Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016, in Denver. The Warriors won 125-101. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 37.61 DK - 40.09
Goran Dragic has been the model of consistency in the month of January. Coming in to Friday nights contest with the Bulls he's been averaging 21.6 points and 5.2 assists per game. Wednesday night against the Nets he dropped 17 going 1 for 3 from beyond and 4-5 from the line finishing the night just 1 rebound and 1 assist shy of a triple double. The price has been on a steady rise, up almost $500 from earlier in the month and if the dragon continues to perform to the level we've been seeing lately, we've got room before we see it cap out. Until then lock him in for safety.
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 37.28 DK - 39.39
Mike Conley is coming in at an absolute bargain right now. His cost is at the lowest point it has been since the beginning of the month and for a player putting in minutes in the mid to upper thirties we have to take advantage of this. He has had a couple of lackluster performances recently contributing to the price decline, but if Memphis hopes to have any chance of keeping up with the Jazz it will be due to Conleys offensive contributions. The match up with Utah isn't ideal but if you're looking for a tournament play with 6X upside potential Mike Conley is your guy.
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 22.81 DK - 24.88
With Emanuel Mudiay sidelined with a sore back, Its been the Jameer Nelson show in Denver. The price has spiked but even at his current cost, he put up a 7.5X value performance against these same Phoenix Suns. Thursday night he went for 13 points, 9 assists, 4 boards, 2 steals and a block in the home half of this home/away split. If you still aren't sold, consider Nelson sees an increase in usage and assists when Nikola Jokic isn't on the court and just think of the possibilities. I plan on having exposure to Nelson everywhere.
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 54.59 DK - 56.8
If you're looking to spend up tonight, there are a couple of really good options to consider, the first being the Greek Freak. Giannis has been struggling from beyond the arc, going 0-7 against Philly on Wednesday night, and as of this writing he hasn't attempted a three in 22 minutes against Toronto. That said, he still has been one of the most consistent big money players this season. Hes managed a double double in four of his last 5 outings, scoring 24 or more points in 3 of those games. The minutes are locked in the mid thirties. Boston is about league average against opposing SG's and as of Friday night, this game is a pick'em with one of the highest scores of the night.
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 35.98 DK - 38.99
Batum bounced back from a disappointing game against the Wizards with a respectable 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists against the Warriors. Prior to that dud against the Wiz, Batum was a very reliable play returning from a knee injury earlier this month, so we don't hold one off night against him. Especially when he draws a lovely match up with the Kings who are just awful at the two. This season Sacramento is allowing 5% more points and blocks, and 3% more boards and dimes against opposing shooting guards. The projection system likes Batum for about 5X value but I wouldn't be shocked if it came closer to 6X when all is said and done. A safe cash game play worth consideration in your tournament lines as well.
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 32.02 DK - 34.41
You have to go all the way back to January second against the Clippers to find the last game in which Devin Booker failed to score at least 20 points. In the 11 games since then he's averaging 27 points per game, with two 39 point performances mixed in. In Thursdays loss to the Nuggets who he meets again tonight he shot 9-17 to go along with 5-6 from the line and a three pointer mixed in with 6 assists and a steal. As bad as I said the Kings are against opposing shooting guards, well, Denver is even worse. The Nuggets are allowing 9% more points, 2% more rebounds and 13% more assists at the position. These are two of the top 5 fastest paced teams so the opportunities should be plentiful making Booker safe for your cash games.
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 35.52 DK - 37.3
Andrew Wiggins spent the better part of this past month as a very boom or bust type of play, but some prime match ups over his last 4 games have helped him to settle in to a nice groove. He's scored at least 20 points in all four of those games, and has been filling out the stat sheets with more peripherals to boost his over all fantasy performance. Tonight he gets the nicest match up of all against the defensively inept Brooklyn Nets. There is some slight blow out concern, but Wiggins has been seeing a very consistent run of 38-39 minutes per game and should provide enough safety for your cash games.
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 49.83 DK - 53.16
The Warriors bounced back from a rough loss against Miami with a win over the Hornets on Wednesday led by KD and his 33 point performance. Durant shot 11-20 FG, 10-10 from the line and a three. It was the fourth time in the last 5 games he managed at least 11 field goals in a game contributing to his averaging nearly 30 points per game in that span, which has boosted his season average to 26.2. Even with the blowout risk, you have to think if this one gets out of hand, it's because KD is crushing it. Durant is my favorite big money play of the night and the best way to spend nearly 20% of your salary.
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 24.57 DK - 25.7
T.J. Warren has had a very rough season, but he flashed some signs of his former self on Thursday against the Nuggets. He ran the boards for 41 minutes and put together a 32 point fantasy performance with 21 points, 8 rebounds and a block. Tonight he meets Denver again, this time on his home court. There is some risk with Warren, who totaled only 16 points total in the three games prior to Thursday night, but if he can even come close to duplicating his last time out then the upside is undeniable. The minutes are trending in the right direction, and if you want to fit ABC and KD in to your line up, I cant think of many better places to look for value at a bargain price.
Consider Wilson Chandler against Phoenix with Nikola Jokic out.
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 36.57 DK - 38.16
Jabari Parker's minutes are about as secure as you'll find in the NBA, and he has been making the most of them in recent contests. In the past 5 games, he has come in below 20 points just once, and he fills out a stat sheet rather nicely. In that span hes averaging 7.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, a block and just under a steal per game. The Celtics come in to the game among the bottom 5 defenses in the league against opposing power forwards, allowing 6% more boards and dimes and 8% more steals at the position. I don't see a ton of upside coming from Parker at these prices, but steady minutes, coupled with his recent successful run of fantasy performance has me liking him just fine for cash games.
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 36.59 DK - 38.93
If you want to get exposure to the Warriors/Clippers game, but don't feel comfortable paying up for Kevin Durant, then might I suggest Draymond Green. Green has had some forgettable performances in his last few games, but this has brought his price back down to earth a bit. I am not a fan of Draymond Green as an $8000+ play, but I do like him in the 7K range. Blake Griffin is still trying to find his old self after returning from a lenghty absence against the Sixers, where he picked up 1 steal while giving up the ball 6 times. Look for Green to take advantage while Griffin continues to try and shake off the rust. I'd feel confident in Dray in all formats in this one.
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 28.04 DK - 29.39
Rostering Dieng can be an adventure, as you're never sure what Dieng is going to show up on a given night. The thing about Dieng, is that on most nights, even if his shot isn't falling he still finds other ways to pay value. Thursday night against the Pacers, for example, he only managed to muster 8 points, but he managed 9 rebounds, an assist, and a pair of blocks and steals to still manage nearly 5X value. The reason we want Dieng in our lineups tonight is of course our favorite DFS punching bag, the Nets. Brooklyn's giving up 6% more points, 5% more rebounds and a staggering 22% more steals and 38% more blocks than league average to opposing fours. With a match up like this, at his price point, I think Dieng's floor is 30 with a potential ceiling of 40. A cash must and definitely worth considering for your tournaments as well.
Strongly consider Kenneth Faried, who stands to see big minutes with Nikola Jokic out.
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 22.77 DK - 24.33
Jusuf Nurkic has been the subject of trade rumors in recent days, but now with Nikola Jokic out tonight and most likely Tuesday as well, look for Denver to start Jusuf at center until Jokic is cleared to return. Nurkic did not play the first part of this home/away match up with Phoenix, and has not seen a whole lot of run even coming off the bench, playing over 10 minutes only twice in his last 6 games played. To get a clear idea of what Nurkic brings to the game, we can look back to the first week of the month when Kenneth Fraied missed a few games and Nurkic was seeing about 20 minutes a game. During that stretch he averaged 10 points, 6 rebounds, and nearly 2 assists per game. With Jokic out, I expect to see a boost in opportunity for several of the Nuggets, but no one should benefit as much as Nurkic, and at his value price the upside is undeniable.
Opponent - MIA
Proj Pts FD - 38.99 DK - 40.76
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 27.53 DK - 28.52
Hassan Whiteside is questionable for tonight's game between the Heat and Pistons and from what I can gather it's not looking good. If he does in fact miss, look for both of these guys to benefit greatly from that situation. In the five games Whiteside has missed this year Willie Reed has averaged 14.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1.4 assists per game. He saw 37 minutes of run last night against the Bulls, and put up a near 7X performance. The Pistons however can be a tough match up for opposing centers, and if Andre Drummond has to go head to head with Reed as opposed to Whiteside, that just increases his own chances of hitting value. The Pistons haven't played since Monday against the Kings when Drummond put up his fifth double double in the last 8 games. Both Reed and Drummond are excellent plays tonight, and while Reed's price/opportunity mismatch presents him with the chance for more upside, depending how the rest of your lineup shakes out, and how much salary you have to spend at the position, either of these players are excellent options across all formats.
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View Comments
Was told to stay away from mem vs Portland by my guru d.nourie and it bit us in the butt!!!😞😞😞
Stay away from your Guru , lol
Should have just went with my instincts and stacked Denver-Phoenix. Only problem is because of idiot Mike Malone, it's impossible to pick the right Nuggets.