Los Angeles Lakers' Russell Westbrook runs up the court during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas. Los Angeles won 125-121 in overtime. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
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Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 52.38 DK - 57.19
The price is still too low on FanDuel considering the opportunity, though it’s much closer on DraftKings. The last two Lakers’ games went into overtime which threw off his minutes just a bit, but he’s playing around 37 in regulation and has taken 37 combined shots over the last two games. He’s averaging 21 points, 12 assists, and 14 rebounds in that stretch with the big (big) negative being the 15 total turnovers in that stretch. I still think the floor is high enough for Westbrook at these prices and gets a good matchup against the Timberwolves here. They rank in the bottom third defensively with a top-10 pace. It’s a good spot for Westbrook even with the turnovers.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 33.09 DK - 36.13
Rubio didn’t get the start for the Cavaliers' last game, which was a bit of a surprise considering Collin Sexton was on the shelf. They went with Okoro at the two and moved Garland into full-time point guard duties. That being said, Rubio still managed 28 minutes off the bench and put up 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists. I think we see a slight bump in minutes here for this game against Detroit considering the Cavs have just been better with him on the court. Keep an eye out too if they decide to switch the starting lineup up as well.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 37.78 DK - 41.81
With Collin Sexton out last game, Garland took over more of the point guard duties in the starting lineup and Ricky Rubio ended up coming off the bench. Garland took a team-high 16 shots for the Cavaliers and ended up scoring 19 points despite going just 3-10 from beyond the arc. Cleveland isn’t a robust offense, but this is too good of an opportunity for Garland with Sexton injured and out of the lineup. Though the price has come up some I think we are still getting a value on him here against the Pistons.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 42.09 DK - 45.22
McCollum isn’t the sexiest pick around, but shooting guard also isn’t the deepest position on this slate, especially on DraftKings. His hot shooting to start the season has cooled off some and the last three games have been a particular struggle, going 2-19 combined from three. But those kinds of runs can come and ago, especially for a volume shooter. We have seen time and time again that running cold from the field just doesn’t last. And it is easier to break out of a slump when playing a bad team. That’s the case with the Rockets who are a bottom-third defense playing the second-fastest pace in the league. It’s a great chance for McCollum to bounce back here.
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 62.52 DK - 65.74
With Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez out with injury, the Bucks have needed a lot from Giannis to start the season. He’s played 36 or more minutes in each of the last three games which has to be more than the Bucks really want to do with their superstar. That being the case, it’s still very safe to play Giannis even at these crazy prices because his fantasy scoring floor just completely dwarfs almost anyone else in the NBA at this point. He and Nikola Jokic sit in a class all by themselves in terms of FanDuel and DraftKings scoring, ranking nearly 10% higher than the next-closest players in each category. It can feel nuts to pay these kinds of prices for a guy, but he is worth it.
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 35.86 DK - 38.23
Barton has been awesome over the last four games, two of them without Michael Porter Jr. and one without Nikola Jokic. In that stretch, he’s averaging more than 18 shots per game and put up 24 points per thanks in part to lights-out shooting from beyond the arc. Even with a little run-hot shooting from the field, the usage is such an encouraging sign for Barton. The price has come up some in the short-term for good reason, but I do think he’s a high-floor play in this game.
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 28.76 DK - 30.82
It does stand to reason that with Michael Porter Jr. out of the lineup that there would be more opportunity for Aaron Gordon in the Nuggets’ offense. He’s taken double-digit shots over the last two games (one without Jokic) which does represent a bit of an uptick, though he’s been inefficient going 6-22 from the field and 0-5 from three. There is room for growth there, but I don’t think he’s going to turn into a 15+ shot-a-game guy. That being said, he doesn’t need to at these prices and he’s seen a definitive bump in rebounding over the last two with 16 total boards. I think he’s still a value even if the scoring isn’t going to break it out of the box.
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 38.08 DK - 40.48
He got buzzed off some of his minutes last game which lead to an underwhelming fantasy performance, but I do think that the plan for Portis is to keep him starting and run him more than 30 minutes per. If that’s the case then the prices here are simply too low for Portis who should play a prominent role for the Bucks especially with guys in the frontcourt banged up. The previous two games saw him put up double-doubles, averaging 15 points and 11.5 rebounds. I think we could see a return to that kind of production tonight.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 45.49 DK - 46.78
Allen is definitely earning the big contract he signed in the off-season and the Cavaliers have been running him major minutes in the last couple of weeks while they’ve dealt with injuries and players sitting. In that stretch, he’s averaging more than 37 minutes per game and putting up 19 points, 15 rebounds, and more than three defensive stats. Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love still remain out for this game so the minutes should remain in place for Allen who is still coming a bit too cheap for the production.
Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 24.81 DK - 24.91
Nikola Vucevic is out with Covid and that is going to leave the Bulls really, really thin in the frontcourt. They already lacked much in the way of size and losing Vuce is a big problem for them. Tony Bradley should get the start here and could be in for minutes in, at least, the mid-20s. That kind of run would make him nearly a lock on both sites, but especially DraftKings where he’s coming at the minimum. Keep an ear out in case the Bulls pull some shenanigans with the starting lineup, but Bradley feels pretty safe in this context.
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