Welcome to Bales’ NBA Game Theory (11/11)! 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 |
| G. Trent | P. George | A. Drummond | TOR/PHI |
| T. Herro | S. Barnes | B. Adebayo | IND/UTA |
| T. Maxey | N. Batum | P. Achiuwa | MIA/LAC |
| D. Mitchell | O. Anunoby | R. Gobert | – |
| R. Jackson | D. Sabonis | I. Zubac | – |
*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
We’re back with only a 3 game slate, limiting our options and making players significantly more chalky. Tyler Herro is one of the top options at point guard, as he’s playing a massive role in the Miami Heat rotation. He also gets a plus matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, making him that much better of an option tonight. Fred VanVleet also making an interesting option in cash games with Pascal Siakam ruled out. He’s been a bit of a disappointment early this season, although he’s also flashed 50+ DK point upside. Reggie Jackson’s also caught fire in recent games, scoring 30+ DK points in each of his last 4 games, including a 50 DK point performance. I don’t like his matchup against the Miami Heat, but he’s far too cheap on this slate.
With several point guard options, there’s only one shooting guard that I’m truly considering here. Gary Trent is a great option on this slate. He’s locked into big minutes for the Toronto Raptors, and he’s expected to see a bigger role in the offense with Pascal Siakam out. Prior to his last 2 games, Trent posted 30+ DK points with 40+ DK point upside. He also gets a matchup against an injured Philadelphia 76ers roster that doesn’t boast their elite defensive pieces at the moment.
GPP
Point guard is far from my favorite position on this slate. If Tobias Harris is ruled out, Tyrese Maxey could see roughly 40 minutes again. He’s taking on a massive role in the Philadelphia offense because of injuries, and Maxey boasts elite potential for his price tag (if Harris is out). Mike Conley quietly flashed upside in 3 of his last 4 games. He gets a great matchup against a struggling Indiana Pacers defense, and Conley’s flashed when he’s attacking as a scorer. He isn’t overly expensive at this point, although he is a tentative player at times, making him best suited for tournaments. Kyle Lowry and Eric Bledsoe can also be considered in GPPs.
Donovan Mitchell will garner some ownership because of the size of this slate. It isn’t likely to reach the point where it outweighs his pure upside, though. He’s a massive part of the Utah Jazz offense, and Mitchell is a great pivot in tournaments. Terance Mann and Luke Kennard are two options for the Los Angeles Clippers. They’ll go overlooked a bit because of a difficult matchup against the Miami Heat. With that being said, the matchup is built into their price tags, and they each are locked into solid roles for LA. Of the two, I slightly prefer Mann, who isn’t as reliant on scoring and will see bigger minutes. Either can be considered on this small of a slate, though.
Forward
Cash
There’s one small forward that stands above the rest tonight – Paul George. He continues to play at an extremely high level with Kawhi Leonard, and I’m not overly concerned with the matchup because of his role and talent level. He’s scored 40+ DK points in each of his last 6 games, including a pair of games with 60+ DK points. There are very few players with his combination of ceiling and floor, making him an elite option with only 6 teams playing tonight.
With Pascal Siakam out, you’re considering both of the other Toronto Raptors forwards. Scottie Barnes has been more consistent than OG Anunoby early this season. He’s been surprisingly good for a rookie, scoring 32+ DK points in each of his last 6 games, including a pair of games with 40+ DK points. Barnes is also cheaper than Anunoby, who likely comes with more upside because of his potential role in the offense with Siakam out. In cash games, Barnes is the better option, although both of these players are reasonable on this type of a slate.
GPP
There are a few options that can be considered here, although it depends on injury news throughout the day. If Tobias Harris is out, Furkan Korkmaz will gain value. He’s reliant on scoring, but he’s taking plenty of shots with Harris out. He will also gain value if Seth Curry is out. Both of them are questionable. If Jimmy Butler is active, he can be considered based purely on upside, although he isn’t truly on my radar tonight.
One of the most interesting tournament options on this slate is Domantas Sabonis. The Utah Jazz have quietly struggled against power forwards throughout the season, and Sabonis is one of the most talented power forwards in the NBA. He’s reasonably priced on this slate, and he’s going to go overlooked because of the matchup. Nicolas Batum’s scored 33+ DK points in 4 of his last 5 games. He’s been scoring at an extremely efficient rate, though, and I’m not truly expecting that against the Miami Heat tonight. That’s why he’s listed as a tournament option rather than cash games.
Center
Cash
There are several great options to consider at center tonight. For me, it starts with Andre Drummond, who will continue to start for Joel Embiid. He isn’t cheap anymore, but Drummond’s scored 50+ DK points in each of his 3 starts this season. He’s still too cheap, and he’s going to be one of the first players in my cash lineup tonight. If you’re spending up on your second center, you’re choosing between Bam Adebayo and Rudy Gobert. Of the two, I slightly prefer Adebayo, who’s surprisingly cheap. With that being said, it’s important to note that Gobert is likely the safer option of the duo. With Pascal Siakam out, Precious Achiuwa is expected to play a larger role in the offense. He’s far too cheap for his recent production, and he’s the clear spend-down option. With that being said, this could be a game where Achiuwa sees limited minutes because of the size of Andre Drummond, and I slightly prefer Achiuwa in GPPs at this point.
GPP
The center that sticks out in GPPs is Ivica Zubac. He’s been playing a surprisingly big role in the Los Angeles Clippers’ rotation, and they will likely need his size against Adebayo tonight. He comes with tremendous upside, as he’s performed well throughout his career on a per-minute basis. There is some concern that Los Angeles only gives him minutes in the low- to mid-20s, although he boasts the potential to hit value in that time. Isaiah Hartenstein and Hassan Whiteside are two more cheap options that generally wouldn’t be considered, but are in play because of the size of this slate.
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