Welcome to Tristan’s NBA Game Theory (10/27)! In this article, I’ll outline my favorite cash game and GPP options at each of the positions. I’ll utilize our Projections Portal when making decisions about what types of leagues specific players are best suited for. You can get all of my Core Plays along with our Cheat Sheets, projections, and Premium Discord channels with our Premium NBA Package.
| Guards | Forwards |
Centers | Game Stacks |
| R. Westbrook | G. Antetokoumpo | S. Adams | LAL/OKC |
| M. Monk | D. Bane | M. Plumlee | IND/TOR |
| S. Gilgeous Alexander | P. George | I. Zubac | MIN/MIL |
| D. Melton | N. Little | K. Anthony Towns | MEM/POR |
| J. Suggs | OG Anunoby | D. Ayton | SAC/PHX |
*If you don’t already play 3 max entry contests daily, try using the teams provided in the stacks above to maximize upside and correlation in your NBA lineups.
Guards
Cash
Ahhhh well. Here we go again. Lebron James will be out today, making Russell Westbrook a top play for the slate again. Revenge narrative against OKC, Anthony Davis questionable, 9.3k, everything looks good. With that being said, watch him dud somehow but just know he will be high owned and a great play on today’s slate with the injuries the Lakers are dealing with. You can pair him up with Malik Monk who has been playing big minutes as well with the Lakers injuries. He should see 30+ minutes again and is only 3.7k, making him good value. With that being said, you could correlate this game up and run it back with Shai Gilgeous Alexander, who is only 7.1k on DK and should see a ton of minutes in this game. Granted he is on a b2b, they are playing at home where OKC seems to compete a little more.
Other players I’m looking at for cash for the guard spot would be DeAnthony Melton at 5k who is still seeing a ton of run and usage with Dillon Brooks being out. I think his floor in this matchup should be 20 and his ceiling could be 30+ here. Pat Connaughton also is in contention for value because he has been seeing 30 minutes with Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez being out. Bobby Portis coming back will hinder someone’s minutes but it’s still unsure who will take that hit. Jalen Suggs at 5k is also worth a look seeing that he does get the run and usage, but sometimes has trouble producing in those minutes. Seems to be inconsistent but this match-up isn’t bad for him.
GPP
For GPPs, there’s a ton of places you can go just because of how this slate looks already. You can punt with Rajon Rondo who should see the same amount of minutes if not more with Lebron James being out and chances of Anthony Davis sitting as well. He played pretty well yesterday and didn’t produce too much in the 2H, so if he can put together a complete game in both halves he can definitely smash his 3.1k price tag. Someone also to look at is D’angelo Russell, who has been playing really awful as of late. He’s due for a bounceback game (same can be said about Damian Lillard…) but I think this match-up and pace helps him.
Elfrid Payton is also worth a punt, with Cameron Payne already being ruled out. Last game that Payne was out, Elfrid went for 28.5 DK pts in 25 minutes. Granted they lost by 30, in which Elfrid saw more run due to the blowout… he should still see around 18-20 minutes running the 2nd unit. I know he’s a little popular today in the industry seeing his name pop a ton, but I might fade here for Rondo. Not sure yet… just trying to avoid chalk if he is.
Forward
Cash
We got the big boys here for forward today… hah for forward. Giannis Antetokounmpo is in a great match-up against a Minnesota team that isn’t great on defense and plays fast. Kevin Durant is in a tougher match-up but is still seeing tons of usage and is of course the number one option on the team. Paul George is in a good match-up in a game that should stay more competitive than his last and again, is the number one option with Kawhi Leonard out. I think in cash I’m going to go with Giannis to be safe and because he’s in the best match-up out of the 3, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the other two outscore him. For value, Desmond Bane looks still too cheap at 4.8k while averaging around 33 DK pts during the season. His role is different now with Dillon Brooks out and Jonas Valanciunas gone, which allows him to see 30+ mins a game and 15+ shots a game. He’s a good defensive player as well so you can definitely see him on both sides of the ball.
GPP
I called OG Anunoby in my pod the other night before his match-up for Chicago and what do ya know, 44 DK pts. I do think he’s in play again tonight in GPPs because of his ceiling, and seeing that Indiana plays games close and fast, this could be a great match-up for him here. Not sure if he would guard Malcolm Brogdon here because he’s their best defender but if he doesn’t… he should see an easy time on defense leaving more energy for offense. If Norman Powell were to miss today, I might go back to Nassir Little who I had last slate that did really well for his salary. He would start at SF for the Blazers who need to start playing better before Chauncy Billups and Damian Lillard get scapegoated for their struggles. CJ McCollum has been carrying that team as of late and they definitely need help. Nassir Little is great in fast-paced games that can lead to a lot of turnovers/defensive plays. He also plays blow-out for a bit if that is the case.
If a minute tidbit comes out on Bobby Portis before game-time or lock, I would definitely try to see if he’s limited or not. Being a hamstring injury, I can definitely see the case where he is limited his first game but if news comes out he’s not, I love him here.
Center
Cash
With news that PJ Washington is out for tonight, Mason Plumlee is worth a look in cash with a high floor. He will be needed against the duo towers of Wendell Carter Jr and Mo Bamba, so if he can stay out of foul trouble I believe he will be a good part of the offense tonight. I think the highest owned C tonight will be Steven Adams, at least in cash. He has a HIGH floor and will be needed to guard Jusuf Nurkic in this match-up. The Grizzlies use him as a screener who rolls often as well as a C that can make passes, seeing that he’s had 6, 5, and 3 assists in his first 3 games of the season. He has a high ceiling and I feel like DK might have forgotten to up his price. 5.3k for a guy like this that has been producing so well seems very off-brand for DK. People can also look to Precious Achiuwa tonight for value, but he might get into foul trouble dealing with Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis.
GPP
Someone who will go under-owned tonight in a great spot could be Ivica Zubac, who is currently listed at 4.8k. They will need him against the two bigs in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, so size will definitely be required. I think he has a chance to hit 30 DK pts tonight which would be great at that price, and allow you $500 to fit anyone else in rather than use Steven Adams (who I still love tonight btw). For GPPs if you have the salary, you can look to Karl Anthony Towns who just put up a crazy 70 DK pt game against the Pelicans. This definitely is a harder match-up but around the same pace and should be competitive. DeAndre Ayton is also cheap for this match-up, there just seems to be better C plays tonight… but don’t count him out!
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