Alright, we have ourselves a nice sized slate to go through. Before I release this article, I want you to promise me you will be paying attention to the news near lock. Injury/rest news is really nuts this time of year, and on a bigger slate it’s even more important to pick that value as it opens up. I will be in slack channels to help out as much as I can. Army takes care of Army, so let’s fire our current favorite plays out there for digestion….

I don’t want to be rude, but please don’t ask me Curry or Wall questions. 10k studs are always in play. If you must ask that question, please give me details about why because I’m liable to just answer “yes, he’s in play” if you don’t. I’m not trying to be short, but most of us have been around long enough at this point to know Curry is matchup proof. So is Wall. So is Giannis now. And, so is even James Harden when he decides to play hard. I’m not going to fault you for playing any of these guys most times. I’m focused on helping you find the guys between min-salary and about 9k because that’s where 80% of your roster is going to come from 90% of the time.

POINT GUARDS

Ricky Rubio – $7000/$7100 – Rubio is possibly in the best DvP spot for PGs tonight. He has been a little up and down of late, but he draws SAC’s #ZDP across the board tonight, and creates a great target for us for a reasonable price. Kyrie Irving and Rajon Rondo are similarly priced, but Irving has a neutral matchup and Rondo has not been playing well while battling turf toe across his past 5ish games.

Brandon Knight – $6800/$7300 – Brandon isn’t much less expensive than Rubio. They actually make a decent tandem on tonight’s slate in the mid-value range. They can get you 85 pts together if they both go off, and both have fairly solid floors lately. Knight probably won’t test his ceiling like Rubio might, but he’s in another great spot to perform and should cruise across his floor easily enough. We’d like to see 32ish points for his price. His last 5 outings show 31, 38, 26, 24, and 46. I’m looking at a hard floor here of 25 and a 40+ pt ceiling. Against the Lakers…..I’ll take it.

Reggie Jackson – $6300/$6200 – If you want to go a little cheaper yet, Reggie Jackson offers a lot of the same type of numbers right now for a discounted price. He has been at 22 pts or under in 3 of his last 5, but he’s also popped a couple 35s for you. He’s in a good spot, too, though vs ORL tonight.

Chris Paul – $9900/$9700 – GPP PLAY – This play is off the chalk, so it makes for a nice GPP play going up against Curry. Curry doesn’t play a lot of defense according to the numbers, so there should be no fear in CP3 having a nice game. He has a very high floor, and might just test that 55 pt upside tonight…..which is what you are gambling on. To test a ceiling, you need to be a focal point of your offense (26% usage projection), off the chalk (should be Wall and Curry and cheaper guys, leaving CP3 in an awkward spot), and in a good matchup (4.5+ in Opp +/- according to Fantasy Labs). Checks all three boxes.

SHOOTING GUARDS

Devin Booker – $6300/$6600 – Looking at the game logs might spook you a bit with Booker’s recent ups and downs. He still has the same 45 pt upside, but with Brandon Knight back in the fold, there has been an adjustment in learning to play together. They really haven’t logged a lot of time together this season. There have been signs in this situation turning around, meaning Booker’s price might start to rise again. And, the last time they played the Lakers this week, Booker did put up 37 fantasy points.

Rodney Hood – $5300/$5500 – Can’t ever argue a guy used frequently in his offense running up against the #JHZDP….James Harden Zero-Defense-Policy. Hood will get every opportunity to shine tonight. Not a horrid gamble to grab upside of 35 pts for $5300….if he goes off.

Klay Thompson – $6900/$6700 – Well, the last time I called out the Splash Brothers, it didn’t go so well for Klay. We know what he’s capable of, and maybe I think he’s more consistent than he’s actually been lately, I’m just not convinced it’s time to put Klay on the shelf for awhile. I’m rolling him out a couple more times before re-evaluating.

CJ McCollum – $6900/$6600 – Similar to Klay but a lot riskier imo. He has hit value more often than Klay recently with 37, 40, and 40 in his last three, but he also has a sickening floor of 17 or less. If I had a LU built with 6-7 solid floor guys, I wouldn’t hesitate to toss McCollum in for upside. However, if I had some upside elsewhere, I’d look for floor here instead of CJ. In fact, I’d rather roster Zach LaVine at his price for the floor, even though LaVine is kind of over priced himself right now.

SMALL FORWARDS

Kawhi Leonard – $8400/$8000 – A little better over on DK, Leonard is a pretty solid cash play on either site. Kawhi has really only hurt you twice in his last 15 games and has also crossed 50 pts multiple times in the same span. This “floor with upside” play is the type you are looking for when starting a LU. Being that SF is usually fairly shallow, I’d look here pretty quickly tonight and start rolling from there.

Marcus Morris – $5400/$5200 – Marcus seems like he’s going to bring you either 18 pts or 32 pts lately as he’s ping-ponged those numbers in his last 6 going back and forth like the pendulum of a grandfather clock. Both Evan Turner and Evan Fournier have worse matchups at similar price points. If you are stuck here, you might just close your eyes and roster Morris, as he’s clearly the best of the three.

Otto Porter – $5100/$5100 – Here is your most consistent SF in the 5k range tonight. Porter hasn’t really be over the top, but he also hasn’t dudded on you one time in his past 6 outings. If I’m not punting my second SF on FanDuel, I’m likely tossing Porter in there until it’s time to differentiate my own LUs.

Stanley Johnson – $3900/$3800 – GPP PLAY – We definitely want Stanley to draw the start. But, for a GPP play, 39 pt upside for $3900 is the coveted 10X and this guy has it. He might get you 35. He might get you 3. You need look no further back than his past 2 games to see that range of outcomes at it’s extreme.

Chop seems to think you should look at Omri Casspi tonight for some reason. $4500 and a good matchup with Boogie being out means Casspi should see a few more minutes of opportunity. That’s a cheap gamble and Casspi’s last few games have read mostly mid-20s with only two of his last 13 below 15pts. Pretty consistent, and we know how Chop likes his consistency. Problem is…..there’s really very little upside to Casspi.

POWER FORWARD

Nerlens Noel – $6700/$6600 – Decent matchup and with traveling to DEN, this play is a little on the contrarian side, especially when looking at his recent performances. He has 50 pt upside, but has tested it only once in the last 10 games. His minutes have been a bit of an issue, which actually means he should be rested for the altitude and just might come off with a decent game should you take the chance.

Paul Millsap – $7700/$7600 – Mr. Consistency’s price is in freefall like last winter’s oil prices. It’s due to his mid-term play, and he really put up a stinker last time out. Before that, however, he was producing again like a $7700 player…..coincidentally right where he is now. He doesn’t have a stellar matchup tonight, but he is priced in the right range finally where his floor won’t likely kill us completely when he tests it.

Gorgui Dieng – $6400/$6000 – Target SAC, target SAC, target SAC. That’s really all I need to say. However, if you need further proof, you have a guy that has been very consistent lately. He has only logged one game under value in the past 5 outings. I like recency play when it indicates a guy is playing well, being utilized, and heading into a good matchup. This is definitely the case with Dieng tonight.

Tobias Harris – $6000/$6200 (SG) – GPP PLAY – REVENGE NARRATIVE – It’s risky because Harris hasn’t played as consistently lately, but one thing is for sure…..he gonna be pissed tonight. Nothing motivates a player like going up against a team that has pissed him off. My only real concern here is everyone else knows this too and will likely be taking the chance he goes bonkers.

CENTERS

Andre Drummond – $7700/$7600 – The young Mound Round of Rebound that’s Not So Round is Leaving the Ground to Emit Some Sound……meh, I give up, but you know what I was trying to do there. Look, he’s a legit 20/20 threat on any given day. He has only missed value in 3 of his last 10 believe it or not. And, he draws a fair matchup tonight in ORL. If Skiles goes small, it might be to your advantage if you roster up Drummond.

Nikola Jokic – $6100/$6100 – This one is tough because it’s the same price as RoLo tonight. Both have the best matchups paper can provide. I’d consider Jokic a little more of a tourney play due to minutes in flux at times. But, he has great upside should you roll him out.

Robin Lopez – $6000/$5700 – On DraftKings, I don’t think this is a decision. On FanDuel, it is. However, look back at the roll RoLo has been on lately. Only one crap game in his last 7 or 8 because he saw very few minutes. CHI is the cherry red camaro matchup. He will also be chalky due to people wanting to pay up for Curry and still chase the 51 pts of his last outing. Solid cash play where we don’t worry about ownership.

Salah Merji – $4500/$3400 – Hell of a bargain on DK. In his first game in the recent past where he saw 30+ min, he racked up 43 fantasy points. With those minutes, this isn’t point chasing. He’s another 10X threat, and the matchup tonight is pretty sweet. He just might threaten it again.

DeAndre Jordan – $8100/$7700 – GPP PLAY – This one won’t be chalk and we know what Jordan is capable of doing. But, it’s becoming known that centers are just allowed to walk all over GSW because they don’t care. It’s not a household theory yet, but if you want to pay up for him instead of Drummond, Whiteside, or KAT, you have yourself a Jordan of a night with similar upside to all of them.

As always, I 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! Dismissed!

Google Cheat

FanDuel PDF Cheat

DraftKings PDF Cheat