Golden State Warriors @ Houston Rockets

Total: 218.5

HOU -3.5

This game would be a lot more interesting if Stephen Curry was taking part, but there are still a lot of intersting dynamics here. How will Kevin Durant and Draymond Green gel together after their altercation in the team's lost against the Clippers? Will Kevin Durant be able to shake P.J. Tucker's stout defense that has given him issues in the past? Will Quinn Cook have issues being defended by Chris Paul ? Will Draymond Green even play as he's currently listed as questionable? Kevin Durant -- despite the tough matchup against Tucker -- is the top play of the slate. It's hard to ignore a player with a 40-percent usage rate. Whether Green sits or not, it's also hard not to love Klay Thompson 's consistency of late going for back-to-back 40-plus point fantasy outings while scoring at least 29 over his last eight games. I really only have interest in Quinn Cook if Draymond sits, and I like Green actually if he plays as well. The last two guys we should take note of on the Golden State side are Jonas Jerebko who broke the slate the last time the Warriors played going for 14 points, 13 rebounds and 36,75 DK points. Andre Iguodala is the last guy we need to talk about here. Iggy has been filling in as the second playmaker on the Dubs notching four or more assists in three straight games. The 22-plus minutes in all three games is a big bonus as well.

On the Rockets side, I prefer Chris Paul to James Harden on a per-dollar basis. Paul also draws the better individual matchup going up against Quinn Cook who has a 114 DRtg and a -3.6 DBPM, which are AWFUL numbers. The upside we're used to seeing Harden with has peaked through the blinds over the last two games going for 65 and 54 DK points, but once again, this matchup isn't an easy one by any means. I would love Clint Capela if Draymond Green sits, but with the lack of decent centers on this slate, he may be in play regardless. James Ennis and P.J. Tucker are going to be two of the more popular value options used on this slate, especially if Gary Clark sits. Not that Clark moves the needle that much, but he opens up the opportunity for more minutes for both Tucker and Ennis.

 

 

Atlanta Hawks @ Denver Nuggets

Total: 222

DEN -13

This one could get ugly really fast, so we have to look at this from both sides. If you think it stays close, the starters are obviously in play here. Trae Young is blowout proof as he's played 26 minutes or more in each game, so we shouldn't worry about him too much in a blowout like we should a Kent Bazemore who has played 22 or fewer minutes on a couple of different occasions. Jeremy Lin would be a big time beneficiary to a blow out and we know if there is one thing Lin can do, it's score the basketball. If Alen Len doesn't suit up, the Hawks HAVE to play Miles Plumlee and Omari Spellman at center tonight with John Collins and Dwayne Dedmon already ruled out. Alex Poythress also played 21 minutes the last time out and he's seemingly going to have a similar role and it could be more. If this game stays close, Bazemore, Taurean Prince and Young have something to say about it.

On the Nuggets side, can we really trust the expensive starters in a 13-point spread? I think Nikola Jokic could be my favorite of the Nuggets starters because of his upside, but he's dealing with a little injury himself. Jon pointed out how good Monte Morris has been off of the Nugs bench of late and is coming off arguably his best game yet going for 19 points and six assists en rout to 31 DK points. He's only 4.1K on DK and at the same price, we can look at Trey Lyles , especially if you think this game blows out. Lyles has had a very safe floor of around 20 fantasy points per game while playing just about 20 minutes per night. He should see all the run he can handle if this game gets out of hand. I guess our boy Juancho Hernangomez is still viable as long as he's starting as well. His price tag doesn't rise and he's played 30 and 39 minutes respectively over his last two games. Mason Plumlee is the last name I'll put out there as an option if you don't think this one stays competitive.

 

San Antonio Spurs @ Los Angeles Clippers

Total: 216

LAC -6

The Spurs are playing the second leg of a back-to-back after getting smacked upside the head by the Suns, so this one can go one of two ways. The first option is we get Pop'd. If you're new to NBA DFS, messing with a Gregg Popovich led team on the second night of a back-to-back is one of the, if not the absolute hardest things to do on a nightly basis. Pop has never been one to cater to us DFS players and let us know before he rests one or two or even his whole starting five on any given night, so proceed with caution. That said, I mentioned there are TWO possible outcomes, and I'm actually leaning towards the second one as Pop and the team will be looking to seek revenge after playing so poorly last night. I love LaMarcus Aldridge in a bounce back spot here and I'm not afraid to admit it. Aldridge torched the Clippers last year in two meetings notching over 26 actual points per contest and the Clippers post defense has only gotten worse with the departure of DeAndre Jordan . DeMar DeRozan is also very viable as his price on DraftKings has dipped below 9K for only the second time since October 27th. Rudy Gay stands out to me and mainly because he didn't play on Wednesday, so he could be the freshest Spurs player of them all. If Gay could begin to see his minutes back up near 25 or so, he has plenty of value. Derrick White is still too cheap at a sub-5K price on DK and has now notched three consecutive games with 10-plus actual points.

I think my favorite team to target tonight is the Clippers. If you look at their price tags, they're all reasonable and they seemingly all have a safe floor and some upside to boot. Tobias Harris has been Mr. Consistency all season long as he's gone for 33-plus DK points in six straight games and seven times over his last eight contests. Harris' floor provides us with a strong foundation when starting our builds. Next, two guys that are breaking out simultaneously are Montrezl Harrell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SJA and Jon and I call him has had three straight games of at least 35 minutes, 16 actual points and 28 DK points. He's going to continue to see big minutes with Avery Bradley injured and even when Bradley returns, he stole this starting job away from him with his play. Harrell could potentially be the highest owned player on tonight's slate and to be honest, I'm drinking the koolaid as well. We've begged and pleaded for extended run for him, and now that he's played 25-plus minutes in five straight games, he's gone for at least 28 DK points including back-to-back 20-plus actual point nights. He's a BEAST. Let's not overlook Lou Williams , guys. Williams has been low key as steady as they come and I've been trying to bring that to people's attention, but let's continue to keep it our little secret, OK? Williams has scored 17 actual points in nine of his last 10 games and in the one game he didn't reach that mark, he had 10 assists. The consistency he brings off the bench is something I want to center my builds around, especially when the opposing team ranks 23rd against shooting-guards. Danilo Gallinari ? He has a safe floor. BOBAN REVENGE? It's possible. Anything is possible on a three-game slate.