There isn’t a truly compelling NBA game among the five on Tuesday’s slate. It’s a great night to drink some green beer and wish the Celtics were playing. At least there are a couple of megastars in action who dominate the daily fantasy landscape.
Anthony Davis $11400 was magnificent in a double-overtime defeat on Sunday — 36 PTS, 14 REB, 7 AST, 9 BLK in 49 minutes — and the ninth-place Pelicans can’t afford another loss. Tyreke Evans $7500 is one of the better choices at PG tonight, and Eric Gordon $6000 is also playable. Milwaukee is hoping to get Michael Carter-Williams $7000 (ankle) back but he was unable to practice yesterday; rookie Tyler Ennis $4000 was the only healthy PG in Saturday’s loss, though Jerryd Bayless $3000 (ankle) might be ready to return after missing three games. Giannis Antetokounmpo $6900, Khris Middleton $6800 and Ersan Ilyasova $5000 might do most of the scoring for the fading Bucks.
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The best game for fantasy profits looks like Orlando at Houston. While losing four straight, the Magic gave up 123 points to Cleveland and 118 to Indiana. James Harden $10800 should carve them up; he just posted a 34-7-7 line in a road win over the much-stingier Clippers. Terrence Jones $7000 and Trevor Ariza $5800 should also have productive nights. Remember, the Magic don’t need to win to have fantasy value. Nikola Vucevic $8300, Victor Oladipo $7700 and Tobias Harris $6900 are all capable of big numbers in a shootout.
San Antonio can afford to take it easy in New York. Don’t be surprised if Tim Duncan $6800 gets a rest and minutes are limited for Tony Parker $6600 and/or Kawhi Leonard $8600. We might see quite a bit of Danny Green $5600, Tiago Splitter $3600, Boris Diaw $3500, Marco Belinelli $3200 and other affordable Spurs. Try to stay on top of breaking news — especially if Parker rests, Cory Joseph $3000 and Patty Mills $3100 would both become possible bargains. The woeful Knicks ‘lead’ the NBA Tankapalooza standings with a 13-53 record; Andrea Bargnani $6100 and Alexey Shved $6200 are their best players and Cole Aldrich $4200 is emerging from a pack of mediocre bigs.
The Grizzlies did win at home last night against a makeshift Denver lineup, and they are far from healthy, with Mike Conley $5800 (ankle) doubtful and Marc Gasol $7400 playing hurt. 33-year-olds Zach Randolph $7200 and Tony Allen $4200 were their best players in a forgettable game; both will be needed again in this back-to-back. They won’t do more than necessary against the free-falling Pistons, losers of ten in a row. Greg Monroe (knee) is out, so maybe Andre Drummond $7500 will step up.
The Hornets shot less than 30% and scored just 66 points in Utah last night — it was 61-30 at the half — and even if they improve dramatically, will be no match for the Clippers. Blake Griffin $9000 is back, taking some of the load off Chris Paul $9700 and DeAndre Jordan $8800. None of the L.A. big three seems likely to play heavy minutes; J.J. Redick $6500 is more affordable and second-unit guys like Austin Rivers $3700 might finish up.
An extreme stars-and-scrubs approach built around Davis and Harden will be popular. That essentially narrows down DFS contests to who gets the most production from their other six lineup spots, with an average of only about $4600 to spend on them. If we add one more medium-priced stud like Evans, there’s just over $4000 each to fill five spots. That’s where the Spurs’ depth could pay off.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Chris Paul $9700 | Tyreke Evans $7500 | Cory Joseph $3000 |
| SG | James Harden $10800 | Victor Oladipo $7700 | Marco Belinelli $3200 |
| SF | Kawhi Leonard $8600 | Trevor Ariza $5800 | Tony Allen $4200 |
| PF | Anthony Davis $11400 | Zach Randolph $7200 | Boris Diaw $3500 |
| C | Andre Drummond $7500 | Omer Asik $5100 | Tiago Splitter $3600 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.