Welcome to another edition of Bales’ Top GPP plays. In this article, I will outline my favorite NBA GPP plays for today’s games. If you want all of my core plays along with our staff’s Final Thoughts article and access to our Discord, click here.
Guards
Malcolm Brogdon
Brogdon looked outstanding for the Indiana Pacers last season. He averaged 16.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists (35.3 fantasy points) in 31.3 minutes per game over 58 contests. Brogdon continued his success in his first game this season, posting 21 points with 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals against the New York Knicks.
He gets a matchup against the Chicago Bulls, who ranked 16th in the NBA in pace and 15th in defensive efficiency last season. Chicago struggled to continue an injured Atlanta Hawks team in their season opener, as well. Brogdon owns a surprisingly low usage rating for a point guard, although he makes up for it with his versatility. He’s a player that boasts triple-double potential on any given slate, as he consistently finds 30+ minutes. Chicago’s defensive woes aren’t likely to be fixed early this season, and Trae Young posted a 37/6/7 line against them in only 26 minutes. Brogdon doesn’t have the pure scoring upside that Young possesses, but he’s an elite tournament option tonight.
Alec Burks
Burks found plenty of success over 70 games with the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers last season. He averaged 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists (26.9 fantasy points) in only 26.2 minutes per game. He’s already seeing a larger role with the New York Knicks this season, posting 22 points with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal over 31 minutes against the Indiana Pacers.
Burks gets a revenge matchup against Philadelphia tonight. They ranked 19th in the league in pace and seventh in defensive efficiency last season. Philadelphia saw mixed results defensively against the Washington Wizards, struggling against Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal. Burks is playing the sixth man role for the New York Knicks, playing major minutes off the bench. He’s one of New York’s top scoring options, and has the potential to continue to average over 1.0 fantasy point per minute early this season. Burks is likely to go overlooked on this slate with the Houston Rockets value, but he comes with tremendous upside for his price tag.
Bigs
Julius Randle
Randle looked outstanding in his first season with the New York Knicks, averaging 19.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists (38.3 fantasy points) in 32.3 minutes per game over 64 contests. He continued that success in his first game of the season, recording 17 points with 9 rebounds and 9 assists in 35 minutes against the Indiana Pacers.
Randle gets a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, who have been outlined in the Alec Burks recommendation. Randle found plenty of success in 4 matchups against Philadelphia last season, averaging 20.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.0 steal (41.8 fantasy points) in 35.5 minutes per game. He boasts a usage rating around 27%, flashing triple-double potential for New York. Randle will continue to find minutes in the mid-30s, and his price tag is a bit low on this slate. His price tag and matchup will keep his ownership low, although he boasts as much upside as nearly any other power forward on this slate.
Aaron Gordon
Gordon saw mixed results over 62 games for the Orlando Magic last season. He averaged 14.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists (32.7 fantasy points) over 32.3 minutes per game. Although Gordon isn’t the most consistent, he boasts triple-double potential with the ability to add steals and blocks on any given night. He performed well in his first game of the season, as well, posting 20 points with 7 rebounds and 4 steals over only 26 minutes against the Miami Heat.
Gordon gets an elite matchup against the Washington Wizards tonight. They ranked seventh in the NBA in pace and 29th in defensive rating last season. Washington also struggled against the Philadelphia 76ers in their first game of the season. Gordon’s usage rating is expected to sit around 20%, although he’s expected to find 30+ minutes tonight after struggling with fouls in his first game. Gordon’s an athletic big that will benefit from the pace Washington will try to play at. Surprisingly, he only averaged 29.6 fantasy points in 31.0 minutes per game against them last season. With that being said, he’s a player that generally goes overlooked, and he possesses the ability to dominate this matchup for his price tag.
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