The Locks
Kevon Looney- We kick things off with a chalk value play, Kevon Looney who should start in place of resting DeMarcus Cousins tonight. Looney has been just south of a fantasy point per minute this season, and we should expect him to be locked into the mid-20’s tonight with Cousins sidelined. I believe this is a good chalk play at his price, and I will be looking at him in cash games on FanDuel and both cash games and GPPs on DraftKings.
Tyus Jones (If Teague Out)- Our second lock is going to be contingent on whether or not Jeff Teague suits up tonight, he is currently questionable. It’s clear that the Wolves want to keep Derrick Rose’s 6th man of the year dream alive, and if Teague gets ruled out we can expect Jones to move into the starting lineup like he did on Monday. Jones is actually a good player in my opinion, and he is still cheap enough that he fits the cash and GPP mold should Teague be out. If Teague plays, Jones would not be on my radar any longer in any format.
Giannis Antetokounmpo- This one is going to come as a surprise to some, because I fully expect LeBron James to be chalk at SF and I have no issues playing him, he is a great play. But, when they are pretty much the same price, LeBron is $100 more on DraftKings and $100 less on FanDuel, would I not take the better fantasy player? Giannis is averaging over 1.6 FPPM this season, and now gets a fast-paced matchup with the Kings, on the road in Sac Town in what should be a close game. Now that they are the same price, I feel much more confident in Giannis and I will take the lower ownership on him all night long. If you want to go Bron in cash games, I don’t blame you, but I’m taking a stand with the Greek Freak on this slate.
Secondary Options
Brad Beal- This is a really tough decision tonight, because you can easily throw D’Angelo Russell on the other side of this game in place of Beal, but I can’t ignore the minutes he has been playing as of late. He’s topped 40 minutes in each of his last four games, and with a 5.5 point spread on tap against the Nets he should see his maximum minutes allotment again. He’s been right at 1.5 FPPM over that four game stretch, and I’m not sure how we fade 1.5 FPPM for 40 minutes in a 237 O/U…
Luka Doncic vs Kevin Durant- If you though Beal vs Russell was a tough choice…woooooo boy. Luka is playing on another level right now, his rates without Dennis Smith Jr are insane, and he remains under $10K on both sites. Durant sees a near 7% usage spike with Boogie off the floor, and despite a matchup with Miami tonight the Warriors are still expected to score 117 points. I think Durant will end up higher-owned, so if that’s your game I would lean Luka for GPPs and Durant for cash games. Either way, I will have exposure to both on my main teams tonight.
Cheap F/C- We were gifted a plethora of strong value at the F/C spots tonight, which gives us the ability to spend up at the guard positions. Outside of Looney, I think all of Joakim Noah, Dwight Powell, Ed Davis, Kyle O’Quinn and Dirk Nowitzki are in play on both FanDuel and DraftKings. In terms of ownership, I think Powell comes out the highest-owned which makes him the least likely guy for me to have given I don’t see a big enough gap to swallow the ownership. Noah is probably my favorite play with Jaren Jackson and Ivan Rabb both looking out for this game, and you can mix in the other names in your builds depending on salaries.
Elfrid Payton- This is a play I really like tonight, and with all of the value that’s opened up I don’t think he will end up being very popular. He has played minute totals of 28, 36 and 30 since returning from injury — and he has topped 28+ fantasy points in all three, including a solid 10-14 double-double against the Sixers on Monday night. The Lakers have been horrible defensively, especially against guards, since Lonzo Ball went down and I love getting exposure to this game since I won’t have LeBron.
GPP Plays
Karl-Anthony Towns- I ended up jamming in a low-owned KAT on Monday night once the Teague news hit, and that was huge for both myself and subscribers as we had a fantastic overall night. His price is up now, but the matchup with the Hawks couldn’t get better from a pace perspective and if Teague is out again tonight KAT becomes one of my top overall tournament plays on the slate.
Myles Turner- Another center cracks my GPP list, as Myles Turner returns to his home state of Texas and takes on the Mavericks who have had no answer for opposing big men since trading DeAndre Jordan. With Domantas Sabonis ruled out for the Pacers, I feel much more confident in Turner’s minutes and I think this is quietly and elite matchup.
Written by Ben Hossler (Follow @BenHossler on Twitter)
