Cash Plays
Ish Smith ($5,300) – Smith once again gets the nod as our cash game point guard tonight as the Pistons face off with the Bucks in Milwaukee. Ish was a very popular pick last night at over 80% owned. He didn’t disappoint, either, as he put up 37.7 fantasy points in 32 minutes of action. With no increase in his price he will definitely be a popular pick again tonight if Reggie Jackson ends up sitting. Jackson is currently listed as a game time decision, but the Pistons really have no reason to push his knee injury. Keep and eye on the injury report, but if Jackson is indeed out don’t hesitate to lock Smith into your cash game lineups again.
Josh Richardson ($4,700) – Richardson has found his way into my cash game picks regularly over the past few weeks, and he’s been producing during that stretch. He’s posted 5 straight games of at least 20 fantasy points and is coming off a 28.7 fantasy point effort against the same Knicks team he faces tonight. The game on Wednesday was in New York, but the Heat will have home court advantage tonight as they welcome the Knicks to American Airlines Arena. The Knicks have given up the 9th most fantasy points to shooting guards this season, so Richardson is in a great spot to produce tonight as he continues to fill in for the injured Dion Waiters.
Kawhi Leonard ($9,400) – Leonard had a less than spectacular effort on Wednesday against the Warriors, posting 31.9 fantasy points in his 36 minutes of court time. However, Golden State is a great defensive team, especially when it comes to containing small forwards this season. The Thunder, however, are middle-of-the-road at defending small forwards, and that is the exact matchup Kawhi will have tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena. His price dropped back down closer to $9k, and he should be a popular pick tonight as the Spurs go up against a potential playoff opponent. At $9,400 he needs 47 fantasy points to reach value, and I think he has a great shot at doing that tonight in what should be a fast-paced game.
Zach Randolph ($5,600) – Z-Bo has filled in nicely with Mark Gasol out, and he will have a another chance tonight as he should log another 30+ minutes with both Gasol and JaMychal Green sidelined. He’s posted 3 straight games of 28 fantasy points, and that’s exactly what we need from him tonight in order for him to reach value. A matchup with Dallas would generally be less than ideal for a power forward. However, Dallas is in the middle of their worst stretches against big men on the season, giving up 50.6 points a game to the power forward position over their last 5 games. Based off this, there’s no reason Randolph shouldn’t at least reach value against them. He will have another high own %, so he’s definitely a guy to consider tonight in cash games.
DeMarcus Cousins ($9,600) – This could potentially be the most looked forward to revenge game of the year. DeMarcus Cousins and the Pelicans will be welcoming the Sacramento Kings to New Orleans tonight in what should be an interesting matchup. The Pelicans should feed Boogie the ball frequently tonight as he goes up against his old team, and at under $10k this makes him very appealing. Since he left, the Kings have been struggling to contain centers, but have been ridiculously bad over their last 10 games. During that stretch they are giving up 59.1 fantasy points a game to the center position, and Boogie only need 48 to reach value. He should have no problem doing this tonight against a lackluster Kings defense and will be a very popular pick as he will be right in the middle of a highly anticipated revenge game.
GPP Plays
Isaiah Thomas ($8,500) – There’s too much value at the point guard position tonight to reach up for a star player to compliment Westbrook/Harden (whom I think most will reach up for). Because of this, higher-priced point guards like Isaiah Thomas are likely to get overlooked. The Celtics have a fantastic matchup tonight against the Orlando Magic, a team that has given up the 7th most fantasy points to point guards on the season. Thomas and Boston are looking to hold on to the #1 seed, so they still have plenty to play for. Thomas should easily hit 40+ tonight and be a great tournament play as the Celtics roll past the Magic
Buddy Hield ($5,100) – I think so much of the attention for this game will be on DeMarcus Cousins that most will forget Buddy Hield will also be going against his old team. The Pelicans aren’t great at defending shooting guards either, as they’ve given up the 8th most fantasy points to the position this year. Hield needs to score in the mid-20’s to reach value, but he has the potential for so much more. If he has his shot going he’ll definitely carry that 40+ fantasy point upside he showed us just last Friday, and I think he is a great GPP play because of it.
Michael Beasley ($5,200) – Beasley went down with what looked like a gruesome knee injury in late February. It seemed it would be season ending, but he only needed 17 games to recover. Normally, I would not target a guy in his first game coming off an injury. However, Malcolm Brogdon has already been ruled out for tonight, and it seems logical Beasley would crack the starting lineup as Antetokounmpo shifts over to the starting point guard position. His price is basically what it was before his injury, so there’s a bit of risk with him tonight due to the fact we don’t know what kind of production he will have against Detroit. However, it does help that the Pistons have given up the most fantasy points in the league to small forwards over their last 10 games (49.4).
Skal Labissiere ($4,300) – Labissiere did not have a good outing the last time he was in our GPP plays, but he’s essentially been the center of the King’s youth movement and is only $4,300, so I love him in tournaments. He’s coming off a game against Utah where he was actually able to put up 24.4 fantasy points. He reached value in that tough game, and will another tough matchup again tonight as he goes up against Anthony Davis and the Pelicans. New Orleans is actually in the bottom half of the league at stopping opposing power forwards, though, so don’t be afraid to roll with Skal tonight. Also, as I previously mentioned, people will probably have their attention on Bookie in this game, so I think there’s a chance some good plays go unnoticed. Skal is definitely one of those plays and should have a low ownership in tournaments.
Myles Turner ($6,500) – I really like watching this kid play, although he is a little inconsistent. He also draws a matchup against a tough Raptors squad tonight, so I don’t necessarily think anyone is going to be jumping at the thought of having him in their lineups. However, I think he can easily overpower Jonas Valanciunas and the Raptors. His minutes are definitely there at 30+, so it’s just about him staying out of foul trouble. Also, he should continue to see a slight increase in court time as well with Al Jefferson out. He’ll need 30-35 to reach value, which I think he has a really good chance of doing tonight against the Raptors.