Cash Plays

Russell Westbrook ($13,400) – Though Harden has a great matchup tonight against Denver I think I’m more likely to fade him and go with Russell Westbrook against the Warriors in cash games. Russell has played very well in the 3 games against Golden State this year, and it’s obvious the Thunder will rely on him heavily to keep them in this game again. He should rack up an insane amount of fantasy points and is the star I’m looking to get in cash games tonight.

Will Barton ($5,800) – With Gallinari and Chandler both out again it will be another night in which Will Barton is heavily owned. He’s coming off a sub-par performance against the same Rockets team he’ll get to face tonight, but his price has also been lowered to accommodate that. It will be yet another high scoring game, so there will be plenty of fantasy points up for grabs. Barton should reach value with ease so make sure to get him into your cash game lineups.

Joe Johnson ($3,900) – I want to wait for the Jazz’s injury report to come out before I make any decisions as to whether or not I want any Utah guys in my lineup, though I think Joe Johnson should end up being a great cash game start. Both Rodney Hood and Derrick Favors are questionable tonight against Indiana and if one or both of them sits Joe Johnson’s usage goes through the roof, much like it has the past couple games. Keep an eye on Favor’s more, though, because if he’s out Johnson will get another start. The Jazz will be facing an Indiana team that have struggled to contain small forwards all season, especially over their last 5 games in which they’ve given up an average of 45.7 FP a game to the position.

Ersan Ilyasova ($4,500) – Paul Millsap has been ruled out with a knee injury for the Hawks matchup with the Hornets tonight. Filling in for Millsap on Saturday Ersan did very well, putting up 34.3 fantasy points in 27 minutes of action. I expect him to get the same kind of usage tonight and he has a great matchup against Charlotte, a team that has given up the 6^th most fantasy points to power forwards this season (45.6) and the 3^rd most over their last 5 games (52.6).

Nikola Vucevic ($8,000) – I think a lot of people are going to think Vucevic is over-priced tonight at 8k, but with a matchup against the 76ers I don’t see how he doesn’t get at least 40 fantasy points considering he’s on the court for about 30 minutes every game. The Sixers have given up the most fantasy points to centers this season and have been absolutely atrocious against the big man in their last 10 games, giving up an average of 63.4 fanduel points a game to the position during that stretch. At $8,000 I personally think Vucevic is under-priced for what he should be able to do tonight and am going to do everything I can to get him into my lineup.

(Note: Vucevic has a “game time decision” stamp next to his name, so make sure he’s active before locking him in. If he sits, I highly recommend starting Bismack Biyombo ($4,300) in cash games).

GPP Plays

Jeff Teague ($6,600) – Jeff Teague’s price is down from what I think it should be at, since I generally consider him to be more of a 7k and up kind of player. He hasn’t been too spectacular of late and he has a matchup tonight against the Jazz, two things that I believe will draw people away from him. However, if Utah is bad at containing a position it’s the point guard. The Jazz have given up 49.3 fantasy points a game to PG’s over their last 5 games, which is good for 10^th worst in the league. With what I expect to be a low ownership I think Teague is a great call in GPP games tonight.

Lou Williams ($5,500) – Williams will get to face the Rockets again tonight for the 2^nd time in 3 days. With two fast paced teams going at it I expected Williams to have a better game than the 19.7 fantasy point effort he turned in on Saturday. However, I think that is if floor tonight and his ceiling is much larger against a bad defensive team like the Nuggets. At $5,500 he only needs about 27 to reach value and I think he has a great shot of doing that tonight at the Toyota Center.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist ($5,100) – Kidd-Gilchrist will be facing the Hawks tonight, one of the worst teams in the league when it comes to guarding the small forward position. They give up just over 45 FP a game to small forwards and he really only needs half of that to reach value tonight. He should be able to fill up the stat sheet so make sure to get him into your GPP lineups.

Ryan Anderson ($4,300) – I don’t necessarily love any power forwards in tournaments tonight, so I’m going to go with a guy that has serious upside and low ownership consistently: Ryan Anderson. He’s ridiculously cheap now that he’s strung together 3 straight bad games, but he also has the upside for 40+, which at this price makes him a great GPP play. His main job is to score, which is great news considering the Nuggets/Rockets game should be a high scoring affair.

Al Horford ($6,600) – It looks like another night where I pick on Washington’s frontcourt because I’m going to go with Al Horford of the Boston Celtics as my GPP center. Washington has continued to be awful against the big man and at $6,600 Horford should easily be able to score 30+ fantasy points and reach value, though he has the potential for even more. The Wizards are giving up close to 60 fantasy points a game to centers and I’m looking forward to watching Horford run all over their defense tonight.

Cash Plays

Ricky Rubio ($7,500) – Ricky Rubio has been absolutely tearing the league up, posting over 30 fantasy points in 14 of his last 15 games. Considering most player’s prices are ridiculously high tonight because of the small slate, I think most will jump all over Rubio’s small price tag. He only needs a little over 35 to reach value and will be facing a Pelicans team that have given up the 3^rd most fantasy points to point guards this season (51.6).

Josh Richardson ($4,100) – With Dion Waiters sidelined tonight I’m going to be looking to target Josh Richardson in cash games. He’s only priced at $4,100 and has proved to us earlier in the year that when given court time he can really produce. I’m probably going to get him in my lineup tonight only because he’s a lock for another 30 minutes, which he should easily be able to score 20 fantasy points in.

Paul George ($8,400) – I like Paul George tonight because he’s seems reasonably priced over the other small forward options above him. He doesn’t have the greatest matchup as he goes up against a tough Raptors squad, but he has been tearing it up lately, posting 40+ fantasy points in 3 of his last 4 games. I think his recent production is enough for people to plug him in tonight and, therefore, he is a viable cash game option.

Anthony Davis ($11,400) – I don’t really love the options at power forward so it may be a spot where I look to reach up tonight, and Anthony Davis has a decent matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Davis hasn’t really reached value over his last few games, though he has scored 48 in his last 2, and I’m not going to get mad at a star play for only getting me 45-50 fantasy points. His minutes will be there and I think he’ll be eager to go up against fellow Kentucky Wildcat Karl-Anthony Towns.

Jusuf Nurkic ($6,300) – Nurkic had one bad game in between his long stretch of consistent fantasy performances. For me, that one bad game doesn’t draw me away from him considering he did have a tough matchup against both DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis. Tonight, though, he gets a much better matchup against the Miami Heat. Though Hassan Whiteside is a big body inside, the Heat actually give up about 48 fantasy points to opposing centers per game, which is in the bottom half of the league. The Blazers are going to need his physicality inside against Whiteside and I think Nurkic should easily be able to score, rebound, and reach value tonight.

GPP Plays

Darren Collison ($5,700) – I like both of the Kings point guards tonight against a Spurs team that has actually been giving up a ton of fantasy points to point guards in their last 5 games (52.7). Between the two, however, I’m going to have to go with Collison because he has shown he has 40+ point fantasy upside on more occasions. The matchup with San Antonio should be enough to draw enough people away from him, making him a great tournament choice tonight.

Buddy Hield ($4,400) – I’m going to keep my GPP picks going with another Kings player in Buddy Hield. Hield has worked himself into Sacramento’s starting lineup and has had some great performances, though he’s also disappointed a few times. Tonight, however, Tyreke Evans is listed as questionable and may not be able to go again, opening the door for Hield to see another 30 minute game. He didn’t do much with it last night against OKC, but I think the story will be different tonight against a Spurs team that gives up 45+ fantasy points to shooting guards a game.

Solomon Hill ($4,100) – Hill went off on Friday for an insane 49.7 fantasy points in 38 minutes of action. This is obviously an outlier from his other performances, but he actually does see that many minutes frequently. I think the same is true for tonight’s matchup with the Timberwolves, and I also think he’ll be eager to prove the game wasn’t a fluke. He won’t reach those same totals tonight, but he should have the confidence to throw up some extra shots. At only $4,100 he’s not that risky of a play, but he brings some serious upside.

Skal Labissiere ($4,200) – Labissiere is another guy priced down around 4k that I’m choosing because of one big game he had last week, a 46.2 fantasy point outing against the Phoenix Suns. The matchup us much tougher tonight against the Spurs, but he is seeing some extra court time and doing a lot with it. Since he provided that huge upside in the game last Tuesday I’m going to give him the nod as my GPP power forward tonight.

Jonas Valanciunas ($5,400) – Valanciunas generally only sees 25 minutes a game, if that. This makes him a slightly risky play in cash games even though you know he can score and rebound. In tournaments, however, he is generally a great play for the same reasons, along with the fact that he’s shown he has 40+ point fantasy upside. He’ll be facing the Pacers tonight, a team that has been giving up an average of 57.7 fantasy points a game to centers over their last 5. Valanciunas should be able to feast.

1. Cash Plays

Jamal Murray ($4,400) – We’ve seen Murray get more minutes over the last 3 games, averaging 25 over his last 3. Though he’s still not starting, his bench production is hard to pass up given his price and his matchup. The Denver/Houston game will be ridiculously high scoring and Murray could reach value based off the points he scores in the game alone, not to mention the other stats he’ll fill the box score with. He only needs 22 to reach value and, given that he’s basically a lock for 25+ minutes now, I don’t see him having any trouble doing that.

James Harden ($11,800) – Tonight the Rockets/Nuggets game has a 240 o/u, which is the highest of the season. Basically, it would be a bad move to fade Harden given that he ‘s a lock for 60+ fantasy points. Denver is giving up the 2^nd most fantasy points to both the point guard and shooting guard positions, along with giving up close to 111 point per game. There will be so many chances for Harden to get points tonight and he should have absolutely no issue getting 60-70 fantasy points and reach value for you cash game lineup.

Joe Johnson ($3,900) – Johnson has been seeing close to 30 minutes a game with Rodney Hood and Derrick Favors sidelined, which will be the case yet again tonight as the Jazz take on the Bulls in Chicago. At $3,900 Johnson is a safe cash game pick against a Chicago team that is in the bottom half of the league in total fantasy points given up to the small forward position (41.7 a game). Make sure to get the veteran into your lineups.

Nikola Jokic ($10,700) – Jokic is another guy that should greatly benefit from the large o/u of the Rockets/Nuggets game. With such a high scoring game there will be plenty of opportunites for Jokic to showcase his skills. Faried is back in the Nuggets rotation, but even last game when he saw some minutes it didn’t take away from the court time Jokic generally sees. He’s a lock for another 30+ minutes tonight against a tough Houston team, though they do struggle defensively, giving up the 4^th most fantasy points (50.1 a game) to opposing centers (I know Jokic is a power forward but he should be starting at center tonight).

Mason Plumlee ($6,000) – Mason Plumlee is going to round out our stack of Denver players in our cash game lineup. For the same reason as his teammates, Plumlee should have no trouble scoring and grabbing boards tonight given how fast paced the game should be. Also, he will be getting plenty of minutes as he switches between the 4 and 5 positions for the Nuggets. As previously noted, the Rockets are awful against centers. At $6,000 he only needs 30 fantasy points to reach value, which the Rockets are basically going to give him with how bad their defense has been.

GPP Plays

George Hill ($6,000) – George Hill is so inconsistent that he’s a GPP play just about every night. The fact that he sees 30+ minutes just about every game and is only $6,000 is what makes him enticing, in my opinion. He only needs 30 to reach value but brings 40+ point fantasy upside anytime he takes the court. With a matchup against a Bulls team that is giving up by far the most fantasy points per game over their last 5 I don’t see him having any trouble reaching value. I strongly recommend considering Hill in GPP games.

Bradley Beal ($8,500) – Beal is extremely over-priced and hasn’t hit value in his last 4 games after an amazing performance against the Kings at Golden 1 Center. He’s still seeing well over 30 minutes a game of late, but just hasn’t been able to do much with it. Because he has been less than spectacular I expect many to pass on him tonight, which is great news considering he’ll be facing a Hornet’s team that is giving up the 4^th most fantasy points to shooting guards over their last 5 games. Beal should actually be able to come close to his price tag tonight and still has the same upside he showcased against the Kings only 5 games ago.

Jimmy Butler ($8,700) – With so much value at the small forward position I don’t expect to many people to be reaching up for a high priced guy, let alone Jimmy Butler who has an awful matchup against a Utah Jazz team that is giving up the least fantasy points to the position. However, at under 9k I still really like Butler due to Wade’s recent season-ending injury, which has put the majority of the scoring load on Jimmy Butler. I don’t really expect his price to be this low for the rest of the season so I recommend taking advantage of the fact that he only needs a little over 40 to reach value.

Blake Griffin ($8,600) – I like Griffin for a lot of the same reasons I like Butler. His price is way down due to lack of recent production and he doesn’t have a good matchup tonight against a Cleveland Cavaliers team that is great at stopping power forwards. However, at $8,600 I think it’s safe to roll with a guy like Griffin who has serious 60+ fantasy point upside when he can get things going. The Clippers are going to need him to help keep them in the game and I think he’s a great call in tournaments tonight because of that.

Cody Zeller ($5,000) – I’m going to keep picking on the Washington Wizards and go with another center who will be playing against them tonight as my GPP pick, Cody Zeller. Lopez was able to go off for 40+ last night against them, keeping Washington’s bad streak against big men going. They’re usually pretty good at defending the center position, but have been exceptionally bad over their last 5 games, giving up an average of 54.7 a game to the position. For a guy that only needs 25 to reach value I think Zeller bring serious upside against such a lackluster defense and can easily keep Washington’s bad streak going. I would strongly consider Zeller in your GPP lineups.

Cash Plays

Tyler Ulis ($5,400) – Eric Bledsoe has been benched for the remainder of the season, a decision that has opened up a crazy amount of minutes for young Tyler Ulis. The 21-year-old saw 39 minutes against the Kings on Wednesday, putting up 13 points and 13 assists for 38.7 fantasy points. He’s got a great skill set and should have no problem reaching the 25-30 fantasy points he needs tonight. However, given the fact that he is now the main floor general I think he has a chance for an even bigger game tonight, so make sure to get him into your lineups.

Marcus Smart ($6,300) – Isaiah Thomas has already been ruled out for the Celtic’s next 2 games, which includes tonight’s tilt with the Brooklyn Nets. This is great from a fantasy perspective when we consider how well Marcus Smart has played when Boston has needed him to step up this year. Even if the Celtics pull away from Brooklyn, there will still be plenty of minutes for Smart to reach value. Fanduel did raise his price over 6k for the game knowing everyone would probably flock to him, but I still think he will be a heavily owned shooting guard that gets plenty of usage.

Jimmy Butler ($8,700) – Jimmy Butler is yet another pick that’s based on the fact that he’ll have some increased usage tonight. Dwayne Wade has been ruled out for the rest of the regular season and Fanduel wasn’t able to raise Butler’s price (it actually dropped from last game). At under 9k Butler should be extremely owned at the small forward position. He could see upwards of 40 minutes again tonight as the Bulls attempt to figure out how to split time amongst their rotation. He’ll be facing a Washington team that could be without John Wall and that are in the bottom half of the league in total fantasy points given up to small forwards.

Tobias Harris ($5,500) – Harris has now scored at least 20 fantasy points in his last 8 games. For a guy that only needs a little over 25 FP to reach value tonight he is a very safe start. I think most people will be starting him due to his recent production, so he’s also safe in that sense. The Pistons will be going up against a Toronto Raptors squad that have given up the 7^th most fantasy points to opposing power forwards all season. Harris is in a great position to do well against them tonight.

Alan Williams ($5,800) – Both Alan Williams price and fantasy production are staying put, which is great news considering he’s averaging over 30 fantasy points per game in his last 8 contests, with a low of 22.5 and a high of 37.1. His consistency has made him a cash game option for almost 2 weeks straight and that will continue tonight as the Suns will be at home to take on the Orlando Magic. Rather than buying up for a center that doesn’t have that great of a matchup I recommend going for a middle-priced value option like Williams.

GPP Plays

T.J. McConnell ($5,500) – T.J. McConnell is one of my favorite players. I love pass first point guards and that’s exactly what he is. Rather than do too much of one thing he just stuffs the stat sheet, which is what I mainly look for in fantasy players. And he’s the main point guard in Philadelphia, so you know his minutes will be there from game to game. His best games come when he can score 10+ points because you know he’s got a great shot at a double-double with the way he passes. He’ll be facing a Dallas team that is struggling to defend point guards since they gave the starting job to Yogi Ferrell, so I think McConnell is in a great position to do well against them tonight in Philadelphia.

DeMar DeRozan ($9,300) – DeRozan has been less than spectacular lately, posting fewer than 40 fantasy points in each of his last 3 games and not coming anywhere close to value. Mix this with the fact that he’ll be facing a Detroit Pistons team that is tough against shooting guards and you’ve got a star caliber player with low ownership. However, Kyle Lowry is still out and DeRozan is still a star caliber player that is taking most of the shots for the Raptors. He has the potential to go way over his price tag any game and I think tonight is a good time to take a risk on him and see if he can get it done.

Bojan Bogdanovic ($4,100) – Last time Bogdanovic was in our GPP plays he went off for close to 40 fantasy points and was in every tournament’s winning lineup. He generally has a great scoring game every 2 weeks and is in a great position to have one tonight considering it’s been 10+ days since his last explosion. He’ll be facing a Chicago Bulls team that is in the bottom half of the league when it comes to containing the small forward position.

Gorgui Dieng ($5,300) – Considering Dieng’s price is only $5,300 and he averages 30+ minutes a game I think it’s safe to roll with him tonight against the Heat. Thibodeau changes Dieng’s minutes around every game depending on how they want to approach a specific team, but since he saw at least 25 minutes in the last matchup with the Heat I think you should be fine to plug him in and let him go to work against James Johnson, Hassan Whiteside, and the rest of the Miami Heat.

Robin Lopez ($4,500) – I’m not usually a Robin Lopez fan, but his matchup tonight is too good for me not to write about. He’ll be facing the Washington Wizards, a team that is generally pretty good at defending the center position. However, over their last 5 games they are in the bottom 10 in the league in total fantasy points given up to the position a game (52.9). Everyone on the Bulls is going to have to step up slightly with the Wade injury, including Lopez. Given the fact that he generally excels in these kinds of matchups I definitely like him tonight against a recently lackluster Washington defense.