NBA GPP Green Light 1-19-18

We reach the end of a long week, and a very exciting week in the NBA world. Trade season is upon us, all-star festivities are a few weeks away, and Joel Embiid curved Rihanna last night. I feel more confident about myself today because of that, don't you? Anyway, we have a 7-game NBA slate tonight, and just the Pacers are on the second night of a back-to-back. T.J. Warren, Rudy Gobert, and D'Angelo Russell are probable for tonight. A few Lakers injuries to note, as Lonzo Ball and KCP are out, and Kyle Kuzma is questionable.

DK Salary: $8,900 / FD Salary: $9,400

The Knicks matchup tonight's isn't as appealing as we may want it to be, but Kristaps Porzingis is still someone I want some exposure to in tournaments on this slate. Over the last ten games, Porzingis' shot hasn't been great, going for just 40%, but shooting 19.3 times per game is always going to give him the ability to hit 20+ real points. In this span, Porzingis is averaging 2.7 blocks per game and 1.3 steals per game. The defensive stats give him an added floor over LaMarcus Aldridge, who sort of rivals him at the position tonight. On a site like FanDuel, those blocks and steals go a long way. The Jazz defense gets a bump with Rudy Gobert due back tonight, but expect him to play limited minutes. Porzingis is a mismatch for Derrick Favors, and whatever healthy body left the Jazz have. Utah ranks 17th in defensive efficiency against opposing power forwards this season, and 27th over the last ten games. Utah also has been on the rare side of the rebounding ranks, sitting at 25th this year. A lot of that has to do with Rudy Gobert missing a lot of time, but the Jazz just simply are a team in disarray. Our projections are not high on Porzingis tonight, but I am.

DK Salary: $9,500 / FD Salary: $10,000

Ownership aside, Nikola Jokic is a high ceiling option that I want in my lineups. He is on the expensive side coming off a strong stretch of play. Over the last ten games, Jokic has a 54 fantasy point ceiling, and a 30 fantasy point floor. Jokic is certainly safe for all formats, and Denver's offense as a whole is one to target. Guys like Will Barton and Gary Harris are other options I would look to in this one. I wouldn't say Phoenix is a bad defense against centers, as they rank 15th in defensive efficiency on the season, and 6th over the last ten games. They just bleed fantasy points, and have allowed the sixth most fantasy points per game this season, and seventh most over the last ten games. In games where Jokic has played over 25 minutes against Phoenix, he has totaled 38, 64. 35, and 49 fantasy point games.

DK Salary: $5,600 / FD Salary: $5,800

Thaddeus Young has averaged 28 fantasy points per game over the last five, and his minutes are back up to where we like them. Young has showed off a few big upside games of late, especially at his price. Young might be the least talked about Pacers player going tonight, as Victor Oladipo, Darren Collison, and Domantas Sabonis will draw a lot of the praise, deservingly so of course. This is a great matchup for Young, as the Lakers allow the fifth most fantasy points per game to opposing PF, and allow the most rebounds per game to PF. With Myles Turner out, Young gets a bump in rebound rate, and fantasy production. Out of the mid-range PF tonight, Young has a bit more upside than the others. The Pacers are on a back-to-back, but we shouldn't worry here.

DK Salary: $4,500 / FD Salary: $3,900

Small forward is a dreadful position tonight, and I am willing to take some shots on Dillon Brooks at a much cheaper price than guys like Kyle Anderson and Wilson Chandler who have the same range of outcomes. Brooks is coming off back-to-back strong performances, and is shooting well in that span. It is another good matchup against a bad Sacramento defense, allowing SF to shoot 47% from the field. Out projections are not in favor clearly, but we have seen 25+ fantasy point upside, which would be huge at these price tags. Memphis has a 103 total tonight, and only have a few offensive options. This is a matchup where Brooks' hot shooting can continue.