Five. I feel alive, and not just because Friday has arrived. It’s another day to do a deep dive into another DK slate. Accessing the knowledge gleaned from past experiences that are stored in the archives. Let us strive to get to the top of the leaderboards, then pray that no one else has PMR which could cause us to take a nosedive. Are you down with that jive? We are not here to survive. We are here to thrive.
MIN, ORL and TOR are playing the first leg of a back-to-back set. CLE is the only team that played last night.
Rudy Gobert ($6,400), Desmond Bane ($7,500), Andrew Wiggins ($6,000) and Myles Turner ($7,100) are the notable players who are questionable. Keep abreast of all the injury news @dklive.
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, three games have totals of at least 230 — MIL/IND (239.5), MEM/MIN (239) and TOR/GS (234.5). The Bucks are the biggest favorities on the slate at -8.5 points over the Pacers. The Heat are right behind as 8 point favorites over the Magic. The tightest spread is the Thunder by 1 over the Cavaliers. IND and MIN are home dogs.
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Guard
Studs
Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors at Golden State Warriors ($8,000) – The top of the guard pool is fairly concentrated today, with no one player standing out from a projection standpoint. The higher-priced players may have a slightly higher floor and/or ceiling but, considering the price, I like VanVleet a lot since I think he can match or possibly exceed the DKFP production of everyone else.
Now, VanVleet’s game is volatile because he can be a streaky shooter and the efficiency can be poor. That said, he’s going to play a ton of minutes, will jack up plenty of shots and contributes in the rebound, assist and steal categories.
Over the last five games, he’s gone for at least 40 DKFP in every contest with two above 60. He has converted 47% of his field goal attempts with 43% from downtown, so he’s feeling good right now.
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Memphis Grizzlies ($9,000) – Oh, we’re talking about guys who are feeling good right now? Edwards has put up 52, 52.25 and 71 DKFP in the last three games. He’s scored 37, 31 and 44 points while contributing in all the periphery categories. He’s racked up 7 steals and 4 blocks over that span.
Edwards is playing 38 to 40 minutes per contest recently and the usage rate has been 41.6%, 32.3% and 39.5%! In two prior games against Memphis this season, he went for 56.75 and 45.5 DKFP.
Other Options - D’Angelo Russell ($6,700), Klay Thompson ($6,500)
Value
Victor Oladipo, Miami Heat vs. Orlando Magic ($5,300) – I am not enamored with any of the value as I’m writing this. Once the official lineups are announced, then I’m sure some value will pop up, so make sure to keep abreast with the news. @dklive on the Twitter machine is your friend.
As it stands, I like Oladipo. He is not starting but has been the main guy off the bench. The sky-high ceiling isn’t there, but the floor and consistency are appealing. Oladipo has exceeded points expectations 70% of the time this season and he’s scored at least 20 DKFP in the last 13 games, with six of those over 30 and a high of 45.75 DKFP.
Other Options - Grayson Allen ($4,400)
Forward
Studs
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers ($11,500) – I have been inclined to fade Giannis more this season than I can remember. He’s exceeded points expectations 50% of the time and, while he has put up monster “had-to-have-it” games, they haven’t been as superfluous as in the past. That said, I may have a hard time getting away from him today.
It’s a smaller slate and raw points matter. Plus, he has the highest ceiling on the slate. Can he bust? Sure, he could get into foul trouble or tweak an ankle. The Bucks are favored by 8.5 points on the road, so his minutes could be limited due to blowout.
On the flip side, he has the highest projection by a wide margin and the game environment should be a fantasy-friendly one. Over the last 10 games, the Pacers have played at the fifth-fastest pace and been 22nd in defensive rating. Against power forwards this season, they have boosted the FPPM by a league-leading 17.21% above the league average.
Value
Brandon Clarke, Memphis Grizzlies at Minnesota Timberwolves ($4,900) – With Steven Adams out, it was Clarke who filled in the last game, starting and playing 32 minutes. He should get the start again. On the season, Clarke has averaged 1.07 DKFP per minute and exceeded points expectations 70% of the time. He put up 33.5 DKFP in the last outing and a reasonable expectation is for him to replicate that performance, barring foul trouble or injury. Clarke is undersized but he should be able to run circles around both Gobert and Reid.
Other Options - Jonathan Kuminga ($4,000), Kenrich Williams ($4,400), Kyle Anderson ($5,500)
Center
Studs
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors ($6,200) – Since Steve Kerr went to the new iteration of the Death Lineup, with three guards and Green at the center position, Green has put up 47, 43.75, 35.25 and 40.25 DKFP. He’s averaged 11.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks over that span. That ain’t bad, yo.
This game has a healthy total of 234.5 with the Warriors favored by 5 points at home. There should be plenty of opportunities to rack up fantasy goodies. The great thing is you don’t have to rely on Green scoring buckets to make an impact.
Other Options - Naz Reid ($4,300) if Gobert is out
Value
Precious Achiuwa, Toronto Raptors at Golden State Warriors ($4,200) – My Precious has played in 13 games since returning from injury. It took about six games to get ramped up but he’s averaged 28 minutes per game since. He did start two of those games and played 37 and 36 minutes, so that skews things a bit. That said, he did play 28 minutes off the bench on Wednesday.
He’s gone for at least 20 DKFP in seven of the last eight games with a high of 44.25. Some points, rebounds and steals are what he brings to the table and this game environment should be a good one for him to thrive in since he won’t be matched up with a bruiser down low, the Warriors chuck up a bunch of threes and play fast.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $333K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is sontzu) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.