This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Team Analysis:
Defense to Avoid:
Utah Jazz vs. Washington Wizards
The Jazz have really been struggling in the win-loss column, but the defense is still elite. Some may look at their third-ranked defense based on points allowed, but something else makes them even scarier: their snail-like pace, as they rank 30th in the NBA in the category. That makes the Wizards a bad offense to use, as they thrive off playing at a fast pace. Utah plays even better at home, allowed the second-fewest points per game. The Wizards have also been struggling recently, as they are averaging 97 points per game over their last three.
Offense to Use:
Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls
Miami has a few fantasy options that have been fantastic values over recent weeks. Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic, Luol Deng and Hassan Whiteside have all been beasts since the Chris Bosh injury and they should continue to have success in this tasty matchup. The Bulls have allowed at least 100 points in 18 of their last 19 games. What's even worse is that defensive stud Jimmy Butler played in that one game under 100 against the Milwaukee Bucks, and he's expected to miss out with recurring knee soreness. All of the aforementioned players are still reasonably priced and should have no problem reaching or surpassing value once again.
Teams on Back-to-Backs:
First Game: 76ers, Grizzlies, Heat, Hornets, Magic, Pelicans, Pistons, Thunder, Trail Blazers, Warriors and Wizards
Second Game: Bulls
Daily Player Recommendations:
Point Guard:
Shelvin Mack, UTA vs. WSH ($4,500): Mack has taken over starting point guard job, and while he hasn't been playing efficiently, he's put up some good fantasy numbers. Not only has he scored at least 18 fantasy points eight times in his 10 games with Utah, he has scored at least 26 in four. That's very good value for a player well under $5,000, and he should have success in this matchup, as the Wizards allow the 10th-most fantasy points per game to point guards this season and rank as one of the five-worst defenses in the league.
Other Suggestions: Ish Smith, PHI vs. BKN ($6,800); Reggie Jackson, DET at CHA ($6,600)
Shooting Guard:
Dwyane Wade, MIA at CHI ($7,100): Let's start our Miami stack with the team's best player. The star shooting guard has been especially good lately, as Wade is averaging 23.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game in his last eight. He also ranks in the top five in usage rate since the Bosh injury, so he should be leaned on heavily in what will feel like a playoff atmosphere. If that's not enough incentive, Wade will be faced off against a defense that can't stop shooting guards without Jimmy Butler manning the wing.
Other Suggestions: Nicolas Batum, CHA vs. DET ($7,000); Andrew Wiggins, MIN at OKC ($5,800)
Small Forward:
Luol Deng, MIA at CHI ($6,100): Deng continues to be undervalued on DFS sites. Since the Bosh injury, Deng is averaging 17.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Those are averages that a $7,000 player would have, so Deng should be used until he reaches that threshold. What makes this so promising is that Chicago ranks 29th in fantasy points allowed to power forwards over their last 10 games. Deng has post a double-double in seven of his 11 games since Bosh went down and that bonus seems like a great bet yet again.
Other Suggestions: Gordon Hayward, UTA vs. WSH ($6,900); Tony Allen, MEM vs. NOP ($4,800)
Power Forward:
Nerlens Noel, PHI vs. BRK ($6,100): Noel played his first game in nearly a week on Wednesday and finished with 41 fantasy points limited minutes. When Jahlil Okafor is out of the lineup, Noel is simply a different player, as he puts up elite fantasy numbers. That should be the case in this game, as Okafor is expected to miss out once again with a shin injury. In games without Okafor, Noel is averaging 16.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.2 blocks per game. Noel should get a full complement of minutes in this matchup and have success against a defense that ranks 23rd in fantasy points allowed to power forwards and 25th against centers.
Other Suggestions: Thaddeus Young, BKN at PHI ($6,700); Aaron Gordon, ORL at SAC ($6,600)
Center:
Rudy Gobert, UTA vs. WSH ($6,500): Gobert scored at least 26 fantasy points in seven straight games, averaging over 35 fantasy points per game in that span. It's the rebounding that has really made Gobert elite, as he is averaging 15 boards per outing in that seven-game stretch. He now faces a Wizards team that plays at an extremely high pace, which should give Gobert even more opportunities at rebounds and blocks.
Other Suggestions: Hassan Whiteside, MIA at CHI ($8,200); Al Jefferson, CHA vs. DET ($4,800)
Injury Report:
Out:
Kelly Olynyk – BOS (shoulder)
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - CHA (shoulder)
Joakim Noah – CHI (shoulder)
Jimmy Butler – CHI (knee)
Nikola Mirotic – CHI (appendectomy)
Jodie Meeks – DET (back)
Blake Griffin – LAC (hand)
Marc Gasol – MEM (foot)
Mario Chalmers – MEM (achilles)
Chris Bosh – MIA (blood clot)
Tyler Johnson – MIA (shoulder)
Michael Carter-Williams - MIL (knee)
O.J. Mayo – MIL (leg)
Greivis Vasquez – MIL (ankle)
Tyreke Evans – NOP (knee)
Quincy Pondexter – NOP (knee)
Eric Gordon – NOP (finger)
Nikola Vucevic – ORL (groin)
Joel Embiid – PHI (foot)
DeMarcus Cousins – SAC (suspension)
Alec Burks – UTA (leg)
Game-Time Decision:
Spencer Hawes – CHA (back)
Aaron Brooks – CHI (knee)
Devin Harris – DAL (foot)
Stanley Johnson – DET (shoulder)
Anthony Tolliver – DET (knee)
Festus Ezeli - GS (knee)
Terrence Jones – HOU (unknown)
C.J. Miles – IND (calf)
Ty Lawson – IND (foot)
Lavoy Allen – IND (knee)
Brandan Wright – MEM (knee)
Zach Randolph – MEM (knee)
Mike Conley – MEM (foot)
John Henson – MIL (back)
Nemanja Bjelica – MIN (foot)
Kevin Garnett - MIN (leg)
Nikola Pekovic – MIN (foot)
Norris Cole – NOP (back)
Dion Waiters – OKC (personal)
C.J. Watson – ORL (calf)
Rodney Hood – UTA (back)
Bradley Beal – WSH (pelvic bone)
