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.

Cash Plays

Tyler Ulis ($6,800) – The Brooklyn/Phoenix game has the highest team total tonight and will definitely be a matchup I am looking to target from a DFS perspective. Ulis had 3 straight games of at least 34+ fantasy points before having a rather low scoring night on Tuesday, putting up only 18.6 fantasy points in 42 minutes of action. However, this below average performance doesn’t draw me away from him, as he will be getting a matchup tonight against a Nets team that has given up the 2^nd most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season (52.3). With Ulis getting 90% of the Suns point guard minutes he should easily be able to put up another 30+ fantasy point performance at Barclays Center.

Josh Richardson ($4,600) – In the time Josh Richardson has filled in for the injured Dion Waiters he has been less than spectacular, posting an average of 19.3 fantasy points in those games. However, for a guy priced at $4,600 I’m not going to be mad at that kind of production. He also has huge upside considering he’s going to see another 30+ minutes tonight with Waiters still out. There’s really not a whole lot of options tonight at shooting guard so I’m more than likely going to plug Richardson in against the Raptors and watch him go to work.

Carmelo Anthony ($6,500) – I’m really not a huge Carmelo Anthony fan, but at $6,500 it’s hard to pass on him. I think he will be a cash game pick purely based off of his low price tag tonight, but he also has a great matchup against a Portland Trail Blazers team that gives up the 3^rd most points to the forward positions combined. I think Melo will be a popular pick and you can expect to be seeing him in my cash game lineup tonight.

Patrick Patterson ($3,600) – Patterson is expected to get a start tonight for Serge Ibaka, who is serving a suspension for Tuesday’s fight with Robin Lopez. Patterson will log heavy minutes tonight and get a lot of usage at what is almost a minimum price tag. He should be one of the highest owned guys tonight, though he’ll have his work cut out for him as he goes up against James Johnson and the Miami Heat, a top 5 team when it comes to containing power forwards from a fantasy perspective.

Alan Williams ($5,700) – Williams is a game time decision tonight, though he expects to play. Therefore, I am going to plan on getting him into my lineup tonight against a Nets team that is one of the worst in the league at containing opposing centers. Williams has been one of my favorite centers to roll with over the last month, and I’m looking forward to what he can do against a weak Brooklyn defense. Of course, make sure he’s playing before you lock him in.

If Williams does end up sitting, Alex Len ($5,100) is the next logical cash game center to plug into your lineup.

GPP Plays

J.J. Barea ($4,100) – J.J. Barea and the Mavericks have a matchup tonight against the Clippers in Dallas. Though the Clippers are a fairly decent team at containing point guards (which is mainly because Chris Paul is a great individual defender), I love Barea tonight. He’ll be running the 2^nd unit for the Mavs, as per usual, and that means he’ll log most of his minutes without Paul on the court. This means Los Angeles will be relying more on guys like Austin Rivers to contain Barea, which is a matchup I think he can easily exploit. With his price down around 4k I love him in tournaments and strongly recommend you consider him as well.

Courtney Lee ($4,700) – Courtney Lee has underperformed over the last week, posting less than 20 fantasy points in his last 4 games. However, his price has come down in that time and he’s in a pretty good spot to perform tonight against a Trail Blazer team that gives up 21.5 points per game to shooting guards, along with close to 40 fantasy points on average this season to the position. The game has the 2^nd highest point total for the night (218.5), so targeting a cheap shooting guard from the game is probably a good idea in GPP games.

Maurice Harkless ($3,800) – Evan Turner put up -0.8 fantasy points in 19 minutes of action on Tuesday. Though fantasy production is not always a direct consequence of the game a guy played, posting negative fantasy points is obviously never a good thing. Because of this, I don’t think the Trail Blazers are going to be too eager to give Turner minutes tonight against the Knicks, which is great news for Moe Harkless, who is now priced under 4k on Fanduel. Harkless has been seeing right around 30 minutes even with Turner back from injury, and he’s in a great position to produce tonight against a New York team that has given up the 2^nd most fantasy points to small forwards over their last 10 games (48.7).

Noah Vonleh ($3,800) – Vonleh is another Portland guy I like tonight in tournaments. He has posted 20+ FP in 3 of his last 4 games and is in a great position to do the same against the Knicks. New York has been statistically awful against power forwards this year, giving up an average of 45.5 fantasy points per game to the position. Vonleh is a great GPP punt play and should be able to put up some strong numbers at home tonight.

Jonas Valanciunas ($5,300) – Looking at the slate I personally think Valanciunas is the best GPP center play tonight as he faces the Miami Heat. The Raptors should give him a little extra run considering they’ll need his size and physicality down low against Hassan Whiteside. The matchup should pin Jonas under the rim, which should allow him to grab a few extra boards. Despite having Whiteside down low, the Heat actually give up close to 50 fantasy points a game to opposing centers, so don’t be afraid to plug Valanciunas into your tournament lineups tonight.