Normally I tend to focus on the teams where injuries have opened up opportunities for cheaper players, and there are several in Tuesday’s slate. Miami is as volatile as ever, while the Clippers, Cavaliers and Rockets are full of uncertainty after all three had big men go down. Even so, I wanted to take this opportunity to focus on two teams who are finally almost completely healthy.
The Jazz are still without George Hill, and once he returns, it may be impossible to trust anyone on that team for cash games. I love Utah’s depth, but you never know who will put up numbers on any given night, especially if Alec Burks ever gets healthy.
The Nuggets are back to full strength, and while Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Gary Harris and Will Barton have all been good since Harris returned, it is fair to wonder how long that can continue. Both the Jazz and Nuggets make an appearance below because I like their matchups, but the days of riding the one or two healthy wing players from these teams appear to be over, at least temporarily.
Point Guard
Jeff Teague has been great for three consecutive games, with at least 19 points, four rebounds and eight assists in each contest. I don’t entirely trust him, but he does appear to be a different player with Monta Ellis and Rodney Stuckey both out, and Teague is a great value if he keeps playing like this.
The truth is we have no idea how the Clippers will fill Blake Griffin’s minutes, and until we do, trying to play anyone outside of Chris Paul, J.J. Redick and DeAndre Jordan is risky. That being said, Austin Rivers started one of the two games Blake missed this season and considering how well Rivers played last week when Luc Mbah a Moute was out, he will probably get the first crack at joining the starting lineup, with Mbah a Moute moving from the three to the four. Rivers is averaging 16.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a starter, and he is worth considering if he starts Tuesday.
On the one hand, I don’t love Tyler Johnson because I think at least one or two of his cheaper teammates can provide similar production at a more scarce position. On the other hand, Johnson is the cheapest point guard I would feel good about starting, and he is probably safer than anyone on Miami outside of Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside.
Kyrie Irving is averaging 28.0 points and 5.4 assists on two days rest this season. While Kevin Love’s absence won’t necessarily help Kyrie Irving it could, and it almost certainly won’t hurt.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Jeff Teague | IND | A | NYK | 29 | 31.9 | 84% | 0.9 | 15.3 | 4 | 7.1 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 42% | 13.73% | 33 | 34.9 | 33.2 | 33.4 | $7,300 | $6,900 | $5,400 |
| Austin Rivers | LAC | H | DEN | 27 | 23.7 | 64% | 1.3 | 9.1 | 1.8 | 2 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 45% | 9.50% | 15 | 16.2 | 15.1 | 15.7 | $3,900 | $4,400 | $4,100 |
| Tyler Johnson | MIA | H | ORL | 26 | 30.8 | 75% | 1.2 | 12.7 | 4.6 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 41% | 10.40% | 25.3 | 26.8 | 25.6 | 25.9 | $5,300 | $5,200 | $4,750 |
| Kyrie Irving | CLE | A | MIL | 23 | 34.2 | 87% | 2.5 | 23.8 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 48% | 16.94% | 34.2 | 36.8 | 34.4 | 35.5 | $7,500 | $7,400 | $5,800 |
Shooting Guard
In the three games Rudy Gay has missed with his hip injury, Garrett Temple is averaging 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 34.3 minutes. Temple is pretty safe thanks to his minutes and ability to stuff the stat sheet, and he will almost certainly bounce back after a 1-10 effort from the field Sunday.
Josh Richardson hasn’t scored more than 11 points in any game since returning from an ankle injury, but a big game is probably coming sooner than later. Richardson will almost certainly play 30+ minutes for the fourth consecutive game, which gives him a nice floor at a weak position.
I don’t love James Harden’s matchup against the Spurs, but he is averaging 24.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 14.0 assists in two games against them this season. All things being equal I might like Boogie Cousins a little bit better, but I can definitely see the appeal of simply plugging in James Harden rather than messing around with the shooting guard middle class.
If you do go for a cheaper option, Nicolas Batum is interesting. Of the teams playing Tuesday, only Denver has allowed more fantasy points to shooting guards than the Lakers this season.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Garrett Temple | SAC | H | POR | 27 | 23.6 | 89% | 1.3 | 7 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1 | 43% | 7.29% | 15.4 | 16.6 | 15.5 | 16 | $4,300 | $4,700 | $3,300 |
| Josh Richardson | MIA | H | ORL | 18 | 28.6 | 72% | 1.6 | 10.4 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 40% | 8.87% | 18.3 | 19.9 | 18.5 | 19.1 | $4,200 | $4,700 | $3,900 |
| James Harden | HOU | H | SAS | 28 | 36.8 | 84% | 3 | 27.7 | 8 | 11.8 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 5.6 | 44% | 21.18% | 53 | 57.7 | 53.4 | 54.5 | $11,000 | $11,100 | $8,350 |
| Nicolas Batum | CHA | H | LAL | 27 | 34.5 | 79% | 1.8 | 13.7 | 7.5 | 5.4 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 38% | 10.99% | 31.5 | 34 | 31.9 | 32.4 | $7,200 | $7,500 | $5,400 |
Small Forward
If Justise Winslow played another position he might not make this article, but small forward isn’t exactly brimming with attractive options Tuesday. Winslow struggled in his first game back from a strained wrist but has played better in his last two. Winslow is sure to play heavy minutes, especially if Rodney McGruder is out, and he contributes in a lot of different ways even if he isn’t scoring.
Much like Kyrie Irving, LeBron James won’t necessarily put up better numbers with Kevin Love out, but it is possible. Small forward is really ugly at the bottom, so this is as good a spot to spend some money as any.
It feels weird to see the Jazz at almost full strength. I recommended Gordon Hayward against the Warriors two weeks ago, only to see him sit out. Hayward has played at least 32 minutes in all four games since, and the Warriors have been one of the worst teams in the league against opposing small forwards this season.
I think I slightly prefer Danilo Gallinari, but Wilson Chandler is also worth playing against the Clippers. No matter how the rotation shakes out, the Clippers will have some pretty awful matchups on the wing, and I expect both Denver starters to take advantage.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| LeBron James | CLE | A | MIL | 23 | 36.8 | 69% | 1.6 | 25 | 7.6 | 9 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 4 | 52% | 19.62% | 47.5 | 50.7 | 47.9 | 48.3 | $10,400 | $9,600 | $7,600 |
| Justise Winslow | MIA | H | ORL | 12 | 33.8 | 61% | 0.6 | 10.8 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 35% | 9.48% | 23.5 | 24.8 | 23.7 | 23.7 | $4,700 | $5,000 | $4,550 |
| Gordon Hayward | UTA | A | GSW | 21 | 35.5 | 87% | 1.9 | 22.4 | 6.3 | 3.9 | 1 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 44% | 16.80% | 36.5 | 38.8 | 36.8 | 37.4 | $7,900 | $7,700 | $5,700 |
| Wilson Chandler | DEN | A | LAC | 25 | 31.1 | 76% | 1.6 | 17 | 7.1 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 45% | 12.69% | 28.7 | 30.6 | 29.1 | 29.5 | $5,800 | $6,200 | $4,400 |
| Danilo Gallinari | DEN | A | LAC | 25 | 34.6 | 88% | 1.8 | 16.4 | 4.4 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 41% | 10.62% | 25.7 | 27.5 | 25.9 | 26.6 | $5,800 | $5,700 | $4,550 |
Power Forward
Clint Capela is expected to miss at least the next six weeks with a broken fibula, and I bet the Rockets wish they had reached an agreement with Domantas Motiejunas. Montrezl Harrell figures to see a significant uptick in minutes, but he is pretty risky until we see how much playing time he will actually get.
I don’t know that I will ever trust Marreese Speights, but how could I argue if you want to throw him in a GPP lineup, especially on FantasyAces. Speights had six points and five rebounds in 15 minutes in the first game Blake Griffin missed this season, but he had 17 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in the most recent game.
James Johnson the cheapest Heat player mentioned in this article, and he has scored 12 or more points in three of his last four games. If Rodney McGruder is out, Johnson and Luke Babbitt will likely split McGruder’s minutes, which should make Johnson pretty safe.
We have another injury where it is difficult to predict who, if anyone, will benefit. Kevin Love has been ruled out, and while that is probably good news for Tristan Thompson and Channing Frye, we won’t know for sure. Frye hasn’t played more than 27 minutes in any game this season, and that isn’t likely to change, but he is certainly capable of scoring double-digit points with a handful of rebounds.
No team has allowed as many fantasy points to power forwards as the Trail Blazers, and DeMarcus Cousins had 33 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks in his lone game against him this season. With Anthony Davis struggling and James Harden facing the Spurs, you could make a compelling argument Boogie is the top play of the day.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Montrezl Harrell | HOU | H | SAS | 19 | 13.4 | 53% | 0.1 | 6.4 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 63% | 13.25% | 12.1 | 12.7 | 12.3 | 12.1 | $4,000 | $3,300 | $3,500 |
| Marreese Speights | LAC | H | DEN | 28 | 15.5 | 85% | 1 | 9.1 | 5.1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 44% | 13.46% | 17.1 | 18.2 | 17.4 | 17.6 | $4,400 | $4,200 | $3,300 |
| James Johnson | MIA | H | ORL | 24 | 24.3 | 75% | 1 | 10.2 | 4.6 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 49% | 11.89% | 20.2 | 21.8 | 20.4 | 20.6 | $4,600 | $4,200 | $3,800 |
| Channing Frye | CLE | A | MIL | 18 | 17.7 | 94% | 2.2 | 9.6 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 45% | 10.60% | 15.4 | 16.9 | 15.5 | 16.5 | $3,800 | $3,600 | $3,500 |
| DeMarcus Cousins | SAC | H | POR | 26 | 34.5 | 76% | 1.7 | 28.3 | 10.7 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 45% | 21.60% | 48.4 | 51.3 | 49 | 49.3 | $11,200 | $11,200 | $7,900 |
Center
Nene Hilario will split the frontcourt minutes, and my inclination is to play whoever gets the start between him and Montrezl Harrell, even though that player is not guaranteed to play or produce more. Nene is probably more similar to Capela in terms of what he can provide for the Rockets, but that does not necessarily mean he will play more.
The one player we can probably count on to produce with Blake Griffin out is DeAndre Jordan. Jordan had his best stats last season in January, February and March while Griffin was out, and this season Jordan is averaging 20.0 points and 16.0 rebounds when Griffin sits.
Tristan Thompson is already averaging 29 minutes per game, so he may not play a whole lot more, but he could be more involved in the game as a pick-and-roll screener, and he won’t have to compete with Love for rebounds. Thompson is a great option if you want to go cheaper at center but do not trust Nene.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Nene Hilario | HOU | H | SAS | 23 | 16.8 | 58% | 0.1 | 7.1 | 3.6 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 55% | 13.34% | 13.5 | 14.4 | 13.7 | 13.5 | $4,100 | $3,000 | $3,500 |
| DeAndre Jordan | LAC | H | DEN | 28 | 31.8 | 54% | 0 | 11.7 | 13 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 66% | 11.49% | 31.6 | 33 | 32.3 | 31.6 | $7,700 | $7,200 | $5,650 |
| Tristan Thompson | CLE | A | MIL | 25 | 29.1 | 46% | 0 | 6.6 | 10 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 59% | 6.70% | 22.7 | 23.5 | 23.2 | 22.7 | $4,800 | $4,900 | $4,200 |