Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) dribbles the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
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Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 49.08 DK - 51.79
Lillard was a chalk option on Saturday night, and his price hasn't totally accounted for McCollum's shots falling out of the lineup. You're talking about putting 20 shots back into the ecosystem, and given the Trail Blazers' relative lack of scorers, Lillard rates to be the prime beneficiary. We all saw what Lillard did without McCollum last season, and we expect him to pick up that mantle against the Thunder tonight.
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 28.82 DK - 30.02
With Richardson, Kleber, and Finney-Smith out due to health and safety protocols, Brunson has been in line for 30+ minute rotations. He had topped 27 FanDuel points in back to back games before the Mavs were blown out by the Rockets, and the 18 he scored against Houston is something like his floor. He's obviously not a play if he drops out of the starting lineup, but we're happy to keep riding the wave in the meantime.
Also considered: Eric Bledsoe.
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 42.52 DK - 44.1
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 28.34 DK - 29.28
Powell and VanVleet were both chalk options on a small slate yesterday thanks to Kyle Lowry missing his second straight game with a foot issue. Powell was phenomenal, playing 36 minutes and topping 30 fantasy points for the second straight game. VanVleet was solid as well, topping 40 fantasy points thanks to his increased time of possession. It's the second game of a two-game series with the Pacers, so counting on these two for similar production here seems perfectly reasonable. Both guys get a little worse if Siakam returns, though there is no note on his status as of this writing.
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 30.39 DK - 32.18
Shooting guard gets pretty tough if the Toronto guys come off the board, but I actually think Hardaway is a solid play here. Hardaway's true rotation is something like 35 minutes right now, and when he was playing those minutes earlier this season he was good for 30+ fantasy points a game. The Nuggets are not the defensive stalwart they've been in the past, ranking in the bottom 6 in defensive efficiency this year. I think Hardaway has a higher floor than his recent game log suggests.
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 27.4 DK - 27.67
We'll play as many Trail Blazers as we can with McCollum's 20 shots per game up for grabs, and Melo is certainly no exception. At just a $4,100 price tag, Melo could honestly be good for 7x points per game on this on average while McCollum is gone. Look for his price to rise 20% in short order, as this is a clear price and opportunity mismatch.
Opponent - MIA
Proj Pts FD - 27.31 DK - 29.13
Harris was terrific when these two teams met on Friday, shooting 7-12 from three and chipping in a few other stats besides. This is going to be the norm for Harris going forward. He's one of the best pure shooters in history, and he plays alongside three guys that each demand a double team. You doing the math? Harris could shoot double-digit threes on average for the rest of the season, and while the DraftKings price is looking fair the FD price is still lagging dramatically.
Keep an eye on Pascal Siakam's status. If he winds up sitting, OG Anunoby is probably a mandatory cash game play after what he did to the Pacers on Sunday. Anunoby is probably playable even if just one of Lowry or Siakam sits.
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 51.52 DK - 53.44
Adebayo ate the Nets interior for lunch on Friday, shooting a ridiculous 14 for 20 from the floor. Bam looked incredulous at the Nets' attempt to cover him with a combination of Jeff Green and DeAndre Jordan, and Bam's 41 point night only continues a troubling trend for the new-look Nets. Brooklyn has allowed 15% more points and rebounds than league average to opposing bigs, and our system sees that trend continuing tonight.
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 24.33 DK - 24.52
With Horford taking prolonged paternity leave, Roby has filled in admirably, providing 26.3 FanDuel points per game over his last 5 games. Roby was excellent yesterday, posting the clean 10/10 double-double against the Clippers. With Nurkic out, the Trail Blazers become one of the softer interiors in basketball, and Roby should be a high floor cash game option once again.
Also considered: Chris Boucher, if Siakam is out again.
Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 28.69 DK - 27.99
Reid has been getting extra run with Towns out of the picture and has been a force in terms of fantasy points per minute. You can look to his two Atlanta games to see his 20 point floor and his 40 point ceiling, and going up against the unpolished Wiseman and the fast-paced Golden State offense should be a good recipe for a solid cash game play.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 58.87 DK - 60.3
Embiid absolutely obliterated Plumlee for 33 and 14 on the front end of this two-game series, and I see no reason why he can't do the same here. He led the team with 35 minutes against the long Pistons, and should be in line for plenty of run and production here as well. Embiid is dealing with a back issue, and might wind up missing this game. If he does, Dwight Howard immediately vaults into cash game consideration.
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