Welcome to Bales’ NBA Game Theory (12/17)! 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. Mitchell | K. Middleton | N. Jokic | CHA/POR |
| J. Holiday | L. James | A. Davis | LA/MIN |
| D. Russell | G. Hayward | J. Nurkic | DEN/ATL |
| D. Bane | J. Collins | D. Cousins | MEM/SAC |
| D. Lillard | J. Tatum | S. Adams | MIL/NO |
*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
Point guard is one of the best positions on this slate. The Sacramento Kings will be without several players tonight, including De’Aaron Fox. Davion Mitchell is expected to slide into 30+ minutes, and he’s already been playing well to beat his price tag. Mitchell’s one of several underpriced players on this slate, and he should be one of the highest-owned tonight. Jrue Holiday will take on a larger role with several players, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, out for the Milwaukee Bucks. Holiday will take on a larger role, and he’s coming off of a 55 DK point performance. Damian Lillard is surprisingly underpriced with C.J. McCollum out. He gets an elite matchup against the Charlotte Hornets in arguably the best game environment on this slate.
Similar to Mitchell, Tyrese Haliburton makes an elite option if he’s starting. He’s questionable tonight, but he’ll be locked into big minutes and a bigger role in the offense if he’s active. Haliburton will also benefit from a matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies tonight. Buddy Hield is another player that’s a bit underpriced here, as he should also see plenty of minutes for the Sacramento Kings in this game. He’ll shift into a near-lock in cash games if Haliburton is ruled out. The only other shooting guard I’m considering at this point is Donovan Mitchell, although I prefer the Sacramento guys over him on this slate.
GPP
Kyle Lowry continues to benefit from injuries in the Miami Heat rotation, and he gets a great matchup against the Orlando Magic tonight. Lowry’s locked into big minutes, and he’d be a solid cash option if there weren’t better options at this position. You can consider basically any guards against the Sacramento Kings, leaving Tyus Jones and De’Anthony Melton as high upside options at point guard. Neither are safe enough for cash games, but they’ve both flashed at times. Patrick Beverley is a solid option here, as the Los Angeles Lakers have struggled with versatile guards. Beverley isn’t a player that’s reliant on his scoring, and he could thrive in this matchup. Trae Young, Gabe Vincent, and Mike Conley are interesting options here as well.
Desmond Bane’s another Memphis guard who’s found plenty of success since the injury to Ja Morant. He’s taken on a larger role in the Grizzlies offense, and he’s flashed versatility. He gets the elite matchup against the Sacramento Kings tonight. D’Angelo Russell’s another elite option as he gets a matchup against his former team in the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s been playing well in recent games, and he will continue to see plenty of shot attempts for the Minnesota Wolves. Russell’s also flashed triple-double upside in recent games, and he’s a high-upside option that will likely go overlooked on this slate. Others to consider in GPPs at shooting guard are Tyler Herro, Jordan Poole, Malik Monk, and Austin Reaves.
Forward
Cash
Cash games at small forward are relatively straightforward tonight. With Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, and Brook Lopez, along with others, already ruled out, Khris Middleton is going to take over as a focal point of the Milwaukee Bucks offense. For whatever reason, he’s priced at only $6.7k tonight in a solid matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. Middleton is one of the easiest plays on this slate, and he’s an elite option at small forward. Dillon Brooks and Harrison Barnes are two players that are a bit underpriced on this slate. They’re both expected to be locked into big roles for their offenses because of injuries or Covid. They’re secondary options behind Middleton at small forward, though.
At power forward, you’re looking at the Los Angeles Lakers studs here. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been playing well throughout the season, and they will both see extra usage and opportunities without Russell Westbrook in the lineup. Of the duo, I prefer Davis over James because of this specific matchup. Davis will see plenty of time at center, and the Minnesota Wolves have struggled against centers throughout the season. Either of these players can be considered in cash games, though. Once again, Harrison Barnes is a player that can be used as a secondary option here.
GPP
There are several elite tournament options at small forward on this slate. Jayson Tatum and Brandon Ingram have caught fire in recent games, flashing tremendous upside for their price tags. I like both of them in these particular matchups, although I slightly prefer Ingram for the cheaper price tag. Both can be used in GPPs, though. Gordon Hayward is another elite option here. He’s been playing well because of injuries and Covid in the Charlotte Hornets rotation. They’re healthy now, though, which will make Hayward go overlooked. He’s in an elite matchup against the Portland Blazers, who’ve struggled against versatile small forwards in 2021. Norman Powell, Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton, and Terrence Ross are all solid GPP options at small forward as well.
John Collins has been the definition of a boom or bust option throughout the season, and he’s a risky option with upside once again tonight. Collins’ minutes haven’t been consistent, but he’s already found success against the Denver Nuggets. I’d expect that to happen once again, as they love running bigger lineups, which should lock Collins into time on the floor. Jarred Vanderbilt has been playing big minutes for the Minnesota Wolves, and he gets a good matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight. They’ve struggled against power forwards, specifically in terms of scoring and rebounding. Vanderbilt is an elite rebounder, and he’s a great play in GPPs for his price tag. You can also consider Chimezie Metu, P.J. Tucker, Nassir Little, and Josh Hart here.
Center
Cash
Outside of Anthony Davis (outlined above), there are two options I’m considering at center tonight. Nikola Jokic is the best fantasy player in the NBA, and he gets a solid matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. Regardless, Jokic is matchup-proof, and he’s still not priced high enough for how well he’s consistently playing. The other option is DeMarcus Cousins, who’s far too cheap on this slate. Without Brook Lopez, Giannis Antetokounmpo, or Bobby Portis in the lineup, Cousins could see 20-25 minutes. He’s always found success on a per-minute basis, and tonight should be no different.
GPP
Jusuf Nurkic gets a great matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, who’ve consistently struggled against centers throughout the season. He isn’t a cash game option because his minutes have been inconsistent. If Nurkic continues to see 30+ minutes, he comes with elite potential in this matchup. Robert Williams should benefit with Al Horford out tonight, and he may slide his way into my cash game pool by lock. Steven Adams is another center that gets an elite matchup, as the Sacramento Kings continue to struggle with bigs. Similar to Nurkic, his minutes have been inconsistent, making him better suited for tournaments. Tristian Thompson, Rudy Gobert, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Dewayne Dedmon can all be considered here.
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