Which players should you build around and which players should you fade in DFS as we tip off Thursday's NBA action? Our experts have the answers.
Today's panel includes ESPN Fantasy's Jim McCormick, André Snellings and Kyle Soppe, and DFS expert Renee Miller.
Players to build around
Jim McCormick -- Will Barton, Denver Nuggets
The Knicks have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to wings this season and rank 28th in defensive efficiency against opposing backcourts. Barton has been somewhat quiet the past few games, but I trust his busy and rewarding role as one of Denver's leading distributors. With a deflated price and consistently busy offensive role, Barton is a solid building block for this somewhat shallow four-game slate.
Renee Miller -- Jarrett Jack, New York Knicks
Jack is playing well lately, with 19 points and 16 assists in his past two games, including three 3s in Oakland Tuesday night (something in the water there?). That makes him the bargain-priced point guard you can build a really nice lineup around. Stephen Curry is going to be popular, along with Hassan Whiteside, I suspect, but there are plenty of ways to spend the salary cap tonight. Denver is the best PG matchup on the slate, and Jack posted a 28-fantasy-point line the last time he played the Nuggets. I feel like he's a lock for 5-6 times value and could deliver more. Either way, it's security and upside on the cheap, a perfect building block.
André Snellings -- Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Murray has had a strong season, and been even better in the past month when healthy. But in the past week, he's had the cheat codes with back-to-back monster games, averaging 34.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 3-pointers, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals/blocks combined. There's also just been a buzz around him, as the Nuggets and their announcers all seem to be getting really high on him at the same time. Plus, the Knicks have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season.
Kyle Soppe -- Goran Dragic, Miami Heat
The Dragon is expected to return from a two-game hiatus (knee), something that I expect to result in a low roster percentage tonight with three all-star point guards on this short slate. Not only was Dragic cooking prior to bruising his knee (20.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists in January), but he draws a Kings team that plays George Hill and De'Aaron Fox serious minutes. Those two rank 83rd and 96th in defensive RPM among the 98 qualified point guards. Fox is questionable for this game, but I expect Dragic to control this matchup regardless of whom they throw on him, and given that I expect him to be a contrarian play, I think Dragic is the perfect staple for GPPs tonight. If you want to pair him with Hassan Whiteside and go all in on the Heat tonight, you've got my support.
Players to fade
Jim McCormick -- Michael Beasley, New York Knicks
There are nights when Beasley gets tons of minutes and feasts on offensive opportunities. There are also nights when he's not a major part of the rotation. Over the past three games, Beasley has met cost just once. In a direct comparison, I prefer Barton over Beasley on account of his more projectable role and floor for tonight's matchup.
Renee Miller -- Josh Richardson, Miami Heat
Richardson is enjoying a lot of run recently and generally producing valuable stat lines. He dipped Monday, but that's not the concern here. It's likely that both Goran Dragic and Tyler Johnson return to the court tonight, which will lessen the burden on Richardson to play a high-usage role. In addition, this game with Sacramento has the lowest point total and highest spread on the docket. The Kings, ranking worst in the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency, also play at one of the slowest paces. I'd much rather pay up a small amount to lock in Paul George tonight in what should be a far better game to target.
André Snellings -- Willie Cauley-Stein, Sacramento Kings
Cauley-Stein has actually played very well of late, and I expect big things from him in the second half of the season. With that said, he's facing the dominant Miami Heat defense on the road on Thursday, with his DFS price tag elevated from his recent strong play. The Heat are allowing the fewest fantasy points to opposing centers over the past 10 games, by a pretty significant margin over the rest of the league.
Kyle Soppe -- Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
With 93 points over his past three games and the fast-paced Warriors on the schedule, look for far too many DFS-ers to buy into the bubble that is Wiggins. Golden State ranks sixth in defensive efficiency and has a handful of forwards they can throw at Wiggins ... more than enough to slow a player I'm not really sold on for fantasy purposes. Despite all of the physical tools, Wiggins has never averaged more than 4.6 rebounds or 2.3 assists in a season, and to be honest, I think his scoring is a bit fluky. The jumper is still a bit inconsistent, yet nearly half of his shots come from at least 16 feet away (not much different than the rates of marksmen Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal). If you pay his increasing price tag tonight, I think you're more chasing his production from the last week than you are paying for DFS success tonight.
