Welcome to Bales’ NBA Game Theory (11/18)! 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 |
| P. Beverley | D. Avdija | N. Jokic | SA/MIN |
| R. Neto | A. Edwards | I. Zubac | LAC/MEM |
| R. Rubio | A. Gordon | B. Adebayo | WAS/MIA |
| E. Bledsoe | L. Kennard | R. Gobert | TOR/UTA |
| S. Curry | T. Young | J. Allen | PHI/DEN |
*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
Spencer Dinwiddie’s expected to rest tonight, which should open minutes for Raul Neto at point guard. He’s seen mixed results throughout the season, although he’s also flashed some upside. A key to his game will be whether or not he’s starting, which is still up in the air at the moment. Patrick Beverley is another point guard who is entirely too cheap. He’s returned to big minutes in his last 2 games, playing 34 minutes in each game. He’s also coming off of a 38.5 DK point performance. Beverley still comes with an extremely low price tag, and he doesn’t need a massive game to hit value. He’s far too cheap for this small of a slate. Ricky Rubio and Dejounte Murray are two more interesting options on this slate.
Aaron Holiday is a player that we need to keep an eye on at shooting guard. If he’s starting for Dinwiddie, he’ll make a great salary relief option. He’s been starting for Bradley Beal in recent games, and Holiday can be considered in all leagues if he draws the start at point guard tonight. D’Angelo Russell’s been a consistent option in recent games, and he gets a plus matchup against the San Antonio Spurs tonight. He’s been scoring well, and that should be the case once again tonight. He’s a solid option. Derrick White can be considered in all leagues on the opposite side of that matchup.
GPP
Eric Bledsoe isn’t completely underpriced anymore, but he still comes with plenty of upside for his price tag. He also gets a great matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies tonight. I expect their defensive focus to be on Paul George, allowing Bledsoe and Reggie Jackson to see significantly easier shots. Stephen Curry is dealing with an injury at the moment, but he’ll make an elite option if he’s starting tonight. He gets a great matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who’ve struggled against point guards throughout the season. Curry isn’t cheap, but he comes with elite upside on this limited slate. Monte Morris is another great option, and he can be shifted into the cash game pool if [once] Will Barton is officially ruled out.
I don’t love shooting guard on this slate. Darius Garland is locked into massive minutes, and he’s a big part of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ offense. He’s coming off of a big game against the Brooklyn Nets, and he gets an interesting matchup against the Golden State Warriors tonight. Jordan Poole’s struggled a bit in recent games, but he does come with quite a bit of scoring upside. He’ll take on a larger role in the offense if Stephen Curry is ruled out, although he’ll become a cash game option if that happens. If Curry is in, Poole still boasts tremendous upside against Cleveland, and the young scorer can be considered in GPPs. Shake Milton and Austin Rivers are two more interesting options on this slate.
Forward
Cash
Anthony Edwards continues to be a consistent option for the Minnesota Wolves. He’s locked into massive minutes and a big role for Minnesota. He’s one of the safer options on a weak slate. If Bam Adebayo is ruled out, Jimmy Butler will become the chalk option at small forward. He’s coming off of a massive game for the Miami Heat, and that could be the case once again if the other focal point of the offense is ruled out. If you need salary relief, Jeff Green should see plenty of minutes, but he’s failed to consistently produce.
Deni Avdija’s quietly looked great in recent games for the Washington Wizards. He’s scored 19+ DK points in 6 of his last 7 games, including a 32.5 DK point performance. He’s been playing slightly more minutes in recent games, as well, as he’s found more success early in his career. Avdija’s still far too cheap for this type of slate, and he’s a great option in all leagues. Aaron Gordon isn’t my favorite option, but he makes sense in cash games (or as a “safe GPP” option). He’ll be locked into big minutes for the Denver Nuggets, and he gets a great matchup against an injured Philadelphia 76ers defense. Thad Young is another player I’d consider here.
GPP
Luke Kennard’s an interesting player because he’ll find minutes for an injured Los Angeles Clippers lineup. With that being said, he doesn’t always play to his strengths, specifically if his shot isn’t falling early. Kennard comes with some risk, but I like him in this matchup, and he comes with plenty of upside. Paul George is another solid option, although I’m worried about Dillon Brooks matching up against him defensively. I like both sides of this matchup in GPPs, as George has the ability to dominate anyone in the NBA, while Brooks will be locked into big minutes and comes with tremendous upside as the second feature in the Memphis Grizzlies rotation. Terance Mann is another player that can be considered if he’s healthy.
Keldon Johnson’s one of the top scoring options for the San Antonio Spurs, and he comes with tremendous upside on this type of slate. Although I also like Thad Young, I believe they can both find success in this matchup. Jaren Jackson and Kyle Anderson are two versatile options (multi-position eligibility) that come with tremendous upside. Neither needs big minutes to exceed value, and they’re tremendous options in tournaments tonight. Scottie Barnes, Doug McDermott, and Tobias Harris are interesting in GPPs, as well.
Center
Cash
You’re starting cash games with Nikola Jokic tonight. He’s arguably the best fantasy player in the NBA, and he gets an elite matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers without Joel Embiid tonight. Rudy Gobert is another option I’d consider in the utility tonight. He gets a matchup against the Toronto Raptors, who don’t feature anyone in their rotation with the size to slow him down. This could be a double-edged sword if he sees limited minutes, although I expect Utah to utilize him regardless of the matchup. He should have no problems dominating in the paint tonight. Ivica Zubac is another cash game option if you need salary relief. He’s far too cheap if he’s going to get 30+ minutes tonight. Although that isn’t a given, he doesn’t need big minutes to hit value at his current price tag, making him that much better of an option.
GPP
Bam Adebayo’s dealing with an injury, but he’ll make an elite option if he’s starting. He gets a great matchup against the Washington Wizards, who don’t possess anyone that can slow him down. If he’s out, Dewayne Dedmon will make a great option, although he’ll likely be shifted into the cash game pool. Jarrett Allen is questionable tonight, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are in need of healthy bigs. If he’s starting, he should see big minutes, and Allen comes with double-double upside and the potential to add steals and blocks on any given slate. He’s an elite tournament option. Drew Eubanks, Pascal Siakam, and Andre Drummond can be considered here, as well.
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