This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
There are five games on tap Sunday, one early in the afternoon and the other four later in the evening. Thus, the all day contests include all five games but many of the tournaments include only four. In this space all five games will be considered. You will be reading a lot of Pistons names in the recommendations below. While it's always possible that the Lakers will discover their defense Sunday, or conversely that the game will be such a blowout that the Pistons end up sitting early, in general the odds say that Sunday is a day to be Pistons-heavy.
Point Guards
Reggie Jackson, DET vs LAL ($7,900): Jackson is the first of four Pistons that will be discussed. The Pistons are playing the Lakers on Sunday, a very poor defense in general but in particular one that struggles defending point guards, small forwards and centers. The Pistons happen to be strong in all three positions, starting with Jackson, who began the week with 31 points, eight assists, five boards and two steals Monday against the Rockets and followed that up with 34 points, 16 assists and three boards Wednesday against the Suns. Jackson blitzed both of the weaker defenses he faced this week, and the Lakers are 26th in the NBA against opposing point guards.
Mike Conley, MEM vs. PHO ($6,700): The only point guard on Sunday with a matchup even better than Jackson's is Conley, who is facing the very Suns defense that allowed Jackson to detonate for 60.6 fantasy points Wednesday. The Suns allow the most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards, and Conley has been consistently solid with fantasy scores between 25.7 and 44.3 fantasy points in nine of his last 10 games.
Shooting Guards
Bradley Beal, WAS vs. DAL ($7,500): Beal seems to have re-found the groove that he was enjoying earlier this season, before a shoulder injury knocked him off his stride. Beal has scored at least 38 fantasy points in three of his last four games, including 54.3 against the Suns on Friday (has it been mentioned yet that the Suns give up explosive games to opposing lead guards?). While not the Suns, the Mavericks also can get beat from the perimeter, as they rank 24th in limiting opposing shooting guards.
Klay Thompson, GSW at BKN ($5,900): Thompson has often seemed like the "lost" Warriors star this season, with Stephen Curry playing in permanent video game cheat mode and Draymond Green continuing to be a combination of a nightly triple-double threat and a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Thompson's forte is shooting and scoring, but with the Warriors blowing everyone out he hasn't been called upon to score as much as he was last season. However, Thompson has scored at least 20 points in three straight games, is still at a very affordable price, and has a Sunday matchup against a Nets defense that is 28th in the league against opposing shooting guards.
Small Forwards
Marcus Morris, DET vs. LAL ($6,300) and Stanley Johnson, DET vs. LAL ($3,500): Back to the Pistons vs. Lakers game, where the Lakers are 28th in the NBA at limiting opposing small forwards. Morris is the chalk pick of the Pistons' small forwards, as he has been solid all season and is coming off back-to-back games in which he has scored at least 23 points and to average 39.8 fantasy points. Meanwhile, there is some blowout potential here, which might make it worth while to take a chance on backup Stanley Johnson. Johnson is very high risk with only one game over 18.5 fantasy points this week, but he has been playing more in general (three of four games between 21 and 27 minutes this week) and played extremely well in the fourth game this week when he played 30 minutes and posted his first career double-double (19 points, 10 boards, two blocks, one assist, one steal in 30 minutes Monday against the Rockets).
Power Forward
Thaddeus Young, BKN vs. GSW ($6,600): Young is part of a somewhat underwhelming power forward crop Sunday. Draymond Green is the most likely power forward to put a big number on the board, but he is also the most expensive option. Young is $1,500 cheaper, and while his matchup isn't stellar (the Warriors are 15th in the NBA at defending opposing power forwards) Young was able to explode for 26 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals the last time he faced the Warriors on Nov. 14.
Center
Andre Drummond, DET vs. LAL ($9,600): Drummond is the last of the Pistons highlighted here, as the Lakers rank 29th in defending opposing centers. Drummond is a walking 20-20 threat who continues to play at a mega level, averaging 20.8 points, 16.5 boards, 2.8 steals and 1.8 blocks over his last four games. And unless the game is a blowout, the odds would say that Drummond should be able to at least meet his averages against a terrible Lakers interior defense.
