Happy New Year! Looks like we are back to the same NBA schedule with heavy games on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays and less games on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
A lot of good plays tonight and this article will list my core/favorite plays along with some other options. Also included will be two Dime Plays tonight- these are lower owned players that are under 5K and have high upside.
12-game slate starting at 7:00 PM.
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Player news: IF/THEN
- Evan Mobley– if Mobley is out look to Kevin Love and Cedi Osman. Caris LeVert would get a boost as well.
- Joel Embiid- Boost to Harden and Harris if Embiid sits out. Also look to the center that starts- Montrezl Harrell or Paul Reed.
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Games to Target-
- Grizzlies/Hornets
- Knicks/Spurs
- Hawks/Kings- Kings get an elite matchup as the Hawks are in the bottom five in all positional categories.
Orlando Magic will be shorthanded tonight.
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Changes to the article. Instead of giving core plays along with a write up for each I will list my core plays and give the logic behind them.
NBA Dashboard is also another good source to help build lineups.
The “Droppin Dimes,” article will go over my favorite plays for the slate. It will consist of three to five core plays along with some additional plays and some value plays. You will not always see the highest-priced players or the most obvious plays. The article will be the building blocks to help construct lineup/s.
NBA Dashboard is also another good source to help build lineups. Check it out here – DailyAmbush: NBA Dashboard
The Dashboard will provide projections, player ratings along with matchup and other statistics for both Ambush and me (under FB Model). The dashboard feeds the optimizer allowing users to create lineups using (Avg FPs, Ratings, FB Projections, FB Ratings, projected ownership and GPP score). This is a good tool to utilize, and it gives the user a lot of ways to mix it up.
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(Note: All pricing and fantasy points are based on DraftKings but can be used for all sites.)
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CORE
- CJ McCollum
- Klay Thompson
- Kevin Hueter or Caris LeVert (see notes below)
- Harrison Barnes
- Steven Adams
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LOGIC:
Point Guard: CJ McCollum will pick up the most usage with Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Larry Nance off the court. He gets a 5% boost for a 30.5% usage rate. Playing well as of late minute the one dud against the Grizzlies where he only put up 13 FPs. Ceiling is high with McCollum being the top scorer on the team with an upside 70 plus. The matchup helps against the Rockets who also run at a fast pace along with a good defensive matchup. This is a twelve-game slate and I do expect McCollum to pick up ownership- like he either way due to the increase usage, minutes and matchup. If you want a pivot look to Jalen Brunson in an excellent matchup as well and has an increased role with RJ Barret out.
Shooting Guard: Going back to Klay Thompson who is on fire right now. I was on him the other night when he went for over 50 real points at lower ownership. Averaging 57 FPs over the last seven days and taking well over 20 shots a game. During the last four-games Thompson has not gone under 40FPs. Hard to pass up on Thompson tonight with the way he is playing and the matchup against the Pistons who rank 29th over all in defensive effectiveness. Should not pick up too much ownership on a 12-game slate, especially with all plays/value coming in.
Small Forward: Kevin Huerter goes against his former team tonight- the Hawks. Playing well on his new team with 30 or more FPs in two of the last three games. I do see him stepping up tonight against the Hawks at home. Looking for 40 plus for Huerter. This spot was a tossup between Huerter and Caris LeVert. Levert is in an excellent spot tonight if Garland is out. Coming off a dud but has been playing 35 plus minutes as of late and has 40 FPs upside.
Power Forward: Looking at Harrison Barnes tonight against the Hawks. Plays a lot of minutes most nights and has been playing well. The matchup is excellent against the Hawks who rank in the bottom 5 defensively against opposing power forwards. Like the price as well coming in under 5k.
Center: Centers and power forwards have been destroying the Hornets this year as they rank 30th and 27th respectively. Going with someone who I rarely play- Steven Adams. The first thing I did was look at who the Hornets were playing- Grizzles. Then look at the center spot and Steven Adams pops up. Then I looked at his game log- three straight games with 40 or more FPs and all three games he was a monster on the boards (23, 21 and 17 rebounds). Auto Lock button., especially at his price and that Adams has seen an increase in minutes with Brandon Clarke out. Jaren Jackson is intriguing as well and could go off tonight- worth a shot in tournament. Only issue with him is fouls.
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*LeBrom James decided he wanted to sit out tonight. The Lakers I have interest in are Patrick Beverly, Austin Reaves, Dennis Schroder and Troy Brown.
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(V) Value Play
Additional Plays to Consider
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
| Jalen Brunson Cole Anthony (V) Damian Lillard Patrick Beverly (V) Jose Alvarado (V) | Zach LaVine Terry Rozier Donovan Mitchell Josh Giddey Austin Reaves (V)
| Caris LeVert Kyle Anderson TJ Warren (V) Jalen McDaniels (V) Naji Marshall (V) | Paskal Siakam Kevin Durant Giannis Antetokounmpo Draymond Green Cedi Osman (V)+ | Rudy Gobert Joel Embiid Wendell Carter Jr. Mo Bamba (V) |
Dimes Play
Large Slate- Double Dimes Plays!
John Konchar- has been playing well as of late. Averaging 25 minutes and 25 FPs (FPPM). He should see some additional minutes tonight and gets an excellent matchup against the Hornets. Expecting 30 Plus FPs from Konchar tonight.
Hamidou Diallo– Dialla has stepped into a larger role as of late with a few Pistons players out or suspended. He should see around 20 minutes tonight and that is all he would need to pay off his salary. Diallo has shown upside this season and in past season when given minutes. This is an excellent matchup in a pace up spot and excellent defensive matchup.
**Options to help build lineups- Take these core plays and enter into optimizer with your favorite settings (rating, FBrating, FBprojections, 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!