Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) goes to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (6) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015, in Washington. The Lakers won 108-104. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our NBA optimizer, our NFL Optimizer, and our new NFL player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below.
First time with NBA? Be sure to read our free NBA Ebook on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered.
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 47.54 DK - 50.89
With only 2 games on this slate, we have to give a long hard look at each and every superstar. Wall and the Wizards will face off with the Pacers tonight, who play very pace-neutral, though they prefer to play fast. Jeff Teague is a very average defender, giving up almost 50 FPPG to PG's since the start of the season. His price has definitely risen, but it's worth it. Wall has consistently been over 45 FP, with a consistent ceiling around 65 or 70. Without many other ways to pay up tonight, Wall is solid in all formats. Vegas has this game sitting at a 217 over/under with a -2.5 line, which suggests everyone will play big minutes. Indiana has played much better at home this year, so I wouldn't worry about the blowout at all here. With the obvious lack of options at PG, Wall will be high owned. However, everything is relative on a 2 game slate, including % owned. Wall has been playing huge minutes, as that's really the only way the Wizards can win. Wall is as safe a bet as you can find at any spot tonight and obviously has immense upside as well. Get some exposure.
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 45.93 DK - 48.81
Isaiah Thomas comes in as our second stud PG along with John Wall. They are pretty close for us and you can really go either way. There is an argument for going both, but you will be forced to uncomfortably pay down elsewhere. However, that's a move that could certainly pay off in the long run. Thomas will likely be covered by the likes of Carter-Williams and Jerian grant to start. He will absolutely demolish both of them and likely see Jimmy Butler by the time the 4th quarter rolls around. While Butler is a dominant defender, Thomas has shown his ability to obliterate some of the best on-ball defenders in the league. This is a guy who is 100% unstoppable at times, which is usually every single 4th quarter. While his floor is a bit lower than Wall, his ceiling might be a bit higher. He has shown the ability to go for 50 real-life points and this is a match-up where it could be possible if they keep Jimmy Butler away. Thomas will be very high owned, but don't be the guy who fades him for Terry Rozier. PG isn't a spot to overthink on this slate.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 33.11 DK - 35.61
There are only 3 real ways to go at PG tonight. I'm sure some people will get cute with a Rondo or Rozier, but it's not necessary. These 3 guys are going to put up nice numbers and you don't want to fade them. Teague comes in as the cheapest of the 3, though he likely comes in around the same % owned. Teague isn't a guy with huge upside, but he has a solid floor and is extremely consistent. John Wall hasn't been great on defense this year, sporting the 11th worst defensive rating in the league. He's still a talented defender, but gets hurt by the extremely fast-paced style the Wizards play at. It forces them to play extra defensive possessions, which typically inflates the opposing PG's numbers. Let's hope that happens once again tonight and Jeff Teague can have a big performance. He is great in all formats, though it will be an interesting approach to roster 2 superstar PG's.
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 33.24 DK - 35.77
Brad Beal has been shooting extremely well recently, finishing with over 20 real-life points in 7 of his last 8 games. The Pacers have nobody to cover Beal, as Monta Ellis & Glenn Robinson have no chance. Beal has played this team just 2 games ago, where he put up nearly 30 fantasy points. I would expect a better outing in this one. Wall does a good job of getting Beal involved almost every possession and I don't mind rostering them together. Beal's price is pretty fair, needing you around 35 in cash and 40 in tournaments. You also have to consider who you can pivot to. Shooting guard is very ugly and if Wade plays, you don't have too many spots to go. We know Beal is going to produce and won't have to worry about minutes. He has been seeing over 35 minutes on a regular basis and I would expect nothing less here. Beal may be more of a GPP type of player, he is viable for cash games on this type of slate.
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 28.3 DK - 30.46
Marcus Smart went off for nearly 30 in the first half tonight, before slowing down in the 2nd half and finishing with a solid 35 fantasy points. Smart has been incredible filling in for Bradley and they will be forced to continue playing him big minutes. He will be in play once again tonight against the Bulls, who give up a ton of peripherals to guards. Jimmy Butler will be playing the 3, which should permanently keep him away on defense. I expect to see a combo of either Wade and MCW or Rondo and MCW. He should be able to score with ease on all of those guys, as they are not defensive stoppers. Smart still has his price way too low around the industry, only needing about 27 in cash and 32 in tournaments. Smart showed his upside last night, in a match-up worse than this. Smart is a VERY solid option in all formats.
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 26.97 DK - 28.62
First of all, make sure Wade is out. If Wade plays, MCW gets a pretty generous bump down. If he misses like we expect, you can count on MCW playing another 30 minutes and putting up solid numbers. The Celtics are a pretty solid match-up, as they allow the 4th most fantasy points per game to point guards. MCW has been playing PG with Wade out, so make sure you look at those numbers. His price has definitely risen, but is still not to the point where I'm at all scared off. This is a guy who can score, rebound, and pass extremely well, which presents an incredible upside against a team that lacks the ability to stop the ball, or anything else. It will be interesting to see how the ownership %'s play out, as there are only a couple interesting options at SG. MCW is a guy I will have exposure to, though I really hope Wade is ruled out for 1 more game. I doubt they rush him back before the break.
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 42.9 DK - 44.81
SF has 5 or 6 ways you can go tonight, though there are a clear top 4 guys. Butler is at the top of that chain, sitting in the $9k's on both sites. butler returned with a solid outing against the Raptors and looked like his normal self. He gets an Avery Bradley-less Celtics team that is a bit of a mess on defense. Jae Crowder will initially see Butler, though he will struggle with his speed off of screens. Butler also gets a bump if Wade is ruled out, as he sees a big usage and shot bump, along with just having the ball in his hands more in general.I could see this game becoming with a shootout between Butler and Thomas, where both of them just go absolutely crazy. Neither team has a guy that matches up particularly well and foul trouble could be in the early future. Butler is an extremely solid option ina ll formats and will be my highest owned SF by far.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 37.71 DK - 41.22
PG13 has been pretty consistent lately, but just hasn't been putting up big enough numbers. This is a guy who typically puts up 40-50 fantasy points and doesn't blink an eye. It doesn't even look like he's trying to do that anymore, taking a backseat to Teague on multiple occasions. However, we have seen some signs of promise. He has over 20 real-life points in 6 of his last 8 games, along with 5 turnovers in 2 of his last 5. This match-up with the Wizards should be one where George excels and continues his scoring pace. Otto Porter has been an average defender this year, but like Wall, gets hurt by the influx in possessions. George should be a lock for 35 tonight with the upside for much more. George is a guy who can go nuts at any point and this seems like a spot where it could be likely. George can be deployed in both cash games and tournaments, as his price is fair and projections very strong.
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 30.25 DK - 31.83
The Wizards are a team we want a lot of exposure to, as they sport the highest projected team total on the slate, combined with an offense that is pretty concentrated. The Wizards don't have much of a bench, which causes most of their production to be funneled out of a few players. Porter is one of those guys, playing monstrous minutes on a regular basis. Porter will be needed to cover Paul George tonight which should force him to be out there for over 35 minutes. Porter still holds the highest 3PT% in the league, mostly due to Wall getting him wide open in the corner constantly, but they count just the same. Paul George is obviously a great defender, but will have his hands full trying to help on Brad Beal and John Wall. Porter comes in at a discount from Butler and George, but has a similar floor/ceiling with price considered. Porter has put up over 50 fantasy points on multiple occasions this year.
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 24.45 DK - 25.6
PF is bad. If you get 4x value tonight, don't complain. Marjiff Morris is available, but way too expensive for what he offers. You definitely can target him in tournaments, but he will force you to pay down somewhere else. Taj Gibson on the other hand, is extremely cheap and pretty consistent. Outside of a few bad games, Gibson will typically sit around 25 fantasy points This is a great match-up for Gibson, who takes advantage of weak interiors. This is certainly one, as they will trot out Al Horford, Kelly Olynyk, and Jonas Jerebko. I'm not going to sit her and act like it's going to be fun playing Taj Gibson, but we're all in the same boat. Here is to hoping some news comes out later on that gives us some fun value. Until then, all the Taj! In all seriousness, he's a solid cash game option and can be deployed in tournaments due to the pure fact that there are no other options.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 22.53 DK - 23.49
As of now, the status of Thad Young and Lavoy Allen are unknown. They both missed last game and would expect them both to miss here as well. For the time being, I will write with the assumption that both of those guys are out. If Young or Allen come back and play, they can replace Seraphin in this spot. The recommendation for Seraphin doesn't come because of what he can do on the floor. It comes because of opportunity. Seraphin saw 27 minutes in each of the last 2 games, finishing with 9 and 16 fantasy points. Yes, he's obviously not the greatest. With that being said you have no option. Outside of Markieff and Taj, PF is a wasteland. You can go with a Bobby Portis or Amir Johnson, but I can assure you they have just as low, if not lower of a floor as Seraphin. If Thad Young and Lavoy Allen both get ruled out, I will be forced into a lot of Seraphin exposure. I do expect him to top 26 fantasy points if given the opportunity once again. Markieff isn't the greatest defender and is far more worried about the other end of the floor. Seraphin is an option in all formats purely due to position scarcity.
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 33.28 DK - 34.86
Al Horford is definitely one of the more consistent options on the board tonight, rarely finishing anywhere under 20 fantasy points. While he will need much more than that for you, I think he gets it tonight. After a rather lackluster performance last night, Horford should return to his normal game. Robin Lopez will have a lot of trouble coming to the perimeter, which should allow him to hit some open shots. His price is up there however, which definitely causes a discussion. Myles turner and Marcin Gortat are also priced similarly to Horford and do have some appeal. Gortat is a solid cash game option and Turner always offers huge tournaments upside. Let's take a look at what you can do if you need to really pay down.
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 24.6 DK - 25.49
Robin Lopez is probably one of the more painful guys to roster in the league, as he does a whole lot of nothing while touching the ball 100 times. I have never seen a guy that can touch the ball so many times and not end up wth a single point. With that being said, he is a very good rebounder. This match-up sets up well for Lopez, as the same can be said for Horford. he will have trouble coming down low, just like Lopez will struggle coming out. I'm really not too sure why but Lopez averages the 3rd most shots in the 1st quarter. He is a guy they tend to get the ball early to, which gives him some upside if he starts hot.
And Daily Fantasy NBA Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings every day!
image sources
Get a free trial to DFSR NFL DFS projections for DraftKings and FanDuel.
Get a free trial to DFSR NBA DFS projections for DraftKings and FanDuel.
A packed slate of late-season NBA DFS action on DraftKings and FanDuel
We've got a ton of games going with picks and plays for DFS NBA games…
A packed Tuesday of NBA DFS action on FanDuel and DraftKings
We've got an interesting slate of NBA DFS action on DraftKings and FanDuel.
View Comments
Be ready to get hammered for writing up Robin Lopez. Side show Lopez shouldn't even sniff the floor mosto of the time but teams have to play 5.
And the one day that Myles Turner is actually rosterable: you write up Robin Lopez....amazing.
Thanks for reading!
What a mess last night i used the optimizer and it spits out 222.75 points in DK. Can i get a refund?
I thinks I will build around the core of these 4.
Smart-Butler-Teague-Wall
I think that's the solid way to go at least this early in the day.
Drink the "Dougie Kool-Aid." Everyone can win life changing money today. That's what the Optimizer says (oh and Dougie too).
Thanks for reading!
And yet, all of you took the time to come to website and read the write up. Thanks for the suggestions Doug. This is a tool for you to reference. If you want to use it, then use it. If you want to gripe, then look elsewhere.
How to set up a good lineup
Pay up for THomas and Wall Otto and pay down for C and play Olynk or play Teague Thoams and George and play Gortat
Hahahahaha you complainers bring a smile to my morning. Why don't you man up and be responsible for your own losses since it's you that's ultimately hitting "submit"
Why would I recommend a player that's out?