Tuesday's NBA schedule consists of six games, with the San Antonio Spurs game against the Toronto Raptors being one that's intriguing from a fantasy standpoint. The Spurs are playing on consecutive nights, which makes it even tougher to predict just what head coach Gregg Popovich will do with his rotation. Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili all sat out Monday's blowout win over the Nets in Brooklyn, and of those three Leonard is the player most likely to be selected by FanDuel participants should he be able to play. Leonard's scored 30 points or more in six consecutive games, including a 41-point night Saturday in Cleveland.
Leonard ($10,100) is averaging 40.2 FanDuel points per game this season, a mark he's surpassed in each of his last five outings. In Leonard's last three games he's scored 50 FanDuel points or more, and with Toronto's defensive struggles this sets up as another big night for one of the NBA's best players if the Spurs use him. Also worth considering is the absence of Toronto's DeMar DeRozan, who's been ruled out with an ankle injury. No DeRozan on the court would free Leonard up some defensively, allowing him to be even more active in the steals and blocked shots statistical categories. But given the uncertainty regarding his status, it may be best to avoid picking Leonard tonight.
Here are our FanDuel picks for Tuesday's games, using the rules of a $60,000 salary cap and a nine-player roster. (Getty)
PG: Kyle Lowry, Toronto
Opponent: vs. San Antonio
Price: $8,400
With DeMar DeRozan sidelined with an ankle injury, Lowry will have even more to do offensively against one of the NBA's best teams Tuesday night. But it isn't as if Lowry hasn't been asked to do a great deal in Toronto's offensive attack, and as one of the NBA's best point guards he's certainly equipped to take on the challenge. (Getty)
PG: George Hill, Utah
Opponent: at Denver
Price: $6,300
Hill had a tough night in Utah's two-point loss to Oklahoma City on Monday, scoring nine points on 2-for-10 shooting from the field. But he's been good for most of the season (when healthy), and Hill won't be up against a point guard as good as Russell Westbrook when he and the Jazz face Denver tonight. So look for the veteran point guard to rebound with a solid performance. (Getty)
SG: Bradley Beal, Washington
Opponent: vs. Boston
Price: $6,700
In two games against the Celtics this season, Beal's averaged 19.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest and shooting 41.2 percent from the field. While Beal has surpassed his FanDuel scoring average of 31.1 points per game just three times in his last ten outings, Boston not having starting shooting guard Avery Bradley is a positive for Washington's second-leading scorer. Marcus Smart is also a solid defender, but not having to deal with both Smart and Bradley is something that should work in Beal's favor from a productivity standpoint. (Getty)
SG: Will Barton, Denver
Opponent: vs. Utah
Price: $5,200
Since accounting for 41.8 FanDuel points against the Lakers last Tuesday, Barton's point total decreased in each of the next three games. Part of that has to do with the caliber of opposition, with San Antonio and the Clippers being two of the opponents. But he's active enough offensively to ensure that the slump won't be something that drags on for too long. Barton attempted just two shots in Denver's loss to Minnesota Sunday night, the least he's attempted in a game this season. That shouldn't be the case against Utah, and even with the Jazz being one of the NBA's best defensive teams Barton should be able to post a respectable FanDuel score. (Getty)
SF: Jimmy Butler, Chicago
Opponent: vs. Orlando
Price: $9,600
While Butler has failed to meet his FanDuel average (41.1 ppg) in three of the last five games, Tuesday's matchup with the Magic is a good one for him. Orlando's ranked 19th in the NBA in defensive rating, and in their first meeting of the season Butler finished with 20 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals. Even with Orlando having good size/athleticism at the small forward spot, Butler will still lead the way offensively for the Bulls. (Getty)
SF: Jae Crowder, Boston
Opponent: at Washington
Price: $5,600
Crowder had one of his best games of the month in the last meeting between the Celtics and Wizards, scoring 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field while also grabbing six rebounds. Of course the postgame altercation between he and John Wall was what grabbed most of the attention in the Celtics' 117-108 victory, and that will make for an interesting subplot tonight. Washington already has plans of wearing all black clothing to the arena. (Getty)
PF: David Lee, San Antonio
Opponent: vs. Toronto
Price: $5,100
With Pau Gasol (broken hand) out of the lineup, Lee has scored 27 FanDuel points or more in three straight games. And with Toronto being one of the NBA's worst defensive rebounding teams, Lee could extend that streak to four straight games with rebounds being a factor in his score. Lee accounted for just eight points and four rebounds in the first meeting with the Raptors on January 3, but that was a game in which Lee played just 15 minutes. (Getty)
PF: Taj Gibson, Chicago
Opponent: vs. Orlando
Price: $4,700
After missing last Tuesday's game against Dallas with an ankle injury, Gibson has played in each of the last two games. The productivity has been down, which makes this selection a roll of the dice, but against a team with the size of the Magic Gibson will factor into the Bulls rotation. If Gibson can duplicate his performance in Chicago's win over Orlando in November, as he finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, that would qualify as a very good night given the recent ankle injury. (Getty)
C: DeAndre Jordan, L.A. Clippers
Opponent: at Philadelphia
Price: $8,400
With Philadelphia's Joel Embiid (knee) ruled out, this is a good night to add Jordan to your FanDuel roster. Averaging 34 FanDuel points per game on the season, Jordan has scored at least 34.1 FanDuel points in four of his last five games. The lone exception was his 33.4-point night against the Hawks, a team that had both Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard on the court. With Philadelphia without its best big man, this could be a big night for Jordan even without Chris Paul on the court to throw him alley-oop passes. (Getty)
FanDuel NBA Lineup Picks, Advice & Analysis for January 24