Today’s Projections

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It’s just about time to start investing in Kyrie Irving ($6,100). Irving is close to coming off his minutes restrictions, but should see between 25-30 minutes tonight. Remember, he will be well-rested, not having played since the 28th. Despite only playing 26 and 24 minutes in his previous two games, he’s launched 31 shots combined. He’s the type of player who can light it up in a hurry, so he doesn’t need a full workload to reach value. I am not 100% thrilled in rostering him tonight and would limit it to small exposure in GPPs, but he needs to be on your radar moving forward.

An influx of minutes for Trey Burke ($4,600) has lifted his production to a whole new level. His minutes have climbed to 24, 37 and 29 the last three games, which have returned his owners 26, 35.75 and 35.75 DraftKings points. How much extra opportunity has Trey Burke earned? He’s taken 15+ shots in only seven games this season. Three of them are his last three games. This is a guy who is trending upwards in an under-rated matchup with the Grizzlies tonight.

It’s starting to get a little ridiculous with what Khris Middleton ($6,800) is doing right now, but I am not afraid to ride the hot hand. Middleton has racked up 36 and 33 real points in his last two games, piling on 50.5 and 52.25 DraftKings points. This is Middleton’s fourth NBA season, playing in 222 games. He’s only scored more than 50 DraftKings points in three games. If you’re paying attention, that means two of his three highest scoring games EVER, have been this week. It’s certainly not the type of production you expect him to sustain, but reaching 40 points would be worth 6x value tonight. That’s a milestone he’s reached in four of six, so Middleton may have found something in his game that is making him a huge fantasy producer.

Reports indicate that Danilo Gallinari ($6,700) is going to make his return to the lineup for the Nuggets after missing six games. He will fly way under the radar for that reason, but there’s no reason to think he won’t play a full workload of ~35 minutes. Gallinari is one of the Nuggets top fantasy producers and will see an excellent boost from the Warriors breakneck pace. Two appealing factors of Gallinari tonight are his high ceiling (capable of scoring 40+ real points in any game) and his predicted ownership which I think will be in single digits tonight.

I know it’s been a tough three game stretch for Kevin Love ($7,500), but this price is simply too low. This is the cheapest Love has been all season and he’s still a walking double-double with significant upside. Despite his down games, he’s still posted 43+ DraftKings points in three out of eight games. I am willing to buy low in GPPs, but would avoid in cash games.

Cody Zeller ($5,000) has been thrust into action with the injury to Al Jefferson, who is out indefinitely. He has been a lock to score 5x value in his last six games and would only need 30 DraftKings points to reach 6x value tonight. Zeller has posted 28, 28.5 and 29.5 in three of four, so that milestone is certainly within his reach. He’s a sneaky double-double threat who can tack on a few blocks and steals. The Hornets should benefit from more possessions in this matchup with the Thunder. Finally, if Spencer Hawes sits out another game, Zeller becomes even more valuable.

The center position is extremely top heavy tonight with plenty of great options to choose from. If you follow this site regularly, you know I love DeAndre Jordan, so I will write about someone else. How about a sneaky Marc Gasol ($7,200). I would bet that he’s the least owned center of the top five or six options, but he has just as much upside as the rest of these guys. Coming off a massive 23-8-6 game against Miami, he gets a “bad” matchup with Utah. The Jazz have given up the fourth fewest DraftKings points to opposing centers, but that number is a little deceiving. Remember, they’ve played half the season with Rudy Gobert, an elite rim protector, who is now sidelined. Also, they’ve been the beneficiaries of playing teams who don’t technically have a center on their roster, so they’ve allowed “zero” points in those games. Gasol is a more offensive-minded center than most of his peers as he’s only hauling in 7.6 RPG this season. On the flip side, he’s an excellent offensive threat who could take nearly twenty shots tonight. He is one of the few centers who can rack up the assists and his value comes from all categories.

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.