NFL Tickets
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Point Guard
Mike Conley $14,900
Conley is a consistent option at PG, and will very rarely sink your cash games. He hasn’t been himself over the last 2, but was over 40 fantasy points in 4 of his previous 5 games.He takes on the Blazers tonight, who play fast and lack perimeter defense. Lillard has always struggled on the defensive side of the ball, and this season has been no different, ranking in the bottom third of the league. The Grizzlies have looked at Conley for production with all of their injuries this year, and he has certainly delivered. This is also a huge pace up game for the Grizzlies, who play at a considerably slower pace than the Blazers. That should directly affect Conley, and he should see 4 or 5 more shots than normal tonight. He can be deployed in both cash games and tournaments.
Elfrid Payton $11,700
Payton is still just way too cheap here, given what his role on this offense is. Sure, he disappointed a lot of people last time out, but that should just keep the masses off of him. I am much more concerned with what he does tonight, and I think he has a quality game. Isaiah Thomas is no lock-down defender, and has actually given up the 4th most rebounds and 5th most assist to PG’s this season. Payton derives most of his upside from peripherals, and has recorded a few triple doubles over the past few seasons. I will have Payton in all formats, and have no worries of him throwing out another stinker.
Shooting Guard
James Harden $25,000
Yes, he is way too expensive. However, he has more upside than anyone, and the price won’t matter if this game stays close. Harden will not see any of my cash games, mostly due to his price, and also somewhat because of the potential blowout risk. With Embiid out, it isn’t too much of a worry, but Vegas still has this game at -14.5. There are also a lot of other ways to pay up, and DraftDay doesn’t have the loosest salary cap. You have to use your knowledge and can only get 1 or 2 superstars on most nights. Harden will be in a few of my tournaments due to pure upside, but I just can’t do it in cash games. He could easily have a worse game than all the other stars and they are much much cheaper. We will get to them in a bit.
Dion Waiters $11,700
Waiters has been an animal over the last week, taking serious advantage of Tyler Johnson sitting out. His minutes have been extremely secure, and the shots have been falling. While we certainly can’t expect this FG % for too much longer, I think the scoring is real. This is a guy who has always demanded high trade value, mostly due to his great size and scoring upside. It looks like he might of finally got it together, and this horrible team gives him an opportunity to showcase. This game against the Bulls should set up well, as they are a complete mess and will be too busy trying to kill each other to play quality defense. On the real, Wade is pretty slow at this point and can’t last an entire game on Waiters.
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Small Forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo $20,350
I said we would talk about some expensive guy you can play in cash games, and Giannis definitely one. The Bucks will travel to Canada and take on the Raptors tonight, who are a pretty average defensive team. I’m not sure who they expect to step up and stop ABC, but I don’t think anyone can do it. Giannis is an absolute monster in all facets on offense, and should absolutely dominate this team. I also expect this one to stay rather close, and Giannis typically will see at least 35 minutes if that’s the case. He is almost a full 5k cheaper than Harden, and I don’t think their upsides are much different at all. I actually think Antetokounmpo has a better floor tonight, as the 76ers-Rockets game could easily be over at halftime.
Aaron Gordon $11,200
If you want to pay down a little bit at SF, Aaron Gordon is a terrific way to look. I will be targeting a lot of Magic players tonight, and Gordon is one of my favorites for tournament. The only problem he has is if he will be on the court or not. The Magic, like always, have no clue what they’re doing and just decide how many minutes everyone will get on the spot. With that being said, Gordon has been over 30 minutes in 8 of his last 9 games. If he get’s 30 minutes tonight, I don’t see too many ways he doesn’t hit value. Jae Crowder is a fine individual defender, but lacks the speed and size to stay with Gordon. This game currently has the 2nd highest over/under on the board, and the line suggests it will stay close throughout. Get some exposure here, one way or another.
Power Forward
Kevin Love $16,250
Power forward is horrible, horrible, horrible. There are zero plays I am extremely confident in here, and that will hopefully change once some injury news comes out. As of now, Kevin Love is really the only guy I will have exposure to up top, outside of Boogie Cousins. The Cavs face off with the Nets, in what should be a demolition. However, we have seen the Nets stay with the Cavs twice, and wouldn’t be surprised to see it once again. The Cavs ave been playing like garbage, and Love has honestly been the only consistent option over the past month. If this game does somehow stay close, Love is going to go crazy. There is no one who can stop him in this game, and I see no reason he doesn’t top 50 fantasy points if he plays 35 minutes. Love is only a tournament option as of now, but things could change.
David Lee $8,900
Like I said, power forward is really bad. David Lee was forced to play 3 games in 4 nights, which I think played a big part in him getting limited minutes vs the Raptors. He should be back to at least 28 minutes tonight, and is a lock in cash games if injuries come up at PF. His price has come up a little bit, but is still way too cheap for his upside. He is a guy who produces a lot when on the court, but just has trouble finding a way to stay out there. Anthony Davis is a very intimidating presence down low, but will likely be on Aldridge, and Lee should pull the defense of Terrence Jones or Dante Cunningham. Neither of those guys worry me, and I think Lee can be very productive there.
Center
DeMarcus Cousins $21,450
Cousins is my favorite way to pay up tonight. We saw Karl-Anthony Towns dominate these Pacers last night, and now they get hit with an uppercut tonight in the name of DeMarcus Cousins. Myles Turner might have some bruises tomorrow, and at least 4 fouls too. Believe it or not, Cousins is still a lot better than Towns, and has a considerable amount of upside. His price isn’t high enough either, as he should be sitting in the 23k’s. The Pacers have ranked 2nd to last against centers over the last 30 days, and I see this being another game where they get demolished. As of now, Cousins is in 100% of my lineups.
Brook Lopez $12,950
Lopez has taken a crazy price bump over the last week, and is now somehow sitting at 12.9k. His upside is undeniable in this spot, and I think the Cavs will struggle with him tonight. He has struggled against the Cavs in the past, but that could also keep some people off of him. To be clear, Cousins will be in 100% of my cash games, so this is only for tourneys. Tristan Thompson is a quality defender, but lacks the athleticism to stay with Lopez on the perimeter, which is where his upside is derived from. He will always get inside and score, but the addition of the 3 point shot has given him an extremely valuable asset. One that could lead you to the top of a tournament, or the bottom.
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