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A new week has begun for the NBA 2018-19 season and it is going to feature some seriously good games. A total of 7 games are being played today and the standout game has got to be the Western Conference leaders, the Denver Nuggets, facing off against the Eastern Conference leaders, the Toronto Raptors.
The Detroit Pistons face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder in another superb game tomorrow. The Minnesota Timberwolves take on the underperforming Houston Rockets and finally the New Orleans Pelicans go up against the Los Angeles Clippers in the last game tomorrow. It is turning out to be a great day for fantasy enthusiasts, with so many high profiles and probably high scoring matches.
These are the games that will be played tomorrow, now let us have a look at the top DFS players to look out for the Week 8, Day 1 of the NBA 2018-19 season:
Honourable mentions:
1. PG - Emmanuel Mudiay (New York Knicks), Tim Frazier (New Orleans Pelicans)
2. SG - Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors), Derrick Rose (Minnesota Timberwolves)
3. SF - Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors), Danilo Gallinari (Los Angeles Clippers)
4. PF - Tobias Harris (Los Angeles Clippers), Paul Millsap (Denver Nuggets)
5. C - Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), Enes Kanter (New York Knicks)
1. PG 1 - Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder):
Injuries have derailed the start of the season for Russell Westbrook, who has missed 8 games already. Even then the Thunder have managed a great record without him and are sitting pretty with a 14-7 record. They are 7-3 in the last 10 games with losses to only the Nuggets, The Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks. They had a huge 30-point win over the Golden State Warriors in this run and Westbrook has come back strong for them.
Westbrook is a player that has been flirting with a triple-double average every season and this season is no different. He is averaging 23 points, 10 rebounds and almost 10 assists per game this season. His Field Goals Attempted (FGA) is down a little but he is shooting at 47 percent which is his career best as of now. It will normalise as the season progresses but he is surely now firing on all cylinders after his injury and is a must-buy in your Daily Fantasy squad.
PG 2 - D'Angelo Russell (Brooklyn Nets):
The Brooklyn Nets have been a nice surprise this season, building on their success last season and developing their players side by side. They sit at 8-16 for the start of the season, which is a pretty bad record but considering that they are only not far behind the playoff spots and only one win off the Washington Wizards and the Miami Heat, they are doing pretty well for themselves.
The freak injury to Caris LeVert was real bad luck. He was having a breakout season which was brutally interrupted. In his place, D'Angelo Russell has stepped in and is doing just as well.
In 24 games this season, he has averaged a career-best with 17.5 points per game. He is also averaging a career high in assists with 5.8 per game. He is also taking more shots than he ever has in his young career and is shooting them at his usual 41 percent clip. He has taken on most of the load that has been dropped due to the LeVert injury and has not had any fitness concerns yet. Add him to your DFS squad as he seems to have great value against a really bad Cleveland team.
SG 1 - James Harden (Houston Rockets):
The Rockets have had a really bad start to their new season. They are just 11-11 to start the season, on a 2-game win streak for now. They beat the Spurs off the court, 136-105 and then the Bulls, 121-105. A huge part of this has been the return to form of the supporting cast of the Rockets. But mostly, it has got to do with the continued performances of the MVP, James Harden.
He has been averaging an insane 35 points per game in his last five games and almost 31 points per game for the season. He also has 9 assists and 6 rebounds per game as well. All the offence seems to be funnelling through Harden once again and that should allow him to have a huge night. The Wolves have looked a little shaky as well to start the season and Harden should look to run them off the court again.
SG 2 - Jrue Holiday (New Orleans Pelicans):
The Pelicans are caught in somewhat of a rut. Nikola Mirotic is normalising his statistics now after starting the season on a tear. The injury to Elfrid Payton has exposed their weak bench with E'Twaun Moore having to shoulder a heavy load. He is inconsistent at best but is still having a good season.
Only two players performing consistently are Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday. Holiday, in particular, has also stayed injury free and stepped into the role of a playmaker now that Payton is missing extended periods of time.
He has been averaging a career-high 20 points per game, to go with a mammoth 9 assists a game as well, which is also a career high for Holiday. His rebounding has become better as his career has progressed and he is averaging at least 5 rebounds a game too.
Holiday has had a great season with the Pelicans up until now and there is no reason why it shouldn't continue given that Payton will not be back until January. With Frazier taking on a bigger role with the Pelicans, Jrue might start scoring more rather than playmaking but will still average at least 7 assists a game. He should be a starter if you can afford him on your DFS team.
SF 1 - Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder):
The Thunder, as discussed in the first slide, usually play really bad without Russell Westbrook. But the addition of Dennis Schroder as the point guard running the second unit and when Westbrook is injured has really helped them a lot as they only lost only one in the six games that Westbrook missed with an ankle injury.
That was largely due to the great job done by Schroder at the point guard position and also with Paul George stepping up this season in his absence. George has been having an All-Star level season, playing all 21 games.
George has been averaging an awesome 23.5 points per game this season, taking almost 20 shots per game and at 42 percent shooting. He has also been averaging 7.7 rebounds per game and 4 assists too.
George is an elite defender and his steals number justify that as he is at 2.2 steals per game. His numbers might look to come down now that Russell is back and fully fit, raring to go but that does not mean he is not a useful player for DFS. He is still getting at least 20 points per game to go with at least 5 rebounds and assists to go with 2 steals. He is an amazing pick for your DFS team tomorrow.
SF 2 - Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors):
The Raptors are facing off against the Denver Nuggets in a mouth-watering clash tomorrow. Both teams have been great on defence, the Nuggets are 3rd in Net Defensive rating and will make it a tough challenge for the Toronto Raptors.
If there is any player that can overcome a tough defensive assignment, it is Kawhi Leonard. Since his season-ending injury last season and a subsequent trade to the Raptors for their star guard DeMar DeRozan, Kawhi has been back to his All-Star level.
In 18 games this season, Kawhi has averaged 25.5 points per game to go with 8.6 rebounds and 3 assists. He is also an elite defender and is averaging 1.7 steals per game. He had a huge night against the Cavaliers last time out, where he scored a mammoth 34 points and grabbed 9 boards. He also had a huge night against the Warriors before that with 37 points and is in great form. He should be one of the locks on your team today.
PF 1 - Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans):
Anthony Davis has got to be the first pick on any team's fantasy roster. He is one of the few elite big men who can do it all. He can shoot 3s as well as dominate the glass, he is a fantastic fantasy player if he can stay on the court for the long season. Last time out, the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Charlotte Hornets, 119-109, largely due to a 36-19-8 game by Anthony Davis himself. They face the Los Angeles Clippers today, who are a tougher opponent and atop the Western Conference.
He has averaged 27 points per game to go with 13 rebounds per game this season, which are good enough to put him into the conversation for the regular season MVP. He is also getting almost 5 assists per game which is great quality for an elite big man. He has been an amazing defender too, averaging almost 3 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. He is in amazing form right now and should be one of the first players on your team for today.
PF 2 - Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons):
Blake Griffin and the Detroit Pistons had a huge win over the Golden State Warriors last time out in Detroit, winning 111-102. Even the return of Stephen Curry could not push the Warriors past the Pistons and that has to be huge for them.
They now face the Oklahoma City Thunder today and they will need every bit of the star that Blake Griffin has been this season to overcome them. He was great against the Warriors, scoring 26 points and chipping in with 5 assists and 6 rebounds.
The Pistons have been on a 5-game win streak and they have won 7 of their last 8 games and this is due to the great combination of Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin.
Griffin has been more impressive this season, given his lack of effort last season and he has been averaging a career-high 25 points per game to go with almost 10 rebounds per game and 5 assists. He also is taking a career high in 3s shooting them at 37 percent. He seems to be an amazing fantasy pick up this season and should be rostered in your DFS team for tomorrow.
C 1 - Karl Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves):
The Jimmy Butler saga had dragged down Karl Anthony Towns and Minnesota Timberwolves to the depths of despair. There were clear communication gap and lack of trust between Butler and Towns along with the rest of the team. Once Jimmy was traded to the 76ers, The Timberwolves look like a changed squad. Towns is once again the alpha of this team. They are on a 7-3 run since Butler has left, with Towns getting most of his usage.
He has been averaging almost 21 points per game to go with 12 rebounds. He has also been a very efficient shooter, both from behind the arc and with his general field goal percentages, though his 3 point shooting has taken a hit this season. He is going up against the Houston Rockets, which is not known for its defence these days and he should be in for a big night again.
C 2 - Tristan Thompson (Cleveland Cavaliers):
One of the hidden gems this season on a horribly bad team, Tristan Thompson has emerged as one of the most elite rebounders this season. The Cleveland Cavaliers are not looking to win any games this season it seems like but that means someone still has to rebound the ball for them and Tristan is taking all those opportunities since Kevin Love has been out for a large part of the season.
Thompson is averaging a high of 11.4 points per game along with a career-high 11.4 rebounds per game as well. In the loss against the Toronto Raptors in the previous game, he pulled down 19 boards while scoring 18 points for the Cavaliers.
He is also 6th in the league with potential rebounding chances, given that there is nobody else looking to rebound on this Cavaliers team, with 20.5 chances per game. He is a really good budget addition if you want to save some funds.
Guess the Lakers players!
