NBA Top Plays for Monday, January 9th

By Will Colello

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Point Guard

Russell Westbrook $25,000

This slate is really ugly, so please bear with me. Westbrook will be very hard to pay up for, but his upside is unquestioned. With a floor around 65, and a ceiling at 100, it is hard to not pay up. The Bulls don’t offer much resistance, either, as they have ranked 7th worst against PG’s in the last month. Westbrook is going to have another big game, and it’s gonna be tough to watch if he isn’t in your lineup. However, he forces you to pay down almost everywhere else, and there is a different high priced guy in Anthony Davis I like more. We will talk about him later. All in all, Westbrook is going to be a tournament play as I just don’t see how I can fit him in cash.

Jrue Holiday $14,450

Holiday is a bit more affordable, but obviously has nowhere near the floor or ceiling Westbrook possesses. He takes on a Knicks team that lacks defensive efficiency, and have been average against point guards. Holiday has been playing well as of late, averaging 32 fantasy points over his last 6 games. While Holiday isn’t in a prime spot, nobody really is tonight. Compared to the rest of the field, Holiday should make you feel happy & giggly. The price is a little bumped, but not nearly enough to get me off of him. Holiday can be deployed in all formats.

Shooting Guard

Jimmy Butler $18,000

Butler is one of my favorite plays on this night, as I just don’t see anyone on the Thunder being capable of covering him. Westbrook would have a chance, but there is no chance they will do that. That would leave a small forward on a point guard. Victor Oladipo will probably cover him most of the time, and he is way too small. This game also figures to be pretty fast paced, and Butler excels in high scoring games. His price has risen, but so has his production. I will have a ton of exposure to Butler, in both cash games and tournaments.

Buddy Hield $7,750

With the strict salary cap on DraftDay, Hield is a guy you have to consider. He may be inconsistent and scary to play, but the upside is there and he doesn’t have to do too much in cash games. He gets a Knicks team that plays very average defense, and doesn’t mind giving up some 3’s. Hield has a tendency to ballhog, which is annoying when you roster AD, but not so much here. His price is close to minimum, and on this slate, you don’t have many other options to pay down for. Like it or not, you might have to play Buddy Hield tonight.

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Small Forward

Carmelo Anthony $15,650

I feel like I have to reiterate this over and over, but this slate is just bad. I will still be playing my regular games because I think I do have an edge, but the players to choose from are just gross. Melo is somewhat fun to roster, and he is easily the safest option at small forward. That’s not saying much, though, as Andrew Wiggins and Harrison Barnes are the next 2 guys you can pick from. Rose and Porzingis are both fully back, which does hamper Melo a little bit. Either way, he will get his shots and should play at least 30 minutes. The Pelicans are a good match up, as Tyreke Evans is really the only one that can match up size wise. He is on a 20 minutes limit, and doesn’t start. Anthony is only 15.6k, so will need about 38 to hit value. I think that happens tonight, and I see the upside for much more.

Wesley Matthews $11,100

Yep, this is what it has come to. I’m not excited, but I am gonna do it. Matthews hasn’t been good since he left Portland, but still finds a way to hit value on most nights. He is safe, I must say. In his last 12 games, he has over 25 in 9 of them and over 30 in 6. The T-Wolves are a team he should be able to get it done against, as Zach Lavine and Shabazz Muhammad are not intimidating defenders. Matthews mostly relies on the 3 ball, where the T-Wolves struggle. Matthews is safe, and that’s hard to find on this slate under 14k.

Power Forward

Anthony Davis $21,750

Davis is my favorite high priced guy tonight, and I will have him everywhere. These 2 teams faced off just a little more than a week ago and Anthony Davis went nuts. He went for 59, and could of gone for much more if the game stayed close throughout. His price is high, nonetheless. I have had a little trouble fitting him in spots, but there is nothing some Buddy Hield action can’t handle… Remember, this is a 3 game slate and there are not too many different ways to go. Davis could end up being a guy that you need to have to cash, even in 50/50’s.

Taj Gibson $9,300

Power forward get pretty weak after the first guy, like most positions have. I went with Gibson here due to his relative consistency, compared to the field. I could of went with Harrison Barnes here as a cop out, but you have to pay down somewhere, and you can’t play all the high priced guys. Gibson gives you a good shot at 30, with upside of no more than 40. He also should play the minutes tonight, to match with the 2 big centers and 2 forwards that remain in the post in Sabonis and Lauvergne. Neither of them are great defenders, and Gibson should be able to score. This is a game I will be targeting heavily, but I guess that’s also relative on a 3 game slate.

Center

Karl-Anthony Towns $18,550

Towns is the easy high priced option at center, and don’t think anyone will argue with that. The Mavs play slow, but they’re also really bad. Bogut is a decent defender, but he’s old, only plays max 25 minutes, and has no chance to stay with the speed and athleticism of KAT. His price has risen, but he may end up being one of the least owned “stars” on the slate. Westbrook and Davis will probably be split, and then Butler and Towns may get split as the 2nd guy people pay up for. I don’t see a huge reason to pay for KAT in cash games, but there is definitely merit in tournaments.

Enes Kanter $11,300

Kanter is a guy who offers safety, for the most part. He will have a horrible game 1 in 10, but will be very consistent other than that. He sits around 28-32 FPs, and can easily get over that in a good match up. The Bulls are definitely that, and the defensive interior is weak. Some regard RoLo as a good defender, but he really just tries to finesse his way out due to the lack of skill. Kanter is a great offensive player, and should be able to have his way with whoever on the Bulls gets thrown at him.

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