The blockbuster trade between the Clippers and Pistons on Monday shuffling six players between the two teams opens the door for some DFS value and opportunity. Both teams will likely be taking the court with limited players dressed for their matchups on Tuesday. Players from these teams should be prevalent when building your DFS lineups. There are also a variety of other players to monitor their availability leading up to tipoff on the nine-game Tuesday slate. It should be a wild one!
Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom DvP calculations that combine both season and last five games data along with blending similar positions production allowed together.
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One Stud
James Harden (PG/SG – HOU): $11,200
There are numerous high-priced studs to give consideration to in addition to James Harden. Most notably Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis. However, I’m going to give Harden the nod as my “One Stud”. The Rockets may be without Chris Paul who is questionable and have already ruled out Trevor Ariza. Both of those players out would propel Harden’s usage rate up to 41.5%, a 3.3% increase. Harden also has a sensational matchup against a Magic defense that has allowed the second most DraftKings points to opposing SGs this season.
The blockbuster trade between the Clippers and Pistons on Monday shuffling six players between the two teams opens the door for some DFS value and opportunity. Both teams will likely be taking the court with limited players dressed for their matchups on Tuesday. Players from these teams should be prevalent when building your DFS lineups. There are also a variety of other players to monitor their availability leading up to tipoff on the nine-game Tuesday slate. It should be a wild one!
Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom DvP calculations that combine both season and last five games data along with blending similar positions production allowed together.
Create Optimal DraftKings lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool
One Stud
James Harden (PG/SG – HOU): $11,200
There are numerous high-priced studs to give consideration to in addition to James Harden. Most notably Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis. However, I’m going to give Harden the nod as my “One Stud”. The Rockets may be without Chris Paul who is questionable and have already ruled out Trevor Ariza. Both of those players out would propel Harden’s usage rate up to 41.5%, a 3.3% increase. Harden also has a sensational matchup against a Magic defense that has allowed the second most DraftKings points to opposing SGs this season.
Core Plays
Andre Drummond (C – DET): $9,300 vs CLE
The acquisition of Blake Griffin may affect Drummond’s overall fantasy production slightly in the long term but on Tuesday night it will be all about Andre with Griffin not playing with his new team yet. Drummond has three straight double-doubles while averaging 19.7 points and 16.0 rebounds in those games. He should see some extra shot opportunities and plenty of minutes against the Cavaliers.
Bradley Beal (SG – WAS): $8,400 vs OKC
With John Wall out, Bradley Beal gets a big 4.2% usage spike up as the primary scorer on the team. While the matchup against the Thunder doesn’t look good on paper, they will be without their primary wing defender, Andre Roberson. Beal put together a huge game against the Thunder just a few days ago when he went for 41 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists on his way to 72.5 DK points. That number might not be obtainable but he should get plenty of opportunities to get close.
Lou Williams (PG/SG – LAC): $8,200 vs POR
Welcome to the Clippers portion of the writeup. I expect the newly acquired Clippers to not suit up for Tuesday’s game. This leaves a short-handed team, even more short-handed when they face the Blazers. With Blake Griffin out of town, Lou Williams will once again be the primary scorer. He gets a 2.5% usage bump with Griffin off the court this season and has averaged 26.3 points and 5.7 assists in 15 games without Griffin this season. Big minutes and a ton of shots are headed Sweet Lou’s way.
DeAndre Jordan (C – LAC): $6,800 vs POR
The other main benefactor of the Griffin departure will be DeAndre Jordan (as long as he is still with the team). Jordan gets a slight usage increase (1.6%) with Griffin off the court but his biggest increase is on the boards. He has averaged 17.1 rebounds per game with Griffin out, compared to 13.5 with him in the lineup. Jordan pulled down 18 board the last time he faced the Blazers and that was with Griffin playing.
Value Plays
Montrezl Harrell (PF/C – LAC): $4,100 vs POR
Concluding the Clippers portion of the article we have Montrezl Harrell. Harrell’s long-term value may not change much with Griffin’s departure but his short-term value on Tuesday night should increase as his minutes spike back up to around 30. In the last three games that Harrell played at least 30 minutes, he has averaged 30.6 DK points per game.
Luke Kennard (SG – DET): $4,100 vs CLE
Luke Kennard had already been playing close to 25 minutes a game recently and has received positive quotes from his coach. With the trade of Avery Bradley to the Clippers, Kennard could see his minutes extend even further, especially on Tuesday for the short-handed Pistons. He gets a favorable matchup with the Cavaliers who have given up the seventh most DK points to opposing SGs. He is a solid, cheap option that has some upside if he gets hot.
Stanley Johnson (SG/SF – DET): $3,900 vs CLE
Stanley Johnson has his best game of the season on Sunday against the Cavaliers with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. He’ll get the same Cavaliers’ team on Tuesday night and will look to build on his strong game while seeing an increase in minutes and usage for the short-handed Pistons.
Khem Birch (PF/C – ORL): $3,800 @ HOU
Khem Birch has carved out a role in the Magic rotation with his energy on both ends of the court. He has played an average of 17 minutes over his last five games and could see his minutes jump into the 20s if Aaron Gordon is unable to play on Tuesday. Birch has averaged a solid 6.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in his last five outings while chipping in with a block, steal and assists per game.
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Brad Richter is a correspondent at FantasyPros and a contributor at DailyOverlay and GoingFor2. For more from Brad, you can view his archive or follow him @RotoPilot.