NBA Fantasy 2018-19: DFS players to look out for Week 8, Day 3

The NBA is back for an exciting day 3 in Week 8 of the 2018-19 season. The games yesterday set an exciting precedent to the games today. There are 10 games that we are looking forward to.

The Toronto Raptors play the Philadelphia 76ers which could essentially be the prequel to the Eastern Conference finals. The Milwaukee Bucks face the Detroit Pistons in an enticing matchup. The Memphis Grizzlies take on the Los Angeles Clippers in a tough, grinding game.

The New Orleans Pelicans go up against the Dallas Mavericks who are on a back to back, just like the San Antonio Spurs who match up against the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the games yesterday, The Indiana Pacers overcame a spirited Chicago Bulls, 96-90. The Orlando Magic put away the Miami Heat 105-90.

The Sacramento Kings beat a really bad Phoenix Suns who were missing both Devin Booker and T J Warren, 122-105. The Utah Jazz beat the San Antonio Spurs with ease, 139-105 and the final game to talk about was also the best in the bunch, the Dallas Mavericks overcame the Portland Trailblazers, 111-102.

Let us take a look at the top fantasy DFS picks for the 10 games to be played today.

Honourable mentions:

1. PG - Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets), Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets)

2. SG - Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)

3. SF - Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors), Robert Covington (Minnesota Timberwolves)

4. PF - Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons), Paul Millsap (Denver Nuggets)

5. C - Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), DeAndre Jordan (Dallas Mavericks)

PG 1 - Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers):

Ben Simmons has continued from where he left off last season. He is averaging almost a triple-double per game, shooting free throws at a horrible percentage, still has no jumper and still might be shooting with the wrong hand. But nobody is better at doing what Ben Simmons does than Ben Simmons himself.

The last game against Memphis, which the Sixers won, Ben scored 19 points, 12 rebounds and had 6 assists. He also managed to get a nifty 2 steals. When Ben is not able to get his shot going, he pounds the glass and becomes an elite playmaker. His skill set is still unmatched in the NBA.

Ben Simmons has continued where he left off last season

Ben has been averaging 15.5 points per game in his sophomore season, to go along with 8 assists and almost 9 rebounds per game. He has improved his free throw shooting percentages to 60% which is still really bad.

Simmons is taking lesser shots this season since Joel Embiid is having an amazing year and Jimmy Butler also demands a lot of the ball, but his field goal percentage has gone up to 56.3 percent. He stuffs the stat sheet day in and day out. He should be one of the first players to go up on your team sheet for today.

PG 2 - Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies):

The Memphis Grizzlies, after having one of the worst records in the NBA last season, managed to snag a franchise-altering player in Jaren Jackson Jr, and have started the season strong with the return of their star point guard Mike Conley from injury.

The Grizzlies are currently 13-9 this season and a lot of the credit goes to Conley. The Memphis Grizzlies actually lost their last game against the 76ers 103-95 and are 5-5 in their last 10 games, which included a bad loss to the New York Knicks.

Mike Conley has had an impressive start to the season

Conley has been averaging a career-high 21 points per game this season, along with 6.6 assists and three rebounds per game. These are all career highs in the first 22 games of the season. He is taking three more shots a game and his shooting average is a bit lower than his career average, so expect that to normalise and for him to end up scoring more points.

In the loss against the Sixers, he scored 21 points and dished out 5 assists in a good performance. In the game prior to this against the Nets, he scored a season-high 37 points and managed to make 10 assists as well. He has been great to start the season and should be a part of your team if you have the funds for him.

SG 1 - Malcom Brogdon (Milwaukee Bucks):

The Milwaukee Bucks are a team built around their star player, Giannis Antetokoumpo, a team coached by Mike Budenholzer. This new system seems to have an instant effect on the team.

They are currently second in the Eastern Conference, with a 15-7 record. Giannis is always going to be the focal point of this team, but since there is so much focus on him, the players around him also thrive a lot. One of the players who seems to have gotten less attention in all this but is putting up really solid numbers is Malcolm Brogdon.

In the last two games, the Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 116-113 and a surprise overtime loss to the New York Knicks, 136-134. Brogdon has stepped up each year since his rookie season and is now averaging a career high of 15.4 points per game along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists as well.

In the last 2 games, Brogdon had scored 24 points and 6 assists against the Chicago Bulls and then followed it up with a 22-point effort against the New York Knicks. He seems to be in great form and should be a value pickup for today's games.

SG 2 - Derrick Rose (Minnesota Timberwolves):

The Minnesota Timberwolves have had a really great bunch of games since trading Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers for Robert Covington and Dario Saric. They've gone on a 7-3 run and are 12-12 for the season and are in the 10th spot.

They've really turned it on and in the past 3 games, they annihilated the Spurs 128-89, lost to the Boston Celtics in a close 118-109 and came back to defeat the Houston Rockets 103-91. Derrick Rose has dug the Wolves out of a hole a bunch of times this season.

Derrick Rose is in the shout for 6th man of the year

Rose has played a huge amount of minutes since there were injuries to Jeff Teague and Butler's departure. He has averaged a great 18.4 points per game with a return to form, compared to his previous season in the NBA.

The past 2 games, Rose had scored 26 points against the Celtics but had a really bad game against the Houston Rockets. He is in form and anytime there is foul trouble, he easily takes on a heavier workload and should be a good pick for today.

Although he is listed as a point guard, Rose can certainly be productive at shooting guard due to his scoring.

SF 1 - LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers):

The Los Angeles Lakers are finally catching up with the rest of the contenders this season. They are learning how to play with LeBron James and it's showing on the court, with the Lakers on a 3-game winning streak. They demolished the Phoenix Suns in their last game, 120-96. LeBron is their best player and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.

Los Angeles Lakers are 14-9 to start the season

In this season, James already seemed to have turned on the switch. LeBron has been averaging 27.8 points per game, to go with almost 8 rebounds and 7 assists as well.

The Lakers have had their ups and downs to begin the season, but LeBron has always been there to get the crucial wins for them when it has really mattered. LeBron scored 22 points against the Suns, along with 8 assists and 6 rebounds.

The win against Indiana on 29 November, he scored a mammoth 38 points, with 7 assists and 9 rebounds. He really seems dialled in for the Lakers and expect him to come up big once again against the San Antonio Spurs, which is sort of a revenge match since they have already lost to them twice this season.

LeBron was huge in those 2 games, scoring 32 and 35 points respectively. He should be one of the first players on your team today.

SF 2 - Jimmy Butler (Philadelphia 76ers):

Jimmy Butler seems to have a real bad boy reputation since his tantrums at the Timberwolves forced a trade through to the Philadelphia 76ers. He tried a lot and had finally gotten his wish, to play in a playoff-contending team with stars having the same mentality as him.

The 76ers have done really well with the addition of Butler to their roster. They're 17-8 for the season and on an 8-2 run. They won their last game against the Memphis Grizzlies, 103-95 and are on a 4-game winning streak.

In this time with the Sixers, Butler has already established himself as the clutch player for the 76ers, draining two last-second 3 pointers to get the win over the Charlotte Hornets and the Brooklyn Nets. In his season with 76ers, he has averaged 18 points per game along with almost 5 assists per game.

Butler is still an elite defender and is averaging an amazing 2 steals per game. In the match against the Grizzlies, he scored 21 points and chipped in with some secondary stats as well. He looks poised to perform against a strong Raptors team and should be picked in your DFS team for today.

PF 1 - Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks):

As we read in one of the previous slides, The Milwaukee Bucks have adopted and quickly adapted to the new system put into place by their new head coach, Mike Budenholzer. They have almost placed for shooters around Giannis and made him the crown jewel of this Bucks team.

Even Brook Lopez, the starting centre for Bucks, has almost shot as many threes as Klay Thompson. This system has directly translated into the second place for the Bucks this season, with the record of 15-7. While everyone is to be given their due credit for this, nobody could have seen it happen without the freak of nature Antetokounmpo is.

The past five games, the Bucks have actually had some really poor results. They have lost three games, two of them to struggling teams in the New York Knicks and the Phoenix Suns. These might hurt them later when they make a push for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Giannis though has done everything in his power to push the Bucks forward. He has averaged almost 32 points per game in the last five, pulling down an amazing 14 rebounds per game and dishing out 7 assists per game too.

He seems to have taken another leap this season, shooting more efficiently, pulling down more rebounds and playmaking more. He is one of the first locks on your daily team along with LeBron James for today.

PF 2 - John Collins (Atlanta Hawks):

The Atlanta Hawks are bad. They have just drafted a great point guard in Trae Young, who started really hot but seems to have slowed down as the season progressed, which is expected from a rookie. He still manages to score in the double digits a lot and is an elite playmaker already.

Injury to their sophomore star, John Collins, had been a big blow. Everyone knew the Hawks were going to be bad this season, but Collins has a diamond in the rough. After a rookie season where he flashed his two-way potential, Collins was expected to burst through into the limelight when the season started. Now he has returned from his injury and shows no signs of discomfort.

Since his return, Collins has wasted no time in becoming relevant both for the Hawks as well as for teams who want to pick him up for their fantasy rosters. Collins has averaged at least 16 points per game since his return this season and pulled down at least 7 boards per game.

In his last three games, he has averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds. He is also a great defender and always gets you either a block or a steal each game. He will be a great value buy and should be taken to balance out your team today.

C 1 - Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans):

You cannot miss the Brow. Each time the New Orleans Pelicans take the floor, Anthony Davis takes centre stage. He is a huge threat to any team whenever the Pelicans play. The New Orleans Pelicans have been on a losing streak for now, on a 4-6 run and only at a 12-13 record. They have a tough matchup against the Dallas Mavericks tomorrow but if there is one player you can count on to show up night in and night out, its going to be Anthony Davis.

With ample support from Jrue Holiday and Julius Randle of late, Davis and Pelicans have still been struggling this season, due to a lack of bench strength. They face the Mavericks, who probably have the best bench unit this season.

New Orleans Pelicans have been on a downer, but this man has not

In the last three games, Anthony Davis has averaged 33.3 points per game, with 14 rebounds and 5 assists per game. He is also an elite defender and has averaged at least 2 steals and 3 blocks per game. He has improved his rebounding compared to last season, by pulling down almost 13 boards per game compared to his career average of 11. Look for Davis to push around the Mavericks today and try and break the Pelicans out of their funk.

C 2 - Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies):

The Memphis Grizzlies have been a really good success story this season. They had lost Conley to an injury for almost the whole season last year and Gasol to a lot of niggling injuries as well, forcing them to lose a lot of games. This enabled them to draft Jaren Jackson Jr, at #4 in this year's draft, who has turned out to be a franchise-altering star.

Apart from the return of Conley to the team at a really high level, the return of Marc Gasol to form has been really really good. The Grizzlies have lost two of their last three games, but both were against the Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers, both of which were closely contested games which the Grizzlies could have won. They beat the Brooklyn Nets in a great game 131-125.

Gasol is playing at his All-Star level again

Gasol is having a career year, averaging 18 points per game and more than 9 rebounds too with 4 assists to go as well. He is back to being a great defender after a less than enthusiastic performance last season, averaging almost 2 steals and 1 block per game.

In his last 5 games, Gasol has averaged 21.6 points per game, along with 9 rebounds and 5 assists per game, leading the Memphis Grizzlies to a 13-9 record for the season. He is playing like an All-Star again and you should take a real hard look at drafting him into your daily team.