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I like Jrue Holiday again tonight, but we just talked about him two days ago. Go back and read that article on how good he’s been. Instead, let’s discuss the always under-owned Mike Conley ($6,200). He’s played four games since missing the previous six with injury and has picked up right where he left off. The Grizzlies guard is averaging 32.9 DraftKings PPG in only 29.2 MPG in this most recent stretch. The Grizzlies looked like they were easing him back into action, not letting him play more than 27 minutes in any of his first three games back. He logged 39 against Orlando on Monday night so it looks like he will be able to offer a full compliment of minutes moving forward. This has been a really nice run of basketball for Conley who has poured in 15+ real points in eight of his last ten white providing plenty of assists and help on the glass.
Keep a close eye on the Raptors injury report for tonight. Kyle Lowry is questionable this evening with a wrist injury. If he is forced to sit out, Cory Joseph ($3,600) will be thrust into action for the Raptors. CJ is a capable scorer who has played 30+ minutes on nine occasions this season. In those games, he is averaging 23.8 DraftKings points which would be 6.6x value tonight at his current salary. This has been a nice 9 game stretch for Joseph who has scored 18+ DraftKings points six times, with games of 24.3 and 31.3 to boot. It’s unlikely he goes crazy for 40+ DraftKings points, but he doesn’t need to. He would be well worth the price tag if he can find 30+ minutes tonight.
Gary Harris ($4,600) has been sneaky-good for the Nuggets this week. He’s posted a three game stretch of 31, 26.5 and 27.25 DraftKings points. He is locked into big minutes for the Nuggets, averaging 33.1 MPG over the last 23 games. He doesn’t contribute in many categories, but he has had a nose for steals recently as well, racking up 12 steals over the last four games. He wouldn’t need much to reach value tonight against a Washington team that just cannot get healthy.
The price on Paul George ($8,900) just feels a big too low for what he’s been able to accomplish recently. Yes, he went through a rough stretch shooting about four weeks ago, but he has since bounced-back. He’s averaging 23.4 PPG and 42.7 DK PPG over the course of the last 14 games. He’s has one of the highest ceilings on the slate, cracking 50 DK Points in 14 games this season. The Pacers should be able to take advantage of an Atlanta team that has struggled defensively this season and will have to travel on the second night of a back to back.
The Pelicans are terribly thin tonight with Anthony Davis listed as probable, Tyreke Evans listed as questionable and Eric Gordon already ruled out. There is plenty of value to go around, but I have to point out Ryan Anderson ($6,300) who has been one of the biggest beneficiaries to Anthony Davis being injured. In the last four games that Davis missed, Anderson has scored 30+ on three occasions including a 47.8 point outburst against OKC. His role in the offense continues to expand, taking exactly 20 shots in each of the last two games. It’s certainly likely he threatens that number again tonight if all three of those Pelicans sit out. You couldn’t ask for a better matchup with the Kings who already own the league’s worst defense and will be playing their third game in four nights.
I actually think DeMarcus Cousins ($11,200) has all the qualities of being a GPP dream tonight. From the public’s perspective, he just laid an dud against Portland in his last outing and now his price goes up again to an even higher number! I suspect many will leave Boogie alone tonight but why?! Cut the guy some slack, he just dopped 56 points in a double OT game then had to travel across the country to play a B2B against Portland. It was reasonable that he would have a down night. This is a guy who is still averaging 59.6 DK PPG in his last 12 and could legitimately take 30 shots again tonight with Rudy Gay out. The Pelicans defense has been soft in the paint this season and will likely be without Anthony Davis. This is a matchup and opportunity dream! I’d be very interested to see where his ownership ends up.
Jonas Valuanciunas ($6,100) is quickly becoming one of my favorite players and cash game options. He’s just so consistent, it’s incredible. It seems like every night he rolls out a ho-hum double-double and returns you 5-6x value. He’s not scored any less than 27.5 DraftKings points in any of his last 7 games while breaking the 30 point mark in five of those outings. He’s been better at home this season to the tune of six full DraftKings points. He will get a nice matchup with the Knicks who he dropped a 16-10 line on in their only meeting this season. He lacks real upside, so I prefer to avoid in GPPs, but he’s a solid, fairly priced center for cash games.
Rudy Gay has already been ruled out for tonight, so we need to find out who benefits the most from that. Believe it or not, it’s center Willie Cauley-Stein ($5,100). The Kings deploy a bigger lineup in Gay’s absense and WCS goes from averaging 15.9 DK PPG with Gay in the lineup to 24.2 DK PPG in the five contests Gay has missed. That includes three recent games on the 21st, 23rd and 26th when WCS posted games of 31.3, 29.5 and 32.3 DraftKings points respectively. Cauley-Stein is really turning the corner as a profession, becoming a nightly double-double threat and returning his fantasy owners big time returns. There is no better matchup than the short-handed Pelicans who are already giving up the 3rd most points to opposing centers this season.
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.