Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I will be bringing you my top plays, and my favorite Laker (if the Lakers are playing), for that day’s DraftKings slate.
I will focus on two high-priced players, two players in the mid-range, and two value plays to help build your lineups.
High Priced Plays
Anthony Davis, PF/C, New Orleans Pelicans ($11,200): After scoring exactly 61 DraftKings points in back-to-back games, and scoring over 60 fantasy points in four of his six games this season, it is time to load up on Anthony Davis as he gets one of the best matchups on the board tonight.
Let me preface the rest of this section by saying that Davis is always an injury risk but he has a massive amount of upside tonight. Davis has the second-highest usage rate on the Pelicans at 29.7 percent, behind DeMarcus Cousins, and is the secondary ball-handler in this offense when Cousins isn’t running things.
Davis has scored at least 30 points in all but two games this season, one of those being an injury-shortened contest, and has pulled down at least 14 rebounds in all of those games.
Davis’ opponent tonight, the Minnesota Timberwolves, has been an abject disaster on defense this season, allowing 115.3 points per game to opponents while allowing them to pull down 42.6 rebounds.
The Timberwolves are allowing opponents to shoot 51.9 percent from the floor, including 36.8 percent from three-point range, and are allowing 55.53 fantasy points to power forwards this season. If Davis is able to stay on the court for the entirety of this game, there is no way he doesn’t put up a great game.
John Wall, PG, Washington Wizards ($9,500): After posting a big game against the Warriors last week, and after scoring 38.5 fantasy points in just 26 minutes against Sacramento, it looks like we are finally getting back to seeing vintage John Wall on the court.
Luckily for us, Wall’s price has gone down and he is facing off against a weak Phoenix Suns defense. There is some blowout risk tonight with the Suns coming off a back-to-back and with this game currently sitting with a 12-point spread, putting wall firmly on my GPP radar.
Wall started the season off cold, shooting below 40 percent from the field in four of his first six games, but he busted out against Sacramento shooting 58.3 percent and 83.3 percent from three-point range.
Wall is attempting 17.83 shots per game this season and is getting to the free throw line a career-high 7.5 times per game. There will be plenty of opportunities for Wall to get to the line tonight, as the Suns are allowing the second-most free-throw attempts per game to opponents at 28.8, and they are allowing their opponents to shoot 47.4 percent from the floor.
This will be a fast-paced, high-scoring affair and Wall will be an excellent option to target.
Mid-Range Plays
DeAndre Jordan, C, Los Angeles Clippers ($7,300): After watching Rudy Gobert decimate the Dallas Mavericks to the tune of 17 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, six blocks, and two steals it will be tough to overlook Jordan who profiles similarly to Gobert tonight.
Jordan is priced at a mere $7,300, the second-lowest his price has been this season, and he is just too good to pass up tonight. The Mavericks come into tonight’s slate as one of the top matchups for centers in the NBA, allowing 59.29 fantasy points per game to them, and have been abused that trend dates back to last season.
The Mavericks are one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA, allowing 46.1 rebounds per game, and have posted a -5.7-rebound differential so far, this season. In addition to being abused on the glass, the Mavericks are tied for the league-high in opponent field-goal percentage allowed at the rim this season, allowing opponents to shoot 68.5 percent in the restricted area.
Not only is Jordan one of the league’s best rebounders, ranking in the 95th percentile this season in rebounding rate amongst big men, he is also one of the most efficient scorers at the rim where he is attempting 88 percent of his field-goal attempts. All signs point to DeAndre putting up a good game tonight and he will be a staple in my lineups tonight.
Dennis Schroder, PG, Atlanta Hawks ($7,000): Dennis Schroder was upgraded to probable just in time for me to write him up here, and I cannot be more excited about that.
Schroder is coming off a great game against the Bucks, posting 21 points with 8 assists and three steals, and we can expect him to put up a similar, possibly better game against the Sixers tonight.
Schroder is the perfect guard to target in paced-up games against weak defenses, as he thrives when he can attack the rim where has shot 32 percent of his shots this season.
The Sixers present one of the best point-guard matchups for Schroder for a few reasons, starting with their lack of rim protection. The Sixers are allowing opponents to shoot 67.3 percent at the rim this season, the third-highest mark in the NBA, meaning Schroder should be able to score at ease when driving to the hoop.
In addition to their lack of rim protection, the Sixers are one of the worst teams at defending the pick-and-roll ball handlers this season, allowing them to score 42.5 percent of the time.
Schroder is one of the most effective guards in the NBA when operating as the pick-and-roll ball handlers, averaging .98 points per possession and scoring 48.1 percent of the time. Schroder makes for a great cash game option tonight and has a great chance pay off for GPPs as well.
Value Plays
T.J. McConnell, PG, Philadelphia 76ers ($5,000): After posting another solid game against the Houston Rockets two nights ago, T.J. McConnell is once again in the spotlight tonight.
DraftKings only raised his price $600, despite being in a great matchup, and he makes for an exceptional cash game play on this slate.
McConnell has stepped up in the extended absence of Markelle Fultz, playing at least 26 minutes in his last three games, and he has averaged 1.16 DraftKings points per minutes over that period of time.
McConnell’s usage has risen up to 15.7 percent with his increased role, but the majority of his value comes from his ability to rack up assists. McConnell is assisting on 31.7 percent of the team’s made baskets this season and has one of the highest assist-to-usage ratios in the NBA at 1.70.
McConnell matches up against a Hawks team that is allowing 107.6 points per game, while also allowing them to shoot 45.2 percent from the floor and 34.5 percent from three-point range, so the Sixers are in a great spot to put up points.
Dewayne Dedmon, C, Atlanta Hawks ($4,500): There are a lot of great options to consider in the matchup between the Hawks and the Sixers but Dedmon is the one that is most likely to go overlooked tonight.
Dedmon is coming off a down game against the Bucks, posting 13.25 DraftKings points in 17 minutes, but he is averaging 24.3 minutes per and 21.1 DraftKings points per game this season. Dedmon has had issues with efficiency at times this season but that shouldn’t be the case tonight as the Sixers defense has been atrocious this year.
The Sixers are allowing opponents to score 108.3 points per game while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor, but most importantly they are allowing opponents to shoot 47.3 percent on mid-range shot attempts which is where Dedmon has attempted 50 percent of his shots this season.
In addition to their lack of defense, they are also allowing opponents to pull down 43.6 rebounds per game. This lines up as a great double-double spot for Dedmon and I want exposure to him at only $4,500.
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