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A small slate that is filled with value at the Point Guard position. Expect everyone to flock to Darren Collison ($4,900) who has been great, but this feels like an opportunity to be contrarian and roll with Isaiah Thomas ($7,700). IT has been excellent for the Celtics this season and is averaging over 40 DraftKings points per game in his last five. He’s a heavy usage player, checking in with a 28.4% usage rate. For perspective, he ranks directly behind Kevin Durant (29.0%) and Anthony Davis (28.8%). There is a high probability that IT is the highest scoring PG of the evening when all is said and done and he will likely be under-owned.
The “no-so-obvious” choice for value would be Zach LaVine ($5,400). He’s coming off the bench for the TWolves but he’s tallying 25+ minutes every night. He’s made great use of his time on the court, scoring his fantasy owners at least 25 DraftKings points in three of four and going off for 36 on Sunday night. He’s the primary offense of that MIN second unit, so expect a ton of usage when he’s on the court. This game has the second highest total on the board, so there should be plenty of opportunity for points.
Take a look at what Gary Harris ($4,100) has been up to lately. He’s been a solid fantasy performer, but check out those minutes! His last five games, he has logged 34, 34, 25, 44 and 40 minutes. That type of opportunity is difficult to find in this price range and Harris has certainly benefitted. He dropped a 21-2-2-1-1 line on the Rockets last night, earning owners 30.5 DraftKings points.
Also, it may have been a fluke, but Ben McLemore ($3,900) had his best game of the season, two weeks ago against the Rockets. McLemore dropped 19-9 for 42.25 DraftKings points. That performance falls somewhere between a fluke and a matchup deficiency, but it’s worth noting on this tiny slate of games.
Danilo Gallinari ($7,000) is an interesting play for tonight. He doesn’t rank highly on most projections since this is a perceived difficult matchup with MIN. However, if there’s any position to completely throw out the window when it comes to points allowed, it’s the SF position. Gallinari is the main threat in the Nuggets offense and he’s a virtual lock to shot the ball at least a dozen times. He’s earned at least 33 DraftKings points in four of five and he’s filled with upside.
It just feels like Demarcus Cousins ($10,200) is ready to explode. I don’t think players are “due”, but this is the situation to buy up Boogie. His price has dropped $600 over the last two games and now with Rondo out, expect Cousins to touch the ball on nearly every possession. This is a guy who took 25 shots against the Knicks and he’s been a walking double-double all season long. The Kings haven’t played since last Thursday so expect Boogie to be well-rested and ready to roll tonight.
Greg Monroe ($7,100) jumps off the projections today. He’s been a stellar option for the Bucks this season and is averaging 38.4 DraftKings points in his L6. That includes a massive 48 DraftKings point performance against the Warriors on Saturday night. He couldn’t ask for a better matchup today with the Lakers, who have allowed the most points to opposing centers this season.
I can’t believe I am going to say this, but I am looking forward to rostering Kelly Olynyk ($4,400) tonight. If you have access to NBA League Pass, I highly suggest going back and watching the last 3-4 games for the Celtics. What you’ll notice is that every time Olynyk touches the ball, he shoots it. It may not be great for the Celtics, but it’s awesome for fantasy owners. That’s resulted in 58 shot attempts in his L4 games. In three of those games, he poured in 21, 15 and 28 real points. Sprinkle in a few rebounds, blocks and assists and Olynyk has a great chance to exceed value tonight.
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.