This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The NBA has only five games on tap Sunday, and for the second week in a row there are no early games. All five start 6PM ET or after, meaning there's only one primary slate of games. The Knicks/Lakers matchup is interesting for a couple of storylines, with Carmelo Anthony apparently seeking advice from Kobe Bryant on how to deal with Phil Jackson and the scoring explosion that has been Lou Williams over the last week. The Pelicans/Suns also feels like it will be a high-scoring contest, especially with Anthony Davis rested from having sat Saturday.
Russell Westbrook, OKC vs BOS ($12,600):Stephen Curry (against a terrible Timberwolves point guard defense) and Eric Bledsoe (a few really hot games recently, great matchup against Pelicans defense that Chris Paul just lit for 20/20) both got consideration here. But Westbrook gets the recommendation, because, well…he's Westbrook. His price is high, but a player whose "bad" game over the last month is a 27/10/10 triple-double and that's recorded four 65-plus fantasy-point games in his last seven outings is worth the money.
Lou Williams, LAL vs NYK ($6300): Williams has been a go-to value play all season, but right now he's in some sort of insane zone that just has to be ridden out. He has averaged 34.3 points (not a misprint), 3.5 boards, 2.5 assists and 2.0 combined steals/blocks over his last four games even though he still comes off the bench. Until he either cools off or his price gets
The NBA has only five games on tap Sunday, and for the second week in a row there are no early games. All five start 6PM ET or after, meaning there's only one primary slate of games. The Knicks/Lakers matchup is interesting for a couple of storylines, with Carmelo Anthony apparently seeking advice from Kobe Bryant on how to deal with Phil Jackson and the scoring explosion that has been Lou Williams over the last week. The Pelicans/Suns also feels like it will be a high-scoring contest, especially with Anthony Davis rested from having sat Saturday.
Russell Westbrook, OKC vs BOS ($12,600):Stephen Curry (against a terrible Timberwolves point guard defense) and Eric Bledsoe (a few really hot games recently, great matchup against Pelicans defense that Chris Paul just lit for 20/20) both got consideration here. But Westbrook gets the recommendation, because, well…he's Westbrook. His price is high, but a player whose "bad" game over the last month is a 27/10/10 triple-double and that's recorded four 65-plus fantasy-point games in his last seven outings is worth the money.
Lou Williams, LAL vs NYK ($6300): Williams has been a go-to value play all season, but right now he's in some sort of insane zone that just has to be ridden out. He has averaged 34.3 points (not a misprint), 3.5 boards, 2.5 assists and 2.0 combined steals/blocks over his last four games even though he still comes off the bench. Until he either cools off or his price gets prohibitively high, he's a recommended play.
Marcus Smart, BOS at OKC ($4700): Smart is the starting point guard for the Celtics while Isaiah Thomas is injured. He's been solid but unspectacular in his last three games, all between 22.3 and 24 fantasy points. That consistency is valuable at his price tag, and he always has the upside to go bigger for as long as he's starting. Honorable mention to Tim Frazier and Sergio Rodriguez, whose prices are almost as low and have actually shown more upside of late than Smart.
Anthony Davis, NO at PHO ($12,200): Davis destroyed one of my DFS teams Saturday as a late scratch for rest. However, because of that, he should be fresh for a good matchup against a Suns defense that doesn't really have anyone capable of slowing him. There's a very good chance he'll put a big number Sunday.
Carmelo Anthony, NYK at LAL ($7700): Anthony is a bit of a risky pick here, because he has been so up-and-down of late. In his last six games he has produced 24.8, 44.5, 26.3, 42.6, 14.8, and now 49.4 fantasy points to either underperform or overachieve every game. According to the pattern, Sunday should be a down game, but with Melo playing in a big market (L.A.) where Phil Jackson used to coach (he and Phil are publicly communicating right now) against a weak defense, it seems that the table is set for him to go off Sunday.
Andre Roberson, OKC vs BOS ($4100): Roberson is a defensive role player, so his fantasy value isn't always as large as his actual value. That said, he has produced between 21.1 and 29.1 fantasy points in four of his last five games to establish a consistent expected range that outproduces his price tag.
Andre Drummond, DET vs PHI ($8400): Drummond has gone 20-20 in each of his last two games, including a 22-point/22-rebound effort in only 28 minutes against Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves on Friday. The 76ers will be without Joel Embiid on Sunday, and Jahlil Okafor just isn't good enough on defense to prevent Drummond from producing.
Steven Adams, OKC vs BOS ($5100): Adams is coming off consecutive double-doubles, and has a good matchup against a Celtics team that has trouble cleaning the glass. Honorable mention goes to Jahlil Okafor, who could be a solid buy at $4900 with Joel Embiid out.
