Easy Breezy: Chalk Stack
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets have been playing at an above average pace throughout the 2018 season, ranking 12th in the NBA in pace thus far. They get an elite matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, who currently rank second in the league in pace. Brooklyn has struggled offensively at times, though, ranking 17th in the NBA in offensive rating this season. Atlanta ranks only 28th in the league in defensive rating in 2018, though. The Nets are -4 point favorites in a game set 238 points, giving them an implied total of 121 points tonight.
Joe Harris is extremely cheap on this slate, and this is a perfect matchup for his style of play. He’s only averaging 10.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists (18.5 DK points) in 27.5 minutes per game over the last 10 days, but he found plenty of success prior to that stint. Harris is expected to play around 30 minutes tonight, and he is averaging 31 DK points in 28.1 minutes per game against Atlanta. He’s a player that relies heavily on scoring, and this game will give him plenty of opportunities to accomplish that. Spencer Dinwiddie recently returned to action, and he’s averaging 17.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals (29.4 DK points) in only 24.4 minutes per game. He also scored 45.5 DK points in 30 minutes in his last game, and he’s expected to continue to see around 30 minutes per game moving forward. Dinwiddie has struggled with efficiency against the Hawks this season, but he’s still averaging 28.1 DK points in 26.4 minutes per game against them. He’s priced down because of his recent injury, but he looks to be fully over that at this point in time. There are a few players that can fill out the remainder of this stack, but I’m going to take the salary relief of Ed Davis. His minutes have been inconsistent for the majority of the season, but he has now played 21 and 20 minutes in his last two games. He was able to score 18.5 and 16.5 DK points in each of those games, as well. While those numbers are far from elite, Davis comes with significantly more upside, and he’s near the minimum price. On the season, he’s averaging 8.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 steal (31.3 DK points) in only 25.3 minutes per game against Atlanta. While I don’t necessarily believe Davis will see that many minutes tonight, he should sit around 20. He’s a safe option because of the low price tag, while he comes with tremendous upside, as well.
Wildcard GPP: Low Owned Stack
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are a team that has been pushing the pace this season, ranking fourth in the NBA in pace through 65 games. They get a matchup against the Boston Celtics, who only rank 17th in the league in pace this season. Boston also ranks third in the NBA in defensive rating, while Los Angeles only ranks 22nd in the league in offensive rating. The Lakers are +6.5 point underdogs in a game set at 222 points, but they still feature an implied total of 107.8 points tonight.
Los Angeles is in a very odd spot at the moment, which could keep their ownership down. Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram have basically been ruled out for the season, while LeBron James is expected to see his minutes reduced. Kyle Kuzma and Lance Stephenson are also questionable for tonight. They’re essentially tanking, meaning no one is guaranteed a consistent role in the rotation at this point. Josh Hart is a young player, who has worked his way back into the rotation after seeing limited minutes for a few games. He has played 39 and 30 minutes over his last two games, although he was only able to score 16.75 and 25 DK points in those contests. Still, he comes with an extremely low price tag, and he has flashed upside in the past. Without many healthy player, Hart could see his role in the offense increase a bit, adding to his value. The Lakers don’t particularly have any reason to play Rajon Rondo big minutes, but it looks like he’s going to stick in the rotation for the time being. He has caught fire recently, as he’s averaging 12.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 10.4 assists, and 1.8 steals (41.9 DK points) in 35.2 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Rondo has also scored 48+ DK points in three of his last five games, including a 60.5 DK point performance against the Los Angeles Clippers. As if that isn’t enough, Rondo scored 42.25 DK points in 35 minutes in his only matchup with his former team this season, and he could have extra motivation in this game. Kyle Kuzma has been struggling quite a bit recently, but he makes the most sense to fill out this stack. He’s averaging 15.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists (26.1 DK points) in 34.6 minutes per game over the last 10 days. If he’s able to suit up tonight, he’ll likely find his way into big minutes once again. While Kuzma does come with quite a bit of risk, he also comes with tremendous upside. He also posted 38.75 DK points in his only matchup against Boston this season. The Lakers could quickly turn into a chalk stack from a GPP stack if certain players are ruled out tonight, but at the moment, it seems they’re going a bit overlooked.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Jeff Teague
Teague has been heating up once again recently, as he’s averaging 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists (32.3 DK points) in 29.4 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has also posted 32.25 and 45.25 DK points in his last two games. After seeing somewhat of limited minutes for a few games, Teague has played 30+ minutes in each of his last two games.
He’s expected to find similar minutes tonight, especially at home, where he has seen more consistent of minutes. Teague gets an elite matchup against the Washington Wizards, who have struggled against guards this season. Surprisingly, he’s only averaging 22.3 DK points in 26.2 minutes per game against them, and he could be in line for a much more efficient game tonight. Teague can be considered in all leagues.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Alex Len
Len has been playing at a higher level recently, scoring 25.25, 48.75, and 46 DK points in three of his last four games. While he comes with tremendous upside, he has also scored single-digit fantasy points in four of his last seven contests. Three of those single-digit games came in 13 or fewer minutes, though.
Len was recently forced into bigger minutes because of injuries, and that will be the case again tonight. Omari Spellman has been ruled out, while Dewayne Dedmon is doubtful. Len is expected to see minutes in the high-20s or low-30s tonight. He also gets an elite matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, who have struggled against big men throughout the 2018 season. Len will see plenty of ownership tonight, and he can be considered in all leagues.
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