After back-to-back MASSIVE NBA slates over the past three days, we're back tonight with a small 4-game slate. Last night's slate was hectic with guys like Mikal Bridges and Jevon Carter going for around 60+ fantasy points. Will we be able to find those diamonds in the rough for tonight's slate or will it all come down to the superstars? Let's waste no time and jump right into these games!
DALLAS MAVERICKS vs. WASHINGTON WIZARDS
(DAL -4.5 | o/u 209)
Two of the slowest-moving teams in the NBA: Mavericks and Wizards. The Wizards are tied for the 10th worst 3PT defense in the league facing a strong Dallas team in what could be a low-scoring affair.
G/F: Tim Hardaway Jr. (DK: $4,000; FD: $4,500)
I was looking at Reggie Bullock here at first, but then realized Bullock is barely even involved in this DAL offense, so there's much more upside with his backup: Tim Hardaway Jr. THJ plays most of his minutes this season at the SF position and WAS is 9th in PTS, 2nd in AST, and 6th in 3PM given up to opposing SFs. THJ attempts more shots than Bullock and is more involved, so get him while he's this cheap against a poor WAS perimeter defense.
F: Dorian Finney-Smith (DK: $4,200; FD: $4,300)
Shooters shoot. DFS has had an up-and-down season (mostly trending towards down), but he has a favorable matchup against a WAS defense that is 10th in PTS and 6th in 3PM given up to opposing PFs. There's not an insane amount of upside with DFS, but if he can hit his shots tonight, he should provide solid fantasy production.
F/C: Maxi Kleber (DK: $3,400; FD: $3,700)
Christian Wood is still out and Kleber just played 33 MIN in his absence, so there's not much to say here. He is SUPER cheap.
F/C: Kristaps Porzingis (DK: $8,500; FD: $8,000)
KP faces a Luka-led Dallas team that he was once apart of. A lot of people like to blame him for not making it work and just maybe that motivates him to play hard tonight? Regardless, there's no Beal, which boosts KP to a 26.7% usage rate, and he's facing Dwight Powell, a center not known for his defensive prowess.
G: Jordan Goodwin (DK: $4,700; FD: $5,200)
Wizards fans had been clamoring early on this season for Jordan Goodwin to get some rotational minutes, so when Beal stepped out with healthy and safety protocols, Goodwin was next man up and all I can say is...WOW! Goodwin has made an impact straight away with two straight 30+ FP games. His price has had a major increase, but with how smooth he looks in this WAS offense and defense, I have no issue paying up for Goodwin once again tonight.
G/F: Will Barton (DK: $4,100; FD: $4,400)
Barton can be one of those hit-or-miss players, but I cannot avoid him with no Beal tonight. He sports a 22.3% usage rate without Beal this season and is a high volume shooter, attempting 11 FGs per game with no Beal. With how cheap Barton is tonight, there's a lot of upside here.
Boom or Bust Value Plays:
- F: Rui Hachimura (DK: $4,100; FD: $4,200)
- G/F: Josh Green (DK: $3,600; FD: $3,800)
- F/C: Dwight Powell (DK: $5,100; FD: $3,600)
CHARLOTTE HORNETS vs. MIAMI HEAT
(MIA -11 | o/u 214)
An injured Charlotte team travels to South Beach to face a Miami team that is surprisingly the 3rd worst 3PT defense in the league. Can a short-handed Hornets squad keep this one close against the Heat?
G: Kyle Lowry (DK: $6,900; FD: $6,900)
Lowry seems to have found his stride all of the sudden with 30+ FP in 6 of his last 7 games played. He faces a CHA defense that is 6th in PTS given up to PGs, so expect him to keep things rolling tonight.
G: Terry Rozier III (DK: $8,600; FD: $8,000)
A bit pricy for Rozier, but seems worth it in my eyes. He's the #1 guy on this CHA team and is facing a MIA defense that is 7th in PTS and 2nd in 3PM given up to SGs. He boasts a 30.9% (!) usage rate this season and will look to get things going tonight.
F/C: Bam Adebayo (DK: $7,900; FD: $7,700)
Do we need to say much here? Centers. Against. Mason. Plumlee. If that's not enough for you, know that Drew Eubanks (Yes, Drew Eubanks!) put up 30+ FP against CHA last night. This one is a no-brainer.
G: Gabe Vincent (DK: $4,400; FD: $4,000)
This one relies on Herro's status for the game. If Herro sits, I LOVE Vincent tonight. If Herro plays, Vincent's value begins to diminish. He has produced 20+ FP in the last 4 games (all due to injury), so if Herro sits, get Vincent in your lineups tonight.
F/C: PJ Washington (DK: $5,800; FD: $6,500)
This one is mainly because of how good he's recently been. PJ has had 28+ FP in the last three games and even had 28 FP last game whilst only shooting 3-12 from the field. If he can hit almost 30 FP with that poor of a shooting performance, then I like the upside with PJ tonight.
Boom or Bust Value Plays:
- G: James Bouknight (DK: $3,200; FD: $4,800)
- C: Nick Richards (DK: $4,000; FD: $4,300)
- G/F: Duncan Robinson (DK: $3,500; FD: $3,700)
> Only if Tyler Herro sits
PHILADELPHIA 76ers vs. ATLANTA HAWKS
(ATL -1 | o/u 222)
The second slowest team in the league, the Philadelphia 76ers, led by the now-healthy Joel Embiid, takes on one of the fastest teams in the league in the form of the Atlanta Hawks led by the backcourt tandem of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. In a massive pace-up spot, how will the Sixers adapt without Harden?
F/C: PJ Tucker (DK: $3,700; FD: $3,900)
We're going to kick it off with a risky one: PJ Tucker. He is a very hard-to-play fantasy player, but when he hits, he hits. He sees a matchup tonight against an ATL defense that is 1st in PTS and 5th in REB given up to PFs this season. He had 25+ FP in 2/3 games versus the Hawks last season. With no Harden, there's more shots to go around and just maybe they'll end up in Tucker's hands. He is questionable, so keep an eye on his status. High risk, high reward.
G: De'Anthony Melton (DK: $6,000; FD: $5,600)
Melton is fairly cheap while being the newly established starting SG with no Harden. He's averaging 30+ FP per game as a starter this season, so I expect Melton to continue his solid level of production through tonight.
C: Joel Embiid (DK: $10,900; FD: $10,500)
There's not much to discuss with a healthy Embiid. With no Harden, his usage rate blasts through the roof. He just produced 55+ FP last game while only shooting 8-21 from the field. While he's under $11,000, I will be looking to Embiid in a lot of lineups tonight as an expensive play.
F: Tobias Harris (DK: $7,100; FD: $8,000)
Harris has been on a hot streak recently with 30+ FP in his last 5 games played. He even boasts a 22.2% usage rate without Harden this season. For his price tonight, I like Harris to continue his hot streak.
F: De'Andre Hunter (DK: $4,900; FD: $4,800)
Hunter is too cheap for me to overlook right now. He's under $5,000 and has produced 26+ FP in 3 of his last 4 games played. He even attempted 15 FGs last game with Trae and Dejounte active, so I like Hunter as a cheaper forward on tonight's slate.
Boom or Bust Value Plays:
- F: Georges Niang (DK: $4,300; FD: $4,300)
- F: Danuel House Jr. (DK: $3,100; FD: $3,500)
- C: Onyeka Okongwu (DK: $3,600; FD: $4,400)
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS vs. NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
(NOP -6.5 | o/u 224.5)
An up-and-down Pelicans squad hosts this hot Blazers team tonight in a game that should be a close one. Will the Blazers continue their hot streak or will the Pelicans swoop down and snatch a win tonight?
G: Damian Lillard (DK: $9,700; FD: $8,500)
Dame is back fully healthy and facing a Pels team that is 2nd in AST to PGs this season. Dame looked unstoppable pre-injury and is slowly coming back to form with a 44+ FP performance last game. His price has jumped up a bit on DK, but his price on FD is an absolute STEAL, so I like Lillard tonight in what should be a close game.
G: Anfernee Simons (DK: $8,100; FD: $7,700)
This is mainly due to how good he's been and what his price stands at. He's around $8,000 and has produced 33+ FP in his last 4 games played. He's a high volume shooter who attempts a ton of field goals and threes per game, so I like Simons to look for his shot tonight against a somewhat struggling Pels team.
F: Josh Hart (DK: $6,500; FD: $6,400)
Hart faces a Pels defense that is 1st in PTS and 5th in 3PM given up to SFs this season. He's averaging 28+ FP per game this season and has not gotten under 20 FP once this season. He's not too expensive and has a very favorable matchup tonight, so I like Hart in this spot tonight.
C: Jonas Valanciunas (DK: $7,000; FD: $6,700)
Valanciunas is facing a POR defense that is 6th in PTS and 6th in AST to Cs this season. Valanciunas has been finding his stride with 40+ FP in 2 of his last 3 games. With Larry Nance Jr potentially sitting, that only equals more minutes for Jonas tonight, so I like him for a solid fantasy night tonight.
F: Herb Jones (DK: $4,800; FD: $5,000)
This is solely because of the hot streak he has been on since returning from injury. Herb has produced 25+ FP in his last 3 games played. For this low of a price point, I will be looking at Herb Jones tonight to continue his hot streak.
G/F: Brandon Ingram (DK: $8,700; FD: $8,200)
Ingram is looking like the best player on this Pels squad. He sports a 28.9% usage rate this season and has produced 37+ FP in his last 4 games played. Ingram seems to be a primary ballhandler on this team and should continue to help run this Pels offense tonight.
C: Drew Eubanks (DK: $4,300; FD: $3,500) OR F/C: Trendon Watford (DK: $5,200; FD: $4,500)
These two players rely solely on Jusuf Nurkic's status tonight. Eubanks drew the start last night and produced 30+ FP and Watford saw 25 MIN with 20+ FP. That was all because Nurkic ended up sitting out, so if he's out again tonight, these two should see the majority of his minutes.
Boom or Bust Value Plays:
- G: Devonte Graham (DK: $3,500; FD: $3,900)
Well, I think that's all for tonight's slate. It could be a nice change of pace to only have four games for tonight. I hope our advice is able to help you pull down some money! Let us know how we're doing and how YOU'RE doing as well over on Twitter at @3inKeyPod. I'm excited for tonight's slate and I wish all of you the best of luck!