Check out the Cash Game Breakdown for tonight’s 9-game NBA DFS slate!!
Hey what’s up, guys. I’m filling in for RadThad today. Have no fear, he’ll be back soon. We’ve got a fun 9-game slate tonight. Let’s dive right into it!
PG
Eric Bledsoe ($4400 DK, $4500 FD) – Finally signs of life from Bledsoe after he scored 39 fantasy points in 34 minutes last night. With Lonzo Ball out (now doubtful), this is clearly a situation where Bledsoe, who has long been a good player in the league, should be playing more minutes and stepping up for the Pelicans. The minutes have been there with Ball out but until last night the production hadn’t. Given the price and likely continued minutes boost, this continues to be a good spot to target Bledsoe, even if it doesn’t feel entirely comfortable doing so.
Russell Westbrook ($11,000 DK, $11,000 FD) – Russ has kicked it into another gear since the All-Star break, which puts him on our radar regardless, but now Bradley Beal is Q with a foot issue. Russ is an ok play if Beal is in, but he would become a very strong play if Beal can’t go. Russ is as erratic as ever with his poor shooting nights and turnover-prone ways, but he’s absolutely crushing the rebounding and assist departments right now, which gives him a floor and a very high ceiling if he can knock down some shots.
Derrick White ($5700 DK, $5500 FD) – One of the issues we’ve had in the past about being able to roster White is not knowing what the minutes were going to look like for him. He’s often injured and a crowded rotation has made it difficult to project his court time. However, now that he’s fully healthy and in shape, and with Lonnie Walker IV out, we’ve seen the minutes pick up for White. With a good shot at low-to-mid 30s minutes tonight, this is a pretty good spot against the Bulls.
*Jalen Brunson ($4200 DK, $4800 FD) – Playable in cash if Luka Doncic sits again. Brunson was underwhelming in 34 minutes last night against Indiana, but if you tell me that he’s likely to get 30+ minutes for under 5k tonight in a matchup against the Pelicans, I’ll take that every time. Absolutely worth going back to the well on at this price if Doncic sits again.
*Luka Doncic ($10,800 DK, $10,800 FD) –Kristaps Porzingis could sit tonight – or at the very least take on a limited workload – after playing 38 minutes last night. There’s zero chance the Mavs will risk anything with Doncic’s health, so we should feel ok rostering him knowing that he’ll be ready to go if the Mavs are comfortable letting him play. A juicy matchup against a terrible Pelicans defense, made even worse with Lonzo Ball (likely) on the sidelines, makes Doncic a really strong spendup target tonight if he gets the green light to play.
*Reggie Jackson ($4700 DK, $4800 FD)/Terance Mann ($3900 DK, $3900 FD)– There’s a fair amount going on here with the Clippers. We’ve got Beverley and Ibaka already out, Kawhi and Marcus Morris are Q and we don’t know if Rajon Rondo, who was picked up at the trade deadline, will play today. If both Kawhi and Rondo sit, this is a pretty good place to look today. If all three of Kawhi, Morris and Rondo sit, the Clippers would be very short again.
SG
Neil Alexander-Walker – NAW took over starting duties when Lonzo Ball went down with an injured hip and he continues to perform well while playing plenty of minutes. Ball is doubtful so we’ll go ahead and assume he won’t play. The price has risen some on NAW but there’s still value here relative to the number of minutes he’s playing and the role he’s taking on. This also projects to be one of the highest scoring games on the slate along with Rockets/Wolves so there should be plenty of fantasy goodness to go around.
Donovan Mitchell ($9000 DK, $8500 FD) – Mike Conley has been ruled out for the Jazz. Spyda has been out of his mind the past five games and he dropped 35 real points and 54 fantasy points on this same Grizz team last night. We can continue to go back to the well on Mitchell, especially with a big piece in Conley out tonight.
DeMar DeRozan ($7900 DK, $8500 FD) – The game logs look just ok the last couple games because of two tough matchups against the Clippers, but this is a decent spot for both DeRozan and the Spurs to get back on the track against the Bulls. Despite the muted performances against the Clippers, DeRozan had a massive usage rate in both games and now that he’s for sure still in a Spurs uniform until the end of the season and with the Spurs on the playoff bubble, we should continue to see big minutes and production from DeRozan and we’re getting a little discount here on DK.
Tyrese Haliburton ($6200 DK, $5600 FD) – Haliburton has been one of the best and most consistent rookies in this year’s class. He’s worked his way into the starting lineup and has now played 33, 35 and 36 minutes the past three games. The Kings acquired Delon Wright at the trade deadline and it remains to be seen both if he will play tonight or how he will be used, but Haliburton has done enough that he should continue to see his 30+ minutes regardless.
SF
Rui Hachimura ($5900 DK, $5700 FD) – With Davis Bertans out, Hachimura has settled into a big time role for the Wizards. He’s regularly seeing 37+ minutes and is getting up double-digit shot attempts. If Beal were to miss tonight, he would become the clear second option behind Westbrook for the Wizards, and that would only add to his appeal.
Brandon Ingram ($8000 DK, $8300 FD) – We’re going to want plenty of exposure to the Pelicans tonight because they are playing a very condensed rotation and they’re involved in a strong game environment with a high total and a close spread. Ingram is almost always going to give you a lot of minutes and put up a lot of shot attempts. He’s a strong fantasy producer at around 1.10 fantasy points per minutes and this should be a good spot for him tonight.
Dorian Finney-Smith ($4,300 DK, $3900 FD) – DFS and Kleber are both similar in that neither one is a very exciting play but both would have minutes upside if Porzingis were to sit tonight and this Dallas/New Orleans is one of if not the best game to target for fantasy on the slate. He’s a fine option as a last-guy-in who fits with the rest of your lineup.
Malik Beasley ($6800 DK, $5700 FD) – Beasley is expected to return tonight after serving over a month-long suspension. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch has said that Beasley has been practicing regularly with the team and should be ready to roll. Make sure he’s in the starting lineup, and if he is, I think we’re getting a pretty nice price on him on FD .
*Kevin Porter Jr. ($6300 DK, $6800 FD) – Porter Jr. has been upgraded to probable. Keep an eye on the status of John Wall who has a long injury history and played 37 minutes last night. Wall has been a black hole offensively for the Rockets so if he were to sit, it would open up a ton of opportunity for Porter Jr. in an outstanding matchup against the Wolves.
PF
Zion Williamson ($8700 DK, $8400 FD) – Zion went bonkers last night against the Nuggets going an incredible 16-19 from the field, scoring 39 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He attacks relentlessly and gets so many easy baskets, which along with his rebounding and other stat-work, makes him one of the more consistent fantasy performers out there. Outstanding floor and he’s been flashing some upside, Zion is a good option for our cash lineups.
Jerami Grant ($7600 DK, $7300 FD) – The Pistons are in flux right now with plenty of overhaul to their roster but one of the things that has stayed consistent is the minutes and outstanding production of Grant. Tonight the Pistons get a nice pace up matchup against the Wizards and Grant is the type of athletic player who should benefit from that.
Maxi Kleber ($4500 DK, $3800 FD) – Kleber is locked into solid minutes right now even if Porzingis is in the lineup, but we could see some minutes upside from him tonight if the Mavs decide to sit Porzingis on a back to back. This is a decent spot to play a guy like Kleber who isn’t a big point per minute producer in general but has the added benefit of a strong game environment and plenty of minutes.
Jae’Sean Tate ($5700 DK, $5400 FD) – 31 fantasy points in 39 minutes against this same Wolves squad last night with Danuel House out and House is out again tonight. We’ll want to keep an eye on the status of Kelly Olynyk who was traded to the Rockets at the deadline. He wasn’t ready to make his debut last night and it remains to be seen if he’ll play tonight. Minutes for Olynyk could easily eat into the minutes and production of Tate when he’s ready to go.
C
Karl-Anthony Towns ($9700 DK, $9900 FD) – Massive game out of Towns in this same matchup last night. 29 points, 16 rebounds and 8 assists and he didn’t even shoot that well, going 9-26 from the floor. My only slight hesitation on KAT tonight is that Beasley is returning to the lineup for the Wolves but I would expect him to take a chunk out of Anthony Edwards and some of the other perimeter players over KAT, who is clearly the number 1 option for the Wolves.
Robert Williams ($6600 DK, $5600 FD) – With Daniel Theis traded and Tristan Thompson still out, Williams started last game and put up a monster line in 27 minutes. While he is unlikely to surpass 30 minutes, even in this new role, he is a fantasy point per minute monster and can do a lot of damage in 26-28 minutes.
Jarrett Allen ($7700 DK, $6900 FD) – Nice price for Allen on FD. There isn’t much behind Allen on the depth chart for the Cavs at the moment so as long as Allen stays out of foul trouble, he should have a great shot of being out there for 36-37 minutes, which would give him a great shot of a double double with upside in this matchup against the Kings.
