Tonight brings a 13 game slate starting at 7p.m. ET.
The “Droppin Dimes,” article will go over my favorite plays for the slate. It will consist of three to five core plays along with a few additional plays and a few value plays. You won’t always see the highest-priced players or the most obvious plays. Players listed first at each position are my favorite and a good start to build a lineup around.
(Note: All pricing and fantasy points are based on DraftKings but can be used for all sites.)
Keep an eye on the injury status of players as they can be ruled out right before lock.
Game/s to Target:
Hornets/Grizzlies- fast paced game with two of the worst defenses going.
Pelicans/Thunder-29th and 19th defenses going in a fast paced game.
NOTES:
FPPM= Fantasy Points Per Minute, FPPG= Fantasy Points Per Game, PPG=Points per Game, Value=Projected points/salary(This will differ depending on the site).
This massive slate has increased pricing on DraftKings.
Ricky Rubio, Cleveland Cavaliers ($5200/$5500)
The Cavaliers are now down another player with the injury to Colin Sexton. This will open up a starting positions and it will most likely be Rubio as he started the second half after Sexton exited the game. Rubio has taken a step forward in scoring over the past few years as he has been working on his shot in the offseason. He just put up a career high in points last game with 37 and added 10 assists for a total of 61.3 DK points. With the pricing up on most of the other players, Rubio comes in as an excellent value today with his increase in playing time. A nice pace up spot where Rubio can pick up a few additional stats.
Also consider: Kyle Lowry, Ja Morant, De’Aaron Fox
Value: Pat Beverly, Anfernee Simons, Tyus Jones
Will Barton, Denver Nuggets ($6300/$6000)
No Joker and Barton gets the second largest usage bump with him off the floor with a +14% usage and a total of 32.6%. Barton has been playing well over the last three games even with Jokic on the floor with a 47, 37 and 46 FPs in that time frame. Taking a lot of shots 21, 19 and 14 and scoring 25 plus real points in two of those three games. He does contribute with rebounds and assists as well. Love this matchup against the Pacers in plus 4 possession pace bump in a plus defensive matchup.
Also consider: Zach LaVine, D’Angelo Russell
Value: Alex Caruso, Lonnie Walker IV, PJ Dozier
Grayson Allen, Milwaukee Bucks ($5100/$5400)
I played a lot of Allen towards the end of last year as he was very consistent with some upside. Similar start to this year as well playing around 30 minutes averaging 27 FPs. Over the last 3 games, Allen is averaging 32 minutes and 35 FPs and scoring 19 or more points in all 3 games. One of these games was against the Knicks where he started off the game on fire hitting 30 FPs before the half. The Bucks pplay the Knicks again tonight and I like his chances for another 30 plus FP game. Another thing is that his price has stayed right around 5k even with him exceeding his value each night.
Also consider: Jimmy Butler- massive pace up spot. A lock if Bam or Herro sit, but like him either way., Gordon Hayward, Norman Powell
Value: Cedi Osman, Cody Martin , Deni Avdija
JaMychal Green, Denver Nuggets ($3200/$3800)
The Nuggets will be without Nikola Jokic tonight due to his one game suspension for “shoving ” Markieff Morris. This opens up massive usage for the rest of the Nuggets players who are already down Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. JaMychal Green gets the largest bump in usage with Jokic off the floor at +16% and this is mostly due to Jokic being on the floor 35 plus minutes and Green not playing much side by side. Green should see additional minutes tonight in a pace up spot in a plus matchup. He is the projected starter, but you could also see Jeff Green get the start as well. Either way JaMychal Green is in a good spot at his price to get at least 5 times value with the potential for 8-10 times value with 26-30 minutes. Jeff Green is also a
Also consider: Bobby Portis, Aaron Gordon, Julius Randle
Value: Josh Hart, Darius Bazley, Kyle Anderson
Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers ($7500/$7500)
Even with the slight increase in price it is still too low for his minutes and production. The Cavaliers are still without Markkanen and Love which means Allen will continue to play mid-to high 30s in minutes. Over the last 4 games, Allen has been a beast averaging 20 points and 16 rebounds with a few blocks and steals each game. This may not be the best matchup for the Cavs, but I still see him exceeding value at his price.
Also consider: Karl-Anthony Towns, Jusif Nurkic, Jarren Jackson
Value: “Uncle” Jeff Green, Mason Plumlee, Robert Covington
CORE PLAYS
- Ricky Rubio
- Will Barton
- Duncan Robinson
Dimes Play(GPP Play of the Night) Under 5k Player with low ownership and upside
Duncan Robinson- attacking the Lakers is something that I have been doing this year and it has worked out in most instances. They run at the fastest pace in the league and the defense is lacking. Robinson has been playing close to 30 minutes a game and has put up some solid games this year. His price has dropped from 5K down to 3.7K on DK with a few duds in the last four games. This is the type of game where he do well in. Faster pace and a plus matchup where he can get off more shots. I see a 7-9 time value game from Robinson tonight.
DOUBLE DIMES PLAY
Jaden McDaniels(MIN)- Check to make sure you choose Jaden from the Timberwolves and not his brother Jalen. So, McDaniels has been playing around 26 minutes in most games with a few exceptions he was below 20. Now his price is a the bare minimum of 3K. This is a nice pace up spot for the Wolves where McDaniels should see around 20 plus FPs.
**Options to help build lineups- Take these core plays and enter into optimizer with your favorite setting(rating, FBrating, FBprojections, FunkProjections, ownership or ratings). OR use this article to help you build a lineup with some of your favorite plays. The Dashboard is also a great tool to help build lineups- It contains a good variety of stats and projections from multiple sources.
Good Luck!