Cash Plays
Emmanuel Mudiay ($3,700) – It’s kind of a toss up for minutes tonight in Nuggets backcourt. I think it’s more likely, though, that they roll with 2nd year Mudiay than the rookie Jamal Murray while they’re still in the middle of a chase for the 8th seed in the west. Mudiay also outplayed Murray on Sunday, posting 35.3 fantasy points in 32 minutes of action. The Nuggets were clearly not afraid to turn to him in that game and I think the same is likely to happen tonight when they face off with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Giannis Antetokounmp ($3,700) – Giannis is fresh off two 60+ point fantasy nights and is looking to continue his hot streak tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder. With Malcolm Brogdon out Antetokounmpo has been running the point even more for the Bucks, and it has paid off for fantasy owners over the last week. Milwaukee has catapulted themselves straight into the 5th seed in the East, and Jason Kidd has given Giannis 40+ minutes each of the last 2 nights to ensure they hold onto their spot in the standings. They had an off-day yesterday, so the Greek Freak is ready to resume is winning ways in OKC tonight.
Jimmy Butler ($10,000) – Butler’s price has finally caught up to him, as he’s priced at $10k on Fanduel. He has posted 42+ fantasy points in each of his last 9 games, though, so his price can definitely be backed up by his recent performance. Everyone will be on him tonight as he matches up with the New York Knicks, a team that has given up the 11th most fantasy points to small forwards this year. Butler should be able to feast on them tonight at Madison Square Garden.
Richaun Holmes ($6,000) – Dario Saric is dealing with left heel soreness and has been put on a 24-minute restriction for the remainder of the season. This is bad news for Saric, but great news for Richaun Holmes, who is already starting at center for the 76ers. Holmes should be an easy lock for 30+ minutes a night, and at $6k I’m definitely going to want to have a lot of exposure to him tonight as he goes up against the Nets at home. Brooklyn has given up the 2nd most fantasy points to opposing power forwards, so Holmes is in a great spot to produce against them tonight at the Wells Fargo Center.
DeMarcus Cousins ($9,600) – Cousins and the Pelicans get a favorable matchup tonight against the Denver Nuggets, a team that has given up the 2nd most fantasy points to opposing centers in their last 5 games (57.5). Cousins should be a popular pick considering he’s a $10k+ kind of guy that’s still underpriced at $9,600. He’s got serious upside and is definitely a guy you’re going to want in cash games tonight.
GPP Plays
Ty Lawson ($5,300) – Lawson is coming off potentially his best game of the year, a 40.9 fantasy point outing against the Timberwolves. Although he still fights Darren Collison for minutes on a nightly basis he is still a solid play at $5,300. Coming off a nice 21 point/11 assist double-double I don’t think the Kings will hesitate to give him more minutes either. He shouldn’t be on anyone’s radar and should make for a great tournament play tonight.
Garrett Temple ($4,000) – Temple missed a good portion of this year with an injury, but has slowly worked his back into the rotation this past month. He’s a scrappy player that gets you fantasy points throughout the stat sheet, making him one of my favorite plays when I do decide to roll with him. The Kings will be taking on a Mavericks team that is very short on players, as they are now fully out of playoff contention and will be resting a lot of their regulars, which is starting tonight. At $4,000 he needs 20 fantasy points to reach value which I think the can easily do at home.
Kawhi Leonard ($9,200) – I haven’t seen too much of Leonard’s name tonight, which leads me to believe he will more than likely fall as more than a GPP pick than a cash game play. He obviously always carries significant upside, but a matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies defense is not necessarily ideal for a fantasy player. However, he still has 60+ point fantasy upside and could easily be the reason why your lineup reaches the top of a tournament.
Willie Cauley-Stein ($6,100) – Cauley-Stein is a little overpriced for cash games, but at right around $6k I don’t mind playing him in tournaments since Sacramento is looking to get him 30+ minutes a night as the regular season wraps up. He consistently hovers around 25 fantasy points every night, but we’ve seen him have upside even towards 50 when he’s taking a lot of shot. As previously mentioned, the Mavericks are very depleted tonight, so he should be able to run all over them at the Golden One Center.
Willie Hernangomez ($5,500) – It’s such a roll of the dice with Willie Hernangomez every night that I usually just pass on him all together. However, he doesn’t have an awful matchup tonight against the Chicago Bulls and he’s due for one of those games where he gets you 40+ fantasy points out of nowhere. He also hovers around 25 frequently though, so even if he doesn’t have a huge game he does offer a nice safety net for a middle-priced center. Because of this, I highly recommend him as a low- owned tournament play tonight.