Cash Plays
Damian Lillard ($9,000) – Lillard has scored 35+ fantasy points in his last 8 games and draws my favorite matchup of the night in the Suns. Phoenix has given up close to 64 FP a game to opposing point guards over their last 10 games and Lillard is in a great position to keep that streak going for them. With his price only up to $9,000 I think he will still be a heavily owned cash game play and is a guy I will be looking to get into my lineups tonight.
James Harden ($11,700) – Harden is the highest price player on tonight’s slate and definitely a guy I am not looking to fade. The last time he met with the Cavaliers was November of 2016, a game in which he put up over 70 fantasy points. That game was in Cleveland, but tonight he gets to matchup with them in Houston. It will be yet another night in which the Rockets rely heavily on Harden to keep them in the game, and I expect him to exceed his price tag of $11,700. He should get over 60 FP, but even if he doesn’t he will be a heavily owned guy that aren’t going to want to pass on tonight.
Maurice Harkless ($4,800) – This man is the definition of consistent. He has posted over 20 fantasy points in 9 of his last 10 games (the one he didn’t was a 19.8 FP effort against Utah). His price has been $4,800 for a while now and he only needs 24 to reach value for your lineup. There is absolutely no reason why he should struggle to do this with the court time he is given while Evan Turner is sidelined. He should see roughly 35 minutes again tonight against a Suns defense that is middle of the road when it comes to defending small forwards.
Kristaps Porzingis ($6,400) – Porzingis and the Knicks will be in Brooklyn tonight to take on the Nets, a team that is last or close to last in the league in fantasy points given up to every position. Against power forwards they are 2nd worst in the league, giving up an average of 48.5 FP per game. Kristaps needs right around 32 to reach value for your lineup, and he shouldn’t have a problem doing that tonight at Barclay’s Center.
Alan Williams ($5,600) – Williams had a “bad” game last night in Dallas, putting up 22.5 fantasy points over 26 minutes. He’s seen a reduction in his court time over the last 3 games, going from 30+ in early March to minutes in the mid-20’s over his last 3 games. Tonight, Portland will be in town and I think Earl Watson will want to utilize Alan Williams’ ability to crash the boards to take chances away from the Trail Blazers rising star in Jusuf Nurkic. These are two guys I have heavily targeted in cash games over the last 2 weeks, but with Nurkic’s price now up over 7k I think Williams is the better option, which we will get to see tonight in Phoenix.
GPP Plays
Patrick Beverley ($5,400) – I love Patrick Beverley because he is a complete all-around point guard. He basically averages 10/5/5 and has had multiple games of 35+ to show upside for his price. He’s a very physical player and the Rockets are going to need to be physical tonight against a Cleveland Cavaliers team that is 1st in the Eastern Conference. He’s playing decently well of late as well, posting 26+ fantasy points in 5 of his last 8 games. He needs right around that number to reach value tonight and I think he is an ideal tournament play at his price.
Allen Crabbe ($3,800) – The Phoenix/Portland game has the highest team total of the night at 235. There are going to be so many fantasy points up for grabs tonight that I don’t really see anyone from this game being a bad play, but as far as who I really like I’m going to go with Allen Crabbe at $3,800. He has posted at least 24 fantasy points in his last 3 games and his price doesn’t reflect his recent production. He’s been seeing right around 30 minutes a game and I think we can expect that from him again tonight. He needs 19 to reach value for your fantasy lineup, but if he has his shot working I see him getting much more.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ($4,300) – I’m going to keep the GPP picks rolling with another value play in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. He hasn’t been particularly good over his last few games, but that definitely means he is due to produce tonight against a New York Knicks team that has been giving up the 2nd most fantasy points to opposing small forwards over their last 5 games. He’s shown he has 30+ fantasy point upside, it just depends on how the Nets want to work him into the offense.
Larry Nance Jr. ($4,200) – I like any big man anytime they get a matchup with the 76ers, and that is the exact position Nance is in tonight. The power forward is priced just above 4k on Fanduel, but if he can put together a good game tonight his price should go up given that he would have a streak of good games going, having just posted 27.6 against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday. If he is given the court time tonight I don’t see him having a trouble scoring 20 FP for your lineup and carrying serious upside for much more.
Ivaca Zubac ($4,000) – I’m going to keep my GPP center pick in LA and go with Ivaca Zubac. If you know anything about the Lakers you know that after Zubac has an okay game they like to give him a little extra run time the next time they take the court, and that is exactly what I think they are going to do tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers. He put up 14 points in 17 minutes the other night against the Suns, a nationally televised game that left many NBA fans wondering who the 19-year-old Croatian player even was. He is still a fairly risky pick tonight given that there is no guarantee Walton gives him increased run time, but I really like his matchup if he is given some court time.