Point Guard
Top Tier: Russell Westbrook- Westbrook is in an exceptional matchup tonight with the Sacramento Kings, especially from a pace-up perspective. I think that Anthony Davis/Giannis Antetokounmpo will end up drawing more interest in cash games on FanDuel, making Westy an exceptional play in tournaments. I think I would slightly lean towards Westbrook on DK, but we are really splitting hairs.
Mid Tier: Derrick Rose- With no Jeff Teague, Derrick Rose sets up as an elite play in all formats once again. He remains affordable on all sites, and he will undoubtedly be high-owned coming off a 40+% owned performance without Teague on Monday.
Low Tier: Fred VanVleet- FVV slides up the value ranks with Kyle Lowry ruled out, and while the ceiling isn’t massive, he remains cheap on FanDuel for the minutes he should see. In cash games, it would make sense to pair FVV with Rose.
Shooting Guard
Top Tier: Jrue Holiday- I could easily write-up Harden here, but I really don’t view him as a cash game option tonight and Jrue could look to be even more of a scorer with no Mirotic or Randle for New Orleans. He remains one of the highest floor plays on the slate, I just don’t think I can get up to him in cash games.
Mid Tier: Buddy Hield- I actually played Hield in cash games on Monday, and despite being burned by the their coach he was the most productive King and I’m not expecting the minutes to be that way again tonight. Both Iman Shumpert and Bogdan Bogdanovic are not expected to play for the Kings tonight, making Hield a top play in all formats at his price.
Low Tier: Josh Okogie- Okogie should be in line for another 24+ minutes tonight with no Jeff Teague, and while I;m not exactly expecting another 25+ FanDuel point performance, he makes a ton of sense given the low score drop format. We already will be locking in a sub-$4K center, that won’t end up counting as a low score drop. Take advantage of this, and spend up for two studs tonight.
Small Forward
Top Tier: Giannis Antetokounmpo- I absolutely love this game environment with the Bucks in a big-time pace-up spot against the Pelicans, hence the 231.5 O/U in Vegas. The Pelicans are actually bottom-ten in FG% allowed at the rim, which we know is massive for players like Giannis and Ben Simmons who do their work inside the paint. We already will be locking in AD, so it makes sense to run it back with Alphabet.
Mid Tier: Trevor Ariza- We simply cannot expect six steals again from Ariza, but the 37+ minutes are very real and we need to take advantage of the price while it stays low. I will most likely have ABC/Bjelica in cash games on FanDuel, which makes Ariza a better play on DraftKings.
Low Tier: Nemanja Bjelica- I know, the entire DFS world was screwed by him and his five minutes on Monday, but we need to go right back to the well tonight. With all of the Kings injuries, and the fact that they won’t mess with minutes like that again, Bjelly is even more of a lock today than he was on Monday’s slate.
Power Forward
Top Tier: Anthony Davis- With no Nikola Mirotic and no Julius Randle, AD is the lock of the slate…period. You can always pivot in tourneys, but for cash games there’s no need…he will be massively owned.
Mid Tier: Lauri Markkanen- Markkanen is coming off a big double-double, despite playing under 30 minutes and he should feast in this matchup with the Nets. Bigs vs Brooklyn has been my bread and butter matchup all season and Lauri will continue to shoulder more of the offensive load with LaVine injured.
Low Tier: Cheick Diallo- Diallo has an extremely low floor, but he does possess a ceiling and some minutes should be there for him with both bigs out for the Pelicans. I’ve already noted why we want two or three punts on FanDuel tonight, and Diallo falls into that category.
Center
Top Tier: Joel Embiid- Embiid sets up as a massive GPP leverage play, with everyone focusing on Anthony Davis, Giannis and Russell Westbrook if choosing to spend up. The Knicks are bottom-five in defensive efficiency to opposing centers, and Embiid will see a heavy helping on Enes Kanter’s non-existent defense. He’s under-priced as well, and one of my top overall tournament plays tonight.
Mid Tier: Enes Kanter- On the other side of this game, I’m very interested in Enes Kanter, who I expect to fly completely under the radar tonight. His minutes should be more secure once again with Mitchell Robinson out, and the Knicks are going to need his size to match up with Embiid. These two squared off on Christmas Day last season resulting in a monster 31-22 line for Kanter, and I’m feeling the Holiday spirit today. For tournaments, I love pairing these two together with everyone focusing on the value plays.
Low Tier: Greg Monroe/Mo Bamba- This is the focus of the slate, with Nikola Vucevic ruled out, and Serge Ibaka/Jonas Valanciunas out for the Raptors. Mo Bamba has very strong numbers this season when factoring in the minutes he has played, coupled with his block upside he is a lock for me in all formats. Monroe is the wild card, I don’t “love” him, but I won’t argue doubling up on cheap centers on DK to jam in two studs.
Written by Ben Hossler (Follow @BenHossler on Twitter)
