Welcome to Bales’ NBA Game Theory (12/16)! 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. Rose | K. Durant | N. Claxton | PHI/BKN |
| D. Duke | A. Sengun | M. Turner | NY/HOU |
| J. Christopher | J. Crowder | N. Noel | WAS/PHX |
| F. Jackson | H. Diallo | J. Embiid | DET/IND |
| C. Cunningham | J. Randle | B. Griffin | – |
*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
There are only four games tonight with plenty of chalky options due to injuries and Covid. Derrick Rose has been starting, and he’s played 30+ minutes in 3 consecutive games as the New York Knicks deal with Covid issues. He should be locked into big minutes once again, and he gets an elite matchup against the Houston Rockets. David Duke started the last game for the Brooklyn Nets as they also deal with Covid throughout their rotation. He posted 40.25 DK points in 38 minutes, and Duke could be in line for a similar role tonight. He isn’t the minimum price, but he’s still an easy play. Cameron Payne is another great salary relief option in cash games tonight. He’s now seen 34 and 29 minutes in his last 2 games, and he’s performed well on a per-minute basis throughout the season. His price is on the rise, but he’s still a bit too cheap on this slate. Others to consider in cash games include Patty Mills, Malcolm Brogdon, Raul Neto, Bradley Beal, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
GPP
Cade Cunningham’s been an inconsistent option in recent games, but he’s also flashed tremendous upside. He’s posted 50+ DK points in 2 of his last 4 games, and he’s a triple-double threat in any given game. Cunningham gets a solid matchup against the Indiana Pacers, who he already performed well against this season. If you need to save some salary, Josh Christopher and Frank Jackson make great options. Christopher’s playing bigger minutes with Houston dealing with several injuries, and he could see 25+ minutes once again tonight. Jackson’s minutes have been inconsistent, but he’s produced when on the court. If he were locked into 30+ minutes, he’d be a solid cash game option. Chris Paul, Immanuel Quickley, and Cam Thomas can all be considered with only 4 games tonight.
Forward
Cash
Kevin Durant will likely be the highest owned player on this slate. He’s completely taken over the Brooklyn Nets offense with several other key players out. Durant’s scored 70+ DK points in each of his last 2 games, and he can be locked and loaded in all leagues tonight. The other clear cash option on this slate is Alperen Sengun (if Christian Wood is out). He’s scored 30+ DK points in 3 consecutive games, playing 23+ minutes in each game. He also saw 28 minutes in his last game without Wood, scoring 46.75 DK points. If he’s seeing 25+ minutes on the court, Sengun is near a must-start tonight. Julius Randle is another solid spend-up in cash games tonight. He’s seen mixed results in recent games, but he’s coming off of a 48.75 DK point performance. Randle isn’t a lock because DraftKings priced him up quite a bit on this slate. You can also consider Kyle Kuzma, Daniel Theis, and Kessler Edwards at forward tonight.
GPP
Jae Crowder is a player that I’m considering once again tonight. He’s extremely inconsistent, but he’s cheap and boasts 35+ DK point upside. Crowder also gets a great matchup against the Washington Wizards in a game that should benefit his skill set. Hamidou Diallo was expected to see bigger minutes without Jerami Grant in the Detroit Pistons last game, but that wasn’t the case. He scored 17.75 DK points in 20 minutes in his last game, but he comes with more per-minute potential than he flashed in that game. Diallo could play 25+ minutes in this game, giving him plenty of upside for this type of slate. Evan Fournier, Oshae Brissett, Cameron Johnson, and KJ Martin are all solid tournament considerations on this slate as well.
Center
Cash
You can consider a pair of Brooklyn Nets here. Nic Claxton played 26 minutes in their last game, scoring 27.75 DK points. He should see similar minutes tonight, and Claxton is still priced under $4k. He’s arguably the most mispriced player on this slate. Blake Griffin will also see plenty of minutes tonight. He scored 32.75 DK points in 31 minutes in his last game, and Griffin will see the same role tonight. He’s priced for his struggles in recent years rather than his fantasy production while on the court. If you need someone out of that game, Myles Turner is a solid option. He’s been consistent for the Indiana Pacers, and he gets a matchup against the Detroit Pistons, who don’t feature anyone with the size to slow him down. Turner’s a great option in all leagues tonight.
GPP
Joel Embiid is overpriced based on his recent results, but it was only 5 games ago that he scored 74.75 DK points against the Charlotte Hornets. He now gets a matchup against an injury-filled Brooklyn Nets rotation that doesn’t boast the size to slow him down. Embiid is an elite GPP option on this slate. Nerlens Noel hasn’t been playing well, but he has been playing solid minutes. He should see minutes in the mid-20s again tonight, giving him solid upside for his price tag. Deandre Ayton and Isaiah Stewart can be considered here as well.
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