Just three games remain in the NBA regular season, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference for the first time since LeBron James wore the wine and gold. With nothing left to play for, the remarkably-healthy Cavaliers are giving a rest day to four of their usual starters, with Donovan Mitchell ($9,100), Evan Mobley ($8,900), and Darius Garland ($8,000) all sidelined for tonight’s clash against the Indiana Pacers. Technically, Mitchell is out with an ankle sprain and Garland with a toe injury, but it’s probably more precautionary than anything else.
It’s fairly likely that these two teams will see each other again in the second round of the playoffs, in addition to in the season finale on Sunday, so perhaps Kenny Atkinson doesn’t want to show Rick Carlisle his full menu of strategies just yet. Unsurprisingly, given the injuries, Indiana is a 10-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Jarrett Allen ($6,500) is the lone former All-Star set to suit up tonight for Cleveland, but the better value play is backup point guard Ty Jerome ($4,700). Jerome’s cheap salary means that he rises to must-start status for tonight’s $100K NBA Fadeaway [$20K to 1st] DFS contest.
PG Ty Jerome, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers, $4,700
Jerome’s NBA comeback has been one of the most remarkable stories of the season. In 2023-24, he appeared in just two NBA games on a two-way deal, and the 26-year-old seemed well on his way out of the league. It even took him a while to carve out a more consistent role this season — in the aggregate, he’s played just 19.8 minutes per game and is averaging only 12.4 points per contest — but since January 1, Jerome has been indispensible, averaging 14.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 52.7% from the field, 44.7% from deep, and 85.7% from the free-throw line. He’s ineligible for the Most Improved Player award, because he hasn’t played 20 or more minutes in 65 games, but he would be a contender otherwise. Today will likely mark just his third start of the season, but he’s recorded 39.5 and 36.75 FPTS in the previous two. Off the bench, he’s recorded 15 or more points in four of his last five games.
Overall, Indiana’s defense has allowed an average number of points to opposing point guards. Since January 1, the Pacers have had the league’s 10th-best defense while playing at its ninth-fastest pace, so Jerome should get enough possessions to put together reasonable statistical output. Indiana has excelled at limiting opposing three-point attempts, which is slightly problematic because Jerome has the fifth-highest three-point percentage among 113 players who have played at least 65 games and attempt at least three triples per game, but I back him to get to his spots regardless. Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton ($9,200) grades out relatively poorly as a defender by just about any metric.
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