FanDuel & DraftKings NBA Daily Picks: Fantasy lineup & advice 11/20/17
After an early exit last night against the Lakers, Nikola Jokic has a golden opportunity to take his frustration out of the Kings.
Nov 20, 2017
PG – Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder @ New Orleans Pelicans
Russell Westbrook has been a shell of his old self in fantasy basketball this season, which was sort of expected. However, he has been on quite an extended shooting slump of late, which has seen his field goal percentage dip to just 35 percent in November.
But despite all of his recent struggles, Westbrook’s upside remains ridiculously high if he can ever put it all together. And with his price dipping ever lower, why not take a chance on him against the New Orleans Pelicans tonight?
The Pelicans have had problems defending point guards ever since Rajon Rondo returned to the lineup. Kyle Lowry (22 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists) nearly had a triple-double against them, while Jamal Murray burned them for 31 points. Should that poor defensive play continue, a 50 fantasy-point night is clearly not out of the question for Russ.
SG – Rodney Hood, Utah Jazz @ Philadelphia 76ers
Rodney Hood seems to have settled in quite nicely to a sixth man role for the Jazz. The lanky swing man has topped 30 points in each of his last two games off the bench. Ever since moving to the bench, Hood has been averaging 22 points while shooting 45 percent from beyond the arc in 8.8 attempts.
The last game Hood started before his change of role was against tonight’s opponents, the Philadelphia 76ers. He didn’t have a great shooting performance then, going just 4-of-14 from the floor. However, he was still able to put up 19 points by getting to the line.
Hood has improved his shooting significantly since that time, though, which could see him pick up even better numbers against a Sixers team which has given up the second-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards.
SF – Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks vs Washington Wizards
Khris Middleton had an unusually one-dimensional fantasy outing last time out as he put up 23 points, no rebounds, and just two assists against the Dallas Mavericks. However, that was still his second game of 20-plus points after a bit of a lean spell. Middleton is in the midst of a career year for Milwaukee, putting up nearly 19 points, with 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.7 3-pointers per game.
Middleton has a habit of alternating good games with bad games this season, and that trend has a strong chance of continuing as he faces the Washington Wizards tonight. The Wizards have been shaky in terms of defending opposing wings, opening the door for Middleton to put together another strong fantasy night.
PF – Tobias Harris, Detroit Pistons vs Cleveland Cavaliers
There are a handful of high-priced power forward options in action tonight, but if you don’t quite feel like breaking the bank for the likes of Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, and Kristaps Porzingis, then Tobias Harris is a fine mid-tier pick. Harris has cooled off significantly from his torrid start to the season. He’s averaging just a shade under 18 points per game on 43 percent shooting this month, although he still pops up with the occasional 20-point game from time to time.
Harris had a strong 18-point, 9-rebound outing against the Minnesota Timberwolves last night, which is a promising sign ahead of his matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs remain pretty shaky defensively these days, and could be susceptible to mismatches against Harris, who has the versatility to play either forward position.
C – Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets @ Sacramento Kings
Nikola Jokic’s night against the Los Angeles Lakers ended rather abruptly as he was ejected along with head coach Mike Malone in the first half of the Nuggets’ blowout defeat. But that means Jokic should be relatively fresh and fired up for tonight’s matchup with the Sacramento Kings.
Jokic has had single-digit field goal attempts over his last four games, but that could change significantly against Sacramento, especially if Paul Millsap can’t go due to the wrist injury which also saw him exit last night’s game quickly. The Kings are giving up the most fantasy points to opposing centers this season, and Jokic should take full advantage of that with Millsap, but even more so without him.
Share your daily fantasy basketball thoughts in the comments section below!
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