Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) brings the ball up court in the first half during an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 65.63 DK - 65.89
The Thunder have the highest implied total on the slate and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player on the team. Is that enough reason here? Simplicity aside, this is a great spot for SGA, who comes in with a high floor even at these ridiculous prices. He’s averaging 31 points, 6.6 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.2 steals+ blocks per game, basically career highs across the board. Couple this with the Jazz sporting the 24th-ranked defense and a top-10 pace. You have a great mix of floor and upside with plenty of savings elsewhere to fit the salary.
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 37.18 DK - 40.82
Fred VanVleet has already been ruled out of this game against the Pacers, putting some of the other Rockets in good spots for cash games on FanDuel and DraftKings. Jalen Green stands to see a bump in usage here, going from 27% on the season to 33% with FVV off the court.
The guard minutes should open up a bit, too, and he’s a candidate for heavy run in a fast-paced game against the Pacers. Everything is lining up for Green to smash in this situation and I suspect he is a highly-owned player on this slate.
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 33.32 DK - 34.69
It looks like Amen Thompson will draw the start in place of Fred VanVleet here, making him one of the best value plays we can get. The DraftKings price is an especially low joke if he’s in the starting five. And honestly, he’d be a cash play even coming off the bench because of how many minutes are opening up here.
Amen can’t shoot, but he can do everything else. Plus, the matchup against the Pacers should be up and down the court, working perfectly into his style of play. This is an easy one.
Strongly consider going back to Jalen Brunson (FD 9700 DK 9700) here. He’s playing massive minutes and has a huge role with Julius Randle and others out of the Knicks’ lineup.
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 42.04 DK - 45.03
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 34.72 DK - 37.83
The Knicks have decided their short-term path, and it’s basically to play the starters essentially the whole game. In the modern NBA, Thibs is still Thibs-ing with the main core going 40+ minutes nearly across the board. It’s something to behold. Donte DiVincenzo ran 40 against the Lakers, putting up 22 shots in the process. He’s taken on a big scoring role with Julius Randle out of the mix. And he’s somehow supporting the sharp uptick in price.
Meanwhile, Josh Hart doesn’t have the same floor, but the ceiling is there considering how well he rebounds the position. His role is set here as well, meaning we can even withstand weaker shooting nights. He’s a bit more of a value that Donte and I like stacking their mid-tier salaries in cash.
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 31.68 DK - 34.16
I don’t expect Cam Whitmore to start, but I do expect him to play more in this game with Fred VanVleet out of the mix. Whitmore is playing about 20 minutes per game, but has ridiculously high usage in his run, averaging 14.6 shots per game over the last six games. He’s scored 17+ in five of them. The dude can get buckets and should be in line for more playing time. He’s a bit expensive on FanDuel considering the bench role, but on DraftKings, pairing him with Amen in cash should do the trick.
Keep an eye on Memphis who have been running a skeleton crew of late. Anyone who is on the court could end up being a value if they run eight guys again.
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 43.5 DK - 43.86
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 45.13 DK - 46.77
Like Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVenco, and Josh Hart, these two guys are also part of the play-the-whole-game crew for the Knicks. Precious is the big minutes guy, playing over 40 minutes in each of the last three games. He’s averaging 14 points, 10 rebounds, and some defensive stats as well. The boards were bunched into a 16-rebound game but the minutes are hard to argue with here.
Meanwhile, Isaiah Hartenstein has been trending up with run of late, though he’s one of the few guys who doesn’t crest toward 40 minutes, yet. He was working his way back from injury and there’s a chance this keeps going up over the next few games. Regardless, the price on both sites still rings as value, and his DraftKings salary is a particularly easy call.
Again, as mentioned above, there is the potential for major Memphis value depending on who of Jaren Jackson Jr. (FD 8800 DK 8100), Santi Aldama (FD 6100 DK 5700), GG Jackson II (FD 5800 DK 5600) or others plays for the Grizzlies.
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