Cash Plays

Rajon Rondo ($5,400) – Rondo wasn’t very owned in cash games last night as he exploded for 46 fantasy points over 40 minutes. The game did go to OT, so I obviously don’t expect him to get the same amount of court time against the Pistons tonight. However, he has won his starting job back and his price is still well under 6k. For a guy that should easily get 30+ fantasy points tonight I love him in all formats. He should have high own % because of his great game last night, and he’ll be facing a Detroit team that is in the bottom 10 in the league in fantasy points allowed to point guards this season.

Gary Harris ($6,100) – I really don’t like the shooting guard position tonight as far as cash games go. The only guys really on my radar are Victor Oladipo and Gary Harris, who are both priced at $6,100. However, I’m more than likely going to go with Gary Harris since I’ve had Oladipo dud in my lineup more times than I can even count. Harris and the Nuggets will be going up against Cleveland tonight, a team that is actually bad at containing shooting guards. The Cavs have allowed the 4^th most fantasy points to the position all year and the Nuggets are definitely going to need scoring tonight. Considering that is Harris’s specialty, I don’t see him having trouble getting 30 fantasy points and reaching value for your lineup.

Jimmy Butler ($8,900) – There are a few star-caliber small forwards on the slate tonight, but I personally will probably end up plugging Jimmy Butler into my lineup. He was in our cash game plays last night and exploded for 64 fantasy points. He’s really been playing well since Wade went down with an injury, and I don’t expect to see his price under 9k for the rest of the year. I’ll be taking advantage of this and the fact that he’s facing a Detroit team that has been awful against small forwards over their last 5 games, giving up an average of 49.9 FP to the position. I like a stack of Rondo/Butler in cash games tonight.

Ersan Ilyasova ($4,500) – Paul Millsap has already been ruled for tonight’s tilt with the Wizards, so Ilyasova is expected to get another spot start. After having a great fill-in game on Saturday, Ersan came out Monday with a less than spectacular effort, posting 19.7 fantasy points in 28 minutes of action. He’s expected to get the same kind of run time tonight and he’ll be facing a Washington Wizards team that has given up the 5^th most fantasy points to power forwards this season. I expect him to easily reach value against them.

Dwight Howard ($6,800) – If you’ve been reading these articles you know I love to pick on Washington’s front court. And with Millsap out again that’s exactly what I’m going to do as Dwight Howard and the Atlanta Hawks will be in the state capitol tonight to face the Wizards. Washington has been giving up over 60 fantasy points a game to centers in their last 5 games, and no, that wasn’t a typo. He should be able to absolutely feast tonight on their weak defense and I look forward to watching it happen.

GPP Plays

John Wall ($10,000) – It’s a Russell Westbrook night, which also means it’s a night no one should be buying up to any of the other big name point guards. Hence, I think John Wall is a great call in GPP tonight. The Hawks are particularly bad at containing point guards and have been extremely bad over their last 10 games. In those 10 contests they are giving up an average of 53.8 fantasy points per game, which is good for 2^nd worst over that stretch. Wall should easily be able to keep their bad streak going tonight.

Nicolas Batum ($7,000) – He’s not a head-turner or a highlight real player, but Nic Batum gets the job done 100% of the time. He has also quietly been a great fantasy player, averaging 32.44 fantasy points in the 65 games he’s played in this year. Tonight, the Hornets will be in Orlando to take on the Magic, who haven’t been great against the shooting guard position this year. Expect Batum to get you his usual 30 FP, but also bring huge upside for 40+ as well, which we’ve seen him do multiple times this year.

Robert Covington ($7,400) – Covington has kind of been the man in Philadelphia (along with Saric) since the Sixers decided to make a ton of moves around the trade deadline. He’s consistently getting 30 fantasy points a game and has gotten extremely close to 50 on many occasions. For a guy priced at $7,400 that’s a huge positive in tournament games. The 76ers will be facing OKC tonight, a team that is middle-of-the-road when it comes to stopping small forwards. Covington should do great tonight in what I think may end up being a close game.

Enes Kanter ($5,500) – Kanter is kind of a risky play considering he has only seen 20+ minutes once in his last 5 games. However, that 20+ performance did come in his last game on Monday, in which he put up 27 fantasy points in 25 minutes of action. Coming off his injury, he’s seen a decrease in minutes. However, considering OKC will be facing Philadelphia tonight I don’t think Billy Donovan will tiptoe around his minutes since Kanter will have a matchup he can exploit. He should be able to flirt with 30+ FP off the bench for Oklahoma City tonight.

Myles Turner ($6,200) – Turner is coming off a really solid game against a Utah squad that should have given him fits. Watching him play against them I was really impressed and am eager to see what he can do tonight against a Boston team that should be a much easier matchup. The Celtics are giving up over 50 fantasy points a game to the center position over their last 10 games, which is 11^th worst in the league. Turner should be pretty evenly matched as he goes up against Al Horford tonight, and it should be fun to watch them battle down low. I expect him to get around 30 fantasy points, but he does carry the potential for a little more.

Cash Plays

Tyler Ulis ($6,400) – Ulis has scored at least 34 fantasy points in his last 3 games and is averaging 16.3 points and 10.6 assists in those contests. He’s also filling the stat sheet with steals and rebounds. Moral of the story, he’s playing like an elite point guard but still has his price down around 6k. He’s also getting all the minutes he can possibly handle, seeing 40+ a game since the Suns decided to bench Bledsoe. I will personally be taking advantage of his recent production and I expect many to do the same. He’ll be facing a Heat team that has decent numbers this season when it comes to guarding point guards, though they have been giving up over 48 fantasy points a game to the position in their last 10 contests.

Josh Richardson ($4,600) – Dion Waiters has already been ruled out tonight with an ankle injury. While Richardson has filled in for him he’s been seeing 30+ minutes of court time, and the same should occur tonight as the Heat take on the Suns at AmericanAirlines Arena. At $4,600 he’s definitely a viable cash game option considering his usage, and I expect many to plug him in as one of their shooting guards tonight.

Jimmy Butler ($8,900) – Jimmy Butler has produced 2 straight 45+ fantasy point performances, though he’s still priced under 9k. With the Wade injury Butler has been forced to run even more of the offense, and at only $8,900 I don’t think his price is anywhere near the kind of production he should have tonight against the Raptors. Toronto isn’t awful against the small forward position, but with Jimmy Butler’s usage I fully expect him to drop the 45 fantasy points we need for him to reach value.

James Johnson ($6,400) – I’m not really a fan of the power forward position tonight. Though there are plenty of options, I think I’m going to end up getting James Johnson of the Miami Heat into my lineup again. I gave him a start 2 days ago against the Portland Trail Blazers and he didn’t disappoint, putting up 47.9 fantasy points in 31 minutes of action. Tonight, he’ll be facing another team that is awful at containing the power forward position: the Phoenix Suns. He probably won’t put up the same numbers, but he should be able to hit a little over 30 and reach value for your lineup. He should also have a decent ownership, making him a great call in cash games.

Jusuf Nukic ($6,700) – I’m not entirely sure who I’m going to have as my cash game center yet, so I’m just going to write about one of the most reliable guys in Jusuf Nurkic. The Bosnian Beast has only had one bad performance as a Portland Trail Blazer, which was a 2 point, 8 rebound effort against the Pelicans last week. However, he has turned in 11 performances of 30+ fantasy points since he became a Trail Blazer. He’s extremely consistent and produces at a rate that, in my opinion, should have him priced over 7k. Since he’s not, I have him in my lineup frequently and I am likely to do the same again tonight. He’ll be facing a Milwaukee defense that has been awful at containing centers all season, especially over their last 5 in which they’ve given up 56.2 fantasy points a game to the position.

GPP Plays

 Cory Joseph ($5,000) – Cory Joseph has been producing a little more of late, so he actually may be on people’s radars tonight. However, with so many other options I think he will fall out of cash game consideration into more of a tournament pick, which is great news considering he’s only $5,000 and has a matchup tonight against a weak Chicago team. Point guards have been tearing the Bulls up of late, as Chicago is giving up an average of 55.5 fantasy points a game to PG’s over their last 10. I think it’s possible for Joseph to have a great night tonight and I am going to strongly consider starting him in my GPP line.

Seth Curry ($5,300) – Curry has been awful lately, posting 11 fantasy points or less in 4 of his last 5 games. However, his price has come down a thousand dollars and he’ll get a matchup against his brother tonight in Dallas, so I think it’s one of those games where you should at least consider the younger Curry for excitement purposes. Statistics wise, the Warriors aren’t great at containing shooting guards, so Seth should be able to score a bit tonight at American Airlines Center.

Matt Barnes ($4,200) – Matt Barnes is so unspectacular that I hardly ever see him in anyone’s lineup since he joined the Warriors. However, tonight Andre Iguodala will have to sit due to a strained left hip and its only logical Barnes will be taking up a lot of those minutes. McCaw will probably draw the start, but expect Barnes to see at least 25 minutes of action and be a great play for his small price tag.

Serge Ibaka ($5,700) – I can’t think of a logical reason as to why he would be owned, so tonight I will probably be looking to get Serge Ibaka into my GPP lineups. He’s still seeing the 30 minutes of court time he was getting with the Magic, but just hasn’t been doing too much with it as a member of the Toronto Raptors. He’ll be facing a Bulls team that are in the bottom half of the league over their last 10 games in total fantasy points given up to power forwards. Considering he doesn’t even need 30 to reach value, but also carries 40+ point fantasy potential, I really like him tonight at home.

Pau Gasol ($5,900) – Since moving to the bench Gasol has actually been putting up better numbers and is just playing better overall for Popovich and the Spurs. When he faced off with Minnesota earlier this month he put up 32.1 fantasy points in 30 minutes of action, and I think he has the potential for the same kind of success tonight against them. I’d say out of all the GPP plays he’s actually one of the riskiest considering he’s still a bit pricey for a bench player, so make sure to use him at your own risk. However, I do think he has some solid upside tonight at the Target Center.

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.