Welcome to Bales’ NBA Game Theory (1/1)! In this article, I’ll outline my favorite cash game and GPP options at each of the positions. I’ll utilize our Projections Portal when making decisions about what types of leagues specific players are best suited for. You can get all of my Core Plays along with our Cheat Sheets, projections, and Premium Discord channels with our Premium NBA Package.
| Guards | Forwards |
Centers | Game Stacks |
| D. White | S. Ibaka | N. Jokic | DEN/HOU |
| F. Campazzo | K. Johnson | D. Gafford | SA/DET |
| J. Harden | D. Vassell | K. Looney | CHI/WAS |
| J. Green | H. Diallo | L. Garza | GS/UTA |
| B. Beal | D. DeRozan | N. Vucevic | LAC/BKN |
*If you don’t already play 3 max entry contests daily, try using the teams provided in the stacks above to maximize upside and correlation in your NBA lineups.
Guards
Cash
At what point will DraftKings appropriately price Derrick White? He’s posted 43+ DK points in two of his last four games. He also posted 33.5 DK points in only 24 minutes last night after suffering an injury mid-game He’s fine for tonight, and White is an elite option tonight. The Denver Nuggets will be without the majority of their guards tonight, leaving Facundo Campazzo to play 30+ minutes. He’s consistently exceeded value when given extended minutes, and Campazzo gets an elite matchup against the Houston Rockets tonight. He’s one of the best salary relief options on the slate. Bradley Beal’s averaging 28.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game without Spencer Dinwiddie in the lineup. He’ll be locked into a massive role once again, and he’s posted 55+ DK points in each of his last two games. Coby White, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Will Barton can be considered here as well.
GPP
James Harden’s one of the more interesting options, but I listed him as a “Safe GPP” option for a specific reason. Yes, he’s cash game viable. With that being said, there are other high-priced options I prefer to him, meaning I’ll likely be using him in GPPs rather than cash games. He’s posted 70+ DK points in three consecutive games, but that streak isn’t likely to continue for long with Kevin Durant back in the lineup. Jalen Green’s been a boom or bust option throughout the season, and that will likely be the case tonight. The Houston Rockets will be without a few players, leaving Green to potentially see extra shot attempts. He’s extremely dependent on his shot falling, though, and if it isn’t on, it’ll be hard for him to exceed value. With that being said, he’s far too cheap for someone that boasts 40+ DK point upside. Jordan Poole, Luke Kennard, and Amir Coffey can be considered here as well.
Forward
Cash
There are plenty of power forwards that make great options once again. Serge Ibaka only played 18 minutes last night, but the Los Angeles Clippers are without the majority of their bigs. He could see 20+ minutes, and he’s entirely too cheap. Even if he finds minutes in the teens, Ibaka could beat value. Keldon Johnson’s cooled off in his last two games, but he still comes with tremendous upside. He’s a great scorer for the San Antonio Spurs, and I’m expecting him to get back on track against the Detroit Pistons. On the other side, Saddiq Bey’s taken over as the focal point for the Pistons, and he’s consistently found success in recent games. He isn’t going to come cheap, but he’s one of the best small forwards on this slate, as it’s a weak position once again. Marcus Morris, Kyle Kuzma, and Austin Rivers (if playing) can be considered on this slate.
GPP
The player that sticks out the most here is DeMar DeRozan. He’s looking as if he’ll go overlooked on this slate, but he gets an elite matchup against the Washington Wizards. They’ve struggled against scoring PFs throughout the season, and DeRozan’s been a dominant scoring option for the Chicago Bulls. He isn’t going to come cheap, but he boasts tremendous upside. I considered Devin Vassell in cash games, and I believe you can use him as a salary relief option, although I prefer him in GPPs. With Lonnie Walker entering the NBA Covid protocols, Vassell should see solid minutes tonight. He’s far too cheap for a player getting solid minutes, though, especially with his upside. Rudy Gay, Aaron Gordon, Bojan Bogdanovic, and David Nwaba are other options to consider.
Center
Cash
As has been the case recently, there are two centers I’m looking at. Nikola Jokic is always arguably the best play on any given slate. He’s now playing in a short rotation against the Houston Rockets, who’ve struggled against centers. I’m locking Jokic into all of my leagues. The second is Daniel Gafford, who continues to be underpriced. He’s scored 35+ DK points in each of his last two games, as he’s been locked into big minutes. That’ll be the case again with Montrezl Harrell out. This doesn’t have to be difficult. Lock in Jokic and Gafford in cash games.
GPP
Nikola Vucevic has seen an increase in rebound chances in recent games, and he gets an elite matchup against the Washington Wizards tonight. He boasts elite double-double potential with the ability to contribute in other categories. He’s a great option. Kevon Looney continues to be too cheap with Draymond Green out for the Golden State Warriors. He’s consistent and boasts more upside than he’s flashed thus far. Luka Garza played massive minutes in his last game, and he comes with elite upside for his price tag. I’m not sure he can be trusted in cash games, but he’s far too cheap for his pure upside on this slate. Jakob Poeltl can also be considered here.
Follow Bales on Twitter (@BalesSJustin)
