New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) brings the ball up during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Alex Goodlett)
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Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 42.46 DK - 44.86
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 31.88 DK - 34.25
De'Aaron Fox has been questionable for what seems like infinity-straight days now and once again has that status on Tuesday. I think we just need to hear that he’s playing for sure before considering otherwise. With Fox out of the lineup, Halliburton has shouldered more of the offensive load, especially in facilitating the offense for the Kings. He’s coming off one of his best games of the season in a win over the Thunder. He scored 13 points and dished out 17 assists in that one, crushing value easily. He hasn’t been shooting as much as expected of late even with Fox out, but the assists are real and make up for some of that. Again, this is the late game so we might not know on Fox but it might be worth the risk.
Meanwhile, one reason Haliburton is taking fewer shots is that others in the Kings starting lineup are picking up more of the usage. One of those guys is Mitchell who’s been drawing the starts in Fox’s place over the last week-plus. He’s played 35 or more minutes in each of the last three, taking 17 shots a game and averaging more than 20 points. From a fantasy perspective, Mitchell is definitely scoring dependent which can lead to some fluctuation in his value, but the DraftKings price is still too cheap if he’s running with the starters once again.
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 30.28 DK - 33.1
Suggs has been solid of late with the Magic pushing him to around 33 minutes in close games. Sure, they struggle to stay in close ones sometimes, but that shouldn’t be as big an issue against the Blazers who are in a bit of a state of flux right now. Over the last four, Suggs is averaging 14 points, with more than six rebounds and four assists. He’s also able to get after it a bit on the defensive end as well. Contributing across multiple areas of the box score really helps and he’s gone about 5x on his FanDuel price in each of the last two. I like him in cash here against a defensively-compromised Portland squad.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 34.47 DK - 37.06
There is some blowout risk for sure here with the Mavericks coming in as -12 favorites against the Pistons. But I think we can still play Brunson in cash on FanDuel because the price still hasn’t fully adjusted to Kristaps Porzingis being out. Even sharing the court more with Luka Doncic hasn’t cut into Brunson’s production all the way and he’s scored 20 or more points in each of the last three games. The rebounding and assists do take a hit though which is why we are seeing the price on FanDuel in the $6K range. I think he’s too expensive on DraftKings though.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 44.44 DK - 47.89
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 35.68 DK - 38.13
Ingram has put up a couple of very good games in a row and the Pelicans have won their last four straight. Somehow, even with a 21-32 record, they are in the Western Conference playoff discussion which feels pretty nuts. On Tuesday, he gets the best DFS matchup you can have this season against the Rockets who rank dead last in defensive efficiency and allow the most fantasy points (by far) to opponents. Ingram has taken 20 or more shots in three of his last six games and is averaging 27 points, 9.3 assists, and three blocks+steals over that stretch. He’s a pretty easy play on this slate.
And then there is Hart who is also running big minutes for the Pelicans and finding enough production even with Brandon Ingram around full-time here. Hart is able to maintain a higher floor even at these price points because the minutes are steady and he’s able to contribute across the box score. Over the last month, he’s averaging 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and some defensive stats as well in about 36 minutes per game. He’s even grabbed double-digit boards in three of his last five games. Again, the matchup is so perfect here against the Rockets that I want to stack some Pelicans in cash. Update: Josh Hart is being traded to the Portland Trailblazers.
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 59.29 DK - 62.98
I think there is going to be enough value across the rest of the slate that paying all the way up for Giannis in this game won’t be all that much of a stretch. He’s facing off against the Lakers on the road in what should be a game we see him run minutes on the higher side of the scale. Blowouts have buzzed off his run over the last couple of games, but when things stay close, Coach Bud has had less of a problem keeping him out there for extended run. And when that happens, there is tremendous fantasy upside. In 33 minutes a game this season, Giannis is averaging 29 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists per game along with almost 2.5 blocks+steals. Let’s play him against Lebron and company.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 42.09 DK - 45.22
Jonas Valanciunas has had an excellent season though he’s had some drop-off in fantasy production of late. There are a couple of different reasons for that. For starters, having Brandon Ingram fully back does cut into the usage considerably, with Jonas just seeing fewer opportunities in the offense. And then there is how the Pelicans have been using Jaxson Hayes more recently, sometimes starting him alongside Valanciunas, or running him more minutes off the bench. It’s cut into the rebounding numbers as well. So I don’t think this is quite as an automatic play as before. But with the matchup, it’s real tough to fade his price on either site, especially FanDuel.
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 27.53 DK - 28.91
Sengun drew the start last game for the Houston Rockets and looks like he will be there again on Tuesday. In a matchup with these same Pelicans, Sengun played 25 minutes and finished with a somewhat balanced line of five points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal. It all aded up to value on these price points and he should be in line for similar minutes in this game. The DraftKings price makes this one a pretty easy call all things considered. It’s a little close on FanDuel though it’s helpful that he’s PF/C eligible there.
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