Adam Strangis NBA DFS: Gems with Ghost and Adam 12/22
We have another six game slate tonight, at least that’s what is scheduled. There are a few teams that are really at the outer limits of players on the roster to play a game so we will need to see how the day unfolds. It’s still a wild environment in the league but the NBA DFS: Gems with Ghost and Adam 12/22 is here to lay out the paths to green screens as things stand right now.
One thing I want to clarify based on the questions I have received over the past few years is that I will never list a player under the $5,000 price tag simply because I use the projection model to identify all targets in this range and below. While there are often plenty of options that I like at $5,000 and less, since I often find myself with not only one – but multiple – in my NBA DFS lineups, you all have access to the very model I use to make my own selections, so when asking yourself: “Should I use player X or player Y?”, make sure to check the model because that is how I make all of my own decisions and I truly ride or die by it on a daily basis.
Before running to the DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo lobby to construct your NBA DFS lineup after reading this article, please make sure to utilize the abundance of tools we have at Win Daily:
Magic vs. Hawks
Magic
This will likely be the game that the field hones in on for the value plays on the night. For the Orlando side, they are still without a ton of players and both Cole Anthony and Wendell Carter Jr. are questionable. Even if they both play, Robin Lopez is still insanely cheap and his matchup got a lot easier. Over the past week, Lopez has a usage rate of 23.6% and 0.95 fantasy points per minute. We can also continue to turn to Chuma Okeke, Gary Harris, and Franz Wagner as that trio is all sitting at 0.99 fantasy points per minute or higher. These guys are on the court for 35 minutes a night right now and we just need the Anthony and Carter news to know how many Magic players to play.
Hawks
I referenced Lopez’s matchup being easier and that’s because Clint Capela has joined Trae Young and Danilo Gallinari in protocols. The main players to be looking at here are Cam Reddish, Kevin Huerter, and John Collins. There is also a possibility that we can punt with Lou Williams and Onyeka Okongwu but those will need to be backed by the model. Okongwu just came back from a shoulder injury but this is a high draft pick that should play a few more minutes tonight.
Huerter and Collins are likely to be the main focus of the field as well because someone has to take over ball-handling duties and Collins isn’t fighting Capela for rebounds and paint opportunities. That could go to Delon Wright too but I feel less sure about that. One of the keys is going to be Bogdan Bogdanovic because he’s probable for this game but hasn’t played in about a month. He’s not likely to play a ton of minutes right away, so we could see Sweet Lou make an appearance. Regardless, they will be down to eight players that have played any type of meaningful minutes so far this year against a Magic team that is playing a lot of backups.
Clippers vs. Kings
Clippers
The Clips are basically healthy except for Marcus Morris and Isaiah Hartenstein are both out. With Paul George back, he is in play but was a little rusty in his first game back and did only play 30 minutes. I’ll never tell you to not play him, especially with facing the team that is top-five in pace and bottom-five in defensive rating. He has a 35.7% usage and 1.34 fantasy points per minute. Ivica Zubac is also in play since he’s in line for close to 30 minutes with no Hartenstein. He only played 27 minutes in the last game and still scored 35 DraftKings points.
Kings
Hello Tyrese Haliburton. We were just reminded about primary ball handlers against the Clippers when Dejounte Murray went bonkers and Haliburton has similar points per dollar upside. He’s not likely to triple-double but he’s logged a double-double of at least 10 assists and 21 points in all three games without De’Aaron Fox. As a side note, his points+assist prop is of great interest tonight as well. Since the Kings went sideways with their roster, Haliburton has 1.25 fantasy points per minute and he’s up to a 24.8% usage rate.
The rest of Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield, and Chimzie Metu are all in play but are starting to get a little pricey. For Hield, his true shooting is 71.6% in the past three games but his fantasy points per minute are still under .90. We could also get Richaun Holmes back in the mix so that could have a negative effect on Metu. Regardless, Haliburton is one of my favorite targets on the slate tonight.
Teams to Target
Raptors – It’s easier to say the names we know that will be active for Toronto as opposed to who’s out –
OG Anunoby
Chris Boucher
Yuta Watanabe
Svi Mykhailiuk
Possibly Khem Birch
That’s it, that’s the list. This would be the team that is in the most danger to get postponed if they do not get reinforcements for this contest. Let’s make sure this game is a full-go but there is massive value to be had.
Cavaliers – This will be the first game they’ve played without Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. I would assume that Kevin Love could slide into the starting lineup and through 116 minutes without those two on the floor, Love has a 26.9% usage rate and 1.49 fantasy points per minute. That’s a lot to expect but he’s only $5,700 and is in my pool. Lauri Markkanen is also there but I may just want to save the money and play Love.
Studs
Nikola Jokic, Paul George, Jrue Holiday, Tyrese Haliburton (lock for me)
Popular Teams
Magic, Hawks, Raptors, Kings, maybe the Bucks and Cavs
You can find us on Twitter @DFS_Ghost and @Bucn4life
