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It would be easy to roster Steph Curry tonight, but I am looking at his counterpart in Damian Lillard ($9,200). Lillard was scorching before the All-Star break, averaging 50.8 DraftKings PPG in the final four contests. He took at least twenty shots in all four of those games, a feat that he has accomplished in 23 of 46 games this season. Lillard will be the beneficiary of a high Vegas total and fast pace with the Warriors tonight. In a 20 point loss to the Warriors in January, Lillard went off for 69.8 DraftKings points, his highest total this season.
Since joining the Sixers, Ish Smith ($7,200) is averaging 34.6 DraftKings PPG in 21 contests. He’s been the spark to the Philadelphia offense averaging a healthy 15/8 line. Tonight he travels back to New Orleans to face the team that traded him in late December. You can buy the “revenge narrative”, but also note that this is an excellent matchup with the Pelicans who are allowing the 6th most DraftKings point to opposing PGs.
Devin Booker ($6,300) is an interesting play at shooting guard tonight. Booker is averaging 29.8 DraftKings points per game over his last twelve, while coming off a massive 41.25 DK point game right before the break. The Suns dealt Markieff Morris at the deadline yesterday. Morris was taking nearly 17 shots per game over the last six, a stretch where Booker scored 34+ DK points in three of the games. Booker is already trending upwards and the likely candidate to absorb the largest percentage of Morris’ usage.
The Orlando Magic present an interesting situation. They dealt Channing Frye and Tobias Harris while landing Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova before the deadline. It’s unclear how the Magic rotation will shake out, but one guy to keep an eye on is Mario Hezonja ($3,700). “Super Mario” has played well in the absence of Tobias Harris this season, including a 29.25 DraftKings point outburst right before the break. Now that the Magic are unlikely to reach the playoffs, it’s logical to think they will give extended run to Hezonja so they can see what type of player the rookie is. He is no more than a GPP flier tonight, but someone who should be on your radar moving forward.
Trevor Ariza ($6,100) continues to eat all the minutes he can handle for the Rockets, playing exactly 40 in each of the last two. He’s provided fantasy owners with plenty to cheer for, scoring 30+ DK points in seven of eleven before the break. He’s a true five category scorer who is not afraid to shoot the ball from beyond the arc. An excellent matchup with the Suns is on-tap. Ariza dropped a healthy 22-3-2-4 line for 36 DraftKings points on Phoenix just two weeks ago.
A surprise scratch of Kawhi Leonard allowed Kyle Anderson ($3,100) to sneak into the starting lineup for the Spurs last night. He only posted eight points and three rebounds in what what a pathetic night overall for the Spurs. It was encouraging was that Anderson started and played 28 minutes, which was tied for the most on the team. If Leonard sits out again tonight, Anderson becomes an interested value play for the amount of minutes he is likely to see. He doesn’t need many points to pay for himself and would get the excellent matchup with the defensively-challenged Lakers.
Thad Young ($6,700) was the center of many trade rumors this week but stands pat with the Brooklyn Nets. Young had upped his trade value by turning in some outstanding games before the break. In the final eight contests before the hiatus, Young averaged 33.7 DraftKings PPG while cracking 38+ in three of the last four. Young is a double-double threat who has scorched the Knicks in two meetings this season. He is averaging 39.8 DK PPG in their two meetings this year.
The Heat front-court is going to be extremely thin tonight. Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside will both miss this game, leaving Miami without a center on the roster. The likely beneficiary is Amar’e Stoudemire ($4,200) who has played over the last nine games. He’s averaging 22.9 DraftKings points per game in that span while playing under 20 MPG. I don’t see a scenario where he doesn’t play 25+ minutes tonight against an Atlanta team that has been brutal in the paint this year.
How about Jahlil Okafor ($6,400) who is proving he can score big-time fantasy points with or without Nerlens Noel in the lineup. Okafor averaged 44.7 DraftKings points per game in the last three games before the break. That included two monster double-doubles. He continues to shoulder the offensive load for the Sixers, taking nearly 15 shots per games. The Pelicans have been embarrassingly bad in the paint this season, so expect Okafor to continue his hot stretch.
That’s all folks! Be sure to follow me on Twitter for more player analysis as news and injuries break closer to tip-off! Commentary based on DraftKings strategy and scoring.