Pirate Galaxy » Byron Maxwell opposite rookie Xav

Weve got a nine-game schedule on tap in the NBA for Friday evening, including a televised ESPN double-header of Houston at Oklahoma City, and Phoenix at the Lakers. Which players should you build around and which players should you fade? Our experts have the answers.Todays panel includes ESPN Fantasys Kyle Soppe, Jim McCormick and Renee Miller.Players to build aroundKyle Soppe -- Victor Oladipo, Oklahoma City ThunderGames with a projected point total in the 220s and a spread under four points are not all that common, but there are two such games on the board today. You should be building all cash game lineups around any players involved. Oladipo is my primary target, as I am buying him as an underrated asset alongside Russell Westbrook. I wish Oladipo would get to the free throw line with more consistency, but for his very reasonable price tag, thats a relatively minor complaint.He has knocked down multiple trifectas in 9 of his last 11 games and has tallied at least eight assists-plus-rebounds in all 11 of those games. Thats a pretty high floor that is raised even higher when you consider that Oladipo ranks in the top 20 in minutes played and double-doubled against this opponent three weeks ago. Hey, I even made it through this entire recommendation and didnt once cite Houston Rockets defense as a reason for my pick.?Jim McCormick -- Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City ThunderThe price is demanding, but the projections for Westbrook tonight realistically hover around 70 fantasy points. The projected point total for this game is 224 points across most books, while the spread is a pick, suggesting a contentious shootout should ensue in Oklahoma City tonight between the Thunder and Rockets. In a climate driven by pace and free-flowing offense, shares of Westbrook in cash games should be cost-effective given his amazing usage consumption.Renee Miller -- DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee BucksThere are two players Im not entering contests without tonight -- and theyre both superstars. There are more affordable second-tier superstars on this slate that includes a face off between James Harden and Russell Westbrook to be sure. but both Cousins and Antetokounmpo are playing out of their respective minds right now. Additionally, both get top-flight matchups in terms of fantasy points allowed by their opponents to their respective positions.Atlanta, despite the red ranking youll see on DraftKings, has given up the second-most fantasy points to point guards, and the most over the last five games. New York was torched by Cousins just a few days ago, and he is by no means the only center to go off against the Knicks front court. Building around these two high-upside, high-floor players allows you a lot of flexibility to go more middle of the road with the rest of your lineup.Players to fadeKyle Soppe -- Kevin Love, Cleveland CavaliersI went with Klay Thompson last night and it worked out, so I will continue to play with fire when it comes to players who are more than capable of short circuiting the scoreboard in short order. Love is a fine player and has seen his scoring spike over the last two weeks, but can he sustain it? The recent uptick has been almost exclusively due to his deep-ball accuracy (50.7-percent from three over his last eight games) and thats dangerous as the Heat are allowing the fewest made 3s per game this season.Miami functions at the fifth-slowest pace, thus limiting the amount of wiggle room Love has tonight if he is going to produce value if his 3-point shooting is anything but elite. The Cavaliers forward had three single-digit rebound efforts in all of November -- a total he already has equaled in December, and a trend that continues to lower his floor. With Hassan Whiteside clearing the boards for Miami, it is difficult to forecast a big night on the glass, and that makes Love a tough sell on a night when there are elite PF options that you can spend up on, or take the value route, such as?Julius Randle or Trevor Ariza.Jim McCormick -- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte HornetsA variant production pattern and a lack of consistent shooting prowess makes MKG far too dependent on rebounding numbers to return value. With the Magic ranked seventh-slowest in the league in pace and with a somewhat sluggish projected point total affixed to this divisional matchup, fading Kidd-Gilchrist simply makes sense.Renee Miller -- Nicolas Batum, Charlotte HornetsBatum has been playing really well of late, and is priced to fit with a couple of stars tonight. That said, Im going cheaper here -- for one, because Orlando is expected to slow the pace a bit (the game has the second-lowest point total) and two, because Orlando has been one of the stingiest teams against opposing shooting guards this season. I also think this could be a great game for Kemba Walker to dominate, which in my mind, caps Batums upside.Gerald Green Jersey . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. Tracy McGrady Jersey . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. https://www.rocketsrookiesshop.com/Trevon-Duval-City-Edition-Jersey/ . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. 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Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks.If Adam Gase was looking for a litmus test for his Miami Dolphins out of the gate, the first-year head coach couldnt have asked for a much more difficult test than traveling to face the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field at 4:05 ET on Sunday.The Pacific Northwest destination is the furthest stop from South Florida on the NFL map, although the Dolphins will surely welcome a forecast that calls for kickoff temperatures in the mid-70s.Of far more concern is the Seahawks vaunted defense, which led the league in points allowed each of the past two seasons. Gase has a history of elevating the play of various quarterbacks, and embattled Ryan Tannehill looked mostly comfortable running the no-huddle offense during the preseason.However, questions remain along the offensive line, in the backfield and with Tannehills ability to be productive in the red zone. Answering all of those in one of the leagues most notoriously loud stadiums in a season opener against a stout defense will be a challenge.The percentages say if you go on the road in the NFL, its hard to win, Gase said. No matter how good you are, wherever youre ranked, it doesnt matter. Every stadium you go into, its tough to play on the road. When you do get a win on the road, its a big win, no matter where its at.Being able to handle adversity, thats the hardest thing to do. When things dont go right, how do you respond?The Dolphins expect to start veteran Arian Foster in the backfield, and his versatility as a receiver will be a bonus. But Seattle also led the league in run defense last season, so the onus will fall on Tannehill to run Gases attack efficiently in the face of a strong pass rush and the Seahawks Legion of Boom secondary.We just have to keep plugging away, Tannehill said. Were on the right track. We just have to keep taking advantage of every day, every practice, pushing ourselves (and) making ourselves get better on the little things. Were in good shape.The Dolphins arent certain if wide receiver DeVante Parker will be able to play due to a hamstring injury, but have a pair of threats in possession receiver Jarvis Landry and deep threat Kenny Stills in combination with tight end Jordan Cameron. Covering tight ends was a particular vulnerability for the Seahawks last season, but Seattle head coach Pete Carroll relies heavily on the veterans he has in charge of the unit.We can recall experiences that have happened, Carroll said Wednesday. I was talking to (cornerback Richard) Sherman about something that happened three years ago this morning, a play. We were talking about something that would apply now.That fluid interaction is really valuable. The clearer they are, the better they can communicate, the faster they can play. Were dedicated to playing fast and committed to keeping our guys at the edge of their ability level, and that communication is hugely valuable. Were as good as we have ever been in that regard and were banking on it.Seattle will bank of veterans on the other side of the ball, too, but more so out of necessity. Gone is power running back Marshawn Lynch, nicknamed Beast Mode. He retired and handed the reins to Thomas Rawls and Co. Gone, too, are three starters from last seasons offensive line. Right tackle Garry Gilliam will be the only lineman from last season to begin the 2016 campaign in the same spot.The offensive line performed surprisingly well during the preseason, but is still considered one of the most vulnerable blocking units in the league. And that vvulnerability can be quickly exposed when facing the likes of Dolphins defensive linemen Ndamukong Suh, Cam Wake and offseason addition Mario Williams.dddddddddddd.Its time to go play and see if we can just play each play, in each series, in each quarter of each game, said Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable, whose unit will feature a converted tight end (Gilliam), a journeyman (JMarcus Webb) or rookie (Rees Odhiambo) at right guard, a former second-round pick starting at his third position in as many seasons (center Justin Britt), a first-year starter (left guard Mark Glowinski) and another journeyman in left tackle (Bradley Sowell) who was an afterthought as an offseason acquisition. Rookie Germain Ifedi was slated to start at right guard until suffering an ankle sprain in practice Wednesday that will reportedly sideline him at least a few weeks.Then go into the next one and continue to grow. I really like where weve started and where were at and all the work in-between. Now can we continue it, thats really the challenge now.The Seahawks 2015 season shifted when offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell moved quarterback Russell Wilson out from under center primarily, allowing him to see the pass rush coming at him and distribute the ball to an array of playmakers.Miami was vulnerable to big plays in the running and passing games last season, with missed assignments and gap-fitting a constant source of frustration. There were still signs of similar issues during the preseason, and Wilsons ability to keep plays alive with his feet puts an enormous amount of pressure on the defense.Russell, he has great feet, Suh said. He can run the ball and be a threat in that respect -- so just be aware of it.I would never be scared of it or anything of that nature, but just be aware of it and cognizant and just go out there and play your game.Rawls is coming off a season-ending ankle injury last season and will play a limited amount of snaps. Veteran Christine Michael will split the duty, with rookies C.J. Prosise and Alex Collins potentially fitting into the mix as well.With the offensive line concerns, however, the Seahawks offense is likely to operate primarily through Wilson. Tight end Jimmy Graham has a chance to play as he returns from knee surgery, but even without him Seattle sports a deep group of experienced receivers including Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and Tyler Lockett.Wilson will take aim at a secondary slated to start former Seahawks cornerback Byron Maxwell opposite rookie Xavien Howard.It adds up to a compelling matchup between the unknown commodity of Gases Dolphins and Carrolls veteran-laden bunch eyeing another Super Bowl run.Its nice to be home, sure, Carroll said. We love to be able to open up against someone here at home and have the 12s ready to go. Like the week leading up to it, we just get that sense of digging in a little bit so thats always nice, but in another year when were on the road and you ask me the same question, Ill say its no big deal.Maxwell shadowing elite receivers, playing in an off-man zone scheme that didnt suite his style, and the 28-year-old struggled.Maxwell, who had 64 tackles, two interceptions and forced two fumbles in the 14 games he played for the Eagles last season, allowed opposing quarterbacks to produce a 100.7 passer rating when they targeted receivers he was defending. ' ' '