Games to Target
L.A. Clippers at New York (Over/Under 206): I’m not in love with any of the role players on either team, but this game has some promise with both the high over/under total, and the stud players involved on both sides. Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan, Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony should all be worth consideration tonight.
Milwaukee at Houston (O/U 207.5): This should be a fairly good game, with the Rockets only favored by three points. James Harden is an obvious candidate for use tonight, but I love Greg Monroe in this spot with Dwight Howard sidelined with an ankle issue. Clint Capela should be worth consideration as well, along with Trevor Ariza, Giannis Antetokoumpo, and Khris Middleton.
News and Notes
- Nicolas Batum (toe) and Cody Zeller (shoulder) are both out for the Hornets. Jeremy Lin and Spencer Hawes will start for the duo, and both should have added value against the Magic.
- Victor Oladipo (knee) is questionable for the Magic. It looks like he’ll play after partial participation in practice, but I’d stay off of him due to injury and lack of clarity in regards to his role.
- Derrick Favors (back) should still be considered doubtful.
- Jimmy Butler has been dealing with an illness, but is now listed as probable to play against the Celtics.
- Lance Thomas (knee) is questionable for the Knicks. Langston Galloway could see more run in his absence.
- Everyone is dealing with something; especially if you’re the Miami Heat. Dwyane Wade (shoulder), Luol Deng (eye), Hassan Whiteside (oblique) and Goran Dragic (calf) are all out for Miami, joining Chris Andersen (knee) and Josh McRoberts (knee) on the inactive list for this contest. Furthermore, Beno Udrih (neck) has been listed as questionable – though, it sounds more like doubtful, depending on what report you read – and Gerald Green (knee) is questionable also. Tyler Johnson, Justise Winslow and Amare Stoudemire are your likely starters along with Chris Bosh. Green is a likely starter if he’s ruled healthy enough to play.
- O.J. Mayo (hamstring) is questionable for the Bucks. If he misses, Jerryd Bayless should see a healthy role off the bench.
- Dwight Howard (ankle) is out, while Jason Terry (knee), Patrick Beverley (ankle) and Montrezl Harrell (shoulder) are questionable. Clint Capela and Terrence Jones should be solid plays with Dwight out, while Ty Lawson and Marcus Thornton could see a bump in value if both guards are ruled out.
- Dirk Nowitzki (knee) is questionable, and Raymond Felton (eye) is probable for the Mavericks tonight. I don’t love the matchup for Dirk here, and Felton’s return doesn’t mean all that much in terms of fantasy value.
- George Hill (personal) is out, and Ian Mahinmi (ankle) is questionable for the Pacers. Monta Ellis should be a solid play, though any game against the Warriors should give you a bit of pause. The crowded Pacers frontcourt has become hard to navigate for value, but Myles Turner has shown the most promise.
- Andrew Bogut (back) is questionable. If he were to sit, fire up Festus Ezeli in a fairly good spot for solid value.
- The status on Tony Parker (hip) is unclear, though it’s important to note he sat out last night. Monitor the status of Spurs, as they head to Los Angeles as 16-point favorites against the Lakers. This is a prime spot to rest players.
- Larry Nance Jr. (knee) is doubtful to play against the Spurs. Kobe Bryant (shoulder) and Brandon Bass (foot) are probable. Julius Randle should start again for Nance.
Point Guard
Stud to Target
Stephen Curry, GS ($10,400): Curry’s price has become reasonable when you consider the upside, and the insane tear he’s been on over the last few games. He’s registered a three-game streak with DraftKings scores of 60, 56, and 58. Tonight, he’ll take on Monta Ellis at home.
Others to consider: Isaiah Thomas, BOS ($7,800) – Kyle Lowry, TOR ($8,600)
Value Play
Ty Lawson, HOU ($4,200): If both Terry and Beverley are ruled out, Lawson should see plenty of run at point guard. He played 35 minutes against the Pistons and came up with 27 DK points. If Beverley plays, you can easily pivot to him over Lawson in this spot.
Shooting Guard
Stud to Target
Khris Middleton, MIL ($7,000): I’ve always thought of Middleton as “just a shooter,” but it’s time to come around on that. This guy has been fantastic, and has now entered “stud” territory for DFS. He plays monster minutes, and has scored at least 39 DK points in four-of-five games. I’ll have a difficult time passing up on him against the Rockets.
Others to consider: James Harden, HOU ($10,000) – Klay Thompson, GS ($7,400)
Value Play
Josh Richardson, MIA ($3,300): I like Richardson over the currently starting Tyler Johnson for a pair of reasons. First, he’s $2.3K cheaper, so despite the relative lack of production that Richardson has shown in his last two games – each of which he played over 30 minutes – he’s probably a better value. Second, he could end up as a starter, and I’m fairly certain he’s a blowout-proof guy given the situation.
Small Forward
Stud to Target
Carmelo Anthony, NY ($8,300): The hype has been on Kristaps Porzingis, but Anthony has been crazy-good this year offensively. He’s now an across-the-board contributor when it comes to offensive stats, and is underpriced at below $9K.
Others to consider: Paul George, IND ($9,000) – Kevin Durant, OKC ($9,700)
Value Play
Justise Winslow, MIA ($4,000): At this price tag, Winslow needs 20 DK points to be a valuable addition to your roster. Considering he might have to play 40 minutes tonight, that’s definitely a mark he could reach despite not being an offensive threat quite yet.
Power Forward
Stud to Target
Draymond Green, GS ($9,100): The power-forward pool is filled with question marks tonight, and Green just found out that not only was he not voted in as an All-Star starter, but Zaza Pachulia passed him up in the vote. I expect him to play with a little extra motivation tonight.
Others to consider: Chris Bosh, MIA ($7,600) – Kristaps Porzingis, NY ($7,300)
Value Play
Jabari Parker, MIL ($5,100): Some people will be on Amar’e Stoudemire for the minimum price on DraftKings, but assuming he fits, I prefer Parker. He’s been seeing healthy minutes at power forward for the Bucks, and has been very good recently, consistently hitting 20-30 DK points since the calendar flipped to 2016.
Center
Stud to Target
Greg Monroe, MIL ($7,000): This is a pretty good matchup for Monroe, as the Rockets have been dreadful defensively all season long. His minutes aren’t sky-high – he usually hovers around the 29-30 minute mark – but the production has been very good on a per-minute basis.
Others to consider: Nikola Vucevic, ORL ($7,500) – Rudy Gobert, UTA ($6,400)
Value Play
Spencer Hawes, CHA ($3,100): He’ll start for the Hornets tonight, and while I do believe he’ll split time with Frank Kaminsky, I prefer the $1.7K savings you get by siding with Hawes tonight.