RADIO
On this edition of the Weekend NBA DFS Dumpster-Dive, we will focus on two under-the-radar games that offer a lot of fantasy upside, including scrubs and low cost players that should consider playability in your DFS lineups.
For Friday, we have a tantalizing game in the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Brooklyn Nets. And for Saturday, we'll look at a day game between the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers.
So let’s get into the weekend action!
Featured Promo: New Novig users get a $25 purchase match (50% discount up to $25) on your first Novig deposit, and 6 free months of RotoBaller's "Big-4" Premium Pass (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL) which includes exclusive tools for Betting, Props, DFS and more! CLAIM IT NOW
Intriguing Games of the Weekend
Brooklyn Nets vs. Los Angeles Lakers - February 2, 2018, 7:30pm ET
Los Angeles currently sits number one with the fastest PACE in the NBA. Brooklyn is not far behind, currently sitting in sixth. However, both teams rank in the bottom six in the league in effective field goal percentage (EFG%). The Lakers lead the league in shots taken per game while Brooklyn sits at eighth. This combination of fast play, bottom of the barrel EFG%, and high propensity to take a lot of shots, should make this game a high scoring affair that wins people some prize pools!
There’s value to be had all over this game, especially for the revenge narratives.
You get D’Angelo Russell going up against his former team, and the same for Brook Lopez.
When these teams first met, D’Angelo Russell was still healthy and getting a boatload of minutes. While his minutes and value have dwindled since returning from injury, he is garnering more opportunity; I expect the same for this game.
In the 124-112 high scoring affair back in November, Russell struggled from the field going 8-24. He scored 17 points while adding seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.
In his short season, Russell has not taken more than 24 shots in a game, if you don’t believe in a revenge narrative, you need to, because of his most shots taken in a game this season, it came against LA.
Expect him to see a bump in minutes, and hope that he can feed off his strong play from his 22 point night versus Philly earlier this week.
The last time Brook Lopez played Brooklyn, he put up great numbers. In 30 minutes played in that game, Lopez went off for 34 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, and two assists. He also went 13-23 from the field.
Lopez has regressed at this point in the season, having surpassed 20 minutes played only twice in January, however, there is the potential that he gets solid minutes, and attacks Brooklyn offensively while he is in the game.
For both players, do not trust them in cash games, but they are fine to chance in GPP’s.
As for the rest of this game, have some confidence in Larry Nance Jr, Julius Randle, and Jordan Clarkson. All of them currently sit in the top 50 in PER in the Western Conference, with Nance Jr. at 25th, Randle 28th, and Clarkson 41st. They also take on a defense that sits next to last in their last seven games overall in team defensive ratings.
On the Brooklyn side of the ball, you have to like what Jarrett Allen has been doing. In his last five games, he has averaged 12 points, seven rebounds, and one block while playing over 21 MPG. In his limited time, he’s averaging almost a double-double. Amongst FanDuel, the Lakers have allowed the 16th most points to the center position, while on Draftkings, they have given up the third most fantasy points. I like him for cash on both formats and am not against him in GPP’s.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Chicago Bulls - February 3, 2018, 3:30pm ET
Another intriguing matchup is the Chicago Bulls VS LA Clippers. I think this matchup offers a lot of scoring punch, and will see two teams that are pushing the ball back and forth giving each other a lot of chances to score.
For the season, the Clippers and Bulls rank 12th and 29th in PACE, respectively. However, in their last ten games, the Clippers rank as the team with the highest pace and Chicago has jumped all the way up to 4th. While their PACE has increased, their offensive efficiencies have been excellent as well. The Clippers are currently ninth, up three spots from their seasonal offensive efficiency rating, and the Bulls have jumped from next to last for the season all the way up to 17th. Basically, these teams are playing faster, scoring more, and are more efficient with the ball than they have been all season long.
Also consider that both these teams no longer have two of their high profile players in Blake Griffin and Nikola Mirotic. The Clippers have now rid themselves of 2/3 of Lob City, and we will unfortunately miss out on an in-house rematch between Bobby “Crazy Eyes” Portis and Nikola “Threekollllaaaaa” Mirotic.
With the departure of these players, expect an uptick in stats and production for players like Lou Williams, Lauri Markkanen, Bobby Portis, Montrez Harrell, and Tobias Harris. Of these players, I particularly like the new ceiling/floor for Bobby Portis.
Portis was his usual self besides an off-shooting night just a few days ago against the Portland Trail Blazers. He finished the evening going 4-15 from the field, and 0-6 from three-point range, but still managed eight points, 10 rebounds, two assists and a steal.
He still came off the bench when Mirotic was out, but took the start in the second half versus Portland after Paul Zipser failed to be anywhere near productive. Why Zipser got the start, I have no clue. Coach Fred Hoiberg was trying to pull some Brad Stevens/Gregg Popovich wizardry that failed miserably.
Moving forward, I expect him to garner a start or play much more than than 20 MPG average he currently sees on the court.
He played 28 minutes with Mirotic out versus Portland, I expect him to stay around that number. If he starts averaging 28 minutes per game, you will see his season averages of 12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists increase to a great 16.94 points, 8.68 rebounds, and 2.24 assists per game. Those numbers will increase his price moving forward, but they offer him a very solid floor, with the potential for a superior ceiling.
With this matchup versus the Clippers, he will get the defense of Tobias Harris and Montrez Harrell. We are hoping for more Harrell. Harrell ranks 190th out of 207 eligible players in defensive ratings, while Harris ranks in the top 40 overall for the same category. Regardless, I like Portis as a safe play for cash, and a good play for GPP’s as I fully expect him to shoot better than 4-15 from the floor.
On the Clippers side of the ball, you have to love Lou Williams, especially when Blake Griffin was out. Yes, Tobias Harris replaces Griffin in that lineup, but Williams comes off the bench, and when he does, he gets the rock and does what he wants with it. When Griffin was out of the lineup, Williams was second in the NBA in usage rate for eligible players, at an absurd 29.5%! The players in front of him: James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, Victor Oladipo, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. That’s pretty good company to be a part of.
I expect this same type of usage and production, even with Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley now with the Clippers. Look for continued opportunities to score, heavy minutes, and the ball in Lou Wills hands as much as possible. I like him for cash and GPP’s as long as his price doesn’t reach $10K or higher on FanDuel, and $9500 or higher on DraftKings.
NBA Dumpster Dive
Now for the Dumpster-Dives of the Weekend! These are low-cost players that will offer potential value when filling out lineups around star players.
Players for Friday, February 2nd:
Ersan Ilyasova
Daniel Theis
Marco Belinelli
Malcolm Delaney
Tyler Dorsey
Jahlil Okafor
Jakob Poeltl
Evan Turner
Justin Anderson
Justice Winslow
Bam Adebayo
Tony Snell
Matthew Dellavedova
Sterling Brown
Royce O’Neale
Alex Abrines
Raymond Felton
Jerami Grant
Justin Jackson
David West
Players for Saturday, February 3rd:
Bam Adebayo
Cory Joseph
Tim Frazier
PJ Tucker
Kyle Korver
David Bertans
Alec Burks
Patty Mills
Yogi Ferrell
Dwight Powell
Darrell Arthur
David West
Salah Mejri
Skal Labissiere
Justin Jackson
Players for Sunday, February 4th:
Evan Turner
Pat Connaughton
Zach Collins
Daniel Theis
Aron Baynes
Tony Snell
Sterling Brown
Thon Maker
Jahlil Okafor
Marco Belinelli
Mike Muscala
Tyler Dorsey
C.J. Miles
OG Anunoby
Jerami Grant
Alex Abrines
Josh Huestis
Jared Dudley
Daniel House
Thanks for taking the time to read this article. I hope it helps you win some cold, hard cash! If you want to reach out and say hello, follow me on Twitter @DrakePFSA.
