night so of course he will make today's sheet! Nowell is already in the T'Wolves rotation and that rotation is now missing Patrick Beverley to go along with Anthony Edwards. I think there is a real shot at 25 minutes tonight and we have seen Nowell be a point per minute player at times during his career.
Trey Burke, PG DAL - With Luka Doncic and Tm Hardaway Jr. both out tonight along with the potential for Kristaps Porzingis to also be out of the lineup I can see a path to big minutes for Burke tonight. He is already in the rotation and in two of the last three games he saw over 20 minutes of play. In those two games he went for 37 an 22 fantasy points.
Malik Beasley, SG MIN - Noted above in the Nowell analysis, the T'Wolves are shorthanded tonight. Beasley has played over 30 minutes in back to back games and should see another 30+ minutes tonight. He is $5,300 on FD and just $4,800 on DK.
Max Strus, SG MIA - So, Tyler Herro is going to play today so that likely takes some of the shine off Strus but with Caleb Martin, Jimmy Butler and P.J. Tucker out of the lineup tonight I don't see him being completely moved out of the rotation after his performances these past two games. Is his ceiling in play? Probably not, but the man is on fire right now and someone I am willing to take a dart throw on.
Evan Fournier, SF NYK - Like Walker, Fournier is forced into big minutes given the lack of depth for the Knicks right now. We saw him play 43 minutes against the Celtics and go off for 49 fantasy points. Great matchup again here against a bad defensive Pistons team.
Sterling Brown, SF DAL - No Luka, no THJ, no Bullock and maybe no Porzingis tonight for Dallas. Brown played 20 minutes against the T'Wolves the other night. We've all been through the ringer with Brown before, he has nights where he pops off and nights where he does nothing. Dallas is so depleted tonight that they just may need something from Brown and he is CHEAP.
Jaden McDaniels, PF MIN - Another T'Wolves player that should be in for big role tonight. McDaniels played 31 minutes the other night and now Minnesota is without Jarred Vanderbilt due to Covid-19. I look for another 30+ minutes here from McDaniels as long as he stays out of foul trouble. IF he you want to play the foul trouble theory then Naz Reid is likely your man here.
KZ Okpala, PF MIA- Nobody would be more excited than Justin Fensterman is Okpala got the start in place of P.J. Tucker tonight. In two games this month we saw extended minutes for Okpala where he played 32 and 28 minutes in consecutive games and in that stretch he went for 30 and 18 fantasy points. The spot is there tonight for him to grab a big share on the floor.
Omer Yurtseven, C MIA - This is a James Grande special. Right now it looks like Yurtseven is just in the rotation regardless and if he is going to see close to 20 minutes then he has to be in consideration given his fantasy point per minute output.