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Point Guard
Dion Waiters is going to miss quite a bit of time with an ankle injury and with the Heat in the midst of an intense playoff race, they can’t afford to lose. Goran Dragic should see heavy run down the stretch. He has a very favorable matchup against the Blazers and will be a very popular play.
Ricky Rubio has continued his strong play as of late and he’ll likely keep it going against the Pelicans. The Pelicans have struggled all season long against opposing PGs and Rubio has scored 20-plus points in four straight games. Rubio is the second-best PG option on the slate.
Tyler Johnson is also an option in tournaments. He’s been very inconsistent as of late so he’s a bit hard to trust in cash games. Johnson should see 30 minutes or so against the Blazers and this should be a high-scoring game.
| 3pt | Pts | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | FD | DK | Y! | ||||||||||||
| Player | Tm | H/A | Opp | GP | Mpg | FT% | m/g | /g | /g | /g | /g | /g | /g | FG% | Usage | Pts/g | Pts/g | Pts/g | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Ricky Rubio | MIN | A | NOP | 62 | 32.4 | 87% | 0.8 | 10.2 | 3.9 | 8.9 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 2.5 | 41% | 16.10% | 29.5 | 31.3 | 29.9 | $7,500 | $7,500 | $35 |
| Goran Dragic | MIA | H | POR | 60 | 33.4 | 79% | 1.7 | 20.3 | 3.9 | 6 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 2.9 | 49% | 26.90% | 33.7 | 36.2 | 34.6 | $7,800 | $7,600 | $33 |
Shooting Guard
It’s a very ugly slate today, so it’s likely going to be shorter than usual. I’m not going to recommend a player that I wouldn’t use myself… Josh Richardson… yes another Heat player, is in play tonight but is far from a must-play. He’s $4,600 and even that is a bit steep. He has yet to score double-digit points over the last 10 games.
E’Twaun Moore is one of the least appealing options on a daily basis. However, he’s a good bet to at least hit value. He’s hit value in three straight games and will look to make it four tonight against the Wolves. Moore is not someone you should be targeting, but if you love the rest of the team, he’s not a bad guy to slip in at the end.
Jordan Clarkson has an unfavorable matchup against the Cavs and there’s a good chance this game is over by the third quarter. Either way, Clarkson should still see near 30 minutes and he’s as hot as he’s been all season long. He’s the new starting PG and he has a vice grip on that position, feel free to throw him in at the SG spot.
| 3pt | Pts | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | FD | DK | Y! | ||||||||||||
| Player | Tm | H/A | Opp | GP | Mpg | FT% | m/g | /g | /g | /g | /g | /g | /g | FG% | Usage | Pts/g | Pts/g | Pts/g | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Jordan Clarkson | LAL | H | CLE | 69 | 28.2 | 80% | 1.3 | 14.6 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 2 | 45% | 23.80% | 22.2 | 24 | 22.9 | $5,700 | $5,900 | $18 |
| Tyler Johnson | MIA | H | POR | 60 | 30.1 | 78% | 1.2 | 13.7 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 44% | 20.60% | 26.2 | 27.6 | 26.8 | $5,400 | $5,500 | $17 |
| E'Twaun Moore | NOP | H | MIN | 62 | 25.3 | 76% | 1.1 | 9.8 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 46% | 17.60% | 17.1 | 18.2 | 17.7 | $4,000 | $3,900 | $10 |
| Josh Richardson | MIA | H | POR | 40 | 28.7 | 77% | 1.2 | 9.4 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 38% | 17.30% | 18.9 | 20.3 | 19.5 | $4,100 | $4,600 | $10 |
Small Forward
The Raptors are one of the stingiest teams in the league against SFs so Paul George will likely have a tough time tonight. He’s an easy fade in cash games and some would consider him an easy fade in tournaments. However, I think the case can be made for him considering his ownership should be quite low and the rest of the position is filled with likely blowouts (Kawhi vs. Kings and LeBron vs. Lakers).
Kawhi Leonard would be my top play of the day if the Kings were a better basketball team. Unfortunately, they’re not. It’s typically a bad strategy to try and predict blowouts, but with a star like Kawhi and a team as bad as the Kings, it’s all but guaranteed. He should still be able to score 40-45 fantasy points, but that’s not good enough.
Shabazz Muhammad scored 15 actual points in his last game but somehow only managed to score 18.75 fantasy points. That’s his game. Scoring. If his shot is off, he can kill your lineup, but it’s a risk potentially worth taking for a guy who’s only $4,000.
| 3pt | Pts | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | FD | DK | Y! | ||||||||||||
| Player | Tm | H/A | Opp | GP | Mpg | FT% | m/g | /g | /g | /g | /g | /g | /g | FG% | Usage | Pts/g | Pts/g | Pts/g | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Kawhi Leonard | SAS | H | SAC | 61 | 33.8 | 89% | 2 | 26.3 | 6 | 3.4 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 49% | 31.40% | 41.7 | 44 | 42.7 | $9,900 | $10,000 | $50 |
| Shabazz Muhammad | MIN | A | NOP | 64 | 19.8 | 79% | 0.7 | 9.6 | 2.9 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 48% | 20.50% | 13.8 | 14.6 | 14.1 | $3,700 | $4,000 | $10 |
| Paul George | IND | A | TOR | 61 | 35.4 | 92% | 2.4 | 22.4 | 6.4 | 3.3 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 3 | 45% | 28.50% | 35.6 | 38.6 | 36.8 | $8,400 | $8,800 | $38 |
Power Forward
Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the top studs of the night as he has a favorable matchup against the Pelicans. This game should remain close for the entirety of the game and is arguably as targetable as the Heat and Blazers game. KAT is arguably the top cash play because he hasn’t scored below 40 fantasy points in 10-plus games.
Julius Randle is an interesting spot against the Cavs but as stated previously, the blowout potential is real. He’s more of a tournament play today at $7,000. Give him a long look.
Anthony Davis has really had the Wolves’ number this season. Through two games he’s averaging 67 fantasy points per game. Obviously, DeMarcus Cousins being in the picture changes quite a bit. If DMC misses tonight’s game, Davis becomes the top cash play of the night and it’s not very close.
Larry Nance is coming off one of his best games in quite some time. He only scored 28 fantasy points, but his season has been riddled with injuries. He saw 28 minutes and basically anytime he does that, he’ll at least hit value. Give him a look as a value forward.
| 3pt | Pts | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | FD | DK | Y! | ||||||||||||
| Player | Tm | H/A | Opp | GP | Mpg | FT% | m/g | /g | /g | /g | /g | /g | /g | FG% | Usage | Pts/g | Pts/g | Pts/g | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Anthony Davis | NOP | H | MIN | 65 | 36.1 | 80% | 0.5 | 27.8 | 11.8 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 50% | 32.60% | 49.8 | 51.9 | 50 | $11,400 | $10,800 | $54 |
| Julius Randle | LAL | H | CLE | 61 | 28.8 | 71% | 0.1 | 13 | 8.7 | 3.8 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 48% | 21.60% | 29 | 30.7 | 29.1 | $6,700 | $7,000 | $30 |
| Larry Nance | LAL | H | CLE | 50 | 21.9 | 75% | 0.1 | 6.8 | 5.4 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 55% | 13% | 18.4 | 19.2 | 18.4 | $4,200 | $4,000 | $10 |
Center
Hassan Whiteside is a staple in nearly all of my lineups. He sees a slight usage bump with Waiters out plus he has a decent matchup against the Blazers. Since Nurkic has joined the team, the Blazers defense has picked up against opposing big men. Either way, he’s all but a lock to notch another double-double.
On the other side of the ball, Jusuf Nurkic is in play as a tournament option. The Heat used to be very vulnerable against big men but as of late (last four weeks), they’ve given up the third-least amount of fantasy points to opposing bigs. Nurkic is a decent tournament option, though.
Kosta Koufos has been flying under the radar as of late. The Kings are a dumpster fire and the young players are getting all of the attention. Koufos has hit 5x value or more in seven straight games. He’s not going to score over 30 fantasy points, but at just $3,800, we don’t need that.
| 3pt | Pts | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | FD | DK | Y! | ||||||||||||
| Player | Tm | H/A | Opp | GP | Mpg | FT% | m/g | /g | /g | /g | /g | /g | /g | FG% | Usage | Pts/g | Pts/g | Pts/g | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Hassan Whiteside | MIA | H | POR | 64 | 32.9 | 61% | 0 | 16.7 | 14.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 56% | 22.30% | 38.5 | 40.2 | 38.5 | $8,800 | $8,500 | $37 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | A | NOP | 68 | 36.8 | 82% | 1.2 | 24.4 | 12.3 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 54% | 27.40% | 44.7 | 47.2 | 45.3 | $10,500 | $10,300 | $50 |
| Kosta Koufos | SAC | A | SAS | 68 | 20 | 60% | 0 | 6.6 | 5.8 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 56% | 15.20% | 16 | 16.7 | 16 | $4,500 | $3,800 | $10 |
| Jusuf Nurkic | POR | A | MIA | 45 | 17.9 | 50% | 0 | 8 | 5.8 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 51% | 23.30% | 17.7 | 18.9 | 17.7 | $6,300 | $6,700 | $27 |