Sunday will be a relatively quiet day in the NBA with only four games to choose from and while there will still be plenty of opportunity to make some money in Daily Fantasy Leagues, the margin for error becomes a lot slimmer as well. Here is a look at some important fantasy advice to consider for Sunday’s NBA Daily Fantasy Leagues.
Weak Defense To Target: Phoenix Suns
The Suns have really cooled off with just three wins over their last seven games and they are coming off a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in which they gave up 106 points. Phoenix has allowed an average of 105.2 points per game to ranks tied for 25th in the NBA in scoring defense so far this season, so they could be vulnerable at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday afternoon. Karl-Anthony Towns has been an absolute monster for Minnesota of late, so he’s a clear-cut option in daily fantasy but Kevin Martin, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine are all worth consideration as well.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
Lowry has proven he deserves to be an All-Star with his strong play early on for the Raptors and he has really heated up of late in particular with 24.8 points, 6.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 three-point shots per game over the past week of action. Toronto has won three straight at home including an impressive 97-94 win over the San Antonio Spurs and now they get to host the lowly Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday with Lowry locked in as one of the players you can build your optimal fantasy lineup around.
Injuries & Rest Create Opportunities For… Luis Scola, Gerald Green, Alex Len
The Raptors are without DeMarre Carroll and Lucas Nogueira is dealing with an ankle injury so Luis Scola and Bismack Biyombo will be primed to play big minutes on Sunday against the 76ers with Scola the significantly better fantasy option. Scola has averaged 10.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game over the past seven days and should be in for another strong performance versus Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, Tyler Johnson and Josh McRoberts are both nursing injuries for the Miami Heat and that has opened up the opportunity for Gerald Green to play a bigger role. Green scored 13 points with three rebounds, two steals and a block against the Indiana Pacers on Friday and should produce a similar stat line on Sunday. He’s a strong value bargain play at home against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday given that he’s going to get a boost in minutes.
Finally, Tyson Chandler has continued to have his return date from a hamstring injury pushed back and he could very well miss another game on Sunday against the Timberwolves. Alex Len has been the biggest beneficiary in terms of fantasy production with Chandler out with averages of 15.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.8 blocks per game over the past week of action. The former lottery pick is improving and should be another strong value play for Sunday regardless of whether or not Chandler is in.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: UTA @ OKC
The Oklahoma City Thunder rank second in the NBA behind only the Golden State Warriors in points per game this season with an average of 107.8 per contest with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook both back healthy and playing at an elite level. However, the Thunder haven’t been very good defensively and that is why the Utah Jazz should be able to hang around with them for a bit on Sunday. All four games have the potential to produce some strong fantasy performers but target either Westbrook or Durant from Oklahoma City and don’t be afraid to pair one of them up with a value play from the Jazz like Alec Burks or even Trevor Booker in Sunday’s Daily Fantasy League action.
