Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic against the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Opponent - MIL
Proj Pts FD - 34.25 DK - 37.83
It’s really been a struggle this season for Dinwiddie who hasn’t exactly gotten into sync with Bradley Beal when both are on the court at the same time. There are even rumors that he could be moved at the trade deadline. But it’s worth noting that when Beal is off the court, Dinwiddie has been perfectly fine on a fantasy level. When Beal missed a three-game stretch earlier in the month, Dinwiddie was excellent, averaging 21 points, seven assists, and a steal in that run. And the Wizards won two out of the three games as well. I think even though there is blowout risk against a good Bucks’ team, the prices on Dinwiddie haven’t adjusted to Beal being out here.
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 48.03 DK - 52.74
Curry is coming off a monster game on Monday against the Rockets which the Warriors ended up winning going away. He played 38 minutes and dropped 40 points on a whopping 13-23 shooting while also going 7-14 from beyond the arc. Steph chipped in nine assists as well. Now, he’s on the back-to-back which has me a little concerned about how much Steve Kerr actually decides to run him. But he gets a good matchup against the Spurs and Klay Thompson is sitting this one out as well. The rough shooting over the course of January Steph’s price down some on FanDuel so I think we can buy here without all that much hesitation.
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 40.54 DK - 44.63
Lavine is coming just a little too cheap on FanDuel, though I’d be a bit hesitant to outright play him on DraftKings pushing $9K. He’s maintained a higher floor since coming back from injury with the Bulls still struggling to stay healthy in their original rotations. In closer games, he’s going to run about 36-37 minutes and over the last four games is averaging 24 points, six rebounds, and five rebounds. We’ll take that kind of production at the FanDuel price point for sure and he pulls a good matchup against the Magic. The Bulls are favored by 11 points at home here so there’s a bit of blowout risk which is something to keep in mind. But I still think he’s a value.
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 26.48 DK - 30.19
This pick is mostly contingent on Jimmy Butler sitting once again. The Heat have mostly been good about spreading out minutes outside of their core players, but with Butler out on Monday, Strus played 41 minutes in the blowout loss to the Celtics. Maybe that was the outlier based on the flow of the game and Heat being shorthanded, but he also put in 27 points in total on 9-19 shooting. Those nine makes were all threes. He’s unlikely to recreate that performance of course, but the minutes are definitely encouraging if Butler were to be out once again.
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 45.2 DK - 48.52
This game has the highest total of the slate at 231.5 with the Timberwolves slight home favorites against the Nuggets. Playing Edwards here does come with some contingencies, namely that De’Angelo Russell is once again out of the mix because of the shin contusion. Patrick Beverley out again would also help Edwards’ case as well. When the game stays close, Edwards is good for 36-37 minutes and he’s taken 18 or more shots in three of the last four games for Minnesota. He’s pretty scoring dependent all things considered though has been able to add rebounds and assists when the opportunity is there. In all, keep an eye on the Timberwolves’ injury report heading into this game.
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 33.12 DK - 37.56
Though it turned out poorly on Monday with Jimmy Butler out of the lineup, I think we could go back Herro’s way if Buckets were to sit once again. We know the Heat don’t want to start Herro if they don’t have to which is always going to make it weird with the minutes, but there’s no denying that over the course of the season, when Butler sits, Herro sees a big opportunity bump. With Jimmy Butler off the court this season, Herro sees the usage rate climb to 32.6%, one of the better numbers you will see in the league. And his assist rate climbs as well with more of the offense running through him. I don’t totally mind the matchup here against Toronto, though again, we need to keep an eye on Butler’s status.
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 61.75 DK - 66.86
Jokic has been putting up MVP-like numbers this season and is definitely now in the conversation for that award when it comes to the end of the season. The price has skyrocketed though it’s for very good reason. He’s averaged a triple-double over the last three games despite playing an average of just 31 minutes in that stretch. That’s pretty sick, and over the course of the last month he’s putting up a 27 point, 13 rebound, nine assist line. Simply put, these are some of the best numbers you will ever see. Even at the big price tag, I love him here against the Timberwolves and think he’s the place to start making your lineups.
Opponent - MIL
Proj Pts FD - 39.78 DK - 43.35
From a fantasy perspective, Kuzma has dropped off some after putting up massive numbers earlier in the month. Some of that is tied to the team just being healthier in general with more of the usage and rate states spread out across the board. But with Beal out here, much like Dinwiddie, we can likely expect a bump for Kuzma in the scoring department. When Beal missed time earlier in the month Kuzma averaged 22 points and nine rebounds while also posting a nine-assist game in there as well. And we know that at the beginning of July the dude went on an epic run that had his price in the mid-$8K. But he’s dropped since then and is now a value again with Beal out.
One situation to watch out for tonight is whether Brandon Ingram is back in the lineup for the Pelicans. If not, Jaxson Hayes (FD 3600 DK 3700) could get the start again after he got the nod against the Cavaliers on Monday evening. That latter team trends much bigger which could have been why the Pelicans started Hayes alongside Jonas Valanciunas. And Hayes was excellent from a fantasy perspective, putting up 19 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks in his 31 minutes. Again, he would have to be starting to be in cash game consideration especially since he’s coming near the minimums on both sites.
There might still be some value on guys like Jarred Vanderbilt (FD 5900 DK 5300) and Jaden McDaniels (FD 4300 DK 3900) if the Timberwolves are playing shorthanded again.
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