Cash Plays

Russell Westbrook ($12,900) – Westbrook is our cash game point guard again tonight as the Thunder head to Dallas to take on the Mavericks. He’s still priced under 13k even coming off of a 66.7 fantasy point peformance last night against the Rockets. Dallas is generally the best in the league at defending the point guard position, but they have recently been a little shaky as they have been giving up 46 fantasy points to the position over their last 10 games. However, Westbrook is fairly matchup proof, so it really doesn’t matter who he plays. Therefore, I will be looking to get Westbrook into my lineup if I have the salary for him and I recommend you do the same.

Buddy Hield ($5,400) – It took him until the 4^th quarter last night, but Buddy Hield had a good game against the Los Angeles Clippers. He posted 28.4 fantasy points in 23 minutes of action, his 4^th straight game of posting at least that many fantasy points. He’s recently been getting more involved in the Kings offense and it should be more of the same tonight against the Grizzlies. Memphis is known for their lockdown shooting guard defender Tony Allen, though they have actually been giving up the 8^th most fantasy points to the SG position in their last 10 games. Hield only needs 25-30 fantasy points to reach value, which he should easily be able to do if he’s given another 30+ minutes of court time.

Kawhi Leonard ($9,100) – Between the 2 high priced small forwards going at each other tonight I think I’m more likely to with Kawhi Leonard. Leonard and the Spurs seem to be LeBron’s kryptonite, which makes sense considering they are the 2^nd best team when it comes to fantasy points given up to opposing small forwards per game. On the other side, Kawhi will be facing a Cleveland team that gives up the 6^th most fantasy points to the position this season. Moral of the story, Leonard is in a much better position to do well tonight when they face off at the AT&T Center. He’s also almost 2k cheaper, so I highly recommend plugging Kawhi into your cash game lineup.

LaMarcus Aldridge ($7,300) – LaMarcus Aldridge has been great recently, posting 6 straight games of least 31 fantasy points since returning from an injury he suffered earlier in the month. The Cleveland/San Antonio game looks like it should be a good one to stack tonight, so I’m definitely going to be looking to get both Aldridge and Kawhi into my lineup. As previously stated, the Cavs struggle against the small forward position. However, they have given up even more fantasy points to the power forward position (47.7) over their last 5 games, which is good for 7^th worst in the league during that stretch. Aldridge only needs around 35 fantasy points to reach value tonight, which he should easily be able to do against another title contender in Cleveland.

Willy Hernangomez ($5,100) – The older of the Hernangomez brothers is coming off a great game in which he psoted 24 points and 13 rebounds in 36 minutes of action, which was good for 44.1 fantasy points. This production was largely due to Carmelo Anthony being out, which it looks like may be the case yet again tonight. In my opinion, the Knicks have no reason to even play Melo, so rushing him back from an injury seems nonsensical. Even if he does play, though, I still love Hernangomez at his price tag. He’s $5,100, which means he only needs around 25 fantasy points to reach value for your lineup. He’ll be going up against a Detroit Pistons team that has been struggling against centers, as they’ve given up 54 points a game to the position over their last 5 games.

GPP Plays

Reggie Jackson ($4,600) – Both the Piston’s point guards are right around the same price, but I like Jackson more in tournaments due to the fact that Ish Smith will more than likely be more popular tonight since he should draw the start. However, the one that gets the start is not always the one who finishes with the most minutes, as Stan Van Gundy generally goes with the hot hand and just keeps whichever one is playing better out on the court for that game. At $4,600 he isn’t too risky and only needs 20-25 points to reach value. He should easily be able to do this against a tanking Knicks team that has recently been struggling to defend the point guard position.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($4,400) – Caldwell-Pope is the definition of inconsistent, and I never know when to roll the dice on him. He generally sees 30+ minutes, but can dud so easily that it makes me never want to play him. His price has come down so much, however, that it’s kind of hard to completely fade him considering he has proven he has 40+ fantasy point upside. He could possibly be a popular pick tonight as he goes up against the Knicks, but his inconsistency draws me away from him in cash games. He only needs 20ish FP to reach value, though, so don’t be afraid to plug him into your GPP lineups.

Joe Johnson ($3,800) – Things are looking good for Joe Johnson tonight as the Jazz get ready to take on the Pelicans in Utah. Derrick Favors is still out and Johnson has been the main beneficiary of making up that court time. Today though, Gordon Hayward was not able to participate in morning shoot-around and is questionable to play. If Hayward does end up sitting Johnson will get a crazy amount of usage at what is almost a minimum price. Keep an eye on the Jazz’s injury report because I think Johnson could end up being a great call tonight in all formats.

Skal Labissiere ($4,700) – Labissiere got into foul trouble early last night as he went up against Blake Griffin down low. He ended up only seeing 19 minutes of action and was only able to put up 8.3 fantasy points. Tonight, he gets a matchup against a good Memphis Grizzlies team, who are generally pretty good at defending opposing power forwards. However, they have scuffling of late and are giving up 44.7 FP a game to the position over their last 10 contests. With Labissiere still priced under 5k I really like him tonight as the Kings continue to try and implement their youth movement.

Jonas Valanciunas ($5,100) – If the Raptors would give Valanciunas some more minutes he would be a really solid fantasy center. Unfortunately, he only sees 20-25 minutes a game a is priced a bit higher than I generally think he is worth. Tonight, though, he’s going up against an Orlando Magic team that gives up a lot of points to centers, specifically over their last 5 games as they’re giving up an average of 60.1 fantasy points in those contests. Priced at $5,100 he only needs 25ish fantasy points to reach value and should be able to do that against a weak Magic front court.

Cash Plays

Russell Westbrook ($12,900) – I don’t love the other options at point guard, so I’d say I’m more likely to spend up for Russell Westbrook tonight. His price has now dipped under 13k, and a matchup with James Harden and the Houston Rockets should have him see a crazy amount of usage. He hasn’t been reaching value due to the fact that the Thunder’s recent games have been blowouts. Oklahoma City will rely on Westbrook to keep this one close, however, so even if there is a blowout, Russ should have no trouble reaching value for your cash game lineup.

Josh Richardson ($4,600) – Richardson has been our cash game shooting guard quite a few times over the past week. In his last game against the Raptors he finally had a performance in which he reached his price tag, putting up 22.9 fantasy points in 35 minutes of action. However, his past performances with Waiters out were still solid, as he put up 20+ fantasy points in the 3 of those 4 games. With Waiters out again tonight Richardson will log heavy minutes. His price is still $4,600 so he only needs a little over 20 to reach value, which he should easily be able to do tonight against Boston.

Paul George ($8,800) – As expected, Jimmy Butler’s price has sky rocketed to 10k, putting him a bit out of range for cash games. The next highest priced SF, however, is Paul George, who draws a fantastic matchup tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers. In my opinion, George’s price actually doesn’t reflect his recent production, as he has scored 40+ fantasy points in 4 of his last 5 games. He should be a high owned guy tonight and is definitely a guy I am looking to work into my cash lineup.

Richaun Holmes ($5,600) – Jahlil Okafor is unlikely to play tonight against Indiana, which once again has me looking at Richaun Holmes as a cash game pick. He’s really been unspectacular in his last couple games, posting fewer than 14 fantasy points in his last 2 contests. However, his price reduction and skill set still has him in my cash game radar if Okafor sits. When Jahlil has sat previously this year Holmes has seen a significant boost in usage, and it should be more of the same tonight against Indiana. Of course, make sure Okafor is out before plugging Holmes into your lineup.

DeAndre Jordan ($7,900) – DeAndre Jordan has been a very consistent play over the last few weeks, consistently posting 30+ fantasy points. He’s beating up the frontcourt of countless NBA teams and gets a chance to do this yet again tonight as he goes up against a weak Sacramento Kings defense. He’s simply overpowering to Willie Cauley-Stein and Kosta Koufos and should be able to feast tonight against them. At under 8k still I really like Jordan tonight and think he should easily be able to put up 35-40 fantasy points out of the center position.

GPP Plays

TJ McConnell ($5,500) – This is definitely a roll of the dice play considering you never really know when McConnell will really have game/passing going on a given night. But, at $5,500 it’s hard to not consider him in tournaments when he has 30+ fantasy point upside, which he’s shown twice in his last 3 games. He’s playing good basketball and I think has a good shot of continuing his hot streak tonight as the Sixers take on the Indiana Pacers. If you’re looking for a reach down, middle-priced point guard as you make your tournament lineup I highly suggest considering McConnell.

J.J. Redick ($4,300) – Redick is a bit streaky at times. But, with his price down around 4k and the fact that he can score 25+ points if he has his shot going I really like him night to night in tournaments. He is the beneficiary of a matchup tonight with the Sacramento Kings, a tanking team that gives up quite a lot of points. Considering there will be a lot of scoring, I don’t mind plugging in potentially the best shooter on the court in J.J. Redick. He’s so low priced that there isn’t a ton of risk, and he carries amazing upside for a guy with his scoring ability.

Jimmy Butler ($10,000) – With both Russell Westbrook and James Harden in play tonight I don’t see many people trying to fit Jimmy Butler into their lineups. He’s now priced at 10k and is just a bit over priced for me in cash games. However, that shouldn’t take him out of GPP play when you consider the fact that he still has to shoulder the scoring load with Wade out for the year. He can easily get you 60+ fantasy points, which he was able to do just last game against the Milwaukee Bucks. If you decide to fade Harden and Westbrook, Butler is the obvious choice to turn to and could make for a sneaky play in tournaments.

Enes Kanter ($6,000) – Kanter just doesn’t see enough minutes to be a cash game play, but he has proven he has the production to still be a GPP pick. Just last game he posted 24 points and 11 rebounds in just 20 minutes of action. This was his 2nd straight double-double and was good for 41.2 fantasy points. Tonight, he gets a matchup with the Houston Rockets, who will already be a bit short with Ryan Anderson out. Kanter should be able to exploit their weak spots in what I expect to be a high intensity game.

Clint Capela ($5,700) – Opposite Enes Kanter and the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight will be Clint Capela of the Houston Rockets. Capela has now strung together 3 straight solid games, all of which he put up at least 29 fantasy points. He consistently flirts with double-doubles and I think has a great shot at another one tonight as he matches up with Steven Adams down low. The high paced game should allow him to see quite a few more alley-oop opportunities as well, so he has potential on both ends of the court tonight. If you’re looking for a tournament center priced under 6k then Capela is your guy.

Cash Plays

Damian Lillard ($9,600) – There’s a smaller slate tonight, so there’s essentially an argument to be made for any player as a cash game play. This is particularly prevalent at the point guard position with multiple stars going. However, my point guard pick for the night is going to be Damian Lillard. Lillard has been on an absolute tear lately, posting at least 40 fantasy points in 7 of his last 8 games. He’ll be facing a Minnesota defense that gives up roughly 47 fantasy points a game to the point guard position, so he’s in a good position to continue his hot streak tonight at home.

Courtney Lee ($4,500) – Personally, I will be reaching down at shooting guard tonight. It doesn’t seem like a position where I need to pay 8k for a guy that may only get me 20 fantasy points, so I’m going to be targeting value plays, and Courtney Lee is first on my list. Both Derrick Rose and Carmelo Anthony are questionable tonight with injuries, and when both of them sat out last game Lee saw 40+ minutes. If one or both of them are out again tonight it should be more of the same for the 31-year-old shooting guard, making him a great call as a cash game play. Even if both of the Knicks stars do play, however, I still like Lee at his price point. A matchup with the Spurs will likely draw people away from him, though it’s important to note that San Antonio actually has trouble guarding the shooting guard position, as they’ve given up the 6^th most fantasy points to the position over their last 10 games. Lee only needs a little over 20 FP to reach value and he should easily be able to do that given all the positive factors he has going for him tonight.

Andrew Wiggins ($7,000) – With LeBron and Melo both game time decisions, along with the fact the Spurs will likely blow the Knicks out with all of their injuries, my cash game pick is going to fall squarely on the shoulders of Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins was in our picks last night as a GPP play, and he didn’t disappoint. He put up 47 fantasy points in 44 minutes of action against the Lakers. His solid game will likely make him a popular pick tonight as he goes up against the Trail Blazers. Portland has been struggling against small forwards, giving up the 8^th most fantasy points to the position over their last 5 games. With his price still down at 7k I think Wiggins is a fantastic play against them as he should easily get you 35 fantasy points.

Noah Vonleh ($3,800) – With another solid performance last night, Noah Vonleh has catapulted himself straight from GPP to cash game consideration. In his last 5 games he’s seeing an average of 28.4 minutes per game to go along with 21.3 fantasy points during that stretch. For a guy almost at minimum price, that’s great production and definitely something I’m going to want exposure to in my cash game lineup. He’ll be going up against the Timberwolves, who are middle-of-the-road when it comes to containing power forwards. Given that he should see another start tonight, I really like him in all formats and suggest you get him into your lineups.

Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,400) – Towns was our cash game center last night, as he put up 51.6 fantasy points in an overtime win against the Lakers. Personally, I love playing his kid because he’s never let me down. He consistently gets you 40+ fantasy points and carries the upside for 60+ on certain nights. That kind of consistency is exactly what you want in cash game picks, and that is why he’s on my cash game radar yet again today. Towns has basically shown he’s matchup-proof, which means he’s really a great pick no matter who he plays. Although, it doesn’t hurt that he’ll be going up against a Portland defense that has been weak at guarding the big man position all year.

GPP Plays

Cory Joseph ($4,800) – Joseph has just been too inconsistent to be a cash game play every night. However, he has shown some spurts of great play, which makes him a great call tonight as a GPP point guard since his price is down under 5k. Unfortunately, Dallas is great at defending the point guard position. However, I just look at this as another reason why he shouldn’t be too owned. He’ll see 30+ minutes again tonight so he really shouldn’t have an issue scoring 20+ FP. If you want to reach down at point guard I think Joseph is your guy.

Seth Curry ($5,300) – I’m going to stick with the Dallas/Toronto game for my GPP shooting guard pick and go with Seth Curry of the Dallas Mavericks. He seems to have bounced back from an awful week by putting up 23 points last night against the Clippers. His price dropped and he’s now closer to 5k than 6k. I think he’s another cheap option in tournaments that allows you to reach up for lesser-owned stars at another position. Toronto is great at defending the shooting guard position, though, so he’ll have his work cut out for him.

Otto Porter ($5,800) – Porter hasn’t been good over the last week, as he hasn’t scored more than 18 fantasy points in his last 3 games. A matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers is also likely to scare people away from him tonight. However, the Cavs actually have a difficult time containing small forwards. They’ve given up the 6^th most fantasy points all year to the position and I actually think Porter is in a great position to do well against them tonight. The Wizards are currently chasing Cleveland in the Eastern Conference standings, so the game should have some good intensity and offer plenty of fantasy points to the sharp-shooting Porter.

Markieff Morris ($6,000) – I’m going to pick on the Cavs again and go with Markieff Morris as my GPP power forward. Cleveland has been absolutely awful against opposing power forwards recently, giving up 53.1 fantasy points a game to the position over their last 5 contests. This is good for 4^th worst in the league over that stretch, and I think Morris is in a fantastic position to keep that bad streak going for them. Given all the factors, it’s kind of hard for me to imagine he doesn’t get 30 fantasy points tonight for your tournament lineup, so I highly recommend plugging him in.

Tristan Thompson ($5,000) – It should be another night in which the Wizards have absolutely no idea how to contain the center they’re facing, which just so happens to be Tristan Thompson. The rebound monster hasn’t been great lately, but the fact that he’s going up against a defense that has given up 53.9 fantasy points a game to opposing centers in their last 10 contests is just too much against them not to go with Thompson tonight. Even if he gets me half of that (right around 27) I’m still going to be happy and he’s still going to have reached value. I think he has some insane upside tonight and is definitely a guy I recommend having a lot of exposure to in tournaments.

Cash Plays

Ricky Rubio ($7,400) – As much as I love Tyler Ulis again in cash games, I will refrain from writing about him for the 3^rd time in 4 days. Ricky Rubio, on the other hand, is another cash game pick I like tonight as he goes up against the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that has been giving up 60 fantasy points to point guards over their last 5 games. This is by far the most fantasy points given up to the position over that stretch and Ricky Rubio is in a great position to keep their bad streak going. At $7,400 he needs 35-40 FP to reach value and should definitely be able to do that, making him a very safe cash game play tonight.

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10,300) – Giannis is coming off a great last game in which he put up 62.6 fantasy points over 40 minutes of action against the Sacramento Kings. As bad as the Kings are, Antetokounmpo actually has a better matchup tonight against a team that has been giving up even more fantasy points to the PG/SG position over their 5 games: the Atlanta Hawks. Giannis is in a great position to have another great game and should be fairly owned. I recommend considering him in cash games tonight as he faces off with the Hawks at home.

Thabo Sefolosha ($3,900) – Both Millsap and Kent Bazemore have been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Bucks, so Thabo Sefolosha is expected to get another spot start for the Atlanta Hawks. He’s filled in quite nicely while the two have been out, seeing right around 30 minutes a game and averaging close to 26 fantasy points. Considering he’s priced under 4k, this is great production from a value type player. I’m surprised his price is still so low but will definitely be taking advantage of it tonight. Milwaukee has given up the 4^th most fantasy points a game to small forwards this season (43.5), so he’s in a fantastic position to produce tonight for your cash game lineup.

Marquese Chriss ($5,000) – Given his recent production, I have absolutely no idea why Marquese’s price is even close to 5k, let alone right at it. The kid has scored 25+ fantasy points in each of his last 5 games and has a great matchup tonight against the Celtics. Boston has been giving up the 7^th most fantasy points to the power forward position over their last 10 games (48.2), and Chriss only needs 25 to reach value tonight. He’s starting and seeing well over 30 minutes a game, so make sure to plug him into your lineups tonight and watch him go to work.

Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,400) – KAT is always one of my favorite guys to reach up for because he’s really never given me a bad fantasy performance. And considering he’s facing the Lakers on Friday night, he’s definitely in a great spot to have another outstanding game. He had a nice 22 point/12 rebound double-double the last time he faced them, and he’ll have the same kinds of opportunities tonight. He should get right around 50 fantasy points as he looks to outscore and outrebound the Lakers frontcourt.

GPP Plays

Dennis Schroder ($7,000) – Schroder and the Hawks will be in Milwaukee tonight to take on the Bucks, a team that has recently been surging and is now only a game behind them in the Eastern Conference standings. Considering this game has playoff implications, I think both teams will come out strong and I expect it to be a physical game. The Hawks will need Schroder to be on his game and run the floor like a true floor general. I think he’ll be up for the task and he should be able to easily reach his price tag while also offering significant 40+ fantasy point upside.

Avery Bradley ($6,500) – I expect most people’s attention to be on a lot of players in the Phoenix/Boston game, though I don’t think Avery Bradley is one of those players. At $6,500 he seems a bit over-priced and I don’t think to many people will target him considering he doesn’t really have the consistency you want from a player. However, as far as tournaments go, he is a great call and brings some nice upside considering he sees minutes in the high 30’s. The Suns are middle-of-the-road when it comes to guarding the SG position, so Bradley should have ample opportunities to expose their weak spots and do well tonight at TD Garden.

Andrew Wiggins ($7,000) – Wiggins is my favorite call in GPP games tonight as he goes up against a weak Lakers defense. Los Angeles has been giving up 53.6 fantasy points a game to opposing small forwards over their last 5 games, which is by far the most over that stretch. In his only game against the Lakers this year Wiggins put up 47 points (career high) and 56.3 fantasy points in 41 minutes of action. Wiggins obviously handles the Lakers well and I think it should be more of the same tonight as he faces off with them at the Staples Center.

Aaron Gordon ($5,200) – Aaron Gordon is easily one of my favorite players in the league, though he’s been a bit rocky over his last few games from a fantasy perspective. Over his last 4 games he’s posted two good games of 26.6 and 29.8 fantasy points, but has also posted some duds, which consisted of 10.1 and 12.8 FP. The latter of those 2 came last game against the Hornets, so I think he is in a position for a bounce back game tonight at home against the Pistons. Detroit is usually pretty good at containing power forwards, though they’ve struggled over their last 5, giving up the 12^th most fantasy points to the position in that time (45.2).

Marcin Gortat ($4,900) – Gortat has really been awful lately, posting only 1 game of 30+ fantasy points in the 16 games since the all-star break. However, his price is now under 5k to accommodate his awful play and I think he’s a great call tonight in tournaments with such a low price. He’ll be facing the Nets, who are in the bottom 5 in fantasy points given up to centers this year and a team that he can definitely use to get back on track. He’ll be starting and should see 25-30 minutes, so consider him as a low priced center option that allows you to reach up for stars at other positions.