Which players should you build around, and which players should you fade in DFS as we tip off Tuesday night's NBA action? Our experts have the answers.
Today's panel includes ESPN Fantasy's Kyle Soppe, Joe Kaiser, and DFS expert Renee Miller.
Players to build around
Renee Miller -- LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
I was very tempted to go with value tonight for my building block, as there are guys like Matthew Dellavedova, Jordan Crawford, and maybe even Shawn Long who I'm going to be cycling into lineups, but in the end, it's James that I don't want to be without tonight. He gets a prime matchup with the Magic, is playing amazing ball right now, and the Cavs are big favorites at home in what Vegas has as one of the highest-scoring games of the night. There aren't many tempting options at SF tonight, which increases the drive to lock in James.
Kyle Soppe -- Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
The Knicks gave up more than 105 points per game in March, and their April opener didn't exactly inspire confidence that a focus on the defensive end was coming any time soon (Boston shot 55.6 percent from the field and scored 88 points through three quarters before putting it into cruise control in the fourth quarter). The Bulls are far from a perfect team, but they are in a bar fight for the final two spots in the East (four teams are within two games), and it is blatantly clear that they have tied their success to the Butler wagon (at least 38 minutes of action in 10 of his last 11 games). He has rewarded them during their current four-game winning streak, during which he is averaging 29.3 points, 8.0 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks-plus-steals. There is triple-double upside here with a safe floor (the minutes are extremely safe given that he has committed more than three fouls only once since we flipped the calendar to 2017).
Joe Kaiser -- Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Not only is Gobert playing the best basketball of his career, on Tuesday he faces a beaten-up Portland front line that is playing without Jusuf Nurkic and using a "center by committee." Advantage, Gobert. The likes of Meyers Leonard and Noah Vonleh are simply no match for Utah's rising big man, who is averaging 19.3 points, 14.2 rebounds and 3.9 blocks in his last 10 games. Also, he's averaging 37.2 minutes and shooting a ridiculous 69 percent during that stretch. Get Gobert in your lineup(s) tonight.
Players to fade
Renee Miller -- Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
The Jazz play so slowly (30th in pace) and are so good defensively (third in defensive efficiency), that it's hard to ever use a point guard against them. Accordingly, they have given up the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing point guards this season. Lillard is at an additional disadvantage for having played last night, a game in which he turned in a well-rounded performance, but played 39 minutes in Minnesota. With several higher-priced and lower-priced options I like at point guard, Lillard is one I'm avoiding tonight.
Kyle Soppe -- Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Fading a star who is playing against the Nuggets isn't exactly a strategy I would live by, but at this point in the season, I don't know how you roster The Brow with any sort of confidence. First of all, the Pellies are five games out of the eighth seed with five games to play ... they aren't making the playoffs. The injury-prone Davis is dealing with both a finger and ankle injury, so why take any chance on him whatsoever? Even if he does suit up, it's worth noting that Davis' statistical growth takes place in the some categories in which Denver limits opponents. The Brow has seen his rebound and free throw averages increase each season of his career, but the Nuggets rank first in rebound rate and, despite playing at a top-10 pace, they rank in the bottom 10 in FTA against. I'm not spending big bucks tonight on Davis when I can get a Dario Saric type at roughly a 30-percent discount.
Joe Kaiser -- Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
In two games against the Warriors this season, Wiggins has averaged 24.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1 assist. These are the type of numbers we've come to expect out of Wiggins in his second season in the league -- lots of scoring but little else. Priced above $7,000 on both DraftKings and FanDuel, Wiggins is going to have a difficult time reaching his salary value unless he scores more than 30 points against the red-hot Warriors on the road at Oracle Arena.
