Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving reacts from the bench during the first half of an exhibition NBA basketball game against the Sesi/Franca Basketball Club, Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 43.36 DK - 48.23
Lillard is my top guard play in the top tier tonight with Doncic nearly $13K on DraftKings with both Curry and SGA facing Top 5 defences. For Lillard, he has put his short-term shooting woes in the rearview coming off a monster game where he made 12 of 22 shots including a whopping nine from beyond the arc. He now faces a Timberwolves team that is playing on a back-to-back and has struggled lately giving up an average of 126 points per game over the last five games. I will have exposure to Lillard in all formats tonight.
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 47.58 DK - 50.17
I never get too excited with Kyrie playing on a back-to-back but everything is aligning for him to be a top play once again on Saturday. First of all, he and Durant put on a show last night and now it appears Durant could sit out tonight for rest which would boost Irving even higher than the system already has him. Despite scoring 30+ in back-to-back games while adding 16 rebounds and 12 assists, Irving's price remains in the mid $8K range on both sites and he now gets a plus matchup against the Pacers who are 21st in defensive efficiency and 4th in pace. Fire up Kyrie in all formats.
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 33.08 DK - 37.12
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 21.12 DK - 23.75
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 21.08 DK - 21.68
The Jazz are a bit short-handed at guard with Collin Sexton out which has me grouping all three of these guys together in a spot where they could even be stacked together. The Jazz are on a back-to-back but this is one of three games with a monster total North of 230. They also get the best matchup of the group against the Nuggets who have lost three of four while giving up an average of 118.5 points per game and rank 27th in defensive efficiency on the season.
Let's start with Clarkson who has seen consistent minutes and usage all season in his new starting role but is reaching the peak in his pricing which doesn't leave a ton of meat on the bone in terms of PTS/$. He does have upside in this matchup, however, so I will have him in my GPP builds tonight. Malik Beasley is very shooting dependent but is getting some monster volume right now with 32 shots in his last two games while starting both and playing 34 and 36 minutes. The price is going up slowly which gives us some nice PTS/$ value in a plus matchup and he is a player I will have in all formats.
My favorite play of the Jazz guards, at least on DraftKings and assuming he is starting again, is Nickeil Alexander-Walker. He got the start Friday night and while he only played 25 minutes, provided a fantasy point per minute and has 22 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists over his last two games. To top it off, the price dropped $500 from last night which has him as easily one of our top PTS/$ values on the slate.
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 31.68 DK - 33.56
With Michael Porter remaining out of the lineup, Bruce Brown continues to show up in our projections and optimized lineups. Over the eight games with MPJ out, Brown has played a ton(34.4 min per game avg) but has been up and down with three performances of 20 fantasy points or less but is averaging 29.1 fantasy points in that entire span. He doesn't get a ton of volume with only three games in that span with double-digit shots but makes up for it with his secondary stat averaging 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.1 blocks+steals during that stretch. He and the Nuggets also geta plus matchup here against the Jazz who are 25th in defense, 11th in pace, and playing on a back-to-back. Fire up Brown in all formats.
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 59.21 DK - 62.87
No surprise that our top projected player on the slate is none other than reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic. It appears there is going to be more than enough value opening up to get to Joker comfortably tonight and that is great news as no one provides more safety. The price is high but he has also provided us with 50 or more DraftKings points in 15 of his 22 games while topping 60 a whopping eight times! Now add in arguably the best matchup on the board against the Jazz who are 28th in fantasy points against centers and you have yourself the top play on the slate and a building block in all formats.
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 35.21 DK - 37.59
If you opt to go with a core of Joker and Kyrie tonight but still want exposure to the Blazers, look no further than Jerami Grant. After a rocky and inconsistent start to the season, he has come on strong over the last two weeks seeing a huge increase in volume(19.6 shots per game last 8) and he has delivered averaging over 40 fantasy points per game. The T-Wolves are league average in terms of defense but this is a pace-up matchup as they are 3rd in pace and they are also playing on a back-to-back on the road. At a price still under $8K on both sites, I will have exposure to Grant in all formats.
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