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I think Kyle Lowry ($8,300) is an interesting play today. He’s been in a bit of a slump, but his price has fallen a few hundred dollars as a result. Despite his poor play, there is plenty to like about Lowry’s fantasy output. First off, he’s logging heavy minutes for the Raptors. He’s constantly on the court and should easily see 35+ minutes again tonight. Secondly, he’s un-apologetic when it comes to taking shots. On Thursday night, he started the game 1 for 9 and looked brutal. Instead of clamming up and looking for other ways to contribute, his response was to jack the ball basically every time he touched it leading to 29 shot attempts. That might not be a good sign for the Raptors, but you have to love that as a fantasy owner. It shows that he will never back down on returning you points. Finally, this is the highest total on the board.
Since HC Scott Skiles revamped the Magic rotation, they have played outstanding basketball. That starts with PG Elfrid Payton ($6,300) who has scored more than his season average for points in eight out of the last nine games. It’s obvious that his fantasy outputs are outpacing his price, as he has eclipsed 30 DraftKings points  at the same rate (8 of 9). He is still one of the more talented distributors in the league and can help out on the glass as well. Jeff Teague has been battling an ankle injury so he may not be at 100% when he has to defend Payton tonight.
How about a short-slate flier in Terrence Ross ($4,100). The TOR SG has turned white-hot from behind the arc, hitting 12 of his last 22 over three games. That’s resulted in games of 21.5, 24.25 and 27.75 DraftKings points. Rotoworld points out a great stat for tonight and that is SAC allows 28.6 3PAs per game this season, the highest in the league.
Tobias Harris ($6,200) is a solid player, but I didn’t realize he has the upside that he displayed on Friday night. He returned 51 DraftKings points with a 25-12-3(stls)-2(asts) line. Harris has been one of the most consistent players this season, able to return 5x value on a near nightly basis. That is what you can expect again, but if he can continue his hot streak, he will provide plenty of upside in the mid-tier of pricing.
Stop me if you notice a trend, but here’s another Raptor in a good situation and it’s James Johnson ($3,600). Johnson technically took over the starting role from Terrence Ross and while it hasn’t limited Ross’ minutes (who now comes off the bench), it’s been a big boost for Johnson. Johnson responded to his first start with 13 points and five rebounds in 32 minutes of action. That line produced 26.25 DraftKings points, which is plenty of value at this price. Again, expect a fast pace, high scoring game with all the Raptors getting a boost.
Okay GPP friends, if you like buy-low candidates, look no further than Ryan Anderson ($5,900). Expect his already-low ownership to plummet after the worst game of his season, scoring only three points in 21 minutes. That’s a blip on the radar for RA, who’s been a solid scorer for the Pelicans, averaging 17.6 real points and nearly 30 DK PPG this season. He looks to bounce back in a high total game against the Nuggets who he buried for 24 real points the first time they met this season, one of the better games from Anderson so far.
We are going to start running out of chances to buy Joffrey Lauvergne ($4,400). The Nuggets are close to being healthy and the front-court will soon be crowded, but he’s still a viable option in the short term. Lauvergne has scored double digits in three straight and tallied a double-double in two of those contests. The fantasy outputs have been 29.75, 20.75 and 32.25 during that streak. That makes JL one of the safer plays to hit 5x value tonight, needing only 22 points to get there.
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.