New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) moves to the basket in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies in New Orleans, Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
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Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 41.99 DK - 43.77
With Devin Booker still out for the Suns, we are going to want to load up on some other Phoenix pieces on this slate for cash. They draw the Rockets, still one of the best DFS matchups around and there is now a lot of usage left on the table with the star out. Paul jumps to the top of the list for obvious reasons and the only real concern here is a minutes ceiling as he works his way back from injury. But he played 34 in each of the last two games, averaging 15 points and nine assists in that span. I do think that’s on the low end of the expected production and his price is kind of a joke on both sites.
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 38.89 DK - 41.72
The Pelicans are going to be at least one more game with Brandon Ingram, leaving at least for this one, considerable usage for McCollum in the offense. He gets a great matchup against a Utah Jazz team playing the 5th-worst defensive efficiency in the league and running an above-average pace. CJ has taken 16 and 24 shots respectively in the last two games after seeing that number around 11 for the three previous games. It’s unreasonable to expect those shot attempts to stay so low going forward and I think we are buying at a great price because of it.
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 48.46 DK - 52.14
Some of the plays on this slate are underpriced and we could be able to fit some superstar-level plays across the board if things break just right. Harden is one of those dudes who’s coming just a bit too cheap. He’s back to playing full minutes, running 38 in regulation last time out after two overtime affairs in the previous two games. In that time, he’s averaging 23 points and almost 12 assists. He’s been terribly inefficient from the field, shooting just 38% which should tick up with even moderate regression and mean the scoring will come up as well. I like this matchup against the Kings at home for Harden.
Opponent - MIL
Proj Pts FD - 30.59 DK - 32.77
Jordan Poole is still starting for Andrew Wiggins while the latter is out of the lineup. Sharing the court with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson isn’t a formula for seeing the usage tick up, but starting instead of coming off the bench gives him a considerably higher minutes floor. In the win over Boston on Saturday, Poole took the third-most shots on the team with 16 and played 32 minutes, not having to push things in the quasi-blowout. He even ran bad from the field, going 1-9 from three and 5-16 overall. I think the opportunity should be here for the Bucks and he’s a solid mid-tier play.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 37.31 DK - 38.28
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 30.66 DK - 31.91
Mikal Bridges is one of the biggest beneficiaries, fantasy-wise, of Devin Booker being out of the lineup. He’s always been a big minutes guy but with Booker out of the mix, the usage goes through the roof in this offense. Last game, Bridges took a team-high 23 shots, including 13 threes. Ultimately, he finished with 27 points. The price doesn’t, in anyway, reflect this kind of usage bump and against the Rockets I think he’ll be one of the highest-owned players on the slate.
Meanwhile, Craig got the start for the injured Devin Booker last time out and wound up playing 36 minutes in the overtime loss to the Pelicans. That was the second-highest number on the team and should be in line for somewhat similar run this time out. He ended up taking 10 shots in all, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds. The price has climbed some with the opportunity, but he’s still firmly in play as a cash game option seeing as how the Suns are shorthanded here.
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 50.53 DK - 52.49
I can very much see us running Pelicans and Suns stacks in cash for this slate and feeling good about the floor (and ceiling). Zion Williamson is putting up close to MVP level numbers on the season, scoring 35 in each of the last two and averaging 25 points, seven rebounds, and four assists overall. The Jazz don’t have anyone to really matchup here (few teams do) and Zion is in a good spot even in the upper price tier.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 40.65 DK - 42.7
Finishing off our Suns’ stack, DeAndre Ayton is likely to be a popular play on DraftKings for this slate. He’s coming much too cheap on that site, though it is a bit closer on FanDuel with the price climbing in the short term. Ayton is coming off a 28 point, 12 rebound performance against the Pelicans that only saw the minutes sitting in the low 30s because of foul trouble (he eventually fouled out). This is just too good of a spot for Ayton who is likely to see high ownership on DK.
Opponent - MIL
Proj Pts FD - 25.42 DK - 26.2
If looking to save a little on this slate in order to spend up on the superstars, Looney makes for a solid option though without too high of a ceiling. The minutes should be in the high-20s seeing as how the Bucks trend bigger overall and I think the Warriors will need his size in this matchup. He’s averaging 11 rebounds a game over the last five as well as three blocks+steals, so he can get there on these prices even without too much in the scoring department.
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