After an absolutely action-packed Monday that featured 22 NBA teams in action, the basketball slate for Tuesday is much quieter with only 10 teams set to play. That means less room for error in Daily Fantasy Leagues with the focus once again on finding the perfect balance between superstar plays and strong bargain options. Here is a look at some important fantasy advice to consider for Tuesday’s NBA action.
Weak Defense To Target: Houston Rockets
The Rockets were expected to be an NBA championship contender this season but they are a .500 team through 32 games. They will have a lot of work to do in order to compete with some of the top teams in the Western Conference this season. One area in particular where Houston must be better is at its own end of the floor as the Rockets rank 26th in the NBA in scoring defense with an average of 105.0 points allowed per game. The Rockets are fresh off a contest where they allowed a whopping 110 points to the New Orleans Pelicans. Houston will be in tough against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night, so consider targeting their defense with strong options including Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap and Dennis Schroder as all three have put up strong numbers of late.
Player Who’s Hot Right Now: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
No player has been hotter over the last week than Westbrook. With the Thunder set to host the Milwaukee Bucks, there is every reason to expect another outstanding performance from him. That means it might be smart to build your lineup for Tuesday around one half of Oklahoma City’s dynamic duo. Westbrook has averaged an NBA-best 28.0 points per game over the last week of action along with 8.8 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.3 three-point shots per game, so he is definitely worth the price tag as one of the most explosive players in the NBA. While the Bucks have been known as a strong defensive team in previous years, they aren’t of that caliber this year. They’ve fallen into the middle of the pack, which makes Westbrook a good bet to put up the highest fantasy point total for Tuesday night in the association.
Injuries, Rest Create Opportunities For… Jameer Nelson, Gerald Green
The Denver Nuggets have turned to the veteran Nelson with rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay injured and he has certainly delivered for them. That includes one of his strongest performances of the season on Saturday when he scored 15 points with eight rebounds and five assists in a loss to the Thunder. He has averaged 10.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.4 rebounds as a starter along with 1.3 threes while playing 31.9 minutes per game. Nelson should continue to play big minutes with Mudiay out and that makes him a sneaky strong fantasy option for Tuesday’s Daily Fantasy Leagues when Denver hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat has given Gerald Green every opportunity to make an impact and he has rewarded them with some impressive numbers over the past couple of weeks. Green has averaged 14.4 points, 2.4 three-point shots and 2.0 rebounds per game over the last couple of weeks and he should be a decent option for Tuesday’s slate with the heat set to visit the Memphis Grizzlies.
Highest Scoring Game Of The Night: MIL @ OKC
The Hawks and Rockets should put up a high scoring game as well but we like the Bucks and Thunder to be the highest scoring game of the night with Milwaukee looking to surprise Oklahoma City the way they did the Golden State Warriors a couple of weeks ago. Westbrook and Kevin Durant are two of the most expensive options on the board but Dion Waiters is a decent depth option for the Thunder while Khris Middleton has been absolutely on fire for Milwaukee over the past 14 days and is also definitely worth consideration for Tuesday’s NBA slate.
