RADIO
I was once told never to settle, and if you've yet to receive this advice, take this as a life lesson. Aim high, and never look down. Shoot for the moon, if you miss you'll still land among the stars. *Insert whatever other corny cliché you'd like from those "motivational" posters here*
The reality is, sometimes, we have no choice in the matter but to settle. And tonight marks one of those times. (I guess you could choose to take the night off from DraftKings to prevent settling, but you're probably not reading this in that case.)
Blazers, Bucks, Pacers, Thunder... Those are our options tonight, and while it'd be nice to construct a lineup which includes Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Damian Lillard, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, it's not mathematically possible given the salary cap. Just trust me on this one, I already tried. Luckily, no team is successful without a few role players who don't mind minimal acclaim for their contributions. Fantasy basketball is no different, and below you'll find a few of my favorite mid-to-low priced options from tonight's two-game slate to help fill out your DraftKings lineup. Should you decide to settle, that is.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Malcolm Brogdon - PG/SG, vs. IND ($5,600)
The Pacers are holding on to the third seed in the East and that can be largely attributed to their play on the defensive side of the ball. But, this here isn't about the matchup, it's about consistency.
Brogdon has put up at least 15 points in 21 of his last 25 appearances (including 17 on these same Pacers three weeks ago), and the four games he failed to reach 15? He averaged 12. In other words, even the most dreadful of outings will net you around 15 DraftKings fantasy points without considering he's put up at least 30 in 13 of the last 15, sits 20th among guards at 4.7 rebounds per game, plays for the league's second-highest scoring team, or has two all-stars to command defensive attention wearing the same uniform as he.
Darren Collison - PG, at MIL ($5,800)
I'll admit, I'm a sucker for passing guards. And while the two-game slate decreases the impact of this next statement, Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard are the only two players -- in action tonight -- averaging more than Collison's six assists per game. On the season, he's 14th among players who've started at least 20 games in assists per 100 possessions (10.2) - falling just one-tenth of an assist behind LeBron James. Oh, and his assist numbers are on the rise as well. He's averaged seven over his last 10 with two of his six double-doubles on the season coming over this 10-game stretch.
Assists alone won't get the job done, though. It takes a bit more to accumulate the nearly one DK fantasy point he's put up per minute played... Being a surprisingly productive rebounder for his size and dropping 20 or more points in three of Indy's last five hasn't hurt much in that regard.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Al-Farouq Aminu - SF/PF, vs. OKC ($3,900)
I can't say that I understand that meme where Spiderman is pointing at the other Spiderman. Or the one where Spiderman is sitting at a desk with a framed picture of his face on the wall behind him. Little known fact, Spiderman can hoop. But, that's beside the point. The point is that I'd transpose Maurice Harkless as one of the Spidermans, with Aminu being the other, if I knew how to Photoshop well because they're essentially the same guy - from a statistical standpoint over the past month or so, at least. Nobody would find this amusing, but I'd feel an overwhelming sense of achievement, and that's really all that matters.
Anyway, Aminu comes in priced $300 cheaper than his statistical twin and could very easily wind up being the more valuable play tonight. Yes, Harkless finally appears to be fully healthy and may possess more scoring upside, but 41-percent of Aminu's points this season have come from beyond the three-point arc; OKC has allowed opponents to knock down 40.1-percent of their threes over the past month - good for the highest clip in the league. He's also averaged 12 rebounds across the three games with the Thunder this season - his highest against any opponent.
Nikola Mirotic - SF/PF, vs. IND ($4,800)
There's only one Nikola in the league that truly matters (hint: it's not him, or Jokic) but Mirotic has had a few games to get acclimated with his new digs and has played rather well in the hunter green. The 13 points and six rebounds he's averaged over his last six aren't likely to jump off the page, but he leads the Bucks second unit in scoring over that stretch and looks to have already carved out a nice role in the offense. And for you DVP advocates, the Pacers have allowed opposing power forwards the fourth-most rebounds - he's pulled down at least five in five of the six. (Ersan Ilyasova if you want to go uber cheap and/or edgy.)
DraftKings DFS Centers
Brook Lopez - C, vs. IND ($5,300)
The matchup here isn't the greatest, but outside of Jusuf Nurkic, none of the centers in action tonight are particularly intriguing. Might as well go with the lowest priced starting option.
Much has been made about his newfound affinity for the three ball, but it's his defensive contributions which have made for a nice supplement to his fantasy value. True, he's about 63 years old, but did you know his 143 blocks are tied with Rudy Gobert for second-most in the league? Believe it or not, the latter is the only true statement - he's only 30, it just feels as if he's been around for all of eternity and factoring Robin into the calculation wouldn't be just.
