Top NBA Plays for Wednesday, January 18th

By Will Colello

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Point Guard

Russell Westbrook $24,750

I am not a huge fan of narratives, but c’mon, you have to love what Westbrook brings to the table tonight. The Warriors and Thunder faced off twice already, but the game turned into a blowout and Westbrook only saw 28 minutes. That could certainly happen again tonight, and at his price, he isn’t a guy I will look at in cash. With that being said, you have to love him in tournaments. If the game stays close, thy have nobody to guard Westbrook, and the upside is unlimited. Point guard is a spot you can go a lot of different ways at, but will probably want to pay up. Westbrook is sitting at almost max price on DraftDay, so he forces you into a pretty tough roster construction. This slate is not one with a bunch of value, and because of that, Westbrook will be limited to tournaments. Let’s take a look at some guys you can look at in cash games.

Elfrid Payton $12,600

Elfrid Payton has been really good over his last 3, with totals of 33, 39 and 57. I am not one to chase box scores, but I think he is finally in the right mindset. His minutes have been up and down all season, and this is the first time he has seen 30 minutes night in and night out. He gets a great match up against the Pelicans, who play fast and lack overall team defense. They also give up the 5th most assists and 6th most rebounds to point guards, which is where Payton derives most of his upside. Payton is 12.6k, which is far too low , and will only need about 28 to hit value in cash games. I think there is a very good chance of that tonight, and for a lot more. I expect this game to be high scoring and competitive. We will definitely be targeting some other guys from this game as well.

Shooting Guard

DeMar Derozan $17,200

Derozan could possibly sit tonight. Lowry ended up sitting out last night, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Derozan take his turn against the 76ers. With that being said, he is definitely in play if he takes the court. He dominated last night, finishing with 36 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. I don’t think we can expect that again tonight, but a solid performance should definitely be in the wings. The 76ers will throw Nik Stauskas at Derozan, and that will get ugly quickly. He will then see some Gerald Henderson, who was a decent defender 5 years ago. I definitely do prefer Giannis, but Derozan is pretty safe and obviously has a great ceiling. If Derozan does sit for some reason, you can give a boost to Lowry, Ross, Powell and Carroll.

Avery Bradley $14,150

DraftDay has done a much better job with this price than a lot of other DFS sites. Bradley was dominating on a nightly basis, and then ran into an injury. He played 33 minutes last game, so it looks like he is ready to go. The shot wasn’t falling, but that is expected after missing a week. I see him bouncing back here against the Knicks, who will probably be starting Ron Baker at the 2. Bradley will own Baker on offense, and should have a good 1st quarter. He may cover Carmelo, which could be good in keeping him on the court. The price here is just too cheap, and I will most likely have him across the industry in my cash games. He is a reliable guy for value, and can get you that big game on occasion.

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Small Forward

Giannis Antetokounmpo $23,500

This is a guy who is generally easy to write about, as his actions speak loud enough. He faces off with the Rockets tonight, and I am just trying to figure out who will guard him here. I think it will have to be Patrick Beverley or Trevor Ariza. He will obliterate both of them, and this match up against the Rockets seems ideal. This game has the potential to be VERY high scoring, and I could see either team winning. If the Bucks want to stand a chance, Giannis has to have a huge game. If this game does turn into an up and down battle, I guarantee he will. He is a top 3 fast-break player, and can literally cover the entire floor in 5 dribbles. In tournaments, I am a huge fan of The Giannis + Jabari & Harden game stack. It is expensive, but has the potential to lead you to the top of the leaderboard.

DeMarre Carroll $9,500

We are going to look at a lot of Raptors tonight, as they come into tonight with another fantastic match up, after facing the Nets last night. Carroll has been play a lot of minutes recently, and I expect him to average about 34 as the year progresses. The 76ers will throw Covington at the 3, who is a pretty slow small forward. Carroll is sitting in the mid 9k range, and is nearly a lock to hit value for cash games. Carroll should be able to get in transition and use his speed to take advantage of the match up. Carroll will be able to get open 3’s, too, as the 76ers have given up the 2nd highest % of open 3’s. Carroll is a super safe option, and he becomes a great play if someone on this team rests.

Power Forward

Anthony Davis ($22,400) or Terrence Jones ($8,800)

Whoever ends up starting, will be my top PF on the slate. Davis took off from 10 feet away to attempt a dunk last game, and like usual, ended up landing awkwardly. He maneuvered his long legs to the locker room, and was gone for the rest of the game. He is questionable tonight, and I think there truly is a 50/50 chance he suits up. If we her that he is a go, he will be close to 100%, and I will like him a lot. If Davis sits, I will have a lot of Terrence Jones, and a little bit of Donatas Motiejunas. Jones has been elite without AD, seeing a monstrous usage bump and obviously a huge minutes increase. Serge Ibaka is a good individual defender at the PF position, but is surrounded by Nikola Vucevic, who is not a good defender, at all. This game is an hour after lock, so there is definitely a real chance that we don’t know in time. In that case, I will roll with some Terrence Jones in tournaments. He will destroy value if AD gets ruled out, and could still not kill me if AD plays.

Draymond Green $16,300

Draymond had a huge game against the Cavs with 11 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and 5 blocks. He was all over the court, and exceeded value by a good margin. The Thunder aren’t good against power forwards, giving up the 3rd most rebounds and 4th most assists. I do expect this game to stay close, so Green will see his regular 34-38 minutes. The Thunder aren’t very good against the PF in general. The floor is the best part of Green, as he will very rarely be under 35 fantasy points. He is also game pace proof, as he can play the PF in the big lineup and center in the small lineup. He is more of a cash game play, but the upside is there if the game stays close.

Center

DeMarcus Cousins $21,300

Cousins has seen a slight price drop here, and I will look to take advantage. Myles Turner is wonderful, but is no comparison to DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins currently has the 3rd highest usage in the league, behind only Russell Westbrook and James Harden. He is the point guard of this offense, and will touch the ball nearly every possession. The Pacers have ranked 27th against centers, and I don’t see them having much of a chance against Cousins. Cousins and Giannis are my 2 favorite guys, but we will talk about a guy at this position a bit later that I feel very safe with. I have yet to make a choice of how I will get exposure to each in cash games. You do have to choose 1 or 2 of these expensive guys, so make sure that you choose wisely.

Cody Zeller $10,350

Lucas Nogueira was supposed to be in this spot, but left the game last night with an eye contusion and was being tested for a concussion. He did not return to the game, and Pascal Siakam played 14 minutes in the 2nd half. On to Cody Zeller, who has played really well this season. He has been battling injuries all season long, but has been extremely productive when on the court. You can count on a double double almost every night, and the minutes will be there against the Blazers. Portland isn’t good against big men, and they haven’t been for a while. Zeller could go overlooked tonight, and I really like him in cash games. I have him as a lock for 25, with a ceiling around 38.

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