This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Team Analysis
Defense to avoid: LA Clippers vs IND. On paper, the Clippers have a strong defense that's elite at defending three positions: limiting production to opposing shooting guards, small forwards, and power forwards. In addition, with the Pacers missing Paul George there is legitimate blowout potential that could cause players on both sides to not play their normal minutes. But on the flip side, this was all true last week when the Pacers beat them by 21, so take the numbers with a grain of salt.
Offense to Use: New Orleans Pelicans at OKC. The Pelicans/Thunder game shapes up like a potential shootout, and the Thunder are either average or below average defensively at most positions. They rank 23rd at limiting opposing point guard production, 21st against small forwards, 21st against power forwards and 14th against centers according to DraftKings.
Teams on Back-to-Backs:
First game: Pacers, Pelicans, Thunder
Second game: None
Chris Paul, LAC vs IND ($8500): This one is difficult, because Russell Westbrook is playing at a level that defies anything we've ever seen in DFS. How can one guy average 71 fantasy points per game? Yet, he's done that over his last EIGHT games. That said, Paul deserves this spot as well. His price has dropped down almost out of the "elite" range, but he has still averaged 52.8 fantasy points over his last three games and has a great matchup at home against a Pacers team that ranks 22nd in production allowed to opposing point
Team Analysis
Defense to avoid: LA Clippers vs IND. On paper, the Clippers have a strong defense that's elite at defending three positions: limiting production to opposing shooting guards, small forwards, and power forwards. In addition, with the Pacers missing Paul George there is legitimate blowout potential that could cause players on both sides to not play their normal minutes. But on the flip side, this was all true last week when the Pacers beat them by 21, so take the numbers with a grain of salt.
Offense to Use: New Orleans Pelicans at OKC. The Pelicans/Thunder game shapes up like a potential shootout, and the Thunder are either average or below average defensively at most positions. They rank 23rd at limiting opposing point guard production, 21st against small forwards, 21st against power forwards and 14th against centers according to DraftKings.
Teams on Back-to-Backs:
First game: Pacers, Pelicans, Thunder
Second game: None
Chris Paul, LAC vs IND ($8500): This one is difficult, because Russell Westbrook is playing at a level that defies anything we've ever seen in DFS. How can one guy average 71 fantasy points per game? Yet, he's done that over his last EIGHT games. That said, Paul deserves this spot as well. His price has dropped down almost out of the "elite" range, but he has still averaged 52.8 fantasy points over his last three games and has a great matchup at home against a Pacers team that ranks 22nd in production allowed to opposing point guards. The main risk, though, is that Paul could sit early if the game is a blowout, but that logic caused me to sit him against the Nets this week and he only dropped a 26/13/10 triple-double in double-overtime.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DET vs ORL ($5600): Caldwell-Pope has had a strong last two weeks, with six big games and one clunker. Over the last week he has averaged 22 points, 6.7 boards, 3.7 assists and 1.7 combined steals/blocks in three games.
Brandon Jennings, NY vs SAC ($4200): Jennings is a backup, and therefore a risk. He has bad games occasionally, but the reason he's in this spot is that because he's a punt-play that has a reasonable chance of yielding starter numbers any given game. In his last eight games, he has four efforts over 28 fantasy points, including a 42.25 fantasy-point effort against the Wizards.
Anthony Davis, NO at OKC ($11,200): In the last six games that Davis has played in entirety, his "worst" was 31 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks, two assists and two treys (62.5 fantasy points). His best game (Tuesday) was 41 points, 16 boards, four steals, three assists, two blocks and a trey (79.0 fantasy points). If he's healthy, he delivers Russell Westbrook numbers at $1600 cheaper. The risk with Davis, as always, is health as he had two games within that run where he suffered injuries (bruised knee in one, shoulder injury in other) and had to leave the court for awhile before returning. Other than health, he's pretty much in video-game mode right now.
Tobias Harris, DET vs ORL ($6100): Harris is another Piston playing consistently good ball of late, averaging 19.3 points, 5.5 boards, 2.5 assists, 1.7 treys and 1.4 combined steals and blocks over his last six games.
Matt Barnes, SAC at NY ($4300): The Mercurial One, Barnes is coming off a huge game in which he scored 12 points with 16 boards, five assists, two steals, a block, a trey, and one crucial 4th quarter technical foul that sabotaged the team. That level of game is rare from Barnes, but in his last ten outings he has five games over 22 fantasy points, including the 46.5 fantasy-point effort Friday.
DeMarcus Cousins, SAC at NY ($10,900): Cousins has been in the zone of late, averaging 33.8 points with 12.4 boards, 2.4 assists, 3.0 treys and 3.6 combined steals and blocks over his last five games. The Knicks have generally been solid against opposing centers this year, but they gave up 47 points to Karl-Anthony Towns this week so they can be exploited.
Myles Turner, IND at LAC ($7000): Turner has used the absence of Paul George to re-charge his season, averaging 17.3 points, 10.0 boards, 2.0 blocks and 1.7 assists in his last three outings. He is facing a Clippers defense that ranks 25th against opposing centers.
Kyle O'Quinn, NO at OKC ($4300): O'Quinn has been starting lately when Joakim Noah (ankle) sits out, but the Knicks let him start Friday and gave him the majority of the center minutes (rather than splitting time with Willy Hernangomez). and O'Quinn rewarded them with 20 points, 13 boards and two blocks in 31 minutes. That level of production shouldn't be expected, but if it earned him more playing time he could approach starter's minutes.
