NBA FanDuel DFS Targets: Monday, December 3rd – Stack the Knicks?
Welcome to this edition of NBA FanDuel DFS Targets from FantasyCPR.com. Here you will find players to target for tonight’s action, geared for cash games and tournament plays on FanDuel.
Welcome to the Saturday edition of NBA FanDuel DFS Targets. In this almost daily article, I will go over players to target at each position for tonight’s seven-game main slate, starting at 7:00 ET. If you are finding this piece for the first time, here is a breakdown of what will happen here.
I will give two targets at each of the guard and forward positions, and one center. Following the picks, will be the ever popular “sample lineup” we like to do here at FantasyCPR. Some plays will be geared toward cash games, and some for GPP. Some of course will also technically qualify as both. As we break each play down, I will be sure to specify which type of contests I am targeting that player in.
With NBA DFS, I can’t stress enough how important it is to not just plug-and-play these sample lineups. There is so much info that will drop over the course of the day for NBA, and you never truly know what to expect.
If you want to be a consistent winner for NBA, lock starts at 7PM ET on most week nights. Plan on being ready to tinker those lineups last second, accounting for all of that fabulous NBA news that nobody was expecting five minutes before, or even AFTER lock. It happens all of the time, so if you set your lineup now and forget it, it’s probably not going to work out for you in the long run.
NBA FanDuel 12/3/18: What to Expect Tonight
We have a pretty light slate for a Monday with just seven games, but the targets are shaping up well here, as six out of seven of these games look like they will be close. Another thing that sticks out right away, is that it will be an early night, and there is zero west coast games, and the late starts of the night will come at 8:00 ET, in Minnesota and New Orleans.
Both of those games are games of focus for me, and I will start with the Timberwolves, who will host the Rockets. Minnesota is heating up a bit, having gone 7-3 in their last ten games, improving to 11-12 after a slow start. The Rockets are coming off of a 121 – 105 win over the Bulls on Saturday. This Vegas total seems a little low to me at just 220.5, so my thought is that this game could get overlooked some. With James Harden coming off of a 30 point game, and Karl-Anthony Towns looking to bounce back off of a poor shooting night against Boston, I think this game is competitive and high scoring.
In New Orleans, The Pelicans will be on the second leg of a back-to-back, but fortunately for them, their opponent the Clippers will also be. Anthony Davis had a 20-8-6 stat line at the half yesterday, and he is my number one target today, as long as we see no dreaded injury news from now until lock. This game will without a doubt be one of the most targeted from both sides, as the Vegas total opened at whopping 237.5, and is the highest on the slate.
Speaking of high game totals, the second highest on the slate is in Atlanta, where the Hawks will welcome the Golden State Warriors into State Farm Arena. While the total sits at 232, I am probably going to take a hard pass on this game. With Stephen Curry healthy and still easing into action, I don’t think he is quite worth the risk. The Hawks will be no match for the Warriors, so I can see another light day of work for Chef Curry. Kevin Durant could explode again in this spot, but the blowout risk something to consider.
Other than Golden State/Atlanta match-up, every other game on the slate should be competitive. The Warriors are favored by 10.5 at the moment, but the next closest spread is the Nets being favored by six over the Cavs. We have four games with spreads of 2.5 or less, so we should be in for some good basketball tonight. Without further ado, let’s dig in!
NBA FanDuel 12/3/18: Point Guard Targets:
John Wall – Washington Wizards – $9,500 – (GPP)
Wall and the Wizards have really been a treat trying to figure out this season, as well as their opponent tonight the Knicks. It is this match-up, that more and more I look at, there seem to be more pieces I want to roster. The only hard part will be figuring out which players these coaches will give the minutes to.
Wall has certainly been hot and cold as of late, but he is coming off of a 50.5 FDP performance against a similar opponent in the Brooklyn Nets. Tonight he should see a good chunk of Emmanuel Mudiay defense, with Trey Burke already being ruled out for this one. These two teams squared off about a month ago in Washington, and in that one, Wall scored 26 points and dished out seven assists. That was good for 49.9 FDP.
Emmanuel Mudiay – New York Knicks – (Cash)
Staying here in this game, with Burke already ruled out, Knicks coach David Fizdale should give Mudiay plenty of run here, but we never know. Mudiay has been pretty solid when given good run, but the Knicks mess with lineups so much you will never really see any consistency out of anyone on this team.
For instance, just two games ago, the Knicks were at Philly facing the Sixers. Mudiay played just 20 minutes in that one, and only managed 5.7 FDP. However, he followed that with a 42.1 FDP effort against the Bucks on Saturday, as he scored 28 actual points and added seven assists. If you scroll his game logs, anytime you see him getting over 25 minutes, he usually turns in a solid FDP effort. So if you read this Fiz, with Burke out, make sure you give Mudiay some extra run!
***Value Plays: Tim Frazier $5,200 – Shabazz Napier $4,100***
NBA FanDuel 12/3/18: Shooting Guard Targets:
James Harden – Houston Rockets – $11,500 – (Cash/GPP)
The Beard has cooled off a bit since his back-to-back monster games in which he posted 81.1 FDP and 73.7 FDP, but cooled off for Harden means he is still hovering just over 45 FDP. Tonight I think Harden has a huge game against the Timberwolves, as this game will be a high scoring battle between two .500 teams looking to get going in the right direction.
Minnesota has been playing well on the defense end since acquiring Robert Covington in the Jimmy Butler trade, but the volume Harden should see here should lead him to a big game. My guess here is that The Beard will also grab some rebounds here if Towns is lackadaisical under the basket, and Harden should flirt with a triple-double. I am going to try to fit Harden and AD in my lineups together tonight, but we need some injury news to make that happen.
Tim Hardaway Jr. – New York Knicks – $7,300 – (GPP)
Other than Harden, there doesn’t look to be a whole lot of solid options at the top, so let’s get back to this Knicks/Wizards game. I just see two teams that don’t seem to care much here, and this could be like a pick-up basketball game with zero defense. Nothing plays into Hardaway Jr.’s game more than a game like that, so I like his chances to have a huge game here.
The great thing about THJ, is that nobody ever plays him at this price, and he could make for a solid sneaky low ownership play for GPP’s. The only thing certain about the Knicks, is that Hardaway will get his minutes. For anybody else on the team that cannot be said, except maybe Mudiay for tonight, but that is only because Burke is out.
***Value Plays: Damyean Dotson $4,200 – Avery Bradley $4,100 – Alec Burks $4,000***
NBA FanDuel 12/3/18: Small Forward Targets:
Nikola Mirotic – New Orleans Pelicans – $8,000 – (GPP)
Mirotic and the Pelicans will face the Clippers at home tonight, and this could present some match-up problems tonight for Los Angeles. We all know Anthony Davis will likely dominate and control things on the glass and under the basket, but Mirotic is quietly becoming one of the best stretch fours in the league.
Don’t get me wrong here either. Mirotic is also a force on the glass, as he is averaging just over 10 rebounds per game himself, to go along with almost 19 PPG as well. He can shoot the three, and is also active on the defensive side of the ball. It has been eight games since Mirotic broke 40 FDP, so his salary may be a bit a high, but he is due here. If Davis should rest tonight, Mirotic and center Julius Randle would become locks in the spot tonight.
Taurean Prince – Atlanta Hawks – $5,600 – (Cash)
Don’t really feel too good about this one, as the Hawks are a tough target in general, but this price has gotten too low. My fear here, is that this game gets out of hand quick tonight, and the starters from either team get a little break in the fourth quarter. But at just $5,600 for a guy likely to play 30 minutes and lead his team in shooting attempts at least says something to me.
Prince is coming off of his best game in a couple of weeks, as he scored 15 points and managed 27.6 FDP against the Pelicans. As rookie point guard Trae Young continues to struggle and tries to figure things out, Prince and a now healthy John Collins look to be the top scoring threats on this team at the moment. Again, curb your expectations with this one. I am only saying he is too cheap, and should be considered for cash games at this price.
***Value Plays: DeAndre’ Bembry $4,500 – DeMarre Carroll $4,400***
NBA FanDuel 12/3/18: Power Forward Targets:
Anthony Davis – New Orleans Pelicans – $12,700 – (Cash/GPP)
Even on the second leg of a back-to-back, I don’t think you can fade the Brow here. Davis was at his best again last night in Charlotte, as he dropped a massive 78.8 FDP with 36 points and 19 rebounds. That was his fifth game this season with 70+ FDP, and he as only played 20 games. That means every fourth time Davis hits the court, he is likely to drop a massive number that breaks the slate. I am going to skip all of the stats and other numbers because we know what kind of player Davis is, so lock him in and move along.
Noah Vonleh – New York Knicks – $5,500 – (Cash)
I will hopefully have all of this figured out by lock, or at least what I think will happen. I am of course talking about the Knicks rotation. It seems they have so many moving parts and they keep moving guys in and out of different roles to try new things. One thing that has been working for them, is getting Vonleh involved, as he seems to have solid outings when given big minutes.
After two games with less than 20 minutes of court time, Vonleh returned to big minutes against the Bucks on Saturday. He was able to post 15 points in 35 minutes, and finished with 23.5 FDP. Let’s not forget though, it was only a couple of weeks ago now in which Vonleh had three consecutive 40+ FDP games, and I think if he gets that run again he could be huge here. You just never know though with the Knicks.
***Value Plays: Larry Nance Jr. $5,300 – Kevin Knox $4,400***
NBA FanDuel 12/3/18: Center Targets:
Karl-Anthony Towns – Minnesota Timberwolves – $9,400 – (Cash/GPP)
It will be tough paying up for Towns today with guys like Davis on the slate, but it could be worth your while. The Wolves will host the Rockets tonight, and Towns will battle with Rockets center Clint Capela. Capela is a versatile solid defender, who has been playing great basketball as of late. However, I think Towns bounces back tonight after a mediocre game in the loss to Boston on Saturday.
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Towns shot just 6-15 in that game in that loss to the Celtics, and only was able to grab nine rebounds. My hope is that after a game where he struggled and looked tentative at times, his teammates and the coaching staff will remind him that Jimmy Butler is gone, and this is his team again. Towns is so good when he wants to be. We just need his head to be in it tonight for him to have a huge game.
***Value Plays: Enes Kanter $7,400***
NBA FanDuel 12/3/18: Sample Lineup:
The line-up below is meant to be illustrative only to further back-up the logic laid out in previous slides. It is not an optimal line-up. It is in fact, just a “Sample Lineup.”
PG – Tim Frazier – $5,200
PG – Emmanuel Mudiay – $5,000
SG – James Harden – $11,500
SG – Avery Bradley – $4,100
SF – DeAndre’ Bembry – $4,500
SF – DeMarre Carroll – $4,400
PF – Anthony Davis – $12,700
PF – Kevin Knox – $4,400
C – Enes Kanter – $7,400
Next. FanDuel NBA GPP Breakdown: Monday, 12/3 – Don’t Fade Davis!. dark
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