Lonzo Ball had a monster game against the Celtics his last time out despite losing playing time to a massive blowout. He has a more favorable matchup tonight against the Detroit Pistons, who have been the least efficient defense in the league over the last 30 days. Jrue Holiday is not expected to play tonight and Ball has averaged 0.97 FantasyDraft points per minute in 456 minutes without him on the floor this season. His absence helps to secure Ball’s minutes as well. J.J. Redick is also out, while Brandon Ingram and Derrick Favors are questionable, so Ball could be the primary offensive option tonight. The downside to that is that his assist numbers could take a hit without capable scorers on the floor with him, but that is a risk I am willing to take at only $12,900.
T.J. McConnell was a huge disappointment in his last game as he started in place of Malcolm Brogdon and produced fewer than 15 FantasyDraft points in about 26 minutes of action. We know that McConnell is better than that, however, as he has averaged 1.02 FantasyDraft points per minute this season. He remains extremely inexpensive and is a top value on the slate if Brogdon (questionable) misses tonight’s game with strep throat.
LeBron James is probable tonight against the Cavaliers and is one of the easiest plays on the slate. He is very affordable at $10,700 on FanDuel and egregiously underpriced at $17,400 on FantasyDraft. James has averaged 1.48 FantasyDraft points per minute overall this season and 1.57 FantasyDraft points per minute without Anthony Davis on the floor. Davis is questionable for tonight’s game, so it is just a matter of how great of a play James is at a very inexpensive price point against one of the worst defensive teams in the league.
Brandon Ingram is questionable for tonight’s game with a hamstring issue, which is concerning since he has already missed time this season due to his hamstring. Fortunately, this game is a 7:00 p.m. EST tip so we will have news before lock. If Ingram is active, we should assume that he is fully healthy and expect 36-plus minutes from him. He has averaged 1.29 FantasyDraft points per minute without Holiday on the floor this season, posting a 30.4 usage percentage and 27.7 assist percentage. He has a great matchup against a terrible Detroit defense.
Andre Drummond was extremely disappointing in his most recent game, which ended with a third quarter ejection. We should be back to normal tonight, however, as he faces the New Orleans Pelicans. Drummond has averaged 1.29 FantasyDraft points per minute in seven games since Blake Griffin’s most recent injury and 1.38 FantasyDraft points per minute without Griffin on the floor overall this season. Derrick Favors is questionable for the Pelicans, and if he is out, it will leave Jaxson Hayes and Jahlil Okafor as the centers for the Pelicans. Hayes is a good defender, but is giving up about 45 pounds to Drummond. Okafor is bigger than Hayes, but not a good defender. Drummond should be able to do pretty much whatever he wants in the paint against this team.
Hassan Whiteside is another center with a premier matchup as he takes on the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte sets up as a favorable matchup for Whiteside because they are bad at stopping everything that he does well. Over the last month, Charlotte has allowed the 12th-most total rebounds and 11th-most offensive rebounds per game. Whiteside is fourth in the NBA in total rebounds per game and in offensive rebounds per game this season. Charlotte has had the seventh-most shots blocked per game over the last month and Whiteside leads the league with 2.9 blocks per game. Charlotte has allowed the sixth-most points in the paint over the last month and 72.5 percent of Whiteside’s points have come in the paint this season. Overall, Whiteside has averaged 1.36 FantasyDraft points per minute this season and he has been playing 34-plus minutes in competitive games with his backup, Skal Labissiere, sidelined.
