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 - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 48.59 DK - 53.33
This game has the highest total (233) of the day with the Hawks -10 favorites against the Rockets. As we’ll mention again in a bit, Houston was about as good a fantasy matchup as you could have last season and that’s looking to be the case again this time around. They are young, want to play fast and don’t have great (or even good) defenders. The question on Trae Young entering this season is how much of his fantasy ceiling he can sustain with the addition of Dejounte Murray. The preseason was a mixed bag in terms of performance but he did get up a 17 shot game the last time out. The matchup is just too good here and there are ways to save across the lineup as well so we can take on the salary.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 34.34 DK - 36.11
The Spurs are headed for the tank this season having shipped off Dejounte Murray to the Hawks and now staring down a season in which they aren’t all that interested in winning. Tre Jones will start at point guard and should be able to provide a nice floor at these prices. The preseason saw him hitting double digits in scoring in limited minutes and he added assists while also rebounding the position well. I like the DraftKings price a bit more than FanDuel and Charlotte should provide much in the way of resistance here.
Strongly consider Damian Lillard (FD 8200 DK 9400) who is coming too cheap on FanDuel especially.
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 41.63 DK - 44.7
The Hornets are going to be without LaMelo Ball to start the season and they already weren’t bringing back Miles Bridges. That should open up significant usage, such as it were, for the remaining players and Rozier stands to see a real bump here. He led the team in shot attempts over the final two preseason games and he should be near the team lead in assists. This was a top-5 pace team last season, though that might not continue to start with no Ball and Steve Clifford back on the bench. Regardless, Rozier is still a good play here with the opportunity.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 31.17 DK - 31.71
Vassell took 31 shots combined over the Spurs final two preseason games, and that was a high for this squad which is headed for the tank. He needs to score to hit value which is something of a concern, but that’s often the case with shooting guard types anyway. The good news is that with Murray gone, there are more shots to go around and Vassell, combined with Keldon Johnson, should see the lion’s share in the starting lineup at least to start the season.
Strongly consider Kelly Oubre Jr. (FD 5100 DK 5500) who will be in the starting lineup for LaMelo Ball.
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 34.89 DK - 37.13
Herro entered the Heat starting lineup for the final game of the preseason and immediately took the most shots on the team. It looks like he is going to stick there to start the season and is coming at a major bargain if that’s the case. He should see fine usage even running with the top 5 and is coming off a 6th Man of the Year season that saw him average 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists. He still played more than 32 minutes per game, but could see even more now.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 37.48 DK - 40.76
We’ve been on the Spurs to start things off here, but it makes a lot of sense considering the context. They lost a guy in Dejounte Murray who nearly averaged a triple-double last season meaning there are a lot of stats, just on a low level, to get redistributed here. Plus, they have a good matchup against an undermanned Hornets team. Keldon Johnson is coming too cheap on DraftKings and could lead this team in usage to start the season. He averaged 17 points and six rebounds last season and both numbers are set to climb dramatically this time around.
Cameron Johnson (FD 4300 DK 5000) makes for a solid cheap option on FanDuel now that he’s a starter for the Suns.
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 59.45 DK - 63.34
Jokic draws something of a dream matchup here against a Jazz team that is definitely not interested in winning and no longer has Rudy Gobert manning the back line. The statistical case for Jokic is about as good as it gets with him coming off an MVP season that saw him average 27 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists. Though the Nuggets get back Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr, it doesn’t appear Jokic will take a massive hit here across the board, and even if the points and rebounds tick down some, the assists could climb. He’s way too cheap on DraftKings.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 38.92 DK - 39
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 37.11 DK - 38.83
Though we didn’t talk about the guards much in this game, the bigs for the Hawks are in a good spot against the Rockets. Houston played the second-fastest pace in the league last season and had the worst defensive efficiency. That made for just about a dream matchup and very little is set to change this time around. The addition of Dejounte Murray cuts into Collins usage some, but the preseason showed there are ways for these guys to all coexist, fantasy-wise on the court together. Plus, he’s coming so cheap on FanDuel that there seems very little risk if the minutes are there.
The same goes for Capela who could double-double in this game even without full run. The existence of Onyeka Okongwu messes this up a little, but neither of the Hawks’ starting bigs are priced to take on all that much risk.
Consider Santi Aldama (FD 3800 DK 4000) on the cheap.
Jabari Smith Jr. (FD $4800 DK $6600) is too cheap on FanDuel.
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