The Shot Dude: Painting a Winner
The greatest painters are often referenced by just their last name.
Consider da Vinci, van Gogh, Picasso, and Monet.
Your favorite Shot Dude knows of some other great painters who do their best work between the free throw line to the basket.
Here's hoping we refer to these painters as our money men when it comes to today's fantasy contests.
I'll key on nine hoop artists you should consider for your fantasy lineup. You can survey all of today's NBA action with the help of the Bovada data tool on our Home page:
The experts at FanDuel are great at creating fantasy games for all major sports, give them a try if your looking for a place to play.
Point Guards
Archie Goodwin, Phoenix ($5400) ... always seems to be on the floor since the injury to Brandon Knight. Until Knight proves to coaches that he can stay healthy, I'm rolling with Goodwin and his average of 40 minutes that we've seen the last five games. Dude's exceeded fantasy value in three of them, has a usage rate near 20, and gets a home game tonight against Golden State. The Warriors have taken all of their losses on the road and rank 20th in the league against point guards.
Reggie Jackson, Detroit ($6600) ... is a great target most nights, having posted fantasy scores of at least 31 in 5 of 8 contests prior to last game. Jackson will look to bounce back after a poor showing against Toronto, only accumulating 15.7 fantasy points two nights ago. I have faith that he will, since Jackson's usage rate is over 25, and he gets to square off against the fifth-worst team defensively against point guards in the Denver Nuggets tonight.
Shooting Guards
Marco Belinelli, Sacramento ($3900) ... provides excellent value and roster flex ability at this price. He's now getting starter minutes with the injury to Ben McLemore. Dude recorded 25 point fantasy games in 3 of 4 contests before running into a tough Cleveland defense last game. That won't be the case tonight, as Belinelli and the rest of the Kings are licking their chops at the prospect of playing Philadelphia, the team that gives up the fourth-highest amount of fantasy points to opposing teams.
DeMar DeRozen, Toronto ($8100) ... has scored 33 fantasy points or higher in 7 of his last 10 games. This is no surprise, since DeRozen ranks just out of the NBA's top ten with his average of 17.7 shot attempts per game. Dude averages just under a fantasy point per minute and has a usage rate of almost 26. This should bode well for him in tonight's game against Minnesota, a team that's just average defensively against shooting guards.
Small Forwards
Stanley Johnson, Detroit ($4900) ... has been getting an average of at least 35 minutes a game with the injury to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Posting huge fantasy games against New York and Indiana recently, Johnson will look to continue that momentum tonight at home facing Denver. The Nuggies are 10-17 on the road and are only average defensively against opposing small forwards.
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio ($7300) ... has posted back-to-back 40-point fantasy performances and sets his sights on Orlando tonight. I really like Leonard at this price because the Magic has been tough enough at home to keep games close. That should assure Leonard will get his usual 30+ minutes. Also, dude averages over 14 shots per game, has a usage rate of almost 22, and should scorch the Orlando defense that ranks 19th against small forwards.
Power Forwards
Zach Randolph, Memphis ($6300) ... could very well be the fantasy steal of the night. Why? This is the first game the Grizzlies have played since center Marc Gasol injured his foot. Randolph already shoots over 12 times a game but will be called upon to carry more of the offensive load and spend some of the game at center in Gasol's absence. Memphis goes up against Brooklyn, a team lacking interior defense. The Nets rank 22nd against power forwards and, even worse, 26th against centers when Randolph shifts to play the 5-spot.
Paul Millsap, Atlanta ($8100) ... is coming off an exceptional double-double against Orlando that netted his fantasy users over 50 points two days ago. Since Millsap puts up 13 shots a game and comes down with almost 9 rebounds a contest, he's always in play. The Hawks game with Chicago has a spread of just 4½ points, so it's likely that Millsap will see crucial fourth-quarter minutes against a Bulls defense that ranks 16th against power forwards.
Center
Pau Gasol, Chicago ($9100) ... gets an even better matchup in that same game. The Hawks are only 24th when it comes to defending centers, and dude shoots over 14 times a game. Since Jimmy Butler has gone down to injury, it's been Gasol and Derrick Rose picking up the extra scoring duties. Gasol just had over 53 fantasy points at Charlotte as a result. Get him in your lineup!
Your favorite Shot Dude hopes your canvas is covered in green cash when tonight's games are through.
Just like the creative artists on the court, always give it your best shot!
You can follow me on twitter@fsofia8.