After glancing at the Morning Briefing, I hope you have some targets picked out that appear to be in successful fantasy producing spots. Let’s roll out the position picks for each position, along with some bonus picks at the end. These are picks Keith likes for a variety of reasons. They are not necessarily the “top option on the board,” “chalk options,” “highest scoring,” “GPP only,” or whatever other moniker you want to assign. These are Keith’s favorite options when combining all of these factors….

The graphics you are looking at is a rolling 30-day snapshot indicating average performance above/below expected points along with a percentage of times said player has exceeded projections. The blue line indicates fluctuations in salary over the same 30-day time frame. The bar graph shows how far above/below a particular date resulted vs expected production.

PG – Jrue Holiday ($7700) –

When NO locked horns with OKC before the All Star Break, Jrue Holiday scored 42 FD pts. In the 2nd highest total of the night, and with how much NO is beat up offensively, the Pelicans are going to need big production from both Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis to keep this game competitive. Even with a somewhat disappointing game last time out, Jrue still didn’t destroy your chances to cash……meaning he has a floor. He averages over 1 FD pt/min even coming off the bench. Based on the last two performances, his price has dropped ever-so-slightly, and if you were willing to buy him those nights…….he’s a no-brainer tonight. 15 gm slash line – 36.5 FD pts – 19.5/3.8/7.4 with 1.8 steals.

SG – CJ McCollum ($7600) –

As predicted the other night with Rodney Hood (scored 38.3 FD pts), going up against James Harden, CJ McCollum has the best matchup of any SG tonight. James Harden actually has a better chance guarding Jackie Moon than McCollum tonight. 15 gm slash line – 32.7 FD pts – 22.5/3.2/3.7

SF – PJ Tucker ($4400) –

After coming off two bad matchups vs San Antonio and the LA Clippers, Tucker finally has a plus matchup going against Brooklyn and whoever they decide to throw out to defend him. PJ should be a lock for 35+ minutes tonight, and in a high-total and close game, he should get a lot of great looks at producing points. This play isn’t for the faint of heart and game log watchers will just skim over him completely in what our models have as one of the highest rated matchups of the night. 15 gm slash line – 20.7 FD pts – 8.3/5.6/2.7

PF – Thaddeus Young ($6700) –

Thaddeus Young is the only trustworthy Net not named Brook Lopez. He fills the stat sheet on a nightly basis and has 50 fantasy point upside. For a power forward, at his price he should play the most minutes of the similarly priced bunch. 15 gm slash line – 28.8 FD pts – 13.5/8.7/2.5

C – Greg Monroe ($7800) –

Greg Monroe is averaging a double-double vs the Boston Celtics this year. His previous game earlier in the month saw him go north of 50 FD points. He always comes at a lower ownership percentage due to the quagmire that is any mid-priced center. And, he should absolutely have his way with Amir Johnson and Jared Sullinger on the hardwood. 15 gm slash line – 34.4 FD pts – 18.6/9.3/1.8

Stud of the Night – Russell Westbrook

This should not be a guess at all. Russell has the highest floor on the entire board tonight, frankly most nights. He has huge upside tonight as well. He simply continually meets expectations and constantly tests upside, as well.

Value of the Night – Steven Adams (C – OKC – $4400)

Adams will get close to 30 min of work on the floor tonight in what should be a competitive game. He should eat Ajinca for lunch in their matchup. And, he will contribute in all categories. If he can give you 15 real points, he’s got a shot at giving you 30 FD pts………..which at $4400, you will shed no tears.

GPP of the Night – Evan Fournier

Fournier has been one of the most consistent SG options this month in terms of both minutes and production. In his last 7 games, he has averaged 37 min/gm and around 28 FD pts. At $5500, if he gives you that, you will be more than happy. However, his capability is around 45 FD pts.

and…………………..

“Brass Balls” Fade of the Night – Stephen Curry

This has NOTHING to do with the fact I hate the play tonight. He’s in a great spot. It’s just with every other stud, we have a better shot at getting a full four quarters of production on tonight’s slate.

As always, Keith will be available in the Slack VIP Channel to update you on injury news, and how to pivot if need be….make sure to join in the conversation. He’s always open to answering questions, but if you are going to ask if you should play “Player X” over “Player Y” make sure you check the rankings on the cheat sheets before asking unless news has come out that could possibly change the situation. Thank you!

Cheat Sheets are condensed….remember, there will be players that are not on this sheet that go off. The goal here is to not overload you with a lot of combinations. Sure, I can put in 15 PG’s and 10 PF’s. And then say, “the winning lineup was on the Sheet” but that doesn’t help us. I’m giving you options at varying price points, so you can build varying types of lineup. I feel the last two months of the season, we will have better success by choosing from a smaller pool. We are also including sample cash LUs to put our picks into action, as well. LET’S MAKE THAT MONEY!!!

The Google Sheet’s version of the Cheat Sheet can be found here, or you can download the Excel or PDF versions below.

NBA Cheat Sheet

NBA Cheat Sheet FD PDF

NBA Cheat Sheet DK PDF

DraftKings Optimal Cash Game Lineup

FanDuel Optimal Cash Game Lineup