Easy Breezy: Chalk Stack
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets will make up the “Chalk Stack” once again tonight. They haven’t been playing at a fast pace, ranking only 20th in the NBA in pace through 58 games. They get a plus matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, who currently rank 11th in the league in pace. Charlotte also ranks 14th in the NBA in offensive rating, while Brooklyn ranks 17th in the league in defensive rating. The Hornets are -2.5 point favorites in a game set at 227.5 points, and they feature an implied total of 115 points.
Miles Bridges was inserted into the starting lineup for Jeremy Lamb in his last game, and that could be the case once again tonight. In that game, he scored 29 DK points in 29 minutes, and he’s tentatively expected to see similar minutes in this game. Bridges isn’t necessarily an elite fantasy player, though, as he’s only averaging 0.78 DK points per minute on the season. With that being said, he’s absurdly cheap, and that total increases to 0.84 DK points per minute at home. If he draws the start tonight, he’ll make one of the safest options on the entire slate. Cody Zeller is another player that is entirely too cheap, as he’s averaging 11.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 block in only 28.1 minutes per game since returning from injury. Zeller has played 30+ minutes in each of his last three games, as well, scoring 31.75, 30.25, and 32.75 DK points in those games. His price tag is clearly on the rise, but he’s still entirely too cheap. He’s consistently scoring 30+ DK points without getting the double-double bonus in any of those three games. Zeller is averaging 1.37 DK points in two matchups against Brooklyn this season, as well. Kemba Walker is the final part of this stack. His price tag surprisingly dropped from his last game, but he has been playing at an elite level. Excluding his 21 DK point performance against the Orlando Magic, Walker has scored 50+ DK points in each of his last six games, and he’s averaging 57.2 DK points per game over that span. He has scored 60+ DK points in two of those six games, as well. As if that isn’t enough reason to use him, Walker is averaging 51.0 DK points in 40.0 minutes per game against Brooklyn this season.
Important Odds: Vegas Stack
Oklahoma City Thunder
Unsurprisingly, the Oklahoma City Thunder make their way as the Vegas stack tonight. They will be playing in the fastest paced game of the slate, as they rank third in the NBA in pace, while the Sacramento Kings rank second in the league in pace. Oklahoma City also ranks 12th in the NBA in offensive rating, while Sacramento has struggled, ranking only 18th in the league in defensive rating. The Thunder are -5.5 point favorites in a game set at 240 points, giving them the highest implied total on the slate at 122.8 points tonight.
Oklahoma City is coming off of an elite game against the Utah Jazz, and this is going to be a similar stack tonight. Russell Westbrook has triple doubled in 11 of his last 12 games, and he’s averaging 23.7 points, 13.4 rebounds, 13.1 assists, and 1.5 steals in 36.9 minutes per game over that span, as well. Furthermore, Westbrook has scored 59+ DK points in eight of his last nine games, including 80+ DK points in each of his last two contests. Westbrook has also found plenty of success against Sacramento this season, as he’s averaging 64.8 DK points in 35.3 minutes per game against them. Paul George is the other focal point of the offense. He has been playing at an elite level for quite some time, specifically over his last 14 games. Over that span, he’s averaging 36.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.2 steals in 38.7 minutes per game. He has scored 60+ DK points in six of his last 10 games, including 71.25, 88.5, and 68.75 DK points in three of his last four games. Similarly to Westbrook, George has found success against Sacramento this season, as he is averaging 53.3 DK points in 35.6 minutes per game against them this season. Steven Adams has really been struggling recently, but he scored 45 DK points in 47 minutes in his last game. While he obviously won’t be playing that many minutes tonight, he only needs around 30 DK points to hit value. Adams is another Thunder player that has dominated the Kings this season, as he’s averaging 42.7 DK points in 35.0 minutes per game against Sacramento this season. Overall, this trio is averaging 160.8 DK points per game against the Kings, and there may not be a trio with as much upside as this stack tonight.
Wildcard GPP: Low Owned Stack
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Wolves are two teams that have been playing at an above average pace this season, as well. Overall, these two teams rank fifth and 13th in the NBA in pace. Milwaukee has also feature an offensive rating, ranking fourth in the league in that category. Minnesota, on the other hand, has struggled defensively, ranking only 20th in the NBA in defensive rating. The Bucks are massive -12.5 point favorites in a game set at 227.5 points, and they own an implied total of 120 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is seemingly going overlooked on this slate, which is a bit surprising. He has been playing at an extremely high level recently, scoring 59+ DK points in eight of his last 10 games. He also comes with elite upside, scoring 82.75 against the Indiana Pacers. Antetokounmpo only played 23.3 minutes in his only matchup against Minnesota this season, but he was able to score 42.5 DK points in that time. He has also been a slightly better fantasy option at home this season. Brook Lopez is a player that has been underpriced for a few games, but he’s continuously going overlooked. He has scored 22+ DK points in each of his last 10 games, and he’s averaging 27.3 DK points per game over that span. He has flashed 40 DK point upside, although he doesn’t always flash that upside. He needed only 23.4 minutes to score 19.3 DK points against Minnesota, and he’ll see 30+ minutes tonight. Lopez certainly adds upside to this stack, but he also adds consistency with low ownership. Malcolm Brogdon is in a similar position as Lopez, as in he’s underpriced and overlooked. He has scored 30+ DK points in eight of his last 10 games, which is more than enough upside for his price tag. Brogdon only scored 19.5 DK points in his only matchup against Minnesota, but he only played 25.3 minutes in that game. This is a surprisingly consistent stack, who will feature low ownership, but they also come with more than enough upside to be considered in tournaments.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Bogdanovic’s price tag is getting ridiculous at this point. It was odd that he was cheap for a few games, but he’s absurdly priced. He has scored 25+ DK points in seven of his last nine games, only failing to do so in two games that he saw limited minutes. In full minutes, he’s averaging 30.9 DK points per game over that span. He’s also averaging 1.0 DK point per minute on the season.
Bogdanovic is expected to play 30+ minutes again tonight, which would be on par with recent games. He also gets a solid matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder in what should be the fastest paced game on the slate. Bogdanovic scored 26.75 DK points in only 24.6 minutes in his only matchup against Oklahoma City this season. He should be used in all leagues, as he’s an extremely safe option, but comes with tremendous upside, as well.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Miles Bridges
I have already outlined Bridges above, so I won’t go into too much detail. He isn’t an elite fantasy option on a nightly basis, but he scored 29 DK points in 29 minutes in his last game. He has been a better option at home this season, as well. Bridges gets a solid matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, who will be pushing the pace a bit in this game. He could be the highest owned player on the slate, and he makes an elite option in all leagues.
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