Easy Breezy: Chalk Stack
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings are two teams that have been pushing the pace this season. These two teams currently rank 12th and first in the NBA in pace, respectively. Brooklyn also only ranks 19th in the league in offensive rating, while Sacramento ranks 17th in the NBA in defensive rating. The Nets are +4 point underdogs in a game set at 232 points, but they still feature an implied total of 114 points tonight.
The Nets are generally an inconsistent rotation, but they will feature ownership because of the nature of this game. Jared Allen could be the highest owned player on the slate [at the moment] because of his low price tag. He’s averaging 11.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 2.0 blocks (29.0 DK points) in 27.1 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Allen has also posted 29+ DK points in four of his last six games. Allen only scored 22.5 points in his first matchup against the Kings, but he only played 23.1 minutes in that game. He’s expected to play around 30 minutes tonight, and Sacramento has struggled against centers throughout the season. Caris LeVert is another cheap option, who makes sense tonight. His minutes have been inconsistent recently, but he scored 26.5 DK points in 32 minutes in his last game. He’s expected to play similar minutes tonight, and he’s averaging over 1.0 DK point per minute on the season. LeVert’s price tag is low because of his recent production, but there’s very little reason to believe he won’t be able to get back to form, especially in a plus matchup, with more consistent minutes. D’Angelo Russell is another player that has been somewhat inconsistent, which has kept his price tag low. He’s averaging 19.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.6 steals (38.3 DK points) in 29.2 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He’s coming off of a 58.25 DK point performance against the Los Angeles Clippers. Sacramento has struggled against guards throughout the season, and Russell posted 55.5 DK points in their only matchup against each other this season. Normally, I wouldn’t want these three players in cash, but between their ownerships and the matchup, there’s no reason to believe it won’t work.
Wildcard GPP: Low Owned Stack
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers have been pushing the pace throughout the season, ranking ninth in the NBA in pace thus far. They get a matchup against the Indiana Pacers, who currently rank 26th in the league in pace. Los Angeles also ranks 11th in the NBA in offensive rating, while Indiana ranks third in the league in defensive rating. The Clippers are -5 point favorites in a game set at 219 points, and they own an implied total of 112 points tonight.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a player that is seemingly heating up at the right time. He’s averaging 13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.4 steals (28.3 DK points) in 27.6 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has also played 36 and 30 minutes in each of his last two games, posting 33.5 and 44.25 DK points in those games. He’s expected to see 30+ minutes again tonight, as well, and he’s a high upside option on this slate. Lou Williams has been a high upside option for Los Angeles for the majority of the season. His inconsistent fantasy production has kept his price tag relatively low, though. Still, he’s averaging 27.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.2 steals (40.1 DK points) in only 27.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has recently flashed 65+ DK point upside, as well, which is what we’re attacking tonight. He struggled in his only matchup against Indiana, but Williams is expected to find around 30 minutes in a close game tonight. Danilo Gallinari and Montrezl Harrell are two options, who can be considered to fill out this stack. I’m siding with the former, who is slightly more expensive. Gallinari has been playing at an extremely high level recently, though, averaging 26.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists (42.4 DK points) in 31.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has posted 44+ DK points in three of his last four games, and he’ll be locked into big minutes once again tonight. Gallinari needed only 19.4 minutes to score 27.25 DK points against Indiana in their only matchup this season, and he comes with elite upside tonight.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Alex Caruso
Caruso has seen an increased role recently, and he has looked outstanding in that time. Over the last 10 days, he’s averaging 11.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 block, and 1.6 steals (23.4 DK points) in 23.5 minutes per game. Caruso has also averaged 24+ minutes in five of his last six games, and he’s averaging 27.6 DK points per game in those contests. He has also scored 30+ DK points in each of his last three games.
Caruso is expected to see a similar role and similar minutes tonight. He gets a solid matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks in a game that should be one of the fastest paced of the slate. Caruso is a player that seems to go overlooked on a nightly basis, but he’s cheap enough to be considered in all leagues tonight.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Boban Marjanovic
Marjanovic has been playing at an elite level on a per minute basis this season. Through 44 games, he’s averaging 1.33 DK points per minute. He has played 20+ minutes in two of his last six games, scoring 33.5 and 38 DK points in those games. Marjanovic is also averaging 18.0 DK points in only 12.2 minutes per game over the last 10 days.
Joel Embiid has been ruled out for rest purposes tonight, meaning Marjanovic will likely find around 20 minutes tonight. He gets an elite matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, who have struggled against big men this season. Marjanovic will likely feature quite a bit of ownership, and he’s a strong option in all leagues.
Follow Justin Bales on Twitter (@BalesSJustin)
