Welcome to Tristan’s NBA Game Theory (12/1)! 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 |
| K. Porter Jr | K. Oubre | J. Collins | SAC/LAC |
| Ter. Mann | K. Huerter | C. Wood | HOU/OKC |
| C. Duarte | M. Morris | M. Bamba | CHA/MIL |
| R. Jackson | E. Mobley | B. Portis | ATL/IND |
| Tr. Mann | G. Antetokoumpo | J. Allen | DAL/NOP |
*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.
Happy December!!! A ton of news to get through tonight in a 9 game slate so please please please, don’t forget to check for updates either on Twitter or in our discord channel where news updates are posted and in our premium channel, breakdown of the news! With that out of the way, let’s get to it.
Guards
Cash
First guard I’m looking at for both cash games and GPPs is Kevin Porter Jr. He has a 2% usage bump without Jalen Green on the floor, who will continue to miss this game tonight. He goes from a 24.5% usage rate to a 26.5% usage rate, while shooting at least 5+ more shots, accumulating more rebounds and assists as well. More touches are there without Jalen Green and it’s become apparent that he is the main playmaker while Green is out. In this match-up, KPJ has exploded averaging over 10+ assists against OKC this season, with over 40+DKP. Might be an easy lock for cash games, but for GPPs he can definitely be faded… with caution.
Terrence Mann might get the start here with Paul George being ruled out for the night, and will be very popular if so. He’s at a 4.6k price tag and will be playing a huge bulk of minutes in a fast paced match-up against the Kings who aren’t looking too great defensively. He has the ability to rack up not only points but a good amount of peripheral stats as well. I believe he has a floor of at least 20 DKP with upwards of a 30+ DKP ceiling.
BONUS: Garrison Mathews
GPP
This play might be a stretch but I assume will be pretty low owned tonight… Facundo Campazzo with news that both Austin Rivers and Bones Hyland will be missing from tonight’s game against Orlando. There are a few things I want to point out — if this blows out, I assume Campazzo will get all the blowout run. If this game stays close, he should still see 20+ minutes with the injuries to Murray, Hyland, Rivers, Porter Jr, and Dozier. He’s been averaging 20+ minutes a night over the last 5 games, and he has been producing as well. We’ve seen his ceiling when he gets a ton of run and when he is depended on to make plays. I think he has a very high floor here for his price and could put up 25-30 which would be very great for a low-owned play like this one.
Chris Duarte will be I assume a bit popular today because of his really cheap price tag, this match-up, and the news that Justin Holiday will be sitting the next few games with COVID-19. Duarte looks like the man to start for Holiday, and even if he doesn’t, he’s been putting up 20+ DKP off the bench in his limited minutes. The news about Justin Holiday will only boost Duarte’s minutes, allowing him more time on the court to drain 3s for that 3PT bonus. He comes in at 4k which again is very cheap and won’t kill you if he completely busts. I don’t believe he will though, this match-up is a good one… and on the other side we have someone else who catches my eye which I discuss in the FORWARD section!
BONUS: Davion Mitchell (SUPER boom or bust play here), Tre Mann
Forward
Cash
Like I said above, the player I like on the other side of this ATL-IND game is Kevin Huerter. Cam Reddish is currently Q and Bogdan Bogdanovic has already been ruled out. This allows Kevin Huerter to play a ton of minutes, and if Reddish is ruled out, we should see at least 35+ minutes of Huerter at a 4.4k price-tag in a supposed close match-up with the Pacers. He dudded last game against the Knicks who play slow and are average defensively, so this match-up against the Pacers should bode better for him. He also didn’t hit ONE 3 last game which he’s very well known for being a good shooter, going 4-13 from the field as well. This shows the volume is there and in an easier match-up it’s possible to see a near ceiling game for him.
Kelly Oubre will be my next cash forward due to not only his recent performance, but because of his upside in a fast paced match-up like this one. Of course, there is always risk of foul trouble or a blowout especially against this Milwaukee team, but with Mason Plumlee still being held out, Kelly Oubre has had over 30+DKP in his last 3 games, shooting 17+ shots in each game. One of those games was a blowout where Oubre still had 17 shots, but 27 minutes which would’ve definitely been 30+ if it stayed close. The 3 PT DK bonus is also nice because Oubre shoots a ton of 3 pointers.
GPP
Chimezie Metu in the starting line-up seems like he has produced every time he’s there. It seems like his coaches (and past coach) like him there, with him playing 25+ minutes in close games, with the topper of 36 last night against the Lakers. He sports a 21% usage rate in the starting lineup, and gives the Kings another scoring threat. His floor seems to be around the 17-18 range if this game does blowout, but his ceiling is pretty high if it stays close. He won’t hurt you too much if he does bust with his floor because of his price as well, allowing you to fit studs in. My only gripe is the injury news that will hit the slate later…which could change the entire outlook of it.
Marcus Morris will now see a big usage bump with Paul George out for this game, and by the looks of it, he’s ready for 30+ minutes. Last game he played 34 minutes and it seems like he’s conditioned enough to play that many minutes. There isn’t too much data with him being on the court with PG off the court, but this match-up and pace should definitely help him out. Nic Batum is out as well and has been out, so that gives Morris a bump as well. He’s cheap at 4.4k with a floor of 20 DKP (IMO) in this match-up, so I would fire away in GPPs.
Center
Cash
John Collins is really cheap on DK compared to FD, and has put up almost 35+ DKP in his last 5 games besides against San Antonio, in which Atlanta blew them out 124-106. This is a decent match-up against Indiana who might be without Myles Turner today, which could definitely help John Collins because I can’t see anyone who will be able to match-up with him. JC has a high floor and a decent ceiling, but with Capela in, the ceiling is definitely limited. Nonetheless, he’s great for cash games because of his consistent ability to perform and in close games, there’s a higher chance for him to get to that ceiling.
BONUS: Dwayne Dedmon… but Dedmon sits… Yurtseven might be ELITE!
GPP
Mo Bamba is at a really cheap price for his upside, but in a tough match-up against Nikola Jokic. He did hold his own against Joel Embiid though last game, putting up 45+ DKP in his 35 minutes played. This might be a tougher cover than Embiid so I’m putting him in the GPP section just because he can bust tonight, but his upside is definitely there for his price. With news that Jalen Suggs will be out tonight but Cole Anthony back, nothing really changes much besides maybe losing a few more touches. His ability to block the ball consistently as well as rebound can put him over, though again, this match-up might not be the one for him.
BONUS: Jarrett Allen should feast against whichever Miami C will start for the injured Bam Adebayo, Bobby Portis has the ability to put up 40+ in this spot against one of the worst big man defenses in the game against Charlotte
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