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 - 33.91 DK - 36.14
It’s pretty crazy how good the Grizzlies have been this season and also just how good they’ve been without Ja Morant in the lineup. A big reason is Tyus Jones being as steady as they come when it comes to running the offense. The dude rarely turns the ball over and if this one is close should push somewhere in the mid-30s for minutes. He lost minutes in the blowout last game, but has double-digit assists upside if things stay close here against Milwaukee. The price hasn’t moved enough for the opportunity Jones has with Ja out of the lineup and is a good mid-tier play on this slate.
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 31.09 DK - 33.53
The Kings have been crushed by injuries and are going to be without De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis once again on Saturday. It’s good that they get a matchup against another bottom-feeding team and we should see a ton of minutes for Davion Mitchell once again. Over the last four games, Mitchell has averaged 21 points and six assists, taking a team-high 16 shots per game in that stretch. And he’s been even better over the last two. I love the prices on both sites and think he is a safe play in this matchup considering how short on guards the Kings are right now.
Opponent - MIL
Proj Pts FD - 34.6 DK - 36.6
Opponent - MIL
Proj Pts FD - 38.19 DK - 41.32
With Ja Morant out of the lineup, much more of the offensive load falls on the shoulders of these two who should see plenty of opportunity on Saturday against the Bucks. For starters, with Morant off the court this season Brooks has the second-highest usage on the team at 30%. He is in line for a lot of shots and the minutes have been ticking up since coming back from injury a couple of weeks ago. He played 34 last time out against the Nets though did sit the next game due to injury management. It’s real easy to like the prices on both sites and one has to expect him to play minutes in the mid-30s in this one.
And then there is Bane who is coming off a 30 point game in just 24 minutes against the Pacers on Thursday. He also sees a decent usage increase with Morant off the court this season, but the real gains are made in the assists with that rate climbing 17% without Ja. He takes over much more of the ballhandling duties in this scenario. The price has climbed on both sites which makes the play a little closer than Brooks, but I still think he has a high floor in this matchup.
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 58.87 DK - 61.78
Giannis will return for this game and could walk right back into a huge fantasy performance against the Grizzlies. The Bucks are still in play for the one-seed in the Eastern Conference and are going to be without Jrue Holiday in this matchup. Though Khris Middleton will return, we should see the whole offense run through Giannis in this one. On the season, the Greek Freak is averaging 30 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 5.8 rebounds, numbers that will once again push him toward the top of the MVP discussion though he’s likely to finish third. Because of some of the other savings on this slate, I think it will be pretty easy to fit his price tag into lineups.
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 44.77 DK - 46.16
The Heat are stumbling right now and there might be some inner turmoil on the team as well. Butler got mixed up with Udonis Haslem the other night and there are rumors of issues between him and Coach Spo as well. But this is a key matchup against the Nets and Miami, one would think, would love to push Brooklyn further down in the standings while also keeping pace with the one seed. Without Tyler Herro in the mix for Miami, Butler has taken more duties on offense and is coming off 30 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in the loss to the Knicks on Friday. I don’t think the price is close to what it should be here and he makes for a very strong cash play as long as he isn’t limited on the back-to-back.
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 41.42 DK - 42.52
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 38.27 DK - 43.07
The Cavaliers are fighting desperately to stay out of the play-in game, currently knotted with the Raptors for the seventh seed in the East. That’s meant a bit of a change in the starting lineup as well as major minutes for those starters. Love joined that group last game and ran 33 minutes, finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. The price hasn’t moved much at all on FanDuel where he makes an excellent play as long as he’s with the starters once again. He doesn’t see quite the same usage when he’s running with the first group, but the extra minutes make up for it.
Meanwhile, Mobley had a down game fantasy-wise last time out even though he ran 39 minutes. The Raptors were largely able to neutralize him. But that might be tougher for the Bulls here who aren’t as long across the board as Toronto is. Mobley is still, very much, a double-double threat in this game and should push minutes close to 40 once again. This game also has seeding implications with the Bulls currently just a game above Cleveland in the standings.
Opponent - MIL
Proj Pts FD - 37.61 DK - 38.35
Triple J has the highest usage on the team (31%) when Ja Morant is off the court this season and he is coming at a completely manageable price on FanDuel. He is coming off a paltry 17 minutes against the Pacers on Thursday because of tons of foul trouble as well as the blowout. The latter has been a problem for him all season and he’s among the most foul-prone players in the league. It’s one thing that’s kept the price pretty much in check. He could be a chalkier play on this slate considering the circumstances and has huge upside if he can pile together the defensive stats as well.
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