PG - Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets vs Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook is the big-ticket superstar tonight. But if you’re not willing to spend all that dough on Westbrook, his direct opponent at point guard, Jamal Murray, is available at half the price. Murray is having a terrific run of late, averaging 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists over his last five games. He has admittedly struggled in his first two meetings with the Thunder, which makes him a somewhat risky proposition. But with few other terrific point guard options around, Murray is worth a roll of the dice.
SG - Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards vs Toronto Raptors
Bradley Beal sure loves playing against the Thunder. The Wizards guard didn’t shoot the ball nearly as well as his 41-point explosion a week ago, but he still turned in a terrific all-around fantasy performance, including nine assists. Don’t discount a similar type of performance against the Raptors, an opponent Beal has also enjoyed going up against this season. He’s averaging 32.5 points on 55 percent shooting in two games against them thus far. He’s only averaging 2.5 assists, but with his increased playmaking responsibility with Wall sidelined, there’s a decent chance that number also sees a nice uptick.
SF - Reggie Bullock, Detroit Pistons vs Memphis Grizzlies
Reggie Bullock is coming off a terrific performance (albeit against the Cavs) as he dropped 22 points on 4-of-6 shooting on 3-pointers. That’s Bullock’s third-straight game with at least four made 3-pointers. His shot attempts could potentially take a dip going forward with Blake Griffin about to arrive. However, he will likely continue to get minutes because he’s a wing who can shoot, something the Pistons desperately need. He’ll also have a fairly advantageous matchup tonight against the Grizzlies, who have struggled to defend opposing shooting guards and will be on the second night of a back-to-back.
PF - Carmelo Anthony, Oklahoma City Thunder @ Denver Nuggets
Carmelo Anthony is mired in a bit of a shooting slump lately. He’s hitting just 36 percent of his shots over his last five games. However, he’s still putting up enough volume to remain fairly valuable fantasy-wise. He still had 19 points despite 21 shots and added six rebounds, three assists, and three blocks last time out against the Wizards. Tonight’s matchup against his old team in the Nuggets at Denver should give Melo a bit more juice than usual. Add the fact that the Nuggets haven’t exactly been great at limiting opposing power forwards, then there’s a decent recipe for Melo to break out of his recent shooting slump.
C - Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto Raptors @ Washington Wizards
Jonas Valanciunas’ uncannily consistent play continues. The Raptors center reeled off yet another double-double - his sixth in his last seven games - with 18 points and 11 boards against the Minnesota Timberwolves. During that double-double streak, the Lithuanian is averaging an impressive 15 points and 11 rebounds. Even with his price steadily creeping up, JV still has the ability to provide value against a Wizards team that will at least give him a traditional center to match up against.
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