NBA Winners From Downtown: 11-6-15

By: Jason Guilbault, Updated November 06, 2015

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Winners From Downtown is bringing the top daily picks for your cash games, alongside some value plays, and Vegas notes. We have a 10-game slate, so there will be plenty of viable options for your cash games. I'll highlight the top plays to help you build a solid core and profit! Be sure to check out our minutes tool, and Colossus lineup optimizer.

Projections show DraftKings prices and fantasy points.

Vegas Notes

- Rockets-Kings have the highest total tonight, with just a 6.5 point spread, in favor of Houston. The Rockets have the second highest team total on the slate, behind the Golden State Warriors of course.

- Nuggets-Warriors has a big total tonight, but the Warriors are favored by 17 points. This has blowout written all over it, and with the Golden State salaries, I will likely avoid them this evening.

- Wizards-Celtics has a 205 total tonight, and Washington is only favored by a point. The spread is a bit odd, but the total is not. This is a great contrarian game to get some pieces in.

- Cavs-76ers has a low total, but Cavs are favored by 14. The 76ers were able to keep it close last game, but there is still a blowout risk.

- Pacers-Heat is a game I will be avoiding, outside of one player, who is listed below. There are not many attractive options from either side tonight.

Top Picks

Jeff Teague (PG), Hawks
Opponent	Minutes	Fantasy Points Per Minute	Defensive Efficiency Rating	Usage Rate	Opposing Fantasy Points Allowed	Vegas Team Total	Projection
@Pelicans	31	1.06	20.2	27.5	41.7	104	32.8

Salary: FD: $7,400 DK: $6,500

I do need to mention Kyle Lowry as another cash game point guard tonight, but I love Jeff Teague's price. He is cheap on DraftKings, and is having a wonderful 2015 season so far. Teague is averaging 19-5-3 this season, and is shooting 46% from the field. The Pelicans have played Steph Curry twice, so the numbers are higher due to that reason, but they are still getting abused by opposing point guards. New Orleans ranks second to last in defensive efficiency this season, and with Millsap seeing Anthony Davis, Teague should get a slight bump in usage.

James Harden (SG), Rockets
Opponent	Minutes	Fantasy Points Per Minute	Defensive Efficiency Rating	Usage Rate	Opposing Fantasy Points Allowed	Vegas Team Total	Projection
@Kings	38	1.30	18.6	32	37.1	110	49.4

Salary: FD: $9,800 DK: $10,000

James Harden is the top priced player I want in my lineups tonight. Houston has a big team total, and while Harden has struggled from the field, he is still putting up fantasy points. This is encouraging, because I do not expect his shot to be off every night. These are two of the worst defensive teams in the league right now, so I am expecting some points from both sides. Harden is top ten in usage rate this season, and he is logging nearly 39 minutes a game. I will be taking advantage of his cheaper than normal price tag on FanDuel tonight.

Marcus Morris (SF), Pistons
Opponent	Minutes	Fantasy Points Per Minute	Defensive Efficiency Rating	Usage Rate	Opposing Fantasy Points Allowed	Vegas Team Total	Projection
@Suns	35	0.81	20.2	20.3	35.7	98.5	28.4

Salary: FD: $5,800 DK: $6,100

There are not many intriguing options at small forward tonight, outside of Rudy Gay. I am looking on the cheaper side here, and Marcus Morris continues to log monster minutes in Detroit. His price is slowly rising, but he keeps producing. He is averaging 17 and 8 right now, and last game when his shot was not falling, he still managed 26 DK points. He is not a big steals+blocks player, but still carries a decent floor, especially at the price he is at right now. Morris also had some narrative words for the Suns, saying he would "disrespect them for trading him away." Narrative city!

Julius Randle (PF), Lakers
Opponent	Minutes	Fantasy Points Per Minute	Defensive Efficiency Rating	Usage Rate	Opposing Fantasy Points Allowed	Vegas Team Total	Projection
@Nets	29	1.20	20.4	24	42.1	101	34.8

Salary: FD: $5,700 DK: $6,400

If I am paying up for Harden, I am fading Anthony Davis until that team figures things out. Julius Randle is the power forward I am looking at tonight, and the Lakers have a sneaky 101 team total tonight. Randle has an excellent usage rate, and when Kobe isn't missing two feet wide, Randle is getting his shots up. He is shooting 46% from the field, and outside of the Sacramento game, where he had foul trouble, he has put up a healthy amount of shots. Brooklyn is an average rebounding team, and Randle is averaging eight boards per game. His price is on the rise on DraftKings, and a steal on FanDuel for the moment. He is the only Laker I will take in cash games.

Hassan Whiteside (C), Heat
Opponent	Minutes	Fantasy Points Per Minute	Defensive Efficiency Rating	Usage Rate	Opposing Fantasy Points Allowed	Vegas Team Total	Projection
@Pacers	27	1.27	17	19.1	43.9	98	34.5

Salary: FD: $8,000 DK: $7,500

If you have not caught onto the trend, centers have demolished Indy so far this season. They have a -6.2 rebound differential, and are allowing 14 offensive boards per game. Whiteside has tremendous upside with his blocking ability, and is averaging 11 boards per game. His usage rate is not high, but he is efficient, shooting 72% from the field this season. He ranks eight among centers in player efficiency rating, and has 16 blocks in the last four games. While Andre Drummond is the enticing option, you should look towards Whiteside for a slight discount.

Value Plays

T.J. McConnell (PG - PHI) FD: $4,200 DK: $4,000

T.J. McConnell has been a daily fantasy star the last few games, and at these prices, he should continue to hit value. He has 24 assists in the last two games, with one being against Cleveland a few nights ago. He is not going to shoot a ton, but he is a scrappy, do-it-all guard, who racks up fantasy points.

Evan Fournier (SG/SF - ORL) FD: $5,500 DK: $5,200

The matchup isn't great, but Fournier continues to produce at a high level, and he still has a value price tag. He has a 21% usage rate, and is shooting 48% from the field. I will continue to be on the Fournier train, with him averaging 21 points per game.

Thaddeus Young (PF - BKN) FD: $5,600 DK: $5,600

Thad Young gets a nice matchup against L.A. tonight, who are the worst defensive team in the league. They rank in the bottom five in fantasy points allowed to opposing power forwards. He is averaging a safe 12 and 7, but is a player who has a decent ceiling. For his price tonight, he should easily hit value, and has a safe floor. He has 28+ fantasy points in the last three games.

Kosta Koufos (C - SAC) FD: $4,200 DK: $4,700

DeMarcus Cousins is out again, and Kosta Koufos seems to be a lock for minutes, due to the inexperience of Willie Cauley-Stein. WCS only played 16 minutes last game, which is not something I want to risk in cash games. Koufos has even been solid alongside Cousins, averaging 25 minutes, and shooting 61% from the field. I love his price tonight, and gets a nice matchup with a poor Houston front court.

Comments

zachsgotmoxy

I love Morris in his first ever lifetime game against his twin. Great calls you high lighted.

odieman1231

NBA Cash/GPP has been tough on me. I have used all the tools, cheat sheets, and read these articles and always end up out of the money. Last night all of my players performed except Jeremy Lin and I was out of the money on 5 of 6 cash games. Ill keep chugging away...and hope I figure it out.

JasonG4s

Lineup construction is the biggest thing for NBA, and unlike the other sports, a bum score from one player costs you from cashing. It's frustrating at times, and I had Lin shares as well. It is one of the hard lessons of NBA, but eventually you will get the hang of it.