Welcome to Bales’ NBA Game Theory (2/14)! 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.
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| Guards | Forwards |
Centers | Game Stacks |
| Q. Grimes | K. Kuzma | N. Jokic | SA/CHI |
| T. Jerome | P. Mills | N. Vucevic | HOU/UTA |
| S. Curry | J. Winslow | A. Drummond | SAC/BKN |
| S. Curry | A. Gordon | B. Portis | ORL/DEN |
| D. Murray | D. DeRozan | P. Siakam | POR/MIL |
*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
Guard is surprisingly easy on this large of a slate tonight. Quentin Grimes is playing bigger minutes with RJ Barrett out, and that’s expected to be the case again tonight. He posted 35.5 DK points in 37 minutes in his last game, and Grimes is the minimum price on this slate. Don’t overthink it. Ty Jerome is also expected to take on a larger role with several players out for the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. He’s performed well on a per-minute basis, and he’s expected to find minutes in the high-20s tonight. He’s only $3.2k, allowing you to spend up wherever you’d like after using this pair. Speaking of spending up, Dejounte Murray is my clear favorite option. He’s no longer cheap, but he’s taking on a massive role with Derrick White out of San Antonio. He’s scored 63.75 and 80 DK points in his last two games. Murray comes with triple-double upside, and he gets a plus matchup against the Chicago Bulls. This is the clear trio I’m looking to use in cash games at the moment.
GPP
I’m interested in both Stephen and Seth Curry tonight. Stephen Curry gets a great matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, who he’s dominated this season. He’s averaging over 60 DK points against them this season, and he’s a great pivot off of Dejounte Murray. Seth Curry should make his debut for the Brooklyn Nets, and he gets a great matchup against the Sacramento Kings. He’s expected to play big minutes, and someone has to take over without Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden. Cole Anthony gets a great matchup against the Denver Nuggets, and he comes with plenty of upside. He’s better suited for tournaments whenever Jalen Suggs is in the lineup, though. You can also consider Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, De’Aaron Fox, Raul Neto, and Fred VanVleet here.
Forward
Cash
Kyle Kuzma’s taken on a massive role with Bradley Beal and Spencer Dinwiddie out. He’s scored 45+ DK points in each of his last two games, and Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out again. Kuzma’s a triple-double threat, and he gets a solid matchup against the Detroit Pistons. Patty Mills is guard eligible, but he can also be used at small forward. He’s far too cheap with several players out for the Brooklyn Nets tonight. He’ll take on a larger role, as he should be playing point guard. Mills is cheap enough to be considered in all leagues at this point. DeMar DeRozan is another elite option here. He’s been on an incredible scoring run, and he gets a plus matchup against the San Antonio Spurs. This is another revenge game for DeRozan, and he’ll benefit from Zach LaVine being out. Julius Randle and Khris Middleton are two more interesting options in cash games on this slate.
GPP
Justise Winslow’s performed extremely well in recent games. He’s played 30+ minutes in each of his last three games, scoring 30+ DK points in each of those games. Winslow’s price tag is on the rise, but he’s still cheap enough to be used on this slate. I’d consider him in cash games on most slates, but you likely don’t need it here. Aaron Gordon gets a revenge game against the Orlando Magic tonight. He’s been playing extremely well, and they’ve struggled against forwards throughout the season. Gordon is a bit boom or bust, which is great for tournaments. On the other side, Wendell Carter Jr. makes an interesting option. The Denver Nuggets have struggled against power forwards, and Carter is a high upside option as well. You can also consider Nicolas Batum, Cam Thomas, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Josh Hart here.
Center
Cash
This is going to be a short section tonight. At the moment, the only center I’m truly considering in cash games is Nikola Jokic. He’s arguably the best fantasy option in the NBA, and we have two near minimum price players at guard tonight. There is so much value that we can easily fit Jokic and another star into our lineups. That’s why I’m sticking with him at this point. Keep in mind, I may add some centers to my pool, but I’m strongly focusing on Jokic at the moment.
GPP
Nikola Vucevic is one of the most interesting plays on the entire slate. He gets a great matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, and he’s taking on a larger role with Zach LaVine out. If there were a second center I’m considering in cash games, it’s him. Pascal Siakam isn’t cheap anymore, but it’s impossible to ignore the way he’s playing. He also gets a solid matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, who’ve struggled against scoring centers throughout the season. Andre Drummond is an interesting option for the Brooklyn Nets. He’s a bit pricey, which is why he should be used in GPPs, but he’s currently expected to see 20-25 minutes. He’s always been an outstanding fantasy option, and he’s a solid tournament play once again. Bobby Portis doesn’t generally see a massive increase with Giannis Antetokounmpo out, although his rebounds do increase a bit. Still, he’s in a great spot against the Portland Blazers, making him a solid option. You can also consider Domantas Sabonis, Mitchell Robinson, Jakob Poeltl, and Rudy Gobert here.
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