DraftKings NBA: Tuesday Cheat Sheet

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Updated on December 8, 2015 7:49AM EST

Team Analysis

Defense to Avoid:
Golden State Warriors vs. Indiana Pacers
The Warriors are uniformly solid across the board on defense, with the possible exception of shooting guard. They are 10th in limiting fantasy points to opposing point guards, eight against small forwards, 13th against centers, 15th against power forwards and 19th against shooting guards. Paul George is good enough to get his against anyone, but the odds say the Warriors will make it more difficult on him than usual, which could be a problem at his lofty price tag.

Offenses to Use:
Utah Jazz at Sacramento Kings
The Kings are uniformly weak across the board on defense, with the possible exception of small forward. The Kings are 25th in limiting fantasy points to opposing point guards, 29th against shooting guards, 12th against small forwards, 21st against power forwards and 22nd against centers. The Jazz have several players stepping up right now with Rudy Gobert out, with Derrick Favors in particular looking like an excellent play.

Teams on Back-to-Backs:
First game: Rockets, Grizzlies, Magic, Jazz
Second game: Trail Blazers

Point Guard
Elfrid Payton, ORL at DEN ($6,400): Payton has been playing strong ball lately, averaging 15.4 points, 7.0 assists, 4.0 boards and 1.6 steals per game over his last five, which translates to 33.9 fantasy points per game. He also has an excellent matchup against a Nuggets defense that allows the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards.

Other suggestions:Mike Conley, MEM vs. OKC ($6,700), Jarrett Jack, BKN vs. HOU ($6,200), Trey Burke, UTA at SAC ($3,900)

Shooting Guard
Will Barton, DEN vs. ORL ($5,900): Barton is averaging 15.0 points, 7.3 boards, 2.2 assists, 2.0 treys and one combined steal and block per game over his last 10, which translates to 29.3 fantasy points per game. He's scored over 30 fantasy points in consecutive games, and with Danilo Gallinari dealing with a sore knee. Barton could be relied upon more against a Magic defense ranked 24th against opposing shooting guards.

Other suggestions:Klay Thompson, GS at IND ($6,400), Rodney Stuckey, IND vs. GS ($4,700)

Small Forward
Gordon Hayward, UTA at SAC ($7,000): The Kings actually aren't bad against small forwards (12th), but Hayward has been in a zone since Rudy Gobert went down with a knee injury. Hayward is averaging 23.3 points, 5.3 boards, 4.3 assists, 3.0 treys and 1.3 steals per game in his last three, scoring between 38 and 40 fantasy points in all three contests, and he is the only small forward on the board under $10,000 that is consistently putting up scores in that range.

Other suggestions:Omri Casspi , SAC vs. UTA ($5,000), Matt Barnes, MEM vs. OKC ($4,400)

Power Forward
Derrick Favors, UTA at SAC ($7,900): Favors was the most obvious beneficiary of Rudy Gobert's injury, and it has translated directly into his fantasy output. He is averaging 23.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.0 combined steals and blocks and 1.7 assists over his last three for an average of 44.6 fantasy points per game. Favors is coming off a 57.4-fantasy-point explosion against the Pacers, and faces a Kings defense that is 21st at defending opposing power forwards.

Other suggestions:Ed Davis, POR at CLE ($5,000), Draymond Green, GS at IND ($8,100), Thaddeus Young, BKN vs. HOU ($7,100)

Center
Nikola Vucevic, ORL at DEN ($7,000): Vucevic has been solid of late, averaging 14.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 combined steals and blocks over his last five games, which is 32.4 fantasy points per contest. He has three games with at least 34 fantasy points in that stretch, including 44.5 against the Timberwolves last week.

Other suggestions:Ian Mahinmi, IND vs. GS ($5,100), Marc Gasol, MEM vs. OKC ($7,300)

Injury Report

Out
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, BRO (ankle)
Andrea Bargnani, BRO (hamstring)
Kyrie Irving, CLE (knee)
Iman Shumpert, CLE (wrist)
Jusuf Nurkic, DEN (knee)
Myles Turner, IND (finger)
Harrison Barnes, GS (ankle)
Brandan Wright, MEM (knee)
C.J. Watson, ORL (calf)
Chris Kaman, POR (ankle)
Willie Cauley-Stein, SAC (finger)
Rudy Gobert, UTA (knee)

Game-Time Decision
Sergey Karasev, BRO (ankle)
Mo Williams, CLE (knee)
Danilo Gallinari, DEN (knee)
Gary Harris, DEN (head)
Monta Ellis, IND (back)
Aaron Gordon, ORL (ankle)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.