Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) goes up to shoots while defended by Charlotte Hornets center Willie Hernangomez (9) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Karen Pulfer Focht)
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Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 45.13 DK - 46.26
Ja Morant gets the gift of the best matchup on the short slate and will likely be a chalk option for this two-gamer. He’s facing a Wizards’ team running the league’s fastest pace and playing the fourth-worst defense. Morant dialed it up before the break, rocking back-to-back 35 points games against the Bucks and these very same Wizards. He should be in for another high-volume shooting game considering Washington has little in the way of functional defense and the game could be a track meet. The price has barely moved on either site and he’s still affordable for what he can put up scoring-wise.
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 37.47 DK - 37.83
Murray has played 31 or more minutes in each of his last six games lending credence to the idea that he’s working towards being a safer cash play at these prices. It’s easier to stomach on DraftKings where he’s still in the mid-$7K range though FanDuel is a bit tougher to swallow. Over his last five, he’s averaging 20 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists while piling up 12 steals in that stretch. He still has double-double upside considering how he can contribute in multiple ways across the stat line. He doesn’t draw the best matchup of the slate, but still has a higher floor.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 33.42 DK - 33.69
Brooks is solidly in the middle tier on both sites, something that will come in handy considering the smaller player pool on the two-gamer. To hit fantasy value, Brooks really needs to put the ball in the hoop. 58% of his fantasy scoring comes from his actual scoring which is among the higher percentages in the league. It means if the three-ball especially isn’t dropping you could be in trouble. But he shot at some of his highest volume of the season in the last two games before the break, putting up 18 and 20 shots respectively. We could be looking at an expanded role which would mean these prices are simply too low.
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 19.8 DK - 21.25
We are going to need to sniff out some cheaper plays on this slate which could mean having to go onto the bench for some guys even in cash. Mills isn’t starting for the Spurs but has played 26 or more minutes in five of his last six games. In that stretch, he’s averaged 13 points per game on double-digit shot attempts. Like Brooks, he needs to score, deriving 65% of his fantasy output through his actual points. That’s going to lead to some variance and you can’t expect much else except the scoring. But he’s coming very cheap on both sites which does help on Wednesday.
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 58.46 DK - 61.96
Luka is now a small forward solely on FanDuel even though he handles all of the point guard duties for Dallas. So there’s that. But we play the hand we are dealt and this is where he’s landing on that site now. He’s still eligible at point guard on DraftKings. There really isn’t any introduction needed around why to play Doncic here considering he’s among the fantasy elite over the last two seasons. He’s putting up 29 points, nine assists, and 8.4 rebounds per game this season and has improved his three-point shooting up to 35%. The four turnovers per game are still a slight issue, but on a short slate you take his fantasy floor and work out the other pieces around him.
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 24.13 DK - 24.56
Along with Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal, Hachimura is one of the few Wizards whose minutes are actually kind of safe on this roster. For almost everyone else it’s a total crapshoot depending on the game. And even Rui isn’t totally safe, but at least he’s in the starting lineup. The usage has been really low in the short term, getting up only a total of only 27 shots over his last four total games. That’s something of an issue if the offense isn’t going to come his way at all. But I do think it’s something of a blip considering he’d averaged double-digit attempts in the previous five games. Memphis runs a top-8 pace though their defense was been well above average this season.
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 40.66 DK - 40.73
Porzingis has been a bit hit-or-miss this season from a fantasy perspective as he continues to round into form following the knee surgery. But there have been signs of life before the All-Star break with double-digit rebounds in each of the last two games. He also took a total of 16 threes in those two games after barely registering any in the two before that. He’ll have to shoot at a higher volume to justify these prices, but he should be able to in this offense. I prefer the FanDuel price and the position is always weaker so Staps will likely be a popular play there tonight.
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 21.03 DK - 21.57
He’s starting at power forward now for the Spurs and it looks like that role is going to stick. Over the last five games, even with LaMarcus Aldridge back in the mix, Lyles has averaged close to 30 minutes per game and put up 12 points and seven rebounds in that stretch. That’s a solid return on these prices and he’s especially a value on DraftKings. In the low $4K range you basically have to play him on that site for this two-game slate. The only thing that would change that would be LMA getting back into the starting lineup, but I don’t see that happening.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 39.21 DK - 41.28
Jonas has had some up and down game logs of late with some disappointing results in a few of the games. But there’s some context there with foul trouble against the Wizards and Rockets in back-to-back games. I don’t think mid-30s minutes is the plan, but high 20’s minutes against these Wizards should get the job done. He was solid on a per-minute basis last time out against them with 11 points and 16 boards in 29 minutes. The price hasn’t moved much and he’s simply too good a fantasy guy to avoid in this matchup. The double-double should be nearly a lock considering the pace of play in this game and he has a high enough floor at these prices to make an easy cash game call.
After Jonas, center is something of a minefield. Jakob Poeltl (FD 6500 DK 6000) is still starting but is not way too expensive on both sites to consider for cash based on inconsistent fantasy output.
Meanwhile, the Washington situation is just terrible with Moritz Wagner (FD 4000 DK 3200) and Robin Lopez (FD 4200 DK 3400) in that you never know who will play on a game-to-game basis. And the Mavericks play ‘Staps at center mostly or a little Kleber, but he’s a nonentity in fantasy. So there you have it, play Jonas.
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