Cash Plays
Isaiah Thomas ($9,200) – The Boston/Denver game is probably going to be a game I look to target tonight. The Boston Celtics are 9th in the NBA in total points scored and the Nuggets are 3rd worst in the league in points allowed. This will allow IT4 plenty of opportunities to score tonight in Denver. Thinking back to where Isaiah’s price was earlier in the year, it’s safe to say it has come down a considerable amount and is now at a point where we can consider him a value star option over higher priced guys like Steph Curry and John Wall. I love Thomas tonight and am going to be looking to get him into my cash game lineup.
Bradley Beal ($7,600) – Beal has now scored at least 30 fantasy points in 8 straight and has put up 40+ in 3 of them. Tonight, he get a matchup with the Sacramento Kings, a team that has given up the most fantasy points to shooting guards all season. The last time these 2 teams met, Beal dropped 42.7 fantasy points en route to a 101-95 win in Washington. Tonight’s game is in Sacramento, so the point spread is only 8. This means all of the Washington guys should be able to see their normal amount of run time. I think Beal will be able to continue his dominance against an awful Sacramento defense.
Wilson Chandler ($7,000) – Chandler’s high price point in definitely going to scare some people away from him tonight. However, Faried has already been ruled out and Gallinari and Jokic don’t look like they’re going to be able to suit up. When Jokic is out and Chandler runs the power forward position he sees a 25% usage rate and scores over 1 fantasy point for every minute he’s on the court. Considering he’ll probably see 35+ minutes tonight, it’s safe to roll with him and assume he’ll make value. Make sure to check on the status of the other Denver guys before you lock Chandler in though.
If Jokic does play:
Harrison Barnes ($6,000) – Barnes and the Mavericks are the beneficiaries of a matchup with the Brooklyn Nets tonight. The Nets are last in the league in fantasy points given up to the small forward position this year, allowing an average 47.7 a game. Though I don’t necessarily think Barnes will reach those kinds of numbers, he is in a great matchup and has been playing well of late, posting 9 straight games of at least 20 fantasy points. Though that isn’t much for a player of Barnes’ skill set, it is consistent enough for me to give him a start, especially considering his price point and great matchup against the Nets.
Aaron Gordon ($5,600) – With a rather bland night of power forward options it seems logical most people will look for some type of value option at the position, and I think Gordon is the guy most will turn to yet again. He has put up 30+ fantasy points in 3 of his last 4 and gets a matchup tonight against a Charlotte team that will be without Frank Kaminsky inside. Charlotte has decent numbers guarding the PF this year, but over their last 10 they are 3rd worst in the league in fantasy points given up to the position. With Gordon’s recent production it’s reasonable to assume he could potentially be priced above $6,000 in the upcoming weeks. I think it’s a smart move to take advantage of his still some-what low price tag and good matchup tonight as the Magic head to Charlotte to take on the Hornets.
Cody Zeller ($5,100) – Zeller saw an insane 42 minutes of action in Wednesday’s game against the Heat. With Kaminsky out the Hornets have been looking to Zeller to pick up some of the slack, and I that should continue tonight as they take on the Orlando Magic. He hasn’t done anything special with the increased minutes he’s seen over the last 2 games, but he hasn’t completely disappointed either. He’s put up 4 straight games of at least 20 fantasy points and you only need him to get around 25 to reach value for your lineup tonight. If he’s sees anywhere close to 40 minutes again he should have no problem doing this and should be a popular cash game pick because of it.
GPP Plays
Jamal Murray ($3,700) – Denver came out and said they want to play Jamal Murray more over the last few weeks. Our first look at this new tactic came Wednesday when the Nuggets took on the Wizards in Denver. Murray saw 24 minutes of action and, from what I saw, played very well against a Washington team that is actually pretty good at defending point guards. Murray could soon be a cash game play if he’s given more minutes. But given that he hasn’t proven to be consistent just yet, I think he is more of a GPP pick and definitely makes for a good play tonight against the Celtics in a fast paced game.
Tim Hardaway Jr. ($5,700) – Hardaway Jr. is in the middle of one of his inconsistent runs, but it’s a good one. He’s put up 4 straight games of at least 25 fantasy points and has had 30+ in 3 of them. Previous to this, however, he had 6 straight games of less than 20 fantasy points, making many reluctant to trust him. He gets a matchup tonight against a Raptor squad that are 3rd best in the league in fantasy points given up to shooting guards, so he’ll have his work cut out for him. If he has his shot working, though, he could be the reason you cash in tournaments.
Shabazz Muhammad ($3,700) – Muhammad started at shooting guard for the Timberwolves on Wednesday and put up 23.2 FP across 26 minutes of action. For his price point, he’s a great fantasy option. However, if Brandon Rush starts over him tonight it will definitely draw minutes and production away from Shabazz, so make sure to see if he’s starting before locking him into any of your GPP lineups
Thaddeus Young (($4,900) – Thad Young’s price is down under $5,000 for tonight’s tilt with the Bucks. He has had a tough return from the all-star break, putting up 16 fantasy points or less in 5 of his last 7 games. His last game, however, he played 34 minutes and put up 29.6 FP, looking like the Thaddeus Young we saw earlier this season. You never know what kind of player will show up when you roll with him, making him a risky tournament play. The Bucks are pretty average against the power forward so tonight may be a good night to roll with Young and hope he can carry the same momentum he had last game into Milwaukee for today’s game.
Greg Monroe ($6,300) – Most of the attention for the center position tonight will more than likely not be directed at the middle priced guys, which is great news for Greg Monroe. Thon Maker continues to start over him, but by the end of the game Monroe generally comes away with more minutes. Jason Kidd varies his minutes (could be anywhere between 20-35), so it’s hard to know when to go with Monroe. The Bucks just had an off day and Monroe hasn’t seen 30+ minutes in 3 straight games, so I think he is in a great position to succeed tonight against an Indiana team that is in the bottom 10 in fantasy points given up to opposing centers over their last 5 games.