Which players should you build around and which players should you fade in DFS as we tip off tonight's NBA action? Our experts have the answers.
Today's panel includes ESPN Fantasy's André Snellings and Kyle Soppe, as well as DFS expert Renee Miller.
Players to build around
Renee Miller -- Alex Len, Phoenix Suns
The high-end players I have my eye on tonight are LeBron James and Khris Middleton, and getting them in with a solid surrounding cast is a lot easier if you punt the center position with Len. Tyson Chandler is out, T.J. Warren is doubtful, Devin Booker may not play, and Len is still well under $5K. The Suns have kept him under 30 minutes, but with no other real frontcourt options Tuesday night, he was efficient with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks vs. Detroit. We've heard this story before, and Len has been hard to trust in Phoenix, but I think we can rely on him against the defensively challenged Cavaliers tonight to put up at least 25 fantasy points tonight.
André Snellings -- Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo is not expected to play on Friday due to a sprained ankle, which leaves the floor open for Parker to get more run and responsibility. The Bulls are terrible at interior defense, and Parker could be the primary big forward scoring threat tonight. He scored 20 points in 30 minutes off the bench in the last game, in which Giannis got injured, and could be in for even bigger numbers on Friday. Honorable mention to other injury subs like Kelly Olynyk, Jayson Tatum and Michael Beasley, who could also perform on Friday.
Kyle Soppe -- Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors
I like to give you a staple cheap option in this space in an effort to give you the financial flexibility to roster your favorite star players and no player fits that mold better than VanVleet. Over the past two months, the backup point guard is averaging 1.00 DraftKings points per minute. For reference, professional bucket getter Khris Middleton is averaging 0.98 DK points per minute this season, so yea, VanVleet has been very efficient since the beginning of February. I know what you're saying: "that's cute, but the minute count is prohibitive and limits his upside". True ... but maybe not tonight against the lowly, and 12-point underdog, Brooklyn Nets. I'm looking for the Raptors to take it easy on their star players for the next week as they prepare for a five day stretch in which they play Boston twice and Cleveland once, thus making it more likely VanVleet sees extended minutes in this game.
Players to fade
Renee Miller -- Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
On the theory that I can fit only one of James or Westbrook into my lineup tonight, I'm going with James. He gets the Suns, while Westbrook has to take on the slow-paced, defensively-minded Heat. Russ never really disappoints relative to most options at his position, but he is priced at a point where 55-60 fantasy points is the expectation. He gets there only around half the time, while James is playing out of his mind, averaging 74 fantasy points over the last 10 days. If you want to get creative and work both stars into a tournament lineup, I'm all for it, but if you're choosing just one for your main lineup, Westbrook has to be the fade tonight.
André Snellings -- LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
I'm fading LeBron because his streak of recent inhuman performances has his price tag astronomically high (In FanDuel he's almost $2K more expensive than Russell Westbrook and almost $3K more than Karl-Anthony Towns, the next two highest-priced healthy players). James is also facing a terrible, injured Suns team at home, and with Kevin Love back, this should really be a blowout win for the Cavaliers. Given those factors, another triple-double seems unlikely tonight.
Kyle Soppe -- Kelly Olynyk, Miami Heat
Olynyk has seen his fantasy stock spike with Hassan Whiteside sidelined, and while the big man will miss this game, I'm not at all interested in K.O. at this price in a tough matchup. The Thunder not only grade out as an elite rebounding team and defense as a whole, but they've had the past two days off and are two games in either direction from rising to the three seed or falling to the eighth seed ... so yea, they need every game as much as any team in the league right now. Oklahoma City faced a similarly skilled Al Horford in their last game and held him to a mere 25.5 DK points (five points, seven assists, and six rebounds), production that Olynyk would have to blow past just to achieve value in this spot. Recency bias figures to pull up Olynyk's ownership percentage on this slate and I'll happily exploit that to gain an edge on the field in cash contests this evening.
