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 Jim McCormick, Andre Snellings and Kyle Soppe, as well as DFS expert Renee Miller.
Players to build around
Jim McCormick -- Eric Bledsoe, Milwaukee Bucks
Bledsoe might not wow you with his ceiling, but his reasonable pricing combined with a high floor serve to make him an attractive investment tonight. The Warriors are running out a patchwork backcourt in the wake of injuries to their top talents, while Bledsoe has been able to produce at least 28 fantasy points in eight straight contests. With important playoff seeding implications in place for the Bucks, we should see him play heavy minutes in what should be a fantasy-friendly environment in Oakland tonight. Stacking Bledsoe with Giannis Antetokounmpo tonight could prove rewarding.
Renee Miller -- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
With a nice pace bump from the slightly healthier Golden State Warriors, Antetokounmpo is poised to reach or exceed 50 fantasy points again tonight. He wasn't at his best the first time they played each other, but is averaging almost 30 points per game, and can come up huge with five blocks or four steals on any given night. There are a couple of stars to choose from tonight; you might even choose to roster more than one, but I like Giannis as a starting point for any lineup.
Andre Snellings -- Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
Drummond has been finishing the season strong, currently on a streak of 10 games with double-digit rebounds. In those contests he has averaged 17.2 rebounds, 12.8 points, 2.5 blocks, 1.5 assists and 0.9 steals per game. He also has had a strong season against Thursday's opponent, the Washington Wizards, averaging 16.7 rebounds, 12.3 points, 5.7 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.3 steals in three previous games. He matches up well with Wizards center Marcin Gortat, who is huge, but too lumbering to keep up with Drummond.
Kyle Soppe -- Thaddeus Young, Indiana Pacers
This time of year is all about exploiting motivation levels and this feels like a cheaper way to take advantage of that. Young and his Pacers currently occupy the 5-seed in the Eastern Conference, but they are just a game out of the 3-seed. While they chase home-court advantage in the first round, the Kings are in a tense fight for ping pong balls, as there are seven bottom feeders within three games of one another in pursuit of the second-worst record in the league. Sacramento and their 28th ranked defense doesn't provide much resistance to anyone, let alone a player in Young who is finding his rhythm (16.4 points on 52.9 percent shooting to go along with 9.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game over his past five). I'm looking for Indiana to extend their win streak to four tonight and Young should be able to pay off his salary with ease.
Players to fade
Jim McCormick -- Pau Gasol, San Antonio Spurs
The temptation to ride with Gasol given LaMarcus Aldridge's injury is certainly present, but I'm reluctant to buy into the savvy vet since his minutes could prove limited even with his productive peer sidelined. It also doesn't help that the Thunder are among the best rebounding and interior defensive teams in the league, where Gasol would need to produce in order to prove profitable.
Renee Miller -- Bobby Portis, Chicago Bulls
Normally, or at least for the past month or so, I'm a Portis fan. Tonight however, he'll face a tough Miami frontcourt defense alongside a deeper than normal forward rotation for the Bulls. Lauri Markkanen came back to play 28 minutes on Tuesday and outperformed Portis. That won't always be the case, as Portis has played well as a starter and from the bench. Power forward is tricky tonight, but I'm not taking a chance on Portis in this particular game.
André Snellings -- Kelly Olynyk, Miami Heat
Olynyk has been a monster for the past week or two with Hassan Whiteside out, which has earned him a much higher price tag in DFS. Whiteside's disposition for Thursday hasn't been revealed yet, but he went through a full practice on Wednesday and the full shootaround on Thursday, suggesting to me that he may be ready to suit up. Olynyk can still be effective with Whiteside around, but it would likely limit him to an expected value less than his current price tag. Again, this is assuming that Whiteside does in fact return.
Kyle Soppe -- Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
I expect KD to be on plenty of rosters tonight with him expected to return to action while his ailing teammates remain on the sidelines, but I'll be fading the Warriors' superstar in this spot. At many points this season, it has been painfully obvious that Golden State is positioning itself for a title run (not regular season excellence), so I expect them to take it easy on Durant after a two-week absence. If his minutes are below his season average (34.7 minutes), I have a hard time thinking that achieving value is anything more than his ceiling in this spot. The motivated Bucks are trying to move up to the 7-seed and they are likely to stick Giannis Antetokounmpo (ninth best power forward in terms of DRPM) on Durant, a tough matchup when it comes to knocking the rust off. KD may be a strong play down the stretch as he looks to develop a rhythm for the postseason, but I'm not expecting a monster performance tonight and think you can use the money saved elsewhere.
