Check out Scotty C’s NBA Cash Game Breakdown for tonight’s nine-game slate!!
As we saw last night, the slate can turn on it’s head quickly, and we should be prepared for that tonight, but as it is, we’re going to want to take advantage of the absence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and to have plenty of exposure to these Thunder guys in a great matchup against the Wolves.
We’ll also want to monitor the availabilities of Jaylen Brown for the Celtics, Collin Sexton for the Cavs, D’Angelo Russell for the Wolves, and Terry Rozier for the Hornets.
EDIT: Jaylen Brown has been ruled out. Huge bumps for Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker.
PG
Malcolm Brogdon ($7800 DK, $7800 FD) – Nice price point here for Brogdon whose salary we’ve seen in the mid-to-upper 8Ks this year. Indiana is coming off two blowouts in a row that has kept him from getting his last rotation, but we’ve got a very close spread in this one, and Brogdon will very likely see 37-38 minutes in a competitive game. You can fire up Brogdon with confidence and enjoy the discount.
Darius Garland ($5800 DK, $6100 FD) – Garland is a good play no matter what now that his minutes are fully up after working his way back from injury. But if Collin Sexton isn’t able to go that would give him a boost, though he’s managed to get up 18 FGAs in each of the past two games while sharing the backcourt with Sexton anyway.
Kemba Walker ($6500 DK, $5700 FD) – The minutes ramped up to 30 last game for Kemba but the price hasn’t gone anywhere. Jaylen Brown is Q, and Kemba would receive a significant boost if Brown were to miss, but he’s playable at these prices – especially on FD – regardless. Kemba’s numbers are way down because he’s been banged up and the minutes haven’t been there, but the 30 mins is a great sign he’s getting back to his usual self.
Theo Maledon ($5000 DK, $4800 FD) – If you haven’t heard of Maledon, it’s because he’s a rookie, and we don’t know a ton about him yet. However, we do know the Thunder are shorthanded with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, George Hill and Luguentz Dort out and that Maledon started and saw 36 minutes last game. We also know that the Thunder pulled out a surprise victory over the Rockets, so they don’t have any reason to tinker with their lineup. And we love the matchup against the Wolves, one of the worst teams in the league, allowing 115.4 ppg.
SG
Hamidou Diallo ($5200 DK, $5000 FD) – Diallo is another Thunder player who benefits significantly from the backcourt injuries and the high usage SGA being out. He started and saw 33 minutes last game and would expect him to draw the start again tonight in what is an excellent matchup against the hapless Timberwolves.
Fred VanVleet ($7900 DK, $9000 FD) –FVV is really freaking good. Outside of a few hiccups here and there, he’s regularly putting up 40+ fantasy points and now this last game he flashed some upside I don’t think any of us knew he had, dropping 54 real points on the Magic. When it comes to this newlook Brooklyn team, we’re seeing a lot of offense and not much in the way of defense, which is a great recipe for fantasy. You can certainly look to Lowry or Siakam on DK as well at the prices, but if I’m choosing between them tonight, it’s FVV.
Devonte’ Graham ($5400 FD Only) – Graham normally plays a lot of minutes but with injuries to both Terry Rozier and PJ Washington last game, he saw 40. Graham is inefficient offensively, but he is involved, taking around 13 shots a game and dishing out 6.1 apg. I think he’s still playable at the price if Rozier returns, but he’d be especially good if Rozier were to miss again (Washington is already out).
Anthony Edwards ($5500 DK, $5600 FD) – Decent stuff here from Edwards since joining the starting lineup four games ago. He’s been averaging right around 30-31 minutes of action during that span. He’s played all those games with D’Angelo Russell, who is Q tonight, and if he were to miss, we would expect Edwards to take on a really big role in the offense.
SF
Jerami Grant ($7000 DK, $6800 FD) – It was good to see Grant get back on track last game after a couple subpar outings. Grant is a third or fourth (or fifth) option on a good team, which is why it’s hard to wrap our heads around this season he’s putting together, but he’s proven that he can put up some impressive numbers on a really bad team and we should expect him to continue his strong production moving forward if or until something changes with the Pistons.
Taurean Prince ($4500 DK, $5400 FD) – Larry Nance Jr. is out again and Prince has started the past two games, seeing 32 and 28 minutes. The price on FD is ok but Prince is currently one of the strongest values of the slate over on DK. I’d expect Prince to start again here, but it’s worth keeping an eye on lineups, and if for some reason it’s Cedi Osman instead, he’d be a good play at just $4600 on DK.
Kevin Durant ($9600 DK, $10700 FD) – Don’t need to go there on FD, but this is a really nice price for Durant on DK in the highest projected total game on the slate. It’s going to be difficult to choose between the big three for the rest of the year as long as all of them are active, but Durant is a good way to get exposure to such a great game environment if you can work the salary.
Gordon Hayward ($7500 DK, $7400 FD) – Hayward just keeps rolling along, he’s having an outstanding year for the Hornets. He’s locked into upper-30’s minute and the guy just has a strong all around game that is suited well for cash and having a high floor.
**Kenrich Williams ($3500 DK, $3500 FD) /Justin Jackson ($3200 DK, $3500 FD)** – With Dort going down last game, keep an eye on the starting lineup for OKC. That should be the best clue as to who is likely to pick up the most minutes at the wing position. Both guys are an extreme value and worth a look depending on how the lineup shakes out.
PF
Domantas Sabonis ($8600 DK, $8800 FD) – At this point, Sabonis is one of the most consistent cash game performers in the league. We might even call him the Cash Game King. He’s had 40+ fantasy points in ten of his last 13 games (one of those games he left early with an injury) and five 50+ games in that span as well, including two straight. His excellent rebounding and passing gives him a high floor even on those rare off-shooting nights.
Darius Bazley ($5700 DK, $5600 FD) – It won’t be any one player stepping in to take over SGA’s big role on the offensive end, but likely a collection of guys including Bazley. Most of these OKC guys are relatively unknown and don’t have a lengthy track record, so we are really looking to trust the minutes and the matchup and to realize that someone has to initiate offense against a bad Timberwolves defense, and Bazley is a strong candidate to help with that.
Lauri Markkanen ($6800 DK, $6500 FD) – A stinker last game might throw people off the scent, but we’re regularly seeing 35-36 minutes from Markkanen, and this is a strong matchup against the Aaron Gordon-less Magic. The eight shot attempts in 36 minutes against New York is more fluky than anything, and would expect him to be much more involved in the offense tonight.
Jayson Tatum ($8900 DK, $9500 FD) – We’ll want to keep an eye on Jaylen Brown’s status because if he’s not able to go, it will become the Jayson Tatum show tonight for the Celtics with Kemba as his wingman. We’d expect 25-30 FGAs to go along with the rebounds and some increased playmaking.
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10800 DK, $11200 FD) – Giannis pretty much always projects well and tonight’s no different. If you can work the salary to make it happen, you can feel good rostering Giannis.
C
Nik Vucevic ($8500 DK, $8800 FD) – Like Sabonis, Vuc is a cash game staple who gets it done game after game. Both the Magic and Bulls are currently bottom of the barrel NBA teams and that’s reflected in the close spread. We’ve seen in close games this year that the Magic have been willing to roll with Vuc for big minutes so we could be looking at potential upside game from him tonight.
Al Horford ($6100 DK, $6300 FD) – The lack of minutes limits his upside, but he’s been very consistent in his 27-29 minutes this year. This isn’t an exciting play, but it’s a fairly safe one for cash. He shouldn’t have any trouble working against Naz Reid, who isn’t known for his defense.
Andre Drummond ($8200 DK, $7500 FD) – This timeshare with Jarrett Allen is really for the birds, but the $7500 on FD for Drummond is a very low price for a guy who is more than capable of putting up 50 fantasy points in 25 minutes. Tough spot here to pull the trigger on him given how insecure the minutes are, but he’s a player to be aware of especially for GPPs if you don’t want to take the risk in cash.
Core Four DK: Diallo, Sabonis, Tatum, K. Williams or Jackson (whoever starts)
Core Four FD: Diallo, Maledon, Vuc, Tatum
