Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo drives against Charlotte Hornets' Jeremy Lamb during an NBA basketball game Saturday, March 26, 2016, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
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Opponent - MIL
Proj Pts FD - 43.17 DK - 46.93
This isn’t a great matchup against the Bucks, but the game as a high total (233) and a thin spread (CHA -0.5). LaMelo, on a per minute basis is one of the better fantasy options in the league. It’s just the minutes that are sometimes an issue with the Hornets seemingly unwilling to run him more than 33-34 minutes a game even when things are going well. That being said, the Bucks are without their best point of attack defender in Jrue Holiday and it’s easy to like the implied pace of this game. He’s struggled from the field of late, which has only brought the price down some. That’s good news for us consider we can take advantage of the value.
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 37.16 DK - 40.7
The Pistons are pretty much a dumpster fire, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still extract some value from their lineup. Cade Cunningham is the obvious first choice and he’s still coming way too cheap on FanDuel specifically. He’s one of the few Detroit guys who actually is moderately safe with the minutes He leads the team in usage when he is on the court, and is taking about 15 shots per game, a number that’s steadily ticked up over the course of the season. He isn’t all that efficient yet, but does make up for it with volume and also by contributing in rebounds (six per game) and assists (5.4 per game). Orlando ranks 25th in defensive efficiency this season and Cade has a higher floor in this matchup.
Notes on the other guys at these positions:
As has been the case lately, it’s tough to make solid determinations about rotations this early in the day because Covid protocols and injuries have really thrown things into flux. With that in mind, let’s look at a couple of situations that will be key to determining cash game options later.
Utah Jazz
Basically, their entire starting lineup is questionable right now. Who plays will have a major part in how we structure lineups. On Friday, they ran a crew of Elijah Hughes (FD 4000 DK 3000), Trent Forrest (FD 4000 DK 3000), Jared Butler (FD 4000 DK 3000), and Eric Paschall (FD 4300 DK 3100). I don’t think we will get all of them because, for starters, Mike Conley (FD 6700 DK 5800) looks like he will be back. We will have to wait on how the rest of the starters shake out here and there is almost definitely going to be a value play worked in here. Luckily, this is the first game of the main slate.
Indiana Pacers
This is another one that we might need to wait right up until lock to know who is playing. Malcolm Brogdon (FD 7400 DK 7800) and Chris Duarte (FD 5000 DK 5300) are questionable coming back from Covid protocols. If they weren’t able to go then I think Keifer Sykes (FD 5800 DK 4200) and Duane Washington Jr. (FD 4000 DK 4200) would both be in play again at their price points.
Miami Heat
This one is a little less problematic because of the opponent so I don’t think we need to force this situation. But typically with Jimmy Butler (FD 9200 DK 9300) out we’ve wanted to play Kyle Lowry (FD 7200 DK 8000) and Tyler Herro (FD 6300 DK 7300). Because the Suns are solid on defense, I don’t think we need to sit around and wait for this news on Butler.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 63.63 DK - 66.77
The Bucks are on a back-to-back here so I’m a little concerned about Giannis and his availability. But he wasn’t overly pressed in a blowout win against the Nets on Friday so it shouldn’t be an issue. Charlotte represents a pace-up matchup, running the fastest in the league this season with a defensive efficiency that’s third-to-last. In terms of where we want to be with opponents, this is definitely the sweet spot. Giannis is having another masterful season, putting up MVP-like numbers with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. The price is still fine all things considered and on a shorter slate, he’s the clear pay-up option on the evening.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 40.54 DK - 44.62
Middleton is another part of a clear Bucks’ stack on Saturday and his price point should be fine with even just a little bit of savings throughout the rest of the lineup. With Holiday off the court this season, Middleton has the second-highest usage rate on the team at 31%. In an up-and-down game, the shot volume should be there and he isn’t priced completely out of the realm of sanity. I think putting him and Giannis, plus the two guys below into cash lineups, or at least three of the four, makes total sense considering the opponent.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 37 DK - 39.94
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 32.67 DK - 35.91
I think stacking these two at the four and the five is going to be the cash game way to go against the Hornets. Neither is priced out of consideration especially with their matchup and they can easily slot into lineups with enough room to spare. Portis is coming off a huge game against the Nets that saw him go for 25 points and 12 rebounds in just 32 minutes. He took the second-most shots on the team after Giannis and should see decent usage in this one as well. The price hasn’t come close to correcting considering Jrue Holiday is out of the lineup and there is a bit more usage to go around.
Meanwhile, with Grayson Allen and Donte DiVincenzo out of the lineup, Nwora is starting at the wing. He wasn’t asked to do much more than shoot last game, but I do think there should be plenty of minutes for him once again with the Bucks a bit shorthanded. Again, the Bucks weren’t pressed against Brooklyn so I am not worried about them being on the back-to-back. Getting 3-4 Milwaukee guys into the mix in cash games is going to make sense considering the opponent.
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 34.35 DK - 35.16
Rudy Gobert remains out on Saturday due to Covid protocols meaning we should get big minutes out of Whiteside once again as a starter. He played 30 against the Raptors on Friday, though only tallied seven points and rebounds each. But that was with Utah playing with a skeleton crew of guys. It stands to reason the opportunity for him will be better if the Jazz are rocking something closer to a real NBA starting lineup. That being said, as mentioned above, the core group is all still questionable so we need to monitor this situation. Though Whiteside is likely safe regardless.
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