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
Andre Iguodala
Iguodala has seen mixed results in the bubble, averaging 3.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists (14.5 fantasy points) in 21.4 minutes per game. He saw 31 minutes in his last game, though, scoring 6 points with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal (28 fantasy points). Iguodala hasn’t played a major role in the Miami Heat rotation this season, but he has performed well when on the court. He’s averaging 0.8 fantasy points per minute this season.
Iguodala gets a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks today. They rank first in the NBA in pace and first in defensive rating. Iguodala is expected to see 20+ minutes again today, although he could play 30+ minutes once again if Miami opts to utilize him in the same way as their last game. His minutes are on the rise because of an injury to Jimmy Butler, who has already been ruled out today. Goran Dragic is questionable in this game, and if he’s out, Iguodala would likely see more minutes, as well.
Alex Caruso
Caruso is everyone’s favorite underdog. He’s averaging 7.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals (17.5 fantasy points) in 24.0 minutes per game in the bubble. He’s only averaging 0.74 fantasy points per minute this season, but Caruso has flashed upside when given the time on the court. He has also flashed in limited minutes, scoring 29.25 fantasy points in only 17 minutes before the season was postponed.
Caruso gets a great matchup against the Houston Rockets, who rank fourth in the NBA in pace and 16th in defensive rating. He’s averaging 19 fantasy points in only 22.3 minutes per game against Houston this season. Caruso is expected to see minutes in the low- to mid-20s on this slate. He certainly comes with a bit of risk, but he’ll benefit from the pace in this game and has more than enough upside to exceed value at his current price tag. He’s strictly a GPP option on this slate.
Bigs
Robert Covington
Covington is coming off of a bad game but has still found plenty of success in the NBA restart. He’s averaging 11.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 2.7 steals (34.2 fantasy points) in 38.2 minutes per game. Covington has played 36+ minutes in each of his 3 games since the restart while flashing 45 fantasy point upside. He’s also averaging 0.96 fantasy points per minute on the season.
Covington gets an interesting matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. They rank 11th in the NBA in pace and third in defensive rating. In their only matchup this season, Covington posted 14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals (38.5 fantasy points) in only 29.4 minutes against Los Angeles. Covington will be locked into minutes in the high-30s once again tonight. He’s a focal point of the Houston Rockets rotation and comes with elite steal and block upside on any given night. His ownership could drop after a bad game with some of the other forward options on this slate, but Covington makes an outstanding matchup, even in a tough matchup on paper.
Ivica Zubac
Zubac has looked outstanding in the bubble. He’s averaging 8.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 block, and 1.0 steals (24.0 fantasy points) in 21.3 minutes per game. Zubac has played 25 and 24 minutes in his last 2 games, scoring 34.5 and 27.25 fantasy points. He has dominated all season on a per-minute basis, averaging a healthy 1.15 fantasy points per minute over 67 games.
Zubac gets an outstanding matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. They lack bigs while ranking 17th in the NBA in pace and defensive rating. In 2 matchups this season, Zubac is averaging 10.0 points and 8.0 rebounds (21.8 fantasy points) in only 18.2 minutes per game. Zubac is expected to find minutes in the mid-20s with Montrezl Harrell still out of the lineup. The only thing that can slow him down in this game is fouls, as Dallas doesn’t possess the size to stop him inside. Zubac certainly comes with some risk, but he’s a cheap option who boasts tremendous upside in this matchup.
SuperDraft
Kelly Olynyk (1.8x)
Olynyk is another player that has caught fire in the bubble. He’s averaging 17.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.0 block, and 1.3 steals (35.8 fantasy points) in 28.5 minutes per game. He has scored 30+ fantasy points in each of his 3 games, including a 41 fantasy point performance against the Boston Celtics. Olynyk has found plenty of success on a per-minute basis in 2019, as well, averaging 1.0 fantasy point per minute.
He gets a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, which has already been outlined in the Andre Iguodala recommendation. Olynyk is averaging 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.0 steal (23.4 fantasy points) in only 19.1 minutes per game. Olynyk is expected to see 30+ minutes tonight, and he could see a bigger role in the offense with Jimmy Butler injured. He’ll be a highly owned player on most DFS sites, but you can only start on center on SuperDraft and Olynyk likely won’t be the priority. He comes with elite upside because of his 1.8x multiplier.
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