Cash Plays

Isaiah Thomas ($8,500) – IT4 and the Celtics will be welcoming the Cavaliers to TD garden tonight for matchup between the 1^st and 2^nd seeds in the Eastern Conference. At this point in the season, there are a lot of teams that don’t have anything to play for. This, however, is not the case for these powerhouse eastern conference teams as they battle for playoff positioning. You know Thomas will score for you, so it’s just about whether he can fill the stat sheet in some of the other areas to reach value. He’s still underpriced (in my opinion) at $8,500, and a matchup with the Cavs should give him some extra motivation at home tonight. Cleveland gives up the 7^th most fantasy points a game to point guards (50.3), so there should be plenty of opportunities for IT to find success against them tonight.

Devin Booker ($8,100) – Devin Booker’s price has not changed and he keeps putting up 20+ shots a game as the season winds down, so as long as those two things stay constant he’s going to keep finding himself into my cash game picks. He has a good matchup tonight against the Golden State Warriors in what should be a high scoring game. Golden State does have a great individual shooting guard defender in Klay Thompson, but as a team they still give up 40 fantasy points a game to the position. I’m not worried about Booker reaching value with the kind of usage he’s been seeing, so he should find his way into my lineup yet again tonight.

LeBron James ($10,700) – James has scored 47+ fantasy points in each of his last 4 games and will be looking to continue his hot streak tonight as he faces the Boston Celtics. This game has serious playoff implications and James should run the show in what should be a close game down the stretch. He’s almost averaging a triple double in 3 games against the Celtics this year (27 points, 11 assists, 9.3 rebounds) and will be looking to burn them again tonight on his way to reaching value.

Marquese Chriss ($5,300) – Chriss has been seeing some huge minutes over the last month and that trend should continue tonight against the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors have a solid defense, but have actually given up the 9^th most fantasy points to power forwards this year. An added bonus is that the Warriors defensive stopped Draymond Green is out tonight for rest purposes, so Chriss should have an easier time reaching value. He’ll need 26 fantasy points to be worth the investment and I think he should easily be able to do this in a high scoring affair.

Clint Capela ($5,500) – Capela has arguably been the most consistent center on Fanduel over the last 2 weeks. He’s posted 22+ fantasy points in each of his last 8 games, and scored 29.6 and 32.8 fantasy points against Denver in the two contests against them in late March. For a guy priced at $5,500 this is amazing consistency/production, and is exactly what you want out of a player in cash games. Denver is a very fast paced team so there will most definitely be opportunities for Capela to get fantasy points tonight at the Toyota Center.

GPP Plays

Chris Paul ($9,500) – Chris Paul has been playing great basketball over his last 3 games, posting an average of 28.3 points and 11.6 assists per game during those contests. He’s also been between 47.8 and 51.1 fantasy points during that stretch, so he’s shown a nice flash of consistency. This consistency, however, is still not enough for me to consider him as a viable cash game pick. He does possess serious GPP upside, though, against an under-staffed Mavericks team. Dallas once again has more players as game-time decisions than it seems like they’ll have dress out, but that is great news for the Clippers who are still chasing the 4^th seed Jazz for home-court advantage in the playoffs. This should be enough for Doc Rivers to leave his starters on the floor for an extended period of time and allow CP3 to reach value for your tournament lineup.

Nicolas Batum ($6,300) – Batum is so underpriced tonight at $6,300 I wouldn’t be surprised if he is a somewhat popular cash game play. He doesn’t seem to find success against good matchups or when he’s on a hot streak, so it’s really hit or miss with him on a nightly basis. But at $6,300 Fanduel is literally saying he only needs his average to reach value for you tonight, which I never see happen for a middle/higher-priced guy like Batum is. On the season he’s averaging 31.92 fantasy points a game, and he only needs 31 to be worth the investment. It’s a possibility he may go overlooked, but Batum is really a great play tonight against the Miami Heat at the Spectrum Center.

Marcus Morris ($5,300) – Another guy I really like in tournaments tonight is Marcus Morris of the Detorit Pistons. He’s another player that seems like he has great games when you least expect it, and a matchup with a good defensive team like the Toronto Raptors seems like a good time to roll with him given this philosophy. At $5,300 he needs 25-30 to reach value, but we’ve seen him hit 40-50 multiple times this year, so he obviousy has serious upside considering his price.

LaMarcus Aldridge ($7,000) – I haven’t seen too much of LaMarcus Aldridge’s name while researching for this slate, so I think he’ll fall more as a GPP play tonight against the Lakers. If this is the case, Aldridge will have an elite matchup with a low-ownership as he gets to take on a Los Angeles defense that has given up the most fantasy points in the league to opposing power forwards all season. He is another guy that seems a bit under-priced at $7k, but that’s just another factor that makes him a great play tonight. Make sure Popovich is playing him before you lock him in, though, because a home game against the Lakers seems like a perfect opportunity to rest a guy like Aldridge heading into playoffs.

Hassan Whiteside ($8.400) – Whiteside has been playing fairly well last week, but did not reach his $8,400 price tag once. This leads me to believe that most will not be overly excited to get him into their lineups and should leave him with a low ownership for this slate. He’ll need 42 to reach value, which he’s only done once in his last 6 contests. However, a matchup with the Charlotte Hornets may be just what he needs, as they’ve given up the 10^th most fantasy points to opposing centers this season (48.4 a game).

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 2^nd year Mudiay than the rookie Jamal Murray while they’re still in the middle of a chase for the 8^th 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 5^th 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 11^th 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 2^nd 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 2^nd 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.

Cash Plays

Jamal Murray ($3,700) – Jameer Nelson has already been ruled out for the Nuggets tonight as they face off with the Miami Heat. At almost a minimum price Murray will be a popular DFS pick as he draws the start and logs heavy minutes for the Nuggets backcourt. He should be able to reach value with ease and offer a nice safety net for your lineup.

Devin Booker ($8,000) – His price is getting up there, but I don’t really think I’ll be able to pass on Booker over these next few weeks given the kind of usage he gets for the Suns. As I mentioned yesterday, he’s throwing up 20+ shots on game lately. I am more than willing to pay up at shooting guard for a guy getting that many shots up with his kind of shooting ability. I think many are likely to feel the same again tonight as he faces the Rockets, making him a nice call in cash games.

Sam Dekker ($3,500) – With both Trevor Ariza and Ryan Anderson out tonight for the Rockets Sam Dekker is expected to get a spot start at small forward. Dekker is a minimum priced guy most people will probably plug into their lineups for cash games, so he’s definitely a good call as he’ll definitely have a decent ownership. He’ll be facing a Suns team that are sending out an inexperienced starting lineup of young kids every night, so he should have plenty of opportunities to get fantasy points tonight against them.

Richaun Holmes ($5,800) – Holmes has been a little up and down as he’s seen some increased run with Okafor out. He’s currently in the middle of one of his better stretches, though, posting 30+ fantasy points in 3 of his last 4 games. He’ll be a popular play tonight with Okafor still out so make sure to consider him at $5,800.

Dwight Howard ($7,600) – Howard’s role as a cash game pick currently depends on whether or not Paul Millsap plays tonight. Millsap is currently a game time decision, though a game against the Nets isn’t necessarily something I would rush him onto the floor for, especially coming off of an injury. Therefore, I think Howard will end up logging another 35+ minutes against one of the worst defenses in the entire league. Make sure Millsap is out before you plug him in, but if he is don’t let Dwight’s price scare you away from what should be a great fantasy performance.

GPP Plays

Emmanuel Mudiay ($3,700) – All of the attention on the Nugget’s backcourt should be on Jamal Murray tonight, but Mudiay is another guy that is expected to see extended minutes when they face the Heat. Mudiay has seen hardly any minutes over the last 2 months, but an injury to Jameer Nelson is going to force him into the rotation tonight. He should be able to reach value if he’s given 20+ minutes, which I think he will, so he should be a great GPP punt play.

Tim Hardaway Jr. ($5,500) – In Hardaway’s last 3 games he’s got a low of 9.1 and a high of 31.5 fantasy points, proving he’s more of a tournament play from night-to-night. Tonight he’ll be going up against the Brooklyn Nets, who have given up the 5th most fantasy points to shooting guards this season. This is a matchup in which I’m definitely going to want to consider Hardaway Jr. as he should easily be able to reach value against them.

Otto Porter ($5,300) – Porter hasn’t done well in his last 2 games, posting 11.4 and 13.8 fantasy points. This should be enough to draw DFS players off of him tonight as he goes up against the Golden State Warriors on the road. With a decrease in price to around $5k and some really good upside he is an elite GPP play that should have a low ownership. The Wizards may have to throw up some extra 3’s in order to stay in the game, and it only seems logical they would give the ball to their best 3 point shooter if that is the case, which just so happens to be the sharp-shooting Porter.

Kennethh Faried ($5,100) – Faried appears to have returned to his “Manimal” type tendencies with a 38.6 fantasy point outing against the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday. He saw 30+ minutes in that game for the first time since January, and his production from Friday is likely going to get him some more court time tonight. He’s super physical and can dominant really any team, so I’m not worried about how good of a matchup he has. For reference, though, he’ll be going up against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena.

Tristan Thompson ($5,000) – I like Tristan Thompson because of his matchup tonight, which is against Myles Turner and the Indiana Pacers at home. The Pacers have been giving up 58.9 fantasy points a game to centers over their last 5 contests, so Thompson is in a great position to hit 25 fantasy points tonight and reach value. He has hit 20+ fantasy points in his last 4 games as well, so he brings some nice fantasy consistency that you always want to see in players. Consider Thompson tonight as a cheaper tournament option at the center position.

Cash Plays

Elfrid Payton ($7,300) – Elfrid Payton and the Magic are the lucky beneficiaries of a matchup with the Brooklyn Nets on tonight’s small 3 game slate. For most of the year, I think it’s safe to say Payton was a boom/bust play on any given night. Lately, however, he’s provided remarkable consistency (24.6 is his lowest fantasy point total in his last 15 games). There is really no reason not to plug Elfrid into your lineups tonight as he goes up against potentially the worst defense in the entire league. The Nets have given up 47.7 fantasy points a game to point guards this season, so Payton will have ample opportunities to produce tonight at Barclays Center.

Devin Booker ($8,000) – Devin Booker’s price has sky-rocketed over the last week with his insane 91.6 fantasy points outing against the Celtics. However, he’s also posted 33+ fantasy points in the 3 games surrounding this contest, so he is providing a bit more consistentcy. With Eric Bledsoe shut down for the season, Booker has seen a crazy amount of usage, and that trend will continue tonight as he faces off with the Trail Blazers. You can basically count on him to throw up 20+ shots, and for a kid shooting 42.3% from the field this year that’s not bad odds. There isn’t a whole lot of options anywhere on this slate, but especially as shooting guard, so I think Booker will be a very popular play tonight when he takes the floor at the Moda Center.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (5,000) – Hollis-Jefferson has been incredibily consistent as of late, posting a low of 27.3 and a high of 32.4 fantasy points over his last 5 games. Priced at only $5k, he doesn’t even need to hit the low end of that in order to reach value, and he’ll be a popular pick in cash games tonight because of it. He’ll be going up against the Magic, a team that has given up the 8^th most fantasy points to small forwards all season. His success should continue at home tonight against them.

Aaron Gordon ($5,400) –A guy that I think will have a crazy high ownership tonight is Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic. He’s coming into tonight’s contest fresh of a 58.7 fantasy point outing against a good Boston Celtics team. It will be the second night of a back-to-back, though that shouldn’t scare you away from Gordon with no price increase and an even better matchup against an awful Nets team. Much like the point guard position, Brooklyn has given up the 2^nd most fantasy points to power forwards all season. Gordon should come out highly motivated after his game last night and be able to dominate their weak frontcourt en route to another great fantasy outing.

Nikola Vucevic ($8,300) – People should have plenty of salary leftover to pay up for Karl-Anthony Towns for today’s slate, but I still like Nikola Vucevic for cash games (I know, I know… another Magic player). Prior to Vucevic’s “bad” game last night (21.4 fantasy points), he had posted 35+ FP in 8 of his last 9. Because of this consistency, he’s the center I think I’m going to want in cash games tonight as he also gets a matchup with that weak Nets defense. Brooklyn is a bit better against centers, only giving up the 5^th most fantasy points in the league to that position. In his one game against them this year, Vucevic was able to put up 48 fantasy points in 31 minutes of action. He has another chance at this kind of success tonight and should easily reach value.

GPP Plays

Kris Dunn ($4,300) – Dunn has been a very intriguing player recently, seeing 30+ minutes in 2 games last week as he’s played alongside Rubio at the shooting guard position. In his last 4 games he has a low of 21.7 and a high of 32.4 fantasy points, which is fantastic production out of a guy priced at only $4,300. His matchup with the Kings is also ideal, as they’ve given up 50+ fantasy points a game to the point guard position over their last 10 contests. His court time seems pretty secure, and if this game turns into a blowout, don’t be surprised if the T-Wolves sit Rubio in the 4^th quarter and give Dunn some extra garbage time minutes.

Ben McLemore ($3,700) – Surprisingly, Ben McLemore has been the primary source of the Kings offense over the past 2 games. He’s put up back-to-back fantasy performances of 26+ and gets a matchup tonight against a Minnesota Timberwolves team that is giving up by far the most fantasy points to the shooting guard position in their last 5 games (52.3). Both Tyreke Evans and Garrett Temple will be sitting for the Kings tonight as well, so it looks like McLemore will have even more opportunities to continue his hot streak at what’s almost a minimum price tag.

Maurice Harkless ($4,000) – Evan Turner returned to the rotation 2 weeks ago, and Harkless has seen a decrease in both minutes and usage ever since. No one really thought twice about it in the DFS community, though, because Harkless had already had a few disappointing performances right before Turner had come back. We hadn’t really seen a glimmer of hope for Moe in weeks until Thursday night against the Rockets. In that game he exploded for 34.2 fantasy points in 32 minutes of court time, both numbers that likely indicate he’s in store for some increased run tonight. He’ll be facing the Suns, a team that has given up the 4^th most fantasy points to the small forward position in their last 5 games (44.9).

Al-Farouq Aminu ($4,800) – For starters, Aminu has been playing well over the last week, which has me debating whether or not that is enough for people to show interest in him. What I do know, however, it that there are a few more appealing options at power forward tonight, which I think others are likely to believe as well. The reason why I like Aminu tonight, though, isn’t because of his recent production, although that does play a minor roll. Phoenix is all in on their youth movement, and they’re giving guys like Marquese Chriss 30+ minutes of court time a night (if he can stay out of foul trouble). This leads me to believe the Suns will likely go small as they attempt to get their young bucks some extra time, which should have Chriss running the stretch center at certain points in the game. This is a perfect opportunity for Portland to match the size at the position by throwing Aminu on the floor, which I think they are likely to do with Nurkic out. The Suns have also given up 56.5 fantasy points a game to opposing power forwards over their last 5 contests, so Aminu is in a great position either way.

Bismack Biyombo ($4,300) – I obviously like Biyombo for the same reasons I like Vucevic tonight, Biyombo is just not a safe cash game play. He has the same matchup with the Nets that I find so appealing for all of the Magic players, but he doesn’t have the guaranteed court time the other guys do. At times, he can exceed 20 minutes of court time, which he’s done in each of his last 2 games. In those contests he’s averaging 26.4 fantasy points, which is well over value considering his price point of $4,300. If he were to have that kind of production again I would say it would be against the Brooklyn Nets, though he’s still a risky tournament play regardless, so use him at your own risk.