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Isaiah Thomas ($7,600) becomes an intriguing option tonight. He presents himself as a nice pivot off some of the top options, while being sandwiched above the value plays. That combination will likely drive his ownership down into the single digits on this large slate. Thomas has cooled off a bit lately, but he’s capable of exploding in multiple categories. He can score 30 real points on any night, or dish out 10+ assists in a hurry. The matchup is what really has me interested. In three games against the Knicks this season, Thomas is averaging 44 DraftKings points, which would be worth right at 6x value again tonight. Taking over 19 shots a game in the last eight should provide plenty of opportunity for IT to continue killing the Knicks.
We’ve said this about Khris Middleton ($7,300) plenty of times this season, but he is in the midst of the best basketball of his career. He is averaging 42.3 DraftKings PPG over his last eight including two games of 50 or more points. With the unreliable rotations that the Bucks offer, Middleton is really one of the true constants for Milwaukee. He’s logging massive minutes, to the tune of 40.8 MPG in that same eight game stretch. He’s tacking on points in all categories right now, and has gotten to the free throw line 24 times in the last two games. He needs only 38 DraftKings points to reach 5x value, a feat that he has accomplished in six of eight.
It’s been a roller coaster stretch for Kent Bazemore ($5,300) recently. His last ten games have produced a wide range of outcomes. He started that stretch with games of 34.4, 38 and 29.3 DK points. He followed those games up with a cold streak of 14, 16, 14.75 and 7 DK points. However it looks like he’s bounced back with 28.3, 26.5 and 31.25 DK points in his most recently three games, so he’s trending in the right direction. With his improved production have come increased minutes (or vice versa), but he has now taken 34 shots over the last three games, including 14 three pointers. Bazemore is a competent three point shooter who can crash the boards in an effective manner. The matchup with LAL is sublime and Bazemore dropped 30.75 on the Lakers in just 25 minutes in their only meeting this season.
You have to love Kenneth Faired ($6,000) tonight. He’s a highly volatile player coming off a poor game, but now is the time to buy low. We get a $200 discount after a bad outing in a prime matchup against LAL. He’s been dealing with some lingering injuries, so he’s worth a GPP flier at best. His three games before the Lakers debacle were incredibly encouraging. He scored 38.75, 40 and 39.75 DraftKings points in those contests. Now he earns a date with Brooklyn who surrendered 44.75 DK points to Faried in their only meeting this season.
It’s likely chalk at the top of the center position so pick your poison between Whiteside and Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,200). I slightly prefer Towns since I suspect he will have lower ownership. Although if Wade sits for the Heat, I am firing up Whiteside in every format possible. Now, on to Towns, who is just shredding the NBA right now. He’s laid two eggs in the last eight games, while still averaging 45.5 DraftKings points in that stretch. That shows how massive his other games have been, including scoring 48+ on four occasions, 50+ on two occasions and 60+ once. He’s capable of scoring 30 points and hauling in 15 rebounds on a nightly basis. Both centers have plenty of upside and you couldn’t possibly go wrong with either.
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.