Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons (25), from Australia, drives against Cleveland Cavaliers' Dwyane Wade (9) in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
After a crazy 11-game slate on Monday, we're down to just four games here. While the Clippers-Magic game is likely to be lopsided, we anticipate the other three games staying close. What's also fascinating about this slate is that we have numerous teams who participated at the trade deadline. That should make things interesting, and it'll definitely play a huge factor in this article. With that in mind, let's get into it!
Head on over for your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our NBA FanDuel and DraftKings optimizer, our MLB Optimizer, and NHL Projections as well. Plus, our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below.
First time with NBA or NFL? Be sure to read our free NBA and NFL Ebooks on building lineups, general strategy, and more. We've got you completely covered.
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 44.18 DK - 43.91
It seems really weird that Simmons price has dropped below $8K on FanDuel. This guy has been nothing but productive since Joel Embiid went down, playing some of the best basketball of his career. In fact, B-Sim is averaging 39 DraftKings points per game across his last 15 outings. That tremendous production is no surprise when you see that Sim has a 25 percent usage rate with Embiid off the floor while averaging over 1.2 DK points per minute. He's been doing that damage despite many of those games being blowouts, and a close game with the Nuggets should force him into 35-40 minutes. It happens to be a quality matchup, too, with Denver ranked 21st in defensive efficiency.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 40.23 DK - 41.79
Scary Terry has been giving opponents nightmares all season long, and it's crazy to think how good he can be with LaMelo Ball out for the foreseeable future. The breakout guard is posting a career-best 35 DK points per game for the season and lead the starters with a 25 percent usage rate with Ball off the floor. That boost in usage has allowed Rozier to score at least 36 DK points in each of his last four fixtures, averaging 43 fantasy points per game in that span. That lofty average is actually below our projection, and it's easy to see why when looking at this matchup. Washington currently ranks 27th in defensive efficiency while playing at the fastest pace in the NBA.
Russell Westbrook is the most expensive player on the slate but providing 35 points, 14 rebounds, and 21 assists on Monday shows just why.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 26.34 DK - 28.09
Rozier has seen a usage bump with Ball off the floor, but Graham is the biggest beneficiary. That's clear when you see that Devonte has recaptured starting shooting guards duties in Ball's absence, which was a role in which he averaged 32 DK points per game last season. That's pretty much the player we've seen since LaMelo's injury, scoring at least 30 DraftKings points in each of his last three fixtures. That's the breakout guy we saw last year, and we obviously love the matchup against a terrible Wizards defense. Not to mention, they surrender the second-most fantasy points to opposing SGs this season.
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 23.3 DK - 23.51
It's strange that Mann has become a fantasy-relevant player at this point in the season, but here we are! What's allowed him to succeed are the absences, with Lou Williams being shipped off to Atlanta and Patrick Beverley being sidelined due to an injury. That has led to Mann's biggest role of his career, playing at least 29 minutes in four of his last five games. It's not like they're empty minutes either, with Mann scoring at least 29 fantasy points in each of those. That's a stupendous total from a sub-$5K player, and he might play even more here with Los Angeles in the second half of a back-to-back and them entering this game as a massive favorite.
If Paul George suits up, he's a great pick around $8K.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 38.71 DK - 39.66
Let's finish off our Hornets stack with the guy with the biggest stinger. That happens to be Hayward, leading this team with 36.2 DK points per game. A lot of that damage was done with Ball swallowing up a lot of usage, and it's scary to think how good Hayward can be without him. He's shown some of those flashes recently, scoring 28 fantasy points in three of the four games Ball has missed while generating a 47-point gem in the first game without him. The icing on the cake is this matchup, though, with Washington surrendering the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards. In their one meeting earlier this year, Gordo dropped 40 DK points, despite playing 30 minutes. He's played 37 minutes in three of his last four, so imagine what that line could look like here!
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 31.6 DK - 32.25
Rui has been slightly disappointing for fantasy managers over recent years, but he's flashing some serious moments of brilliance recently. Rui is providing over 32 fantasy points per game over his last nine games in 38 minutes a night. That 38-minute role is one of the largest in the NBA, and that alone makes him hard to fade in this $6K range. The fact that Bradley Beal is nicked up and that Russell Westbrook may sit in the second half of a back-to-back only adds to Hachi's intrigue, with many of his big games coming when one of those guys is out. The matchup against Charlotte isn't too shabby either, with the Hornets owning a 28th OPRK against opposing SFs this year.
Mikal Bridges remains below $6K on both sites and killed that price tag in his most recent outing.
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 40.82 DK - 41.15
If you think Simmons has stepped up his game in the absence of Embiid, wait until you see what Harris has been doing. He actually leads the club in usage with Joel off the floor, generating a 28 percent usage rate. That monster workload has led to him providing 1.3 DK points per minute in those stretches, which is one of the best rates around. That expanded role has allowed Toby to score at least 33 DraftKings points in eight-straight outings while averaging nearly 46 fantasy points per game in that span. We already mentioned that the matchup is solid in the Simmons write-up, and the same goes for Harris!
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 24.43 DK - 23.55
It's unclear exactly who the go-to guy in Orlando will be, but it needs to be someone! They sent off Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier at the trade deadline, leaving the rest of this roster to feast. That's about 75 percent of the team's stats on the season, and the first two games without those guys would indicate that Birch will be one of the go-to players. In fact, Khem played 63 combined minutes in those two games while picking up 67 combined fantasy points. While a lot of that came in one game, we have to love that he's starting and playing that large amount of minutes. The center position happens to be one of the only weaknesses on this Clippers roster, and as long as Birch plays 25-30 minutes, he'll reach value at just $5K.
P.J. Washington has been excellent recently and should exploit a bad Wizards defense.
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 56.28 DK - 58.61
Using Jokic in DFS right now is like a Grand Theft Auto cheat code. He just always gets you where you need to be! That happens to be in the money on these DFS sites, and he's been the most profitable player in fantasy this year. We say that because he leads the NBA with 60 DraftKings points per game, scoring at least 41 fantasy points in all but one game this season. To put that into perspective, there are only seven players on this slate with a higher average than that, let alone their floor. Philly appears to be a tough matchup, but Joker had 44 DraftKings points in just 29 minutes of play in their one meeting earlier this season. He was limited because of the blowout nature of that game, and it's terrifying for Philly that he might play 35-40 minutes here.
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 31.56 DK - 33.09
Ayton has been very frustrating this season, but he appears to be in one of his good spells right now. The big man has scored at least 33 fantasy points in each of his last five games, posting an average just shy of 40 DK points per game in that stretch. That's the guy we've been waiting to see, and it makes him a heck of a value on DraftKings at just $6,400. The matchup against Atlanta isn't too bad either, with the Hawks ranked 22nd in defensive efficiency this season. They also send out Clint Capela for big minutes, and that should force Deandre into a bigger role than usual.
Alex Len is hovering around $4K on both sites and could be a decent GPP option.
image sources
Week 12 DraftKings and FanDuel cash game NFL plays.
DraftKings and FanDuel Week 11 cash game NFL plays
Week 10 NFL cash game picks for DraftKings and FanDuel
Daily Fantasy DraftKings and FanDuel NBA Picks & Projections Playing NBA DFS Nightly? Join one…
Week 9 NFL DFS plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Packed slate of NBA action on FanDuel and DraftKings