Tuesday, with a five game slate, I wasn't surprised by how similar my top-five rankings were for the two different sites. With only five games, there just weren't that many options. That's not the case today, but there's still far more overlay than I anticipated. I wonder how much that has to do with approach.
The main problem with playing (and doing rankings) on multiple sites is keeping the bias from one site out of your research for the other. The first two days of doing multiple rankings I started with DraftKings and then moved to FanDuel. Today I flipped the script. The funny thing was, after I did my FanDuel rankings I noticed that several of my favorite plays I liked even more on DraftKings.
Point guard is an interesting situation however, because I love Derrick Rose, Mike Conley and Reggie Jackson against plus matchups. What they all have in common is that none of them are viewed as high-assist point guards, so that would hurt their value on DraftKings. While I think that's important to keep in mind, it can also easily be overemphasized. The fact that those guys are far less likely to double double has already been factored into their price. Doubling down on that emphasis isn't likely good math.
Injury Report
SF Kawhi Leonard SAS @ SAC (Calf) - Questionable
SF Kyle Anderson would see more minutes
SF Luol Deng MIA vs. GSW (Finger) - Probable
Playing through dislocated finger
SF CJ Miles IND vs. NYK (Calf) - Questionable
SG Joseph Young and SF Solomon Hill would see more minutes
PG TJ McConnell PHI @ DET (Ankle) - Doubtful
PG Kendall Marshall would see more minutes
PF Larry Nance LAL @ MEM (Knee) - Questionable
PF Julius Randle and PF Brandon Bass would play more minutes
PG Beno Udrih MIA vs. GSW (Foot) - Out
SG Josh Richardson will play more minutes
Today's Slate
Washington at Chicago
Fantasy Points Allowed: 409.0
Derrick Rose is playing inspired ball of late, but I'm not sure I trust him yet, given his track record. Definitely not a cash game play. Pau Gasol, on the other hand, is a tremendous cash or tournament play, averaging 20.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in six games since Jimmy Butler suffered a knee injury.
Philadelphia at Detroit
Fantasy Points Allowed: 405.3
The 76ers often put the plodding Jahlil Okafor on the opposing team's power forwards, with Nerlens Noel hanging out closer to the rim to provide deterrence. That might not be a workable solution against Detroit, as Andre Drummond should feast on the slender Noel, while the Pistons' bevy of perimeter-based power forwards make Okafor's life difficult.
L.A. Lakers at Memphis
Fantasy Points Allowed: 405.2
If you want to chase points with Lance Stephenson, who scored 16 with two assists in 22 minutes in his Grizzlies debut, go for it. This is a great matchup, but we're not anywhere close to the point where trusting Stephenson makes sense.
Denver at L.A. Clippers
Fantasy Points Allowed: 399.2
Minutes at center remain inconsistent for the Nuggets, as talented young players like Nikola Jokic, Jusuf Nurkic and Joffrey Lauvergne continue to see their playing time fluctuate on a game-by-game basis. Jokic is often a useful option for Fantasy, but foul trouble has been an issue for him of late, and DeAndre Jordan could continue that trend.
Oklahoma City at Dallas
Fantasy Points Allowed: 394.0
The Mavericks are solid defensively, but allow the fourth-most Fantasy points to opposing power forwards, making Serge Ibaka a nice play even given his somewhat inconsistent role in the offense.
San Antonio at Sacramento
Fantasy Points Allowed: 393.1
We'll see if Kawhi Leonard's calf allows him to take the floor tonight, but if not, Kyle Anderson remains a solid low-cost play. Patty Mills has also provided a spark off the bench in Manu Ginobili's absence, averaging 25.4 Fantasy points per game over his last five, making him a nice punt play.
New York at Indiana
Fantasy Points Allowed: 392.6
There have been rumblings that the Knicks might change up their starting lineup, but Kurt Rambis confirmed he would not be making a change tonight. That means more of the same for the Knicks, which means Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Robin Lopez are the only really interesting players here.
Charlotte at Cleveland
Fantasy Points Allowed: 389.2
The Cavaliers really seem to be making a concerted effort to get Kevin Love involved in the offense early and often late, even going so far as to run multiple sets to get him open jumpers. Love is averaging 22.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in three games since the break, and could have another solid effort against an undersized Hornets power forward rotation.
Minnesota at Toronto
Fantasy Points Allowed: 388.5
The Timberwolves are allowing the eighth-most Fantasy points per game to opposing point guards this season, but Kyle Lowry struggled in their last matchup, shooting 4-for-15 from the field and finishing with just 32.3 Fantasy points in 39 minutes. I wouldn't bet on him struggling again.
Golden State at Miami
Fantasy Points Allowed: 388.1
The Heat are a tough matchup on paper, but I'm not sure there is ever any reason to shy away from the Warriors' stars, Curry and Green. Miami is also playing significantly faster since the All-Star break and, though it is just a three-game sample size, that could certainly make them a less formidable opponent if it sustains.
Top 5
| FanDuel | DraftKings | |
| PG | 1. Derrick Rose $7,200 CHI vs. WAS 2. Reggie Jackson $6,800 DET vs. PHI 3. Mike Conley $6,700 MEM vs. LAL 4. Kyrie Irving $7,300 CLE vs. CHA 5. D'Angelo Russell $4,900 LAL @ MEM | 1. Reggie Jackson $6,700 DET vs. PHI 2. Mike Conley $6,900 MEM vs. LAL 3. Derrick Rose $7,500 CHI vs. WAS 4. D'Angelo Russell $4,900 LAL @ MEM 5. John Wall $9,300 WAS @ CHI |
| SG | 1. Klay Thompson $7,200 GS @ MIA 2. Jamal Crawford $4,900 LAC vs. DEN 3. J.J. Redick $4,900 LAC vs. DEN 4. Zach LaVine $4,900 MIN @ TOR 5. DeMar DeRozan $8,000 TOR vs. MIN | 1. DeMar DeRozan $7,300 TOR vs. MIN 2. Vince Carter $3,300 MEM vs. LAL 3. J.J. Redick $5,000 LAC vs. DEN 4. Klay Thompson $7,700 GS @ MIA 5. Monta Ellis $5,800 IND vs. NYK |
| SF | 1. Tobias Harris $5,700 DET vs. PHI 2. LeBron James $9,900 CLE vs. CHA 3. Paul George $8,700 IND vs. NYK 4. Danilo Gallinari $7,100 DEN @ LAC 5. Vince Carter $3,800 MEM vs. LAL | 1. Tobias Harris $6,000 DET vs. PHI 2. LeBron James $9,600 CLE vs. CHA 3. Paul George $8,600 IND vs. NYK 4. Jerami Grant $4,400 PHI @ DET 5. Rudy Gay $6,600 SAC vs. SA |
| PF | 1. Zach Randolph $6,400 MEM vs. LAL 2. Kevin Love $7,500 CLE vs. CHA 3. Kristaps Porzingis $6,300 NYK @ IND 4. LaMarcus Aldridge $7,200 SA @ SAC 5. Draymond Green $8,400 GS @ MIA | 1. Zack Randolph $6,900 MEM vs. LAL 2. LaMarcus Aldridge $7,000 SA @ SAC 3. Kevin Love $7,400 CLE vs. CHA 4. Nerlens Noel $6,500 PHI @ DET 5. Serge Ibaka $5,500 OKC @ DAL |
| C | 1. Andre Drummond $8,600 DET vs. PHI 2. Marcin Gortat $7,100 WAS @ CHI 3. Paul Gasol $9,000 CHI vs. WAS 4. DeAndre Jordan $8,700 LAC vs. DEN 5. Zaza Pachulia $5,800 DAL vs. OK | 1. Andre Drummond $8,000 DET vs. PHI 2. DeAndre Jordan $7,800 LAC vs. DEN 3. Marcin Gortat $6,800 WAS @ CHI 4. Pau Gasol $8,600 CHI vs. WAS 5. Karl-Anthony Towns $8,800 MIN @ TOR |
Five Under $5,000
| FanDuel | DraftKings | |
| PG SG SF PF C | Cory Joseph $4,200 TOR vs. MIN J.R. Smith $4,800 CLE vs. CHA Matt Barnes $4,700 MEM vs. LAL JaMychal Green $4,100 MEM vs. LAL Andrew Bogut $4,800 GS @ MIA | D.J. Augustin $3,700 DEN @ LAC Garry Harris $4,800 DEN @ LAC Shabazz Muhammad $4,100 MIN @ TOR JaMychal Green $4,200 MEM vs. LAL Andrew Bogut $4,400 GS @ MIA |
