Fresh from Fantasy Stars: Our Moneyball NBA thoughts for the smallish slate of games on the 27th February.
Overall thoughts on the slate of games
Eight game slate today and as always with the Saturday Moneyball NBA bank, lots of value!
It should be a high-scoring night, only one points-total below 205 and none of the games have spreads higher than 8.5.
Butler is out, Rose (doubtful) was limited in shootaround this morning and Gasol is a game-time decision for today’s Bulls game against Atlanta. Keep a close on this one before tip-off to ensure you have no deadweight in your line-ups.
Shooting guard looks to be a tricky position to nail down (once again). No Jimmy Butler, and DeMar DeRozan is the only player on the board to average more than 30 fantasy points a night.
Be cautious of playing DeAndre Jordan who has to guard Boogie Cousins tonight.
No players on back-to-backs tonight.
Vegas lines
Players to consider
Point Guard
D’Angelo Russell (Los Angeles Lakers) $5,100
Can we officially be on the record now as saying this guy is going to be an absolute STAR. He makes good decisions, passes brilliantly and has his head firmly on his shoulders. Now, onto the fantasy value… This game should be high scoring and he is projected to play 30 minutes. 19 FGA’s against the Grizzlies when they met in Memphis is a great sign he’ll go after his shot again tonight. Match-up might be tough but he’s still worth playing in some line-ups tonight.
Shooting Guard
Victor Oladipo (Orlando) $7,200
Vic is averaging 38 minutes a night over his past 10 games. You put an athletic and energetic guy on the floor for 38 minutes and you’ll get good fantasy production. The match-up is only average, Aaron Afflalo is a decent defender but the Knicks are on a skid and Orlando should be able score with more ease than usual tonight. We love that he’s averaging around 15 FGA’s per game in February, he’s a solid option today and should be included in plenty of double-up squads.
Gain an edge by checking FanDuel prices on Moneyball NBA players
Small Forward
Vince Carter (Memphis) $3,500
Vinsanity is at the bargain basement price tonight and is worth taking a look at especially in GPP’s. The Grizzlies are banged up and uncertainty in the rotation has allowed Carter to play almost 25 minutes per night over their last four games. You know he is going to shoot the ball with confidence and the Lakers are awful at defending every position, especially the wings where Vince will be lurking.
Matt Barnes (Memphis) $4,600
We can’t split Vince and Barnes. Perhaps you can play both? Either way, Barnes is averaging 33 minutes a night since the All-Star game. He has the same juicy match-up on the wings that Carter will have and he looks to have a great chance to hit at least x5 value.
Power Forward
Paul Millsap (Atlanta) $8,200
This is a huge game for the Hawks who have stumbled out of the post All-Star blocks. You can bet that Mr Reliable Paul Millsap will turn up ready to ball. The Bulls front court is missing Noah, Mirotic andĀ potentially Gasol and if the Hawks are to win this one it will be from the inside out. Expecting Millsap to be really aggressive tonight on the boards and use his athleticism to score on Portis and Gasol inside.
Centre
Marcin Gortat (Washington) $7,600
Philly’s frontcourt has leaked fantasy points all season long and Gortat will be licking his lips tonight. His ceiling may not be super high but he looks a lock for a solid game and he’s a sound cash option if you are looking to fade DeAndre and Vucevic. Gortat had 21 points and 13 rebounds against Philadelphia last time they met. Expect he’ll be pretty low ownership so it’ll be a flyer but one we think you can take with some confidence. He needs 38 Moneyball points for x5 value which he has cleared easily in his last three games against Philly (see below).
Sample Moneyball BANK line-up
