Cash Plays
Shaun Livingston (3,500) – The big news coming into tonight is that the Warriors will be sitting Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala. For a team that was already short without Kevin Durant, this is a bold strategy to be implementing in mid-March against a team that is only 1.5 games back from you in the standings. Nevertheless, this opens up a plethora of value options you can go with in fantasy today, and I think Shaun Livingston can easily get the job done. He should see about as much run time as he can handle and he’s as cheap as you can get, so there is basically no risk. Lock him into cash games and reach up to whatever stars you want elsewhere on the slate.
Bradley Beal ($7,600) – Beal was a cash game shooting guard I targeted last night, and boy did he not disappoint. He single handedly helped me cash with a whopping 58 fantasy points over 43 minutes against the Kings. The game did go to OT, though, so don’t expect Beal to be getting that same kind of court time tonight. However, this game does have the highest combined team total on tonight’s slate (226). This will be a high scoring game and, lucky for us, Beal’s game completely revolves around scoring. After last night’s game many will be looking to get him into their lineups, so his own % should be high. With his price remaining the same I highly recommend you do the same.
LeBron James ($11,600) – There’s just so much value elsewhere on the slate that a fade of LeBron tonight isn’t really plausible. He’s put up at least 58 fantasy points in his last 4 games, 3 of which he put up 60+. Orlando has been giving up close to 50 FP a game to opposing SF over their last 5 games and I think it’s very reasonable to assume King James will keep that streak going for them tonight in Orlando.
David Lee ($4,700) – I think Lee is another guy people will target in the GS/SA game since he has a decently low price and is coming off a great game on Wednesday when Aldridge was out. With Aldridge out again tonight, he should once again see upwards of 30 minutes of action. The Warriors have been awful against power forwards over their last 10 games, giving up an average of 49 FP a game to the position. Lee should be able to exploit their weak spots tonight and is another guy worth considering when you stack this game.
Jusuf Nurkic ($6,800) – Here we are again looking at Nurkic as a cash game center. It’s kind of hard not to, though, given his recent success in Rip City. With the Blazers he’s averaging 16.5 points and close to 10 rebounds a game, while also passing the ball extremely well. He racks up fantasy points in a variety of ways and has really been great over the last 2 weeks. In his last 7 games he is averaging 40 fantasy points, which, in retrospect, came mainly from his game Thursday night in which he put up 77 FP in 38 minutes of action. He gets to matchup against the Wizards tonight, a team that is in the bottom 10 in fantasy points allowed to centers over their last 10 games.
GPP Plays
Ricky Rubio ($7,100) – There is too much value at the point guard position tonight for most to even acknowledge the middle priced guys, so I’m going with Ricky Rubio at $7,100 as a GPP point guard tonight against the Bucks. Milwaukee is 3rd best in the league in fantasy points allowed to point guards, but will rely solely on Matthew Dellavedova to stop him tonight as Malcolm Brogdon is expected to sit. Rubio has now posted 3 straight games of 40+ fantasy points and he should be able to keep his hot streak going tonight at the Harris Bradley Center.
Tyreke Evans ($5,900) – Tyreke started and played incredibly well in San Antonio on Wednesday, but sat last night against the Wizards. He should draw another start tonight at home against the Nuggets, a team the Kings saw in late February and a game that Evans saw 26 minutes in. It looks like Dave Joerger wants to make Evans a key piece moving forward and, if his body can handle it, should play him 30+ minutes. I think Evans is a great GPP shooting guard tonight, but make sure he is getting the start before locking him in.
Danilo Gallinari ($6,600) – Opposite of Evans tonight will be Danilo Gallinari of the Denver Nuggets. Gallinari has posted 8 straight games of at least 27 fantasy points and really has the consistency you look for in a player. Tonight, however, there are so many value options across the board that I think many will be reaching up for King James as one of their small forward options, leaving the other SF pick to be someone priced below Gallinari. However, the fact that he is getting overlooked makes him a great tournament play. Though he has been playing well over his last 8, he has only reached his $6,600 price tag once in that time frame, which will also draw people away from him. The Kings are an awful defensive team, giving up 50+ fantasy points a game to small forwards over their last 10. I don’t see Gallo having any trouble handling them tonight in Sacramento.
Gorgui Dieng ($5,600) – Dieng isn’t generally a guy that strings together a series of good games, but that is exactly what he’s done since the beginning of March. In the 4 games the Wolves have played this month he is averaging close to 27 fantasy points a game. There are some games in which Bjelica comes off the bench and has his shot working, which ends up taking minutes away from Dieng. This adds to his downside, but that is also why he can be an effective GPP play. At under 6k I don’t see too much risk with how he has been playing and he has shown he has 40+ FP upside, so he’s a guy I would consider in tournaments tonight.
Pau Gasol ($5,800) – Pau is under 6k for tonight’s matchup with the Warriors, a game in which just about every player generally worth fantasy consideration will be sitting. Gasol, however, will remain in Popovich’s starting lineup against a Golden State team that does not guard the big man well. Pau’s increase in age and decrease in athleticism has drawn people away from him over the years, but tonight may be a good night to roll with the veteran as he will be one of the guys the Spurs turn to tonight in Oakland.