Cash Plays
Ricky Rubio ($7,400) – As much as I love Tyler Ulis again in cash games, I will refrain from writing about him for the 3rd time in 4 days. Ricky Rubio, on the other hand, is another cash game pick I like tonight as he goes up against the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that has been giving up 60 fantasy points to point guards over their last 5 games. This is by far the most fantasy points given up to the position over that stretch and Ricky Rubio is in a great position to keep their bad streak going. At $7,400 he needs 35-40 FP to reach value and should definitely be able to do that, making him a very safe cash game play tonight.
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10,300) – Giannis is coming off a great last game in which he put up 62.6 fantasy points over 40 minutes of action against the Sacramento Kings. As bad as the Kings are, Antetokounmpo actually has a better matchup tonight against a team that has been giving up even more fantasy points to the PG/SG position over their 5 games: the Atlanta Hawks. Giannis is in a great position to have another great game and should be fairly owned. I recommend considering him in cash games tonight as he faces off with the Hawks at home.
Thabo Sefolosha ($3,900) – Both Millsap and Kent Bazemore have been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Bucks, so Thabo Sefolosha is expected to get another spot start for the Atlanta Hawks. He’s filled in quite nicely while the two have been out, seeing right around 30 minutes a game and averaging close to 26 fantasy points. Considering he’s priced under 4k, this is great production from a value type player. I’m surprised his price is still so low but will definitely be taking advantage of it tonight. Milwaukee has given up the 4th most fantasy points a game to small forwards this season (43.5), so he’s in a fantastic position to produce tonight for your cash game lineup.
Marquese Chriss ($5,000) – Given his recent production, I have absolutely no idea why Marquese’s price is even close to 5k, let alone right at it. The kid has scored 25+ fantasy points in each of his last 5 games and has a great matchup tonight against the Celtics. Boston has been giving up the 7th most fantasy points to the power forward position over their last 10 games (48.2), and Chriss only needs 25 to reach value tonight. He’s starting and seeing well over 30 minutes a game, so make sure to plug him into your lineups tonight and watch him go to work.
Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,400) – KAT is always one of my favorite guys to reach up for because he’s really never given me a bad fantasy performance. And considering he’s facing the Lakers on Friday night, he’s definitely in a great spot to have another outstanding game. He had a nice 22 point/12 rebound double-double the last time he faced them, and he’ll have the same kinds of opportunities tonight. He should get right around 50 fantasy points as he looks to outscore and outrebound the Lakers frontcourt.
GPP Plays
Dennis Schroder ($7,000) – Schroder and the Hawks will be in Milwaukee tonight to take on the Bucks, a team that has recently been surging and is now only a game behind them in the Eastern Conference standings. Considering this game has playoff implications, I think both teams will come out strong and I expect it to be a physical game. The Hawks will need Schroder to be on his game and run the floor like a true floor general. I think he’ll be up for the task and he should be able to easily reach his price tag while also offering significant 40+ fantasy point upside.
Avery Bradley ($6,500) – I expect most people’s attention to be on a lot of players in the Phoenix/Boston game, though I don’t think Avery Bradley is one of those players. At $6,500 he seems a bit over-priced and I don’t think to many people will target him considering he doesn’t really have the consistency you want from a player. However, as far as tournaments go, he is a great call and brings some nice upside considering he sees minutes in the high 30’s. The Suns are middle-of-the-road when it comes to guarding the SG position, so Bradley should have ample opportunities to expose their weak spots and do well tonight at TD Garden.
Andrew Wiggins ($7,000) – Wiggins is my favorite call in GPP games tonight as he goes up against a weak Lakers defense. Los Angeles has been giving up 53.6 fantasy points a game to opposing small forwards over their last 5 games, which is by far the most over that stretch. In his only game against the Lakers this year Wiggins put up 47 points (career high) and 56.3 fantasy points in 41 minutes of action. Wiggins obviously handles the Lakers well and I think it should be more of the same tonight as he faces off with them at the Staples Center.
Aaron Gordon ($5,200) – Aaron Gordon is easily one of my favorite players in the league, though he’s been a bit rocky over his last few games from a fantasy perspective. Over his last 4 games he’s posted two good games of 26.6 and 29.8 fantasy points, but has also posted some duds, which consisted of 10.1 and 12.8 FP. The latter of those 2 came last game against the Hornets, so I think he is in a position for a bounce back game tonight at home against the Pistons. Detroit is usually pretty good at containing power forwards, though they’ve struggled over their last 5, giving up the 12th most fantasy points to the position in that time (45.2).
Marcin Gortat ($4,900) – Gortat has really been awful lately, posting only 1 game of 30+ fantasy points in the 16 games since the all-star break. However, his price is now under 5k to accommodate his awful play and I think he’s a great call tonight in tournaments with such a low price. He’ll be facing the Nets, who are in the bottom 5 in fantasy points given up to centers this year and a team that he can definitely use to get back on track. He’ll be starting and should see 25-30 minutes, so consider him as a low priced center option that allows you to reach up for stars at other positions.