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Chris Paul ($9,700) is the cash game king right now. Without Blake Griffin, CP3 has averaged 48 DraftKings points per game over the last sixteen contests. What’s even more staggering is the consistency, as he’s scored less than 39 DK points just twice in that stretch. On the other end of the spectrum, he’s posted 50+ DK points in six of the last ten games. With Griffin continuing to be sidelined, it’s going to be CP3 carrying the offensive load. Atlanta has been hit or miss against guards this season, but at this point, Paul is essentially matchup proof.
I’m intrigued by JR Smith ($5,400) tonight. Smith has taken 31 shots in the two games since Tyronn Lue took over as head coach.Those 31 shots came in the form of 14 and 17 attempts, which are two of his five highest totals this season. I don’t know if that’s an outlier or will start to be a trend, but the opportunity for Smith tonight is tremendous. Smith has been trending upwards, averaging 30.6 DraftKings PPG over the last three contests. A matchup with the Suns is excellent for fantasy purposes. They do the two things we love to see. They play bad and they play bad defense. That’s a killer combination. There is definitely concerns for a blowout, but the Cavs might opt to rest the Big 3 as opposed to Smith if this game gets out of hand. We won’t know how Lue will handle the situation until we see it.
So, here’s the GPP play of the night. His name is Trevor Ariza ($5,600). There is so much risk involved with rostering him, but with great risk comes great reward. Ariza has always earned big minutes for the Rockets, but his expanded role in the offense this week is something we’ve only seen flashes of this season. Ariza has fired 15, 15 and 16 shot attempts in the last three games which happens to be three of his four highest totals this season. He’s scorching from behind the arc, hitting 19 of his last 30. He’s poured in 26.3 PPG this week, returning his fantasy owners 43 DK PPG in the process. Now, here are the problems. Ariza’s role in this offense has coincided with the absence of Dwight Howard who has missed the last three games. If Howard plays tonight, Ariza who take a big hit. Also, this matchup with the Spurs is less than ideal. While I expect James Harden to be covered by Kawhi Leonard, this is still an elite defense you don’t love targeting. Assess the amount of risk you are willing to take, as Ariza’s range of outcomes is rather large.
The good times keep rolling for Paul Millsap ($8,300), who piled on a 22-9-3-1-2 line against the Nuggets after sitting out the previous game, the first game he’s missed all season. Millsap picked up right where he left off, leading the Hawks in points, rebounds and steals for the season. Over the last six games Millsap has been insane, averaging 1.5 DK points per minute which is an elite rate in this league. The Hawks and going to benefits from the pace in which the Clippers play and Vegas has this listed as a 4 point game, which should provide Millsap with the full compliment of minutes tonight.
Rudy Gobert ($6,700) has been excellent for the Utah Jazz. He only posted three double-doubles in his first 19 games this season, but has exploded lately, accomplishing the feat in three of his last five games. And these aren’t necessarily small double-doubles, either. He posted a massive 17-17 line on Monday night to go with his 18-18 line three games earlier. An added dimension of scoring is giving Gobert a massive boost as he was already an elite rim defender in this league. Rudy is second in the league in blocks per game and ninth in the league in rebounds per game. If he’s going to score double digit points every night, he’s going to be an awesome play for fantasy owners.
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.