Cash Plays
Ty Lawson ($4,600) – Lawson has been settling into his new role, starting the last 3 games for the Kings and posting no less than 26+ fantasy points and 32+ minutes in each of those contests. Tonight, Sacramento faces a Denver defense that has given up the 2nd most fantasy points to opposing points guards all season. The game should see a lot of scoring and not a whole lot of defense, allowing Lawson to have plenty of chances at fantasy points for your lineup. He shouldn’t have a problem scoring 25 FP tonight and reaching value for your team.
Klay Thompson ($7,000) – Klay had a sub-par performance against Chicago on Wednesday, posting only 13.7 fantasy points in 37 minutes of action. However, he came back against the Knicks last night and put up 36.3 FP, once again seeing 37 minutes of run time. His bounce back performance proved he is still a viable option in your cash game lineups as long as Kevin Durant is out. The Warriors will be facing an Atlanta Hawks team that have given up the 11th most fantasy points to shooting guards this season.
Jimmy Butler ($9,100) – Dwayne Wade has been ruled out tonight with a thigh injury. When Wade sits, Jimmy Butler’s usage goes through the roof. The last two games in which Wade didn’t suit up, Jimmy put up 45 fantasy points twice, which I think is his floor tonight against the Pistons. Detroit is pretty good defending the small forward, but being that these two teams are separated in the Eastern Conference by 1 game (the 7th and 8th seeds), it’s safe to say it should be a high intensity game that Jimmy Butler tries to take over.
Aaron Gordon ($5,200) – With Vucevic out last night, Gordon was able to help and pick up some of the slack, putting up 32.7 FP over 35 minutes. He has been settling in nicely as the Magic starting power forward, posting at least 26 fantasy points in 4 of the 5 games since Ibaka left. The down performance (16 fantasy points) did come against the same Knicks team the Magic will square off with tonight. However, I don’t see Gordon having any issues this time around against a New York team that is in the bottom 10 in the league in fantasy points given up to the PF position over their last 10 games.
Bismack Biyombo ($3,500) – I rolled with Biyombo last night in my cash game lineup and he didn’t disappoint, reaching value by the end of the first quarter. Tonight, he will get another spot start as Nikola Vucevic sits out will a sore Achilles. Biyombo will be heavily owned because of his performance last night and is, in my opinion, the must-start of the night. His price didn’t move and he should have absolutely no problem getting at least 20 fantasy points and reach value for your team, though I expect him to get much more.
GPP Plays
Jeff Teague ($7,300) – With a variety of high-priced point guards to reach up for, it appears it’s going to be one of those nights where the middle-priced PG’s don’t get much attention. This bodes well for Jeff Teague, who has only reached value for his $7,300 price tag once in his last 5 games. The Pacers will be squaring off with a Charlotte Hornets team that are middle-of-the-road defending the point this season. The last time Teague faced them he recorded a 16 point and 11 assist double-double. He should be able to once again exploit the Hornets weak spots tonight at the Spectrum Center.
Eric Gordon ($5,000) – I would assume many will pass on Gordon tonight given the fact that he has a matchup with the Spurs in San Antonio. It’s obviously well known the Spurs are a great defense team. However, they have struggled this year against the shooting guard. Against all others position they rank in the top 5 in fantasy points allowed. Against the SG, though, they are in the bottom half of the league, giving up the 12th most points to the position. Gordon has been able to score against them in the 3 meetings this year, averaging 18.3 points per game. The recent acquisition of Lou Williams obviously makes things a little different in the Rocket’s backcourt this go around, but Gordon should be able to reach his price tag and bring serious upside considering his scoring potential.
Danilo Gallinari ($6,600) – Tonight, Gallinari and the Nuggets get to matchup against a Kings team that have given up the 3rd most fantasy points to opposing small forwards over their last 5 games. Nikola Jokic is questionable tonight, and if he ends up sitting, Gallinari’s usage and upside would both see a significant boost. Even if Jokic does play, however, Gallo should see no problem reaching value for your GPP lineup.
Zach Randolph ($6,300) – Randolph is seeing right around 25 minutes a game and doing a lot with it, posting lines of 35.2, 35.6, and 41 fantasy points last week. He gets a great matchup tonight against a Nets team that are allowing the 2nd most fantasy points to opposing power forwards this year. Despite his recent production, his down game 2 nights ago against the Rockets is likely to push people away from him, making him a solid tournament option with a great matchup.
Hassan Whiteside ($8,700) – There’s quite a few big man value options to choose from tonight so I don’t expect Fanduel players to reach up at the center position. Even if they do reach up, though, I don’t expect it to be for Hassan Whiteside. This is good news for him in tournament lineups, as he brings serious 50+ point fantasy upside any night he plays. Lately, he has been relatively consistent, posting 8 double-doubles in his last 9 games. They’ll need him to be on the court tonight as the Heat match up with the physical Tristan Thompson and a tough Cavs team that will have LeBron and Kyrie active. Whiteside could be in for a huge game at Quicken Loans Arena.