This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Team Analysis
Defense to avoid: San Antonio Spurs, vs OKC: While Russell Westbrook is always worthy of consideration, the Spurs are clearly the toughest defense going on Tuesday. They give up the fourth-fewest fantasy points to point guards, second-fewest to forwards, and second-fewest to centers. Their one weak area is shooting guard -- they allow the fourth-most fantasy points to SG's -- giving Victor Oladipo a reasonable chance to surpass his average, but at other positions the odds are that the Thunder players should underachieve relative to their usual averages.
Offense to use: Toronto Raptors, vs NOP: The Lakers (against the Nuggets) are actually a worse defense across the board than the Pelicans, but the Nuggets have question marks due to injury which make their personnel harder to predict at this point. The Raptors don't have that problem, and they have an excellent matchup against a Pelicans defense that gives up the fourth-most fantasy points to guards, the sixth-most to forwards, and the fifth-most to centers.
Teams on Back-to-Backs:
First game: Hornets, Nuggets, Pelicans, Knicks, Thunder, Raptors
Second game: Kings
Kyle Lowry, TOR vs NO ($8,600): Lowry is in the midst of a big scoring week, averaging 31 points, 6.0 assists, 4.3 boards, 3.5 treys and 1.3 combined steals/blocks over his last four games. On Tuesday, he faces a Pelicans defense that allowes the third-most fantasy points to point guards on the season.
Lou Williams, LAL vs DEN ($5,500): Williams has averaged 23.8 points, 3.5 assists, 3.3 boards, 3.2 treys and 1.1 combined steals/blocks over his last six games with D'Angelo Russell out. Russell has been cleared to play Tuesday (he's technically still listed as questionable), but Williams is still one of the leading scorers on the team even when Russell plays. He faces a Nuggets defense that allows the most fantasy points in the NBA to shooting guards.
Brandon Jennings, NY at WAS ($5,100): Jennings took advantage of a Derrick Rose injury and a four-overtime game to score 18 points with 11 assists, four treys, three boards and a steal in a whopping 53 minutes of action on Sunday. Rose will sit out again Tuesday, and in Jennings' seven starts this season he is averaging 17.6 points, 6.4 assists, 4.1 boards and 2.0 treys in 36.9 minutes per game.
Nicolas Batum, CHA at POR ($7,400): Batum will be playing in his old home of Portland on Tuesday. He comes into the game averaging 16.7 points, 8.0 boards, 8.0 assists and 2.7 treys over his last three contests. The Trail Blazers allow the 11th-most fantasy points to small forwards.
Markieff Morris, WAS vs NY ($6,600): Morris is a consistently strong producer for the Wizards, averaging 18.5 points with 8.5 boards, 2.3 assists, 2.0 treys and 1.7 combined steals/blocks over his last six games. On Tuesday, he faces a Knicks defense that has given up the 11th-most fantasy points to power forwards this season.
Ryan Anderson, HOU vs SAC ($5,000): Anderson has averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 boards and 3.5 treys in the four games since he returned from a stomach bug. He'll match up again an average Kings defense, on the second night of a back-to-back, that allows the 14th-most fantasy points to power forwards.
DeMarcus Cousins, SAC at HOU ($11,200): Anthony Davis has a lower price, a better match-up, and isn't on the second half of a back-to-back like Cousins ,but Davis has missed all or some of six of his last eight games, while Cousins has been consistently outstanding. Cousins just dropped 46 points, 15 boards, five assists, four treys and a couple of steals/blocks on the 76ers on Monday (in 32 minutes), and the last time he faced the Rockets he was good for 32 points, nine boards and five blocks.
Mason Plumlee, POR vs CHA ($6,500): Plumlee has notched five straight double-doubles, and over that stretch is averaging 14.2 points, 11.2 boards, 3.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocked shots in 32 minutes. The Hornets' defense allows the sixth-most fantasy points to centers.
Joakim Noah, NY at WAS ($3,500): Noah had been getting outshined in recent games by Willy Hernangomez, but he came up huge on Sunday with 14 boards, six points, five assists, three steals and two blocks in 41 minutes. That was actually the seventh time this month Noah has grabbed double-digit boards, which makes him a reasonable chance to take at such a low price point.
