-Joakim Noah is back
to putting up monster numbers of late after going into a lull for a while. He posted 13 points, 18 boards, 7 assists and 1 steal in 45 minutes last night against the starstruck Bobcats. Noah is a rare center that can pass and handle the ball effectively and he’s showing his skill set each and every night right now and is playing like the All-Star he is.
-Ty Lawson has really picked it up of late after a very slow first half of the season. He’s finally producing at the early-round level we expected from him and was solid again last night with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. Lawson is clearly more comfortable than he was early in the season and maybe his new contract was weighing on him a bit, but it seems to be behind him now and the 40+ minutes are always great to see.
-Marc Gasol had a rare monster game last night for the Grizzlies with Mike Conley out as they ran the offense through him a bit more. He’s very solid just about every night, but he really went off last night with 27 points, 7 boards, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, even hitting a three. Gasol has the ability to do this more frequently, but Memphis simply doesn’t need him to.
-Deron Williams is finally starting to look like the man the Nets gave a max deal in the offseason. He posted 20 points with 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 block and 4 threes on Monday. Williams has been struggling with his shot all season and hadn’t even looked like an all-star, much less the player most expected him to be, but he’s looking like he’s on his way to turning it all around and makes a great buy-low target if that’s still on the table.
Top Lines to Target:
(Those who target the night’s highest over/unders should reap fantasy success)
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DAL @ POR
GSW @ CLE
(Guys I am trying to get into lineups tonight, ranked on comparison to perceived value.)
My early daily DraftDay Freeroll lineup is to the right.
Point Guards:
Value Play: Darren Collison
Lillard gets a pretty good matchup with the Mavericks today and he’s simply the most consistent point guard playing today. Jennings has been solid of late, but still provides some risk even in a pretty solid matchup with the Pistons. Vasquez is really on a downswing right now, but Steve Nash and the Lakers should be the cure for that. Collison is another PG struggling lately, but his matchup with Portland is hard to pass up at a bargain price.
Shooting Guards:
Value Play: Dion Waiters
Bryant has become the Lakers primary playmaker of late and it’s done wonders for his fantasy value. Ellis has been providing great value even when he’s not shooting well and has a great matchup with Kyle Singler tonight. Matthews gets a solid matchup with the Dallas shooting guards and his game usually keeps him from posting too many duds. Waiters will see a huge boost in value if Kyrie Irving sits out with the flu tonight.
Small Forwards:
Value Play: Earl Clark
Batum has been on a tear and is starting to look like a triple-double threat every time he takes the floor and the home bout only adds to the upside. MWP has been really impressive of late and is a big part of what the Lakers are doing again. Thompson has been solid as usual and will pick up extra shots if Steph Curry is forced to sit out tonight. Clark is still starting for the Lakers, but his minutes have been down, but so is his price at this point.
Power Forwards:
Value Play: Marreese Speights
David Lee neared a triple double with Andrew Bogut back in the lineup, so it looks like that won’t affect him too much and he has a great matchup tonight. Aldridge has been as good as anyone of late and gets a solid matchup with Dirk tonight. Thompson continues to impress despite the addition of Speights to the rotation and Speights has made their 3-man big rotation potent offensively.
Centers:
Value Play: Tyler Zeller
Howard is going to continue to post big lines as long as he is healthy, even if he’s not helping the Lakers that much. Sanders continues to play with a ton of energy and the Detroit frontcourt is a recipe for another solid game like his last two. Zeller continues to play around 30 minutes per game and can provide value every night with a bit of upside.
