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Welcome to your daily NBA DFS digest at FakeTeams, gents. Every day I’m here with a handful of pro-tips to roster a winning team just a few hours from now.
You might be new to fantasy hoops, so let me tell you this: the world doesn’t end in LeBron James. Each night gives us a pretty good batch of surprising performances and leaves us in the dust with more than a few upsetting outings by those we played. First world problems, carry on. That’s the beauty of this game. There are so many matches going on every single day and such a big roster available that you can’t fixate yourself in the very same player on and on but instead you need to keep things fluid.
So read on, take note, play cool, and win the day. (Player salaries pulled from DraftKings.)
Love: (PG) Malcom Brogdon, IND ($8100, vs WAS)
Oh President, my President. You won’t believe me but Brogdon surpassed his already huge 33.4 MPG mark for the season yesterday logging almost 39 minutes against Charlotte. Yes, yes, overtime and all, but still. We have still to watch a Pacers game in which newly inked President Brogdon doesn’t bring the shotgun. He has dished out six or more dimes and scored 15 or more points in each and every game he’s played, has two 30-plus points outings, another three games with eight boards and up to four giving 10-plus assists. Don’t get lost in numberalia: Malcolm is just in the middle of Indiana averaging 23.7 PPG, 9.4 APG and 5.3 RPG along with 1.5 stocks. He’s shooting 49.6 from the field on a sweet 16.7 attempts and his free throw success rate is at a sky-high 97.4%. Oh and by the way, Washington’s point guard is teeny-tiny Isaiah Thomas.
Hate: (PG) Donovan Mitchell, UTA ($7800, vs PHI)
I’m sorry but I have to fade Mitchell. It pains me, but the spider is scaring me no more. Sure he’s up there in the points cat (25.7), but other than that what? Donovan is hogging the ball like a champ with a 29.5 usage rate, but other than scoring he’s doing a little bit of nothing and then some. He’s rebounding rocks 4.7 times a game but just giving 3.3 assists overshadowed but true-PG Mike Conley. His shooting splits are good for his volume (52%/44/78), not going to lie, but you gotta do more with such usage and playing time (33.9 MPG). Joel Embiid is back and Ben Simmons and Josh Richardson will probably want to celebrate his comeback by clamping Mitch.
Love: (SG) Zach LaVine, CHI ($7200, at ATL)
Watch LaVine intertwine for a dunk from the line breaking Atlanta’s spine. Zachary makes one flow, man. The Bulls guard is averaging 21.8 points per night and I will never grow tired of watching him dunking on fools’ foreheads. But hey, don’t get it wrong, because LaVine is much more than that. His 1.12 DKFP per minute on the floor rank third (behind James Harden and Bradley Beal) among today’s shooting guards as he’s putting up numbers all over the place: 4.4 boards per, 4 assists and 1.5 stocks on a cool 28.8% usage with shooting numbers than dwarf both Harden’s and Beal’s, plus he comes with the bonus of hitting an average of 2.75 treys a night for some extra healthy fantasy points. Kevin Huerter is on a minutes restriction and Cam Reddish has been meh, so LaVine could be in for a good bounty.
Hate: (SG) Josh Richardson, PHI ($4400, at UTA)
As happy as JRich will be to celebrate Embiid’s comeback, I’m afraid the rest of the 76ers bullies won’t let him taste the cake. Poor Rich will stay away from the eating table once again and although he’ll probably end with another 34+ minutes night his numbers won’t make up for it. He’s still to top 17 points and has never dished out more than six assists or grabbed more than six rebounds. His turnovers are starting to become a little worrying (five and four in back-to-back games) and his shots are just not making it through the rim as they should (warning, pain-inducing numbers ahead) with ground-level percentages of 37.8% from the field and 22.2% beyond the arc. At least I warned you.
Love: (SF) OG Anunoby, TOR ($5200, vs SAC)
Okay kids, say with me: A, B, C,... OG. I don’t know how Anunoby keeps being so overlooked through six games where he has basically mashed. Sure, his numbers are low because his usage is ridiculously low (12.8%) and Toronto isn’t fixing it, but they should do so asap. Anunoby is shooting just nine times per game from the floor but hitting them at a 55.6 clip while scoring treys at a 45.5 one. He’s handing 1.3 assists per and rebounding 6.7 times to go with a massive 3.2 stocks a night, which is stupid, all at a great salary tonight compared to other available options. I’m all in for an explosion.
Hate: (SF) Jae Crowder, MEM ($4800, vs MIN)
I can’t say it louder, this season is a S.T.I.N.K.E.R. for Crowder. Ugh. There is no player (I mean it, really, not making this up) playing more than 30 minutes per game and shooting worse than Jae so far this season. This guy is throwing the ball near the rim nine times per game and only scoring on 27.8% of his tries from the floor. His long-distance attempts (6.5 per) are even worse at an incredible 23.1% from beyond the arc. No wonder his average of 8.2 points per game... The only number saving him right now are his 2.8 assists, but other than that his 5.8 boards and 1.1 stocks fall way short of his fellow forwards. At least he hit a game-winning buzzer-beater the other day, I guess.
Love: (PF) Jabari Parker, ATL ($6700, at CHI)
Hi, haters! I’ve been on Parker’s train from day one and I’ll keep attending Jabari’s Safari no matter what. Look, John Collins is locked under bars for doing something bad, and Parker is going to literally eat until the big man returns. Don’t let his DKFP average of just 22.96 points fool you. Chicago is a D-I team playing pro-basketball and I wouldn’t be surprised if Jabari ended the night with up to 40-plus points today. He hasn’t reached that mark yet, but he’s on a two-game streak of 19-plus points, eight rebounds, and two assists (36.50 and 32.50 DKFP). He’s a starter now and has someone named Trae Young around tossing assists for the Hawks.
Hate: (PF) Richaun Holmes, SAC ($5800, at TOR)
Orale, Holmes. You know the Kings are big-men needy when they have to start Holmes, who is a great guy when you need dunking footage to put on hoops mixtapes, but not much more than that. Holmes has started his last three games and is scoring just 11.4 points to go with 6.6 rebounds in 23.6 minutes this season. It looks like being in the starting five has made him a new man, as he’s dished out six assists in three games combined to the lone one he had in his first four, but even with that his season-average is non-existent. The problem with Holmes is that he’s been such a boom-or-bust proposition so far that you’re better off him for the time being.
Love: (C) Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN ($10000, at MEM)
The kid Anthony Towns is breaking new grounds this season, folks. Where in the name of Minnesota’s very own Kevin Garnett has this KAT been in the past? Goddam I shiver just thinking of where Towns’ ceiling could be at. If you feel like spending today then any of KAT, Andre Drummond, and Joel Embiid are good bets, but Minny’s boy is primed to excel. Like, he’s averaging 27.3 PPG and 11.5 boards with 4 assists (!), 1.8 blocks (!!) and 2.5 steals (!!!). That is good, yes, but have you read his shooting numbers? This fool is shooting 54.4% from the floor on a stupid 17 attempts per game, and he’s currently launching 8.5 bombs per night from three hitting them at a 52.9 clip. Do you know how many players are shooting that many treys and scoring at such percentage? Yes, you know, because you’re reading about him, and because there is no other man doing it. Like, Kemba Walker is second shooting 9 threes per night at a horrid-by-comparison 42.6%. The KAT is no longer in the bag.
Hate: (C) Rudy Gobert, UTA ($7600, vs PHI)
I’m sorry for Gobert. As if he wasn’t playing bad enough already, they go and put Philadelphia on his schedule just when Embiid makes his re-appearance tonight. Sometimes it sucks to be French. Rudy told media the other day that he wants to feature more prominently on Utah’s attack. Sure, mate. You’re getting there. Turns out the Jazz aren’t dumb, though, and averaging 10.9 points ain’t going to cut it, even if he’s hitting shots at 61.9% of success. Oh, hey, that is a great percentage, but it is also on just six attempts per game, so expect Gobert to come down to earth a bit when he starts shooting more, plus his free throws are just ugly. Not a lot to be proud of if you go to the line 5.3 times but only hit 64.9 percent of your tries...
If you have any comment or question about the daily column, tonight’s games, players involved in them, or even season-long fantasy NBA topics, just drop it below or reach out to me on Twitter at @chapulana and I’ll get back to you as soon as I grab a keyboard!