Which players should you build around and which players should you fade in DFS as we tip off Friday's NBA action? Our experts have the answers.
Today's panel includes ESPN Fantasy's Jim McCormick, André Snellings, Kyle Soppe and DFS expert Renee Miller.
Players to build around
Kyle Soppe -- Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Lillard ranks No. 3 on the ESPN Player Rater over the last 15 days and, considering that the Mavericks are a bottom-10 defense, I'm not getting cute tonight. Dallas has been simply destroyed by a handful of guards over the last 16 days. James Harden, Kemba Walker, and Lillard all produced in a big way, but Will Barton and Jordan Clarkson both also overachieved.
Consider me very much on board with Lillard extending his streak of consecutive games with 20-plus points and six dimes to nine. The 31 points and six assists that he put on the Timberwolves on Wednesday was incredibly solid, but I was more impressed with his zero turnovers in 31 minutes of action. He is playing with extreme confidence right now, so I'll take him as the top value play among tonight's high-priced guards.
André Snellings -- Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
This is one of my more unscientific choices for this space. I just have a hunch that Cleveland has reached rock-bottom, and that the turnaround begins on Friday, at home. Love was scapegoated a bit last weekend, after both being sick and battling an injury. He's had some time to recover, and he'll be playing the Pacers, against whom he's averaged 18 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 3-pointers and 1.7 combined blocks/steals in three games this season. Indiana has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.
Since this is a risky pick, I'll also note that the Rockets-Pelicans contest looks like a points explosion waiting to happen, and features four of the top-20 fantasy producers in the NBA. Feel free to look to those lineups for safe building blocks given the likelihood for big numbers on Friday. Finally, Dwight Howard is a monster in the middle and he'll be facing his former team, the Hawks, who have struggled against opposing centers all season. I'm just saying.
Jim McCormick -- Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
The combination of a disappointing outing in Atlanta a few nights ago and a looming matchup with the down-tempo Jazz has deflated Lowry's price enough to create significant value here.
The All-Star guard is expected deliver a usage rate of around 25 percent against a Utah backcourt that has ceded a fairly average 60.9 DraftKings points per game to point guards over the past 10 games. Lowry's high-floor opportunity rate and modest pricing make him an attractive acquisition tonight.
Renee Miller -- Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
LaVine is ready to play ball, I'd say. After finally getting on the court, though being restricted to 24 minutes per game, LaVine has averaged 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in his two most recent games. It's likely he'll get even more minutes tonight, in a prime matchup with the Lakers. His salary is still low enough for him to have the upside of a tournament play in this fast-paced, high-scoring game, while he's balanced enough to provide a solid floor. My strategy tonight is avoid the salary extremes and operate in the mid-range. LaVine fits perfectly.
Players to fade
Kyle Soppe - Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
Mitchell has hit a bit of a bump in the road over the last two games, shooting 32.4 percent from the field with just four free throw attempts and twice as many turnovers as assists. While I think he will bounce back sooner, rather than later, I don't think it happens against the fourth-best defense in the NBA.
Why has Toronto been so good on the defensive end? They're holding opponents to 34.7 percent shooting from distance (sixth-lowest in the league) with just 8.8 3-pointers per game (tied for the NBA-low). This should terrify those considering Mitchell, given that over 41 percent of his shots come from at least 24 feet away. Mitchell has a tendency to settle for jumpers despite his athleticism and, in my eyes, that lowers his floor below my threshold for his current price point.
André Snellings -- Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Recently, I've faded Simmons a couple of times as he has generally been underperforming. I did put him in my recommendations list on Wednesday, and he responded with a monster triple-double and one of his best games of the season. However, on Friday he won't be getting another chance to capitalize against an overmatched Bulls frontline again. Instead he's on the road against the Spurs.
As always, San Antonio has a strong defense with long wings that can play off of Simmons, preventing him from easily getting into the lane. They've also got the best coach in the NBA, who will absolutely be able to game plan against Simmons' weaknesses.
Jim McCormick -- Jordan Clarkson, Los Angeles Lakers
It was amazing to discover that Clarkson costs more than Kyle Lowry tonight on DraftKings. I project Lowry to have both a higher floor and a more-impressive ceiling than the Lakers' combo guard. Clarkson has been productive as a high-usage centerpiece with Lonzo Ball ailing, but I think his inflated price point leaves little margin for error for a player who tends to be fairly dependent on his shot falling in order to meet value.
Renee Miller -- Lou Williams, LA Clippers
Williams was "unfadeable" for a while there, but gets another matchup on Friday in which he is again unlikely to exceed value. In his last two games, Williams has scored 20 points and dished out seven assists, but turnovers continue to hurt his bottom line. As the Clippers get healthy again, I expect Williams to remain a solid contributor, but certainly not one who's going to have 10 steals and 70 fantasy points on a regular basis.
Given that he's averaging a reasonable, even impressive, 35 fantasy points in three games against a slow-paced Memphis sqaud this season, I'm going to wait until his salary comes down before using him in my lineups -- especially on a slate with many options at his position.
