Wednesday greets us with an eight-game schedule as we grind our way through the final few weeks of the regular season. The playoff race is still wide open and that’s something you’ll need to be cognizant of when constructing your rosters.
Looking at the rest situation, the Raptors, Pacers, and Clippers are both playing their third game in four nights, which includes playing last night. The Pelicans got the short end of the stick due to the rescheduled game against the Pacers as they will be playing their fourth game in five nights. To further complicate matters, New Orleans will be playing a rare third-straight game tomorrow night as well. Let’s take a look at a tournament lineup for FanDuel.
Check out today’s NBA Clutch Shot Encore from FanDuel
Point Guard
Cameron Payne (CHI): $5,500 vs. DEN
Payne figures to see extended run again tonight with Kris Dunn on the shelf and he makes for a fine midrange play as a result. Payne is averaging 0.92 FDP/min and has held his own in place of Dunn. This is a plus individual matchup and I look for Payne to have no issues hitting value this evening.
Wednesday greets us with an eight-game schedule as we grind our way through the final few weeks of the regular season. The playoff race is still wide open and that’s something you’ll need to be cognizant of when constructing your rosters.
Looking at the rest situation, the Raptors, Pacers, and Clippers are both playing their third game in four nights, which includes playing last night. The Pelicans got the short end of the stick due to the rescheduled game against the Pacers as they will be playing their fourth game in five nights. To further complicate matters, New Orleans will be playing a rare third-straight game tomorrow night as well. Let’s take a look at a tournament lineup for FanDuel.
Check out today’s NBA Clutch Shot Encore from FanDuel
Point Guard
Cameron Payne (CHI): $5,500 vs. DEN
Payne figures to see extended run again tonight with Kris Dunn on the shelf and he makes for a fine midrange play as a result. Payne is averaging 0.92 FDP/min and has held his own in place of Dunn. This is a plus individual matchup and I look for Payne to have no issues hitting value this evening.
Brandon Jennings (MIL): $3,500 vs. LAC
It feels like 2009 all over again as I wrote Jennings’ name down for this article. Jennings is expected to sign a second 10-day contract and provided that holds true, I don’t mind rolling the dice on the veteran journeyman tonight. After a sizzling debut with his original team, Jennings has cooled off quite a bit. A notoriously streaky scorer, Jennings can fill up the stat sheet in a hurry and for that reason, I don’t mind taking a flier in tournaments tonight.
Other Notables
Shooting Guard
Will Barton (DEN): $7,700 @ CHI
The Nuggets are running out of time to remain in the hunt for the final seed in the Western Conference, so I look for all hands to be on deck tonight against the woeful Bulls. This is a plus matchup for Barton, who has been all over the place in terms of his production lately. He’s got zero value left in his salary, but I’m banking on a big night on the road in a must-win contest.
Wayne Ellington (MIA): $4,200 vs. NY
Ellington has scored 20+ points in two out of his last three games and while the volatility can be maddening, I’m willing to take a chance at this price. While Ellington doesn’t do much outside of scoring, he doesn’t need to do a ton to pay off that modest salary tonight against the Knicks.
Other Notables
Small Forward
LeBron James (CLE): $12,800 vs. TOR
James has registered a triple-double in consecutive outings and three out of his last four, with his fantasy output checking in at 68 FDP or more during that span. The turnovers are a bit of a concern, but those can be wiped out quickly with the type of production James is churning out on a nightly basis. This game figures to be close against the Raptors, so I expect James’ dominant run to continue.
Lance Stephenson (IND): $4,100 @ NO
Stephenson and the Pacers are a bit frustrated in that they have to make an unplanned trip to New Orleans to make up a postponed contest from February, so there could be a bit of motivation in play tonight. Stephenson has logged 28 and 29 minutes over his last two games and has produced solid fantasy lines in both contests. Provided he sees that type of action this evening, I look for Stephenson to continue producing against a tired New Orleans squad in a game that represents a boost in pace.
Other Notables
Power Forward
Anthony Davis (NO): $12,100 vs. IND
There are all sorts of risks laden with this pick, which is something we’re already wary of when it comes to Davis. I noted at the beginning of the article that this is not only the fourth game in five nights for the Pelicans, but this reschedule also forces the Pelicans to play yet again tomorrow night. If you can stomach the risk, I think there’s plenty of merit in targeting Davis, who continues to produce at an elite level. While the Pelicans might be down about their rest situation, there’s no letting off of the gas pedal in the ultra-competitive Western Conference playoff race, so Davis should be good for all the work he can handle.
Paul Millsap (DEN): $6,600 @ CHI
Well, that’s one way to throw the minutes restriction out the window. Millsap logged a whopping 45 minutes of playing time on the road against the Heat on Monday night in a double-overtime loss. The Nuggets are desperate for some wins and they could get back on track tonight in what is a plus matchup for Millsap. Millsap is averaging just under one FDP per minute, and I’d guess that he’s good to go from a playing time standpoint, so I don’t mind targeting him in GPP formats this evening.
Other Notables
Center
Emeka Okafor (NO): $3,500 vs. IND
With all of the action the Pelicans have had coming into tonight’s game against the Pacers, Okafor has only logged a combined 32 minutes over the last three games. That looks to be in favor of Nikola Mirotic, but I think Okafor could be called upon to help absorb some minutes as New Orleans tries to survive this unprecedented stretch of games. He’s averaging 0.94 FDP per minute this season, so even 20 minutes would likely get us where we need to be in terms of value. Okafor is risky, but he’s a risk that could pay dividends due to the salary relief he provides.
Other Notables
My Lineup
PG – Brandon Jennings (MIL): $3,500 vs. LAC
PG – Cameron Payne (CHI): $5,500 vs. DEN
SG – Will Barton (DEN): $7,700 @ CHI
SG – Wayne Ellington (MIA): $4,200 vs. NY
SF – LeBron James (CLE): $12,800 vs. TOR
SF – Lance Stephenson (IND): $4,100 @ NO
PF – Anthony Davis (NO): $12,100 vs. IND
PF – Paul Millsap (DEN): $6,600 @ CHI
C – Emeka Okafor (NO): $3,500 vs. IND
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Adam Sutton is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Adam, follow him @BGFS_Adam. You can find more of Adam’s work at Bigguyfantasysports.com