Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (2) pushes the ball up the court during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
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Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 47.16 DK - 51.09
LaMelo has been playing more consistent minutes of late including 38 the last time out. That one was a bit weird because he was the only starter who got run through the crazy blowout in which the Hornets put up 158 points. But the floor is still high for Ball here no matter what and he will be facing a Lakers’ team that’s wanted to push the pace this season. The 228.5 total in this game is the second-highest of the slate and the Lakers could be without Anthony Davis in this one. Lebron James is questionable which could put LA in a really compromised situation.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 44.33 DK - 48.43
Oh, brother, what to do with this guy? It sure looks like Anthony Davis is going to sit on the back-to-back in this game and Lebron James is questionable. If the latter were to start then I think we could take Russ out of consideration. But Lebron sat on the front end of the back-to-back in a national game on Thursday. If it’s the Westbrook show then I think we basically have to risk it against the Hornets who’ve been flying up and down the court this season. At under $8K on FanDuel, we would probably just have to hold our collective noses and do it.
Strongly consider Dejounte Murray (FD 9900 DK 10000)
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 38.02 DK - 41.51
Cade had seen a price dip over a couple of weeks stretch when he was struggling some in the fantasy department. That has turned around in a big way in the short term. He’s played 36 more minutes in each of the last three games and put up some monster lines including a 34 point, eight-rebound, eight assist performance against the Nuggets on Tuesday. He’s taken 23 or more shots in two of the last three games and is really rounding out into the first overall pick right now. Against a Magic team that’s ranking 23rd in defensive efficiency this season, Cade is a strong cash play on both sites.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 35.38 DK - 38.09
Let’s play a couple of rookie guards on this slate. Suggs is still coming a bit too cheap on DraftKings in the lower $6K range. You’d like to see the usage creep a little higher, something that’s a bit tougher when sharing the court with Cole Anthony and Franz Wagner, but he’s also been able to chip in assists and rebounds along the way. That keeps his fantasy prospects a bit safer all things considered. He’s averaged more than five of each per 30 minutes this past month. Again, I’m probably just reserving Suggs as a DraftKings play on this slate.
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 27.07 DK - 27.94
Since it looks like we are going to be spending up in some other spots, I don’t mind grabbing Cody Martin on the cheaper side in this matchup against the Lakers. He should still be in the starting lineup for the Hornets in place of Gordon Hayward and has been able to keep a higher fantasy floor at this price point when the minutes are there. His versatility helps keep him on the court for longer stretches when in the starting lineup and he’s averaging around 27 FanDuel points per 32 minutes this season. I think we can live with that production for cash games even on a bigger slate.
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 30.85 DK - 33.55
He’s had some up-and-down performances since joining the starting lineup for the Suns, though the price is still such that we can live with the fluctuations. He’s going to get the start here again for Jae Crowder and Johnson is, once again, in line for major minutes in this one. He’s played 36 and 38 respectively over the last two. He’s taken 20 shots total in those two and went 5-8 from three in the first game against Utah. Like all wings on Phoenix, he’s going to need to knock down threes in order to hit value and that’s the case again here tonight. But I think the minutes give him such a high floor on that expectation.
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 44.42 DK - 44.53
Whiteside should draw the start for Rudy Gobert once again here on Friday. In his last three starts, Whiteside has a solid average line with 16 points and 11 rebounds per game. He also has six blocks in that stretch as well. The middle-tier pricing can seem a bit weird for a guy getting spot starts, but Whiteside has a solid track record with this kind of thing and has been a per-minute fantasy beast for basically his entire run in the NBA. His minutes are pretty safe as long as the game stays close and I think we can run him as a higher floor play in cash games.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 30.36 DK - 29.18
It’s rare that we would get this far into a cash game article and not mention a team playing the Houston Rockets on that slate. After all, that squad is about the best DFS matchup you can get these days, running a super-fast pace with a league’s worst defense. But the main scorers in CJ McCollum, Anfernee Simons, and Norman Powell are all healthy here and all priced a bit up because of performance. But I think we can roll Covington on both sites at a weaker power forward position. With Nassir Little out there should be a few more minutes at the wing for RoCo and he’s played 37 or more in three of his last four games. He needs all the minutes he can get and needs to knock down threes as well, but this is just the matchup to do it.
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 22.3 DK - 23.77
McDaniels drew the start on Thursday for the Timberwolves when Patrick Beverley was ruled out and everyone else in the lineup (except KAT) got bumped up one spot in the on-court rotation. He ended up playing 33 minutes in that one, finishing with 14 points and four rebounds while also chucking in some defensive stats as well. The price is coming so cheap on both sites at a tough position that I think you can roll him as a punt play once again if he’s in the starting lineup. He’s the fifth option on offense with this group, but extended run should keep the floor high enough.
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