DFSGhost 
The second NBA slate following the All-Star break is certainly filled with interesting storylines: James Harden makes his Philadelphia debut, Devin Booker leading the Suns after last night’s victory, and the battle of LA all will be of interest tonight. It’s a Fajita Friday edition of the Gems – let’s ride.
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:
Toronto Raptors @ Charlotte Hornets (+2.5)
If you did not know this one was coming, now you do – the other two times the Raptors and Hornets have faced off this season, it was the game I wanted the most exposure to, and tonight is certainly no different. With the Hornets ranking 2nd in pace and 23rd in defensive rating, their games are always elite targets on any NBA DFS slate, and the Raptors’ tight rotation only makes things more interesting.
Sporting a 25.1% usage rate on the season, Pascal Siakam will be the first player in any NBA lineup for me tonight. He has posted a 21.9/8.7/5.2 scoring line on the year on 49.5% shooting, and gets the best matchup of the Raptors versus a Hornets front court that ranks 27th in the NBA. In two previous meeting versus the Hornets this season, Siakam has averaged a 24/10/10 triple-double through a 22.7% usage rate.
The return of Cody Martin to the Hornets lineup does not impact touches, but he will log a heavy dose of minutes, pending any news of a restriction in his first game back. With Gordan Hayward (ankle) still out for the Hornets, look for LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, and Miles Bridges to round out the bulk of the minutes tonight, with the trio of PJ Washington, Montrezl Harrell, and Kelly Oubre Jr. logging decent time off the bench. Against Toronto’s zone defense, Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr. remain my preferred targets over someone like LaMelo Ball.
LA Clippers @ LA Lakers (-1)
The battle of LA is one to keep on our shortlist tonight, not only because Anthony Davis (ankle) remains sidelined, but because we have an underpriced LeBron James coming out of the All-Star game. In 20 games without Davis this season, LeBron carries a 33.6% usage rate, which is a 2.2% increase on his season average, whereby James has posted a 32.7/9/6 scoring line on 53.6% shooting. Whether he plays the ‘5’ versus a small Clippers lineup, or mans the point, LeBron is an anchor for my NBA lineups tonight.
The Clippers will be an interesting team to target in the last fourth of the NBA season given the injuries to both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Rather than going in the mid range of the pricing grid with Reggie Jackson or Marcus Morris, I prefer the combination of Terance Mann and Luke Kennard, both of which will get extended run versus any combination of Lakers lineup, considering the favorites are likely going to roll out smaller lineups rather than a combination of Dwight Howard and/or DeAndre Jordan in the absence of Anthony Davis.
Honorable Mentions:
- San Antonio Spurs @ Washington Wizards (+3)
- New Orleans Pelicans @ Phoenix Suns (-7.5)
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