Fantasy Basketball Picks 11-13-14
These fantasy basketball picks will guide you to victory on tonight’s small slate in the NBA!
Last night was another unpredictable mess, and I’m thrilled to have 4 NBA games tonight, as opposed to the 2 games we often see on a Thursday. My “Studs and Duds” are determined by the amount of points returned dependent on salary, which is why you’ll see players with similar scores in both categories. Here is your recap of Wednesday’s plays:
Studs: Anthony Davis (54.25), James Harden (48.75), Alec Burks (29.00), Zach Lavine (22.00),
Duds: Udonis Haslem (DNP), Serge Ibaka (17.75), Chris Bosh (21.25), Gordon Hayward (22.25), Deron Williams (26.75)
Today’s Top Plays
Guard:
Stephen Curry ($19,800) vs Brooklyn – Stephen Curry steps into tonight’s 4-game slate as the top overall option, and it isn’t particularly close. His 49 FP/game average is the highest of any player tonight by a significant amount (Demarcus Cousins is 2nd at 41.2), and the matchup is solid. His 32% usage rate is good for 4th in the NBA, and the Nets are currently ranked 23rd in the NBA against opposing PGs. Curry is coming off of a disappointing game against the Spurs, but I’ll give him a pass on that one since it was his third game in 4 days. Coming back to the friendly confines of Oracle Arena once again tonight, Curry should be in line for a huge night against Deron Williams, who is an average on-ball defender at best.
Tony Wroten ($14,350) at Dallas – DISCLAIMER: The Tony Wroten play is very dependent on the status Alexey Shved and Michael-Carter Williams. MCW is expected to make his season debut tonight, but could come off of the bench or not even play at all. Shved is currently questionable. If both sit out, Wroten makes for one of the best plays on the night against a Dallas team that ranks 25th in the NBA against opposing PG. Wroten could still hold value if MCW suits up, but his price becomes a concern at that point.
Monta Ellis ($12,750) vs Philadelphia – This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, as the 76ers rank dead last in the NBA at defending opposing SG, allowing an astonishing 61.23 FP per game to 2 guards. While you don’t anticipate Ellis coming anywhere near that number by himself, if this game stays close until the 4th, Ellis could easily hit 3X value, which is right around 37 FP. On a 4-game slate, there won’t be very many players posting huge lines and Ellis may have the best matchup on the board.
Terrence Ross ($9,150) vs Chicago – While Chicago is known as a great defensive team, much of that value is a result of Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah being elite defenders. In fact, the Bulls rank 28th in the NBA against Small Forwards, and Ross has been very efficient recently. In his past 3 games, he has posted 18/4, 17/4, and 17/4 with 4 3-pointers made in each game. You don’t expect big things, because Ross plays around 28 minutes per game, but he could easily triple his salary for you tonight.
Forward:
Klay Thompson ($13,350) vs Brooklyn– On such a short slate, there are limited good options. Klay Thompson is in a solid position to have a night night against Joe Johnson and the Nets. He is a SG, but is SF eligible due to the multi-position eligibility here. His 36 FP per game average is second only to Rudy Gay at SG/SF on tonight’s slate, and he comes at a $1,400 discount in a better matchup. Thompson is a GPP-play, but one that is capable of exploding at any time. The Splash Brothers are at their best at Oracle Arena.
Courtney Lee ($9,050) vs Sacramento – Lee has a tremendous matchup tonight against Ben McLemore, who is one of the laziest defenders in the NBA. He won’t go for 40+, but he is a solid value at SF on a night that is devoid of great options.
Mirza Teletovic ($9,350) at Golden State – With only 4 games on tap, you need to differentiate yourself somewhere if you are going to take down a big GPP, and Teletovic is the perfect swerve. He is a sharpshooter off the bench for the Nets who is utilized most in situations where the team falls behind. I expect the Warriors to jump out to an early lead, adding to Mirza’s value even more tonight. He has three games already this season with at least 16 points, including last night’s game against Phoenix. Kevin Garnett will likely see more rest tonight after playing 27 minutes against the Suns yesterday, opening the door for big minutes for Teletovic.
Center:
Joakim Noah ($13,150) at Toronto – Noah is finally rounding into form this season, and with back to back solid games (13/11/6, 13/14/6), this price is suddenly a great discount. Toronto allows the most rebounds of any team in the NBA to opposing centers, as well as the second most FP. Noah has triple-double upside because he is such a phenomenal passer, and the matchup down low is by far the best of the night. Noah will be in every single one of my cash game lineups and makes a great GPP play as well.
Do you like Boran for the Nets? He’s been starting at sg and I believe he has average about 20 fantasy points last few games
Bojan I mean, all these damn weird names now days lol