NBA Top Plays for Friday, February 24th

By Will Colello

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Point Guard

Russell Westbrook $25,000

Russ comes in at maximum price on DraftDay, which will hopefully drive his ownership down. The Thunder take on the Lakers tonight in what figures to be a high-scoring, competitive game. Westbrook is still the absolute best fantasy player in the league and has 100 fantasy point upside on a nightly basis. D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson will cover Westbrook for most of the game, though they will be chasing more than covering. Westbrook will be able to get to the rim with ease, which will result in wide open shots. The Thunder traded away Anthony Morrow, Cameron Payne and Lauvergne for Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott. These are 2 more guys who should help Westbrook on offense and possibly up his assist numbers a little bit. Westbrook is extremely safe for cash games and has unquestioned upside.

Jameer Nelson $10,850

Nelson has been the most consistent point guard under $12k on DraftDay, topping 35 fantasy points on a rather constant basis. He has taken over the starting role from Mudiay indefinitely, which should lock him into at least 32 minutes per night. He is a 2 man game specialist, which is why Nikola Jokic has done so well on the court with him. This is a prime match-up for Nelson, who gets to face off with the Nets. The Nets have sported the worst defense in the league against PG’s, allowing over 50 fantasy points per game. This is mostly due to their ridiculously high pace, which forces opposing PG’s into more possessions. Possessions are directly correlated with FP’s in DFS, so that’s something to always keep an eye on. Nelson makes for a great play in both cash games and tournaments.

Shooting Guard

Bradley Beal $14,850

Beal is one of the more consistent options on the board at SG. Beal gets the honor of facing the 76ers, who struggle mightily against guards. Nik Stauskas will be forced to cover Beal for most of the game, which will be an ugly scene. Beal has averaged over 35 minutes per game over his last 5 and should approach 40 tonight. The Wizards did add Bojan Bogdanovic to the bench, but lost 2 other bench pieces. The Wizards will be forced to throw out their starters for extended minutes on a nightly basis. Beal is a fantastic option in both cash games and tournaments. His price is low enough where he can hit value on an off night.

Andre Roberson $8,700

The Lakers. They give up a ton of peripherals and points to role players. Roberson is one of the least flashy players in the game, but has been very productive on the season. While the Thunder did trade for Doug McDermott, he will not eat into any of Roberson’s minutes. Roberson is a defensive stalwart who is relied upon to shut down opposing perimeter players and help Adams + Westbrook rebound. He has been extremely consistent for the Thunder, who have generally played him over 34 minutes. He gets an ideal match-up with the Lakers tonight and I see no reason to swerve. He is a lock for 25 fantasy points with a little bit of upside if it stays close. With that being side, I do prefer him in cash games over tournaments. There are other guys with more upside around the same price.

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Small Forward

Jimmy Butler $18,800

Jimmy Butler returned from injury before the ASB and the played in the All-Star game, so he looks to be fully healthy. This is a guy with a 40 point floor and an 80 point ceiling when healthy, especially with Taj Gibson gone. While Gibson isn’t too great of a player, he does take a lot of shots and turns a lot of possessions into post-up fails. Butler sees one of the highest usages in the league at 32%, behind LeBron and DeRozan. This match-up with the Suns should play into Butler’s game, as he excels in fast-paced affairs. The Suns have played at the 8th fastest pace in the league and the 4th highest over the last month. T.J. Warren will take his shot at guarding Butler, and will struggle. Butler is a terrific option in all formats and easily my top option at SF, with price considered.

Dario Saric $10,600

With Joel Embiid out, Nerlens Noel and Ersan Ilyasova being traded, Saric is a lock for huge minutes. This guy is a must start in my book, as I expect him to see upwards of 38-40 minutes and a whole bunch of usage. He has been over 35 fantasy points in each of his last 3 games, although he struggled from the field in 2 of them. I don’t think this is a fluke for Saric and it looks like the 76ers agree. They have given him a huge piece of the future and I think he handles it well. As for tonight, he faces off with the Wizards. They are not too great down low and can give up plenty of interior points. Saric is a lock in both cash games and tournaments.

Power Forward

Markieff Morris $13,350

Markieff Morris was atrocious to start the season, sitting under 25 fantasy points almost every night. However, things have turned around drastically. Over the last 60 days, Morris has averaged over 33 DraftDay points and 19 real-life points. John Wall and the rest of the Wizards have begun to trust Morris, who has come through in a big way. The 76ers are extremely shorthanded down low with Joel Embiid injured and Ilyasova + Noel being shipped out in trades. Morris should see a solid 35 minutes and makes for an excellent option across the board.

Serge Ibaka $12,300

Ibaka will make his debut here for the Raptors, in what should be a productive game for him. The Celtics are absolutely atrocious down low, giving up over 10 rebounds per game to power forwards. I expect him to play around 24 minutes per game for the Raptors, as that was the goal for Patrick Patterson before the season. Ideally, the Raptors would like Jonas Valunciunas to continue to play lesser minutes until the playoffs. This will force them to play Ibaka big minutes as he is the only other reliable big they have. He is also an excellent pick n roll player, which should be great for the likes of Lowry and DeRozan. Ibaka is way too cheap on DraftDay and can be played in all formats.

Center

Nikola Jokic $19,550

We saw Jokic have an absolutely awful night last night, which is absolutely phenomenal for tonight. A lot of people will be off of him, which is obviously the wrong move. This is still the guy who is going to put up 45 on a consistent basis. He is the orchestrator of this offense and the heart of this team. The Nuggets have made it clear that they are building around him and will look to feed him the ball. He gets to face off with the Nets tonight, who are the worst team in the league. They play at the fastest pace as well, which causes a huge uptick in possessions for the opposition. Jokic and Jameer Nelson will continue to dominate and I recommend getting both of them into your lineup.

Kelly Olynyk $9,700

Kelly Olynyk figures to see around 28 minutes on a night basis for the Celtics, who need the versatility down low. The Raptors are a team who will play the Celtics extremely tough and force them to change up there looks. Olynyk has done well against the Raptors in the past, having 2 games over 35 fantasy points. With that being said, Olynyk is more of a tournament option.

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