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)
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Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 43.02 DK - 44.93
I have a feeling Dame is going to be in this article a lot for the next month. I say that because Portland has dug themselves quite the hole, and Lillard is going to be asked to dig them out of it with C.J. McCollum sidelined. With him off the floor, Lillard has a 37 percent usage rate while averaging 1.4 DK points per minute since the beginning of last season. That's on full display in his recent form, averaging 50.5 DraftKings points per game across his last four outings. That's the old Dame we know and love, and it should be easy to duplicate against a 20th-ranked Grizzlies defense. Not to mention, Lillard has at least 36 fantasy points in each of his last nine matchups with Memphis.
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 40.41 DK - 39.8
The Kings are one of those teams amid a massive COVID breakout, and it looks like Haliburton is going to be the go-to ball-handler with so many players missing. De'Aaron Fox's absence is the most important, making Tyrese the de facto point guard. He's not the only one missing, though, with Alex Len, Richaun Holmes, Terence Davis, Marvin Bagley, and Davion Mitchell all expected to sit too. In the first game without all of those guys, Hali collected 21 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists in one of his best games of the year. That followed up a 42-point gem in the game prior, and it looks like he's back to his triple-double ways. Squaring off with San Antonio makes that even easier to accomplish, and we'll discuss that in the subsequent write-up.
D'Angelo Russell has been crushing recently and remains a bit too cheap.
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 33.48 DK - 36.36
We foreshadowed how we want to exploit this Spurs matchup, so let's go ahead and dive into that. San Antonio currently sits 23rd in points allowed. That alone would make them an intriguing matchup, but we love that both of these clubs rank Top-7 in pace. That means this should have the most possessions of any game out there and could be the most fantasy-friendly fixture as well. All of that is really enticing for Buddy in this expanded role, taking on a considerable scoring load amid this COVID breakout. He actually got a rare start and played 37 minutes in the first game without those guys, despite his poor fantasy outing. We were shocked that he only took 10 shots in that game, but you better believe he'll be looking at a minimum of 20 here with so much usage on the table.
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 26.99 DK - 27.35
It's wild that the Nets haven't had any games postponed. The laundry list of players they're missing is laughable, with James Harden, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, De'Andre Bembry, James Johnson, Nicolas Claxton, LaMarcus Aldridge, Bruce Brown, and Paul Millsap all expected to miss this game. That's essentially the whole roster, and it's left this looking like a G-League team. The good news is that Cam was a stud at the G-League, averaging 40.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in his two games there. That hasn't translated yet at this level, but he's going to have every opportunity to be the primary scorer for this shorthanded team. In the last game without those guys, Thomas took 20 shots and played 36 minutes, making him hard to fade in this price range with that sort of role.
Jalen Brunson is the primary ball-handler in Dallas with Luka Doncic out and is averaging over 35 fantasy points per game in this role.
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 52.31 DK - 53.21
There's an insane amount of value on this slate with all the COVID protocols, making James one of the easiest plays out there. You're going to have a lot of salary to spare, and there are not many better spend-ups than this guy. We all know that LeBron is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but he's been rolling recently. In fact, James is averaging 28 points, 7.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1,5 steals over his last 10 games. More importantly, he's taking over 20 shots and playing nearly 40 minutes a night. That sort of role for a stud like this is hard to overlook, especially with Anthony Davis expected to miss this game. Look for LeBron to run the show yet again and flirt with yet another 30-point triple-double.
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 26.02 DK - 27.94
Minnesota has been lucky to avoid the massive COVID breakout, but Anthony Edwards did find himself in the protocols. That is the thing that's made Beasley fantasy relevant once again, taking on a ton of his shots and minutes at the wing. In the first game without ANT, Beasley got the start and took 18 shots across 32 minutes of play. That sort of role is huge for a guy like this, with Malik dropping 33 DraftKings points in that gem. That's a stellar total from a $5K player, and we have to believe he'll continue to fire up the shots and play all the minutes he can handle with one of Minnesota's best players out of the lineup.
Kessler Edwards is a candidate to play 40 minutes for the G-League Nets team ravished by COVID.
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 45.89 DK - 47
Picking power forwards was definitely the most arduous task on this slate but riding Porzingis without Luka Doncic is a profitable endeavor. The big man has played over 20 games without Luka since the start of last season, averaging 41 DraftKings points per game in those outings. It's easy to see why when you look at his expanded role, with KP posting a 34 percent usage rate with him off the floor while averaging 1.4 DK points per minute. All of that makes him a fantastic play below $9K, and the matchup against Minnesota is magical too. The Timberwolves rank 19th in total defense while surrendering the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing PFs.
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 26.27 DK - 26.36
It's never exciting to pick Thompson's name when filling out a DFS lineup, but all of the absences in Sacramento have forced him into a huge role. The simple fact is, this dude can rebound with anyone, and he's a near-lock for double-digit boards whenever he plays 30 minutes. That seems like a near guarantee with almost every big man on this roster in COVIS protocols, with TT totaling 12 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in the first start without those guys. He also played 28 minutes in that game. If you look at the nine games he played at least 29 minutes last year, Thomson scored at least 26 DK points in seven of those, en route to a 31-point average.
Harison Barnes scored at least 31 fantasy points in each of the first 11 games and is an excellent candidate to reach that again with how shorthanded Sacramento is.
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 44.29 DK - 44.82
The Nets getting rid of this guy was one of the worst moves of the year, but it's been an enormous boost for the Cavaliers. The big man is actually in the midst of an All-Star caliber season, scoring at least 38 DraftKings points in 18 of 28 games this year. That's an astounding rate, and it's on par with his 38-point average for the season. You can't ask for any more from an $8K player, and it looks like he'll be asked to do even more with Evan Mobley landing in the dreaded protocols. Matching up with Atlanta only adds to his value, with the Hawks ranked 21st in points allowed and 24th in defensive efficiency ratings.
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 31.21 DK - 31.27
We've mentioned a few times how Sacramento is missing the majority of their roster, and it should force Chimezie into a monster role. That was on full display Friday night, picking up a double-double across 36 minutes of play. He was actually playing well before all of those guys went out, scoring at least 24 DK points in six of his previous eight games. That alone would make him a solid value, and it appears that 35-40 minutes and a double-double will be in play every game as long as all of those players remain out. We've already discussed how this is one of the best games to stack, which only makes Metu more enticing.
With how much value is out there, don't forget about Nikola Jokic and his guaranteed 50-60 fantasy points.
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