Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) drives around Utah Jazz guard Raul Neto, left, in the first quarter during an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Monday's slate was completely nuts. There were so many superstar players sitting and so many back-to-backs that it caused chaos for DFS. The good news is that we had a pretty good night at DFSR and are looking to build off of that momentum here. We have more injury news to build off, and it'll be fun to see how this one plays out. Let's go ahead and get into it!
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Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 52.6 DK - 55.62
It's strange that Lillard has seen such a drastic price drop. We know that C.J. McCollum is back and taking away touches, but Dame was outperforming this price tag last year when C.J. was in the lineup anyway. His recent form is impossible to overlook, though, scoring at least 40 DraftKings points in 15 of his last 17 games, posting a 53-point average in those 15 outings. The main reason we love him today is this matchup, though, with Brooklyn ranked 26th in points allowed and 25th in defensive efficiency. Facing a team like this always lights up Lillard's eyes, too, and that's a scary sign for the Nets.
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 34.97 DK - 36.77
With Stephen Curry out, Poole has established himself as one of the go-to players in this offense. Amazingly, Poole has scored at least 34 fantasy points in the last three games that Curry has missed, taking 17.3 shots a night. Anyone sitting around 6K attempting 17-plus shots is always in play, particularly when it's a guy who's shooting at a 54 percent clip in that span too. We have to believe this huge role will only rise as long as Curry remains out, and we love that he faces a Philadelphia defense that owns a 25th OPRK against opposing shooting guards this season as well.
Ben Simmons should be asked to do more with Joel Embiid out, and that's great news against one of the fastest-paced teams in the NBA.
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 51.66 DK - 55.55
Lock of the day is a strong and overused term in this industry, but there might be no better bet for 60-plus fantasy points all year. It would be one thing if it were just Kevin Durant out of the lineup, but Kyrie Irving was ruled out on Monday as well. That leaves Harden to feast in this offense, which is scary since he has a 59-point average over his last 16 games played anyway. All of that would make him the best option on the board, but this happens to be one of the best matchups in basketball too. In fact, Portland ranks 29th in defensive efficiency while surrendering the most fantasy points in the NBA to opposing point guards. Saying Harden could have a 50-point triple-double might sound crazy, but it's not out of the realm of possibility with so much in his favor.
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 35.13 DK - 35.63
Wiggins has been the biggest beneficiary of Curry's injury, taking over this Warriors offense in his absence. In the last two games without Chef Curry, Wig is averaging over 51 fantasy points per game. The simple fact is, Wiggins is the best offensive player on this team when Curry is out, and he needs to play 35-40 minutes and take at least 20 shots for this team to reach the 100-120 points they need. Wiggins leads the team with a 29 percent usage rate with him off the floor, and that honestly looks like the floor when you look at the last few games. Facing Philly isn't as tough as it sounds either because they'll be missing their defensive stallworth in Embiid.
If Lonzo Ball is out, don't forget about Eric Bledsoe and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 33.8 DK - 35.36
This sounds crazy to say, but Barrett is impossible to fade because Tom Thibideau is his coach. This guy is notorious for running his players into the ground, and he's treating Barrett like a shovel. The 20-year-old should be able to handle it, though, playing at least 39 minutes in each of his last three games. That has led to him scoring at least 30 DraftKings points in nine of his last 10 games, generating a 34-point average in that span. That's really all you can ask for from a sub-$7K player, and we haven't even discussed the best part of this play. That happens to be the matchup, with Washington ranked 27th in defensive efficiency while playing at the fastest pace in the NBA.
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 36.26 DK - 36.62
MPJ was really bad in his return to action, but he's been astounding over the last month. That's evident when you see that Porter has at least 31 DK points in 11 of his last 12 games, averaging 19.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in that span. It's scary to think how good he could be if he added some assists or defensive numbers to those double-double averages, and he's definitely capable of doing that when you see his 34-minute average in that span. The matchup against Orlando isn't too shabby either, with the Magic owning a 24th OPRK against opposing SFs this year. Don't forget about Will Barton, who has also been much better in this Nuggets surge.
Joe Harris could take on more shots and usage in the absence of Kyrie.
Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 47.76 DK - 48.07
We mentioned Simmons earlier because of the Joel Embiid injury, but Harris is the go-to guy with him sidelined. Toby has a 28 percent usage rate with Joel off the floor this season, averaging 1.2 DK points per minute. That rate has been even better since Embiid's most recent injury, with Harris averaging 48 DraftKings points per game across his last five fixtures. That's no surprise when you see that he's taking about 20 shots in that span while playing over 35 minutes a game, especially with Harris flirting with 50-40-90 shooting averages. The icing on the cake is this matchup, though, with Golden State playing at the second-fastest pace in the NBA while sitting 21st in points allowed.
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 28.31 DK - 27.4
This disrespect for Roco is insulting. This guy has been a beast for about a month now, and he remains $1,000 too cheap on both sites. Over his last 17 games played, Roco is averaging over 31 DK points per night. That's scary since he's been struggling with his shot, and it's crazy to think how special of a line this guy could have if he knocks down a handful of threes. What really makes him enticing here is the matchup, though, with Brooklyn owning the subpar defense that we mentioned in the Lillard write-up. More importantly, Roco will likely play 40-plus minutes and pick up a handful of steals/blocks opposing a guy like Harden.
Julius Randle has been crushing recently and should continue bulldozing through a horrible Wizards defense.
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 40.87 DK - 40.17
Honestly, the Lakers might be one of the worst teams in the west as long as Anthony Davis and LeBron James remain out. That really doesn't matter for DFS, though, because someone needs to get some buckets. It seems like Harrell will be the guy, leading the club with a 29 percent usage rate with those guys off the floor. He's also providing more than 1.3 DK points per minute in that instance, too, which is amazing considering that his minutes will likely climb with his offense desperately being needed. He's shown just that in the last two games, recording 23-point double-doubles in both of them. The matchup with New Orleans is a nice cherry on top, with the Pelicans sitting 28th in defensive efficiency. If you hear that Harrell gets a rare start, he's a lock with Harden.
Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 30.41 DK - 31.55
This is really strange, but Howard is fantasy-relevant again with Embiid out of the lineup. While he hasn't been starting, Dwight has been the more effective guy at center. He's actually grabbed at least eight rebounds in seven-straight games, averaging 29.2 DraftKings points per game in that span. That's a tremendous number from a guy who's playing fewer than 25 minutes a night, and it'd be amazing to see what sort of line he could post across 30 minutes of play. We already talked about Golden State's fast pace, and they also have one of the worst center rotations in the NBA. Look for Superman to feast on the boards once again and grab one for about every two minutes he's out there.
If you have the salary, Nikola Jokic is obviously a good play behind his 60-point average.
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