Chicago Bulls' Jimmy Butler (21) waits for a play to develop as he is guarded by New York Knicks' Arron Afflalo, right, during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015, in New York. New York defeated Chicago 107-91. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
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Opponent - LAL
FD Proj. Pts - 48.34 DK Proj. Pts - 52.74
What can you say about Steph that hasn’t already been said? The MVP has upped his game this year, and with Draymond Green out, he’s likely to be asked to shoulder even more of the load. Even at his stratospheric price, this is one of the better bargains on the board. Outside of Rajon Rondo (also worth a look), he’s the only true top-end option at PG. One word of caution: Lakers. Even with Green out, some blowout risk is here. Still, I’d advise you to pay up (literally) – it’ll be worth the investment.
Opponent - CHI
FD Proj. Pts - 30.5 DK Proj. Pts - 31.35
Since coming over from the Pels, Ishmael has been Captain of the ship. He jacked up (and missed) a lot of shots last time out, but was sizzling from the floor the prior three games. The Bulls are barely above-average against PGs, so the main concern here is minutes (leave it to the Sixers to NOT give as much run as possible to one of their more productive players). His price keeps climbing but he’s still likely to hit value (or more). Note that he’s slightly cheaper on FD (which has higher average prices), where he’s one of the best values at the position.
Opponent - DET
FD Proj. Pts - 25.95 DK Proj. Pts - 27.14
With Mike Conley still on the mend, Mario Chalmers has been outstanding. While Detroit is decent defending PGs, the value is there, even as his price rises (a particularly sharp increase on DK). If he continues starting, the opportunity is hard to pass up. Again, be sure to stay up-to-date on Conley’s status.
Opponent - PHI
FD Proj. Pts - 37.5 DK Proj. Pts - 38.98
If you’re looking to spend up at this position, Jimmy G(ets) Buckets is your best option on Thursday’s small slate. He’s been performing consistently above-value the last couple of weeks, with a 5x floor and a lot of upside. While he tweaked his ankle Tuesday night, he said he’ll play through it, though the same may not be true for his running mate D-Rose, who’s Questionable with a sore knee that saw him leave the last game. If Rose is out, you know he’ll get a ton of looks (doesn’t he always?). Plus, it’s the Sixers (and their 6th-highest Pace).
Opponent - DET
FD Proj. Pts - 23.18 DK Proj. Pts - 23.7
Allen’s been on fire lately, hitting at least 6x value the last three games. Even with Courtney Lee back in the lineup for the Grizz, he played starters minutes, and I expect that to continue. The Pistons are merely average defending SGs (a little better against SF where he’s listed on DK). Love him on FD where he’s still way underpriced, but even on DK I think his floor and ceiling are pretty high right now. Look for “Trick or Treat” to come up with the latter.
Opponent - DET
FD Proj. Pts - 19.75 DK Proj. Pts – 21
Speaking of Lee, he returned Tuesday from a sore hip, and slid right back into his usual role. He put up 16/3/1 and added a steal – which is what his he’s priced as right now. Memphis is still shorthanded in the backcourt, and if Mike Conley continues riding the pine, the price should be right. Be sure to check back on Conley’s status before lineups lock (or consider Late Games only contests).
Opponent - PHI
FD Proj. Pts - 30.22 DK Proj. Pts - 32.79
Mirotic continues to produce for the Bulls, and his reasonable prices have been paying off handsomely for DFS players. Even when he doesn’t get a lot of touches (not much lately), his across-the-board contributions keep his floor firm. Philly is awful against SFs (6th-worst positional defense) and even worse – like, league-worst – against PFs (where he’s listed on DK). Even as his price creeps up, the value is there.
Opponent - MEM
FD Proj. Pts - 25.17 DK Proj. Pts - 27.35
Back from a one-game absence, the exiled Morris Twin reentered the lineup Tuesday. While he’s been cold from the floor lately, the numbers show a possible big night coming up. Memphis is below-average defending SFs and could provide the perfect opportunity for Marcus to return to his early-season form. His low cost and upside make him particularly suited for GPP play.
Opponent - SAC
FD Proj. Pts - 34.16 DK Proj. Pts - 36.28
Hayward has a nice matchup against the Kings on Thursday. They play at the highest Pace in the league, and don’t defend particularly well against the SF position. If he can keep his TOs under control, the upside is really there (especially on DK). With just six games tipping off, he’s a nice option in the higher price range.
Opponent - PHI
FD Proj. Pts - 25.89 DK Proj. Pts - 26.33
It stands to reason that with Pau already ruled out for this game, Gibson will be one of the big men seeing some of those leftover minutes. Gasol is averaging more than 30 minutes a game and those need to go somewhere. If Gibson ran in the mid-30's I wouldn't be shocked. And that would be more than enough to pay off his prices. This one is a no-brainer and I suspect at his salaries he will be one of the highest-owned players on the slate at any position. He's basically a must on FanDuel.
Opponent - DET
FD Proj. Pts - 30.89 DK Proj. Pts - 31.51
It's never easy playing a guy who doesn't start, but Z-Bo is one of those guys you might just have to roll with on this slate. He is playing big minutes even as the sixth man and the Grizz are happy to play him in crunch time as long as the matchups are right. He got a bit skunked the other night against Houston, though the run was there. The bigger issue is there are very few safer options on this slate. Aldridge is in a bad matchup against Cleveland, and vice versa with Love. You are somewhat stuck with a guy like Randolph on FD where you need to start two PFs.
Strongly consider Bobby Portis if you think he picks up some of those spare big man minutes.
Opponent - PHI
FD Proj. Pts - 27.92 DK Proj. Pts - 28.44
I'm not even going to write another center up. There's no point. Noah is the going-away best play at center tonight and it's not even close. Even if he wasn't drawing the start (which it looks like he will), I'd play him at these prices because he's a near lock to get minutes in the mid 20's. It's not for certain of course, but against a Sixer team that's been shredded by opposing centers, Noah only really needs to get out there for a little bit to conceivably pay off. He chips in everywhere on the stat line and will likely be the highest-owned player on the slate.
Consider Roy Hibbert but not really
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