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 with access to our Discord, click here.
Guards
Markelle Fultz
Fultz has been playing well in recent games. He’s averaging 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.7 steals (32.2 fantasy points) in 26.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Fultz has scored 20+ fantasy points in each of his last 4 games. He has also flashed tremendous upside, scoring 44.5 fantasy points in 33 minutes against a tough Boston defense.
Fultz gets a tough matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks today. Milwaukee ranks second in the bubble in pace and 10th in defensive rating. They did feature the best defensive rating on the season prior to the restart, though, and will likely use a shortened rotation in the playoffs. Still, Fultz is expected to find minutes in the mid-20s in this game. The Orlando Magic are getting healthy for the playoffs, but Fultz is a great option off the bench. He can score fantasy points in multiple categories and comes with tremendous upside for a depleted price tag on this slate.
Victor Oladipo
Oladipo surprisingly joined the Indiana Pacers in the restart, and he has found success. He’s averaging 17.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.0 steal (31.7 fantasy points) in 33.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Oladipo played 37 minutes in his last game, taking 26 shot attempts against the Houston Rockets. He’s flashed 40 fantasy point upside in the bubble but I’m expecting him to be a large part of the offense and he comes with more upside than he has shown thus far.
Oladipo gets a tough matchup against the Miami Heat, who rank 20th in the bubble in pace and ninth in defensive rating. Oladipo only played them once this season, scoring 23.25 fantasy points in 28 minutes in the bubble. He’s expected to find minutes in the mid-30s tonight, though. Oladipo has taken 17+ shot attempts in 2 of his last 3 games, and he’ll continue to be a focal point of the upside. He’s far too cheap for his versatility and scoring potential, even in a difficult matchup.
Bigs
Robert Covington
Covington continues to find success with the Houston Rockets, averaging 8.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 2.3 steals (29.8 fantasy points) in 30.2 minutes per game over the last 10 days. His numbers are a bit skewed by a 24-minute performance in the final game of the season. Covington is a player that comes with tremendous upside, though, as he recently scored 38.75 fantasy points against the Sacramento Kings.
He gets a tough matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. Oklahoma City ranks 17th in the bubble in pace and second in defensive rating. Covington has yet to face off against the Thunder this season. He’s expected to see minutes in the mid- to high-30s tonight, though. He’ll be a bigger part of the offense with Russell Westbrook injured and he boasts double-double potential. Covington will be used to combat some of the size of Oklahoma City, and he makes an outstanding option in tournaments on this slate.
Brook Lopez
Lopez has quietly been enjoying plenty of success in the NBA bubble. He’s averaging 22.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 block (32.6 fantasy points) in 25.4 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Lopez has scored 29+ fantasy points in 6 of his 7 games since the restart. He has also flashed elite upside, scoring 46 and 49.75 fantasy points against the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks, respectively. He’s a versatile big, although quite a bit of his success has come with his scoring.
Lopez gets a matchup against the Orlando Magic, who rank 15th in the bubble in pace and 14th in defensive rating. They are dealing with a few injuries that could hamper their defense in this game. Lopez is only averaging 11.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steal (20.4 fantasy points) in 26.6 minutes per game through 4 games against Orlando. Lopez has played 25 or fewer minutes in each of his last 3 games, limiting his production but also decreasing his price tag. He’s expected to play roughly 30 minutes in this game, giving him added upside. Lopez isn’t necessarily a safe option, but it’s impossible to ignore his success in the NBA bubble. He’s a player that is likely to go overlooked at center but makes an outstanding tournament option today.
SuperDraft
Goran Dragic (1.6x)
Dragic has only played 2 games over the last 10 days, but he’s averaging 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in 25.6 minutes per game. He posted 33+ fantasy points in each of those games, as well. Overall, Dragic has caught fire over his last 5 games, scoring 32+ fantasy points in each of those games. He also posted 44.25 fantasy points against the Toronto Raptors.
Dragic gets a matchup against the Indiana Pacers today. They rank ninth in the bubble in pace and third in defensive rating, Dragic has found success against them this season, though, averaging 13.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.0 steal in 28.5 minutes per game. Dragic’s minutes are a bit unknown, but he’s expected to find minutes in the high-20s tonight. He gets a bonus 1.6x multiplier on SuperDraft, making him an outstanding option on this slate.
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