NFL Tickets
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Point Guard
Chris Paul $18,850
This is a pretty fun slate we have on our hands here, and we will be looking at the slate that starts at 7:30. Paul is my favorite PG on the board. He faces off with the Thunder tonight, and will be going head to head with Russell Westbrook. This game has the 2nd highest over/under on the board, and should stay very close down the stretch. Paul is 5k cheaper than Westbrook, and I think he has a huge game tonight. Westbrook is obviously spectacular on offense, but his defense doesn’t hold up. He gives up plenty of open shots, and isn’t great against the pick & roll. Paul loves to run just that with DeAndre Jordan, who has had 2 big games in a row. Paul has also been really good with Blake Griffin out since coming back from injury. His usage goes way up with Griffin off the court, and he will look to keep the Clippers in this one. He is my favorite PG in cash games, and my second favorite in tournaments, to only Kyrie Irving.
Kyrie Irving $16,150
Everyone knows what Irving can do to the Warriors. Stephen Curry, like Westbrook, is a pretty one sided player. Curry even more so, as he doesn’t even have the size that Westbrook does. The defense obviously can’t focus on Irving, as Love and LeBron can take over just as easily. I expect a big game out of at least 2 of the big 3 tonight, and I think Irving is definitely one of them. He does have the lowest floor of the 3, so he will be in more tournaments than cash games. This game does have the highest over/under on the board at 226, and I definitely expect this one to stay close. The Cavs got a come from behind victory at home a few weeks ago, and the Warriors will want to defend their home court. I will look to target this game a ton, though the real assets are super expensive. Irving has a 60 point ceiling, and this match up is great.
Shooting Guard
Klay Thompson $11,800
The shooting guard position lacks a stud tonight, and the guys up top aren’t in great spots. Klay Thompson is the most expensive guy I have interest in, and I will use this position to help me pay up elsewhere. Thompson has plenty of upside here, and won’t be seeing the best of on ball defenders. He will probably see Kyrie Irving, Kyle Korver and Iman Shumpert throughout the game. Shumpert is the only plus defender there, but by no means shutdown. Thompson isn’t even 12k, which is way too cheap for a guy in this offense that takes so many shots. He has seen a dip in production this year, due to the addition of Kevin Durant. However, he has still been consistent and shown flashes of upside every few games. He is a safe way to go tonight, and can be used in tournaments as well.
Devin Booker $10,800
Booker is simply too cheap. This isn’t a good match up, but it’s not the worst one either. Booker was struggling for a few weeks there, after his torrid start to the season. The Jazz struggle most against SGs, as Rodney Hood is by far their weakest defensive link. Booker has been on a tear recently, dropping over 28 real life points and 35 fantasy points, 3 games in a row. His shot is falling, and he is taking a ton of shots. Eric Bledsoe has been rather cold, so has been fine letting Booker run the offense. These guys will go back and forth all year, and right now is Booker’s time. He does still have a low floor, but his price is low enough where I am willing to play him in cash games.
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Small Forward
Kevin Durant ($18,450) & LeBron James ($21,350)
These 2 guys face off tonight, and both are fantastic plays. Durant does come in almost a full 3k cheaper, so he is the much safer option. However, the price tag will likely keep some off of LeBron, who can easily hit value there. I will do my best to have equal exposure to both, but the pricing is getting kind of tough. As of now, there hasn’t been much injury news, so not too much value at the first 3 positions. We will get to some value plays at the PF and C spots. LeBron is the better defender of the two, but Durant has shown his ability to score on him. Both of these guys had huge games a few weeks ago, and I expect nothing less here. All in all, LeBron is a better tournament play and Durant is a better cash play, but you can play both everywhere.
Gordon Hayward $15,750
Hayward will likely go overlooked tonight, and he is in a great spot. T.J. Warren and P.J. Tucker are supposed to be great defenders, but the Suns have not been good against small forwards. Hayward has already played the Suns twice, and finished with 45 and 35 fantasy points. The 2nd game was a blowout, and he didn’t see his full allotment of minutes. Hayward is a great play today, and his price is pretty fair. If you do need to pay down at SF, I would look at a guy like Andre Iguodala or Kyle Korver. They both have the upside to get hot and stay in the game late. They are also both cheap enough where they can still hit value in a measly 15 minutes.
Power Forward
Derrick Favors $10,600
The Favors 45 point fantasy performance is coming really soon, and he is going to be unbelievably cheap. He is a guy who regularly sits around 14k, and his injury has driven it way down. The Suns are a fantastic match up, as Chriss nor Bender have the strength to stay with Favors in the post. Favors is a REALLY good player, and was arguably a top 8 PF last season. The minutes have also slowly increased, and he should be seeing 30 any game now. He has been good against the Suns in the past, and will look to have another good game against the squad. With all of the expensive options I listed in the previous 3 positions, I wanted to give some options to pay down for here at PF.
Joffrey Lauvergne ($7,300) & Damontas Sabonis ($$5,500)
Steven Adams left last game with a concussion, so I highly doubt he returns so quickly. If he misses, it will open up about 35 minutes for these guys in total. I think they split it, and then add on their regular 12 minutes each. Sabonis is my favorite, as I think he matches up best with the Clippers, and is much cheap than Lauvergne. This game is one we are going to attack, and this is a way you can get extremely cheap exposure. There is definitely a chance one of these guys gets hot and just says on the court with the starters in the 4th quarter. I will play Sabonis in both cash and tournaments, and will only play Lauvergne in tournaments.
Center
Enes Kanter $11,000
I will just add to what I said directly above. With Adams likely out, Kanter is in a glorious position. I could see him pushing 35 minutes tonight, and the upside is unbelievable. DeAndre Jordan is a fantastic shot blocker, but his man to man defense is nothing special. Kanter is a special offensive player, and can score in a ton of different ways, even hitting a couple 3 points this year. He could see some Marreese Speights defense as well, which will be utterly funny to watch. Speights is one of the worst defenders around, and has absolutely zero chance against Kanter. Kanter is by far my top center on the slate, and I think I end up with 100% if Steven Adams is confirmed out.
Kelly Olynyk $8,450
If you feel the need to pay down from Kanter for some reason, Olynyk is the best way to go. He has been seeing good minutes recently, and paid off in a big way last game. This game sets up well for Kelly, as the Hornets have a lot of stretch big men. He matches up well with them, and should be on the court plenty. His price is low enough where he only needs about 20 to hit value, and his upside is obviously there, as he hit 46 in his last game. He is more of a tournament option, and I will only have a little bit of exposure. Enes Kanter is the guy I will lean on most tonight, and I am willing to go down with that ship.
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