NBA Top Plays for Wednesday, March 1st

By Will Colello

Get a Free Entry to a $200 DraftDay Contest using Bonus Code: RANT

Point Guard

Reggie Jackson $11,500

Reggie Jackson has found himself in the mid 11k’s on DraftDay, which is solid for a player of his stature. He is still seeing pretty good minutes, though he has seen less than 25 minutes in a couple of games recently. Outside of those, he is seeing over 30 minutes and putting up plenty of shots. He is going through a bit of a rut right now and will bounce back just fine. A match-up with the Pelicans could be just what the doctor ordered. They have given up 46 FP to PG’s, which ranks 3rd worst in the league behind the Nets and Nuggets. DeMarcus Cousins is also suspended, which should open up the lane quite a bit. Anthony Davis will still be there, but will be drawn outside by the likes of Jon Leuer and Tobias Harris at the 4. Jackson should have success running the PNR’ with Drummond against this Pelicans team who will be throwing out guys like Ajinca and Diallo at the 5. Jackson is obviously a bit risky, but shouldn’t kill you at a mid-range price and has the upside to give you a monstrous edge.

George Hill $13,050

George Hill is one of the guys we have targeted a lot recently in cash games. To no surprise, he has been very consistent and has paid off value most nights. His ownership continuously stays around 15%, no matter the match-up, which is also something to take advantage of. The Jazz will take on the T-Wolves tonight, who play fast and give up a lot of transition points. Hill is the leading transition scorer on the Jazz, sitting just above Hayward. Ricky Rubio is a fine individual defender, though he tends to take a lot of risks, which will leave his opponent with an open driving lane. While KAT is a fantastic offensive talent, he won’t be stopping too many guards at the rim. There could also be some concern with Hill coming off a tough game against Thunder, but isn’t something I’m worried about. These guys are just coming off the ASB, let alone the fact that Hill has played 30 minutes in both sets of back-to-backs in the last 2 months. Hill is an elite option in cash games with plenty of appeal for tournaments. If you are looking to pay up at the position, Isaiah Thomas is a good option.

Shooting Guard

Evan Fournier $11,200

Fournier is seeing between 34-38 minutes on a nightly basis and his price is still in the mid-range area on DraftDay. Fournier has also been the leading shooter on the Magic since Serge Ibaka was traded. He is an extremely safe option in this match-up with the Knicks, who have been one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Over the last 30 games, the Knicks have sported the league’s worst DefRtg. Courtney Lee will cover Fournier individually and he’s actually a pretty good defender. However, the Knicks do switch on defense and the Magic run a lot of screens. Fournier and Payton will both draw a lot of looks from big men, who will be forced to stop a guard who is much faster. The Knicks have also played very fast lately, playing slower than just the Nets and Nuggets. This has caused opposing guards to see an uptick in possessions and in turn fantasy points. Fournier has the upside for tournaments, as shown multiple times this season. You can target him in all formats.

Tyreke Evans $11,100

Tyreke has returned to Sacramento, where he made a name for himself earlier in his career. He has played around 25 minutes per game off the bench and has produced pretty nicely. While the upside hasn’t been flashed, he has been consistent. Evans is on a soft minutes limit, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get 30-32 minutes if he gets hot. This match-up with the Nets is amazing. Evans is a transition-seeking guard who flourishes against fast-paced teams. The Nets play at the fastest pace in the league and play no defense. They also severely lack rim protection, which is where Tyreke does most of his damage. Evans may lack crazy upside, but the floor is nice and ownership shouldn’t be too crazy. I do prefer Fournier in both formats, though not by much.

Get a Free Entry to a $200 DraftDay Contest using Bonus Code: RANT

Small Forward

Giannis Antetokounmpo $21,150

Giannis frustrated a lot of people last time out against the Cavs, finishing with just 28 fantasy points. While that floor is always there for Giannis, you will rarely see it. He will typically stay around at least 45, with the upside for a lot more. This match up with the Nuggets is one that could pay off huge, as they are one of the absolute worst defensive teams in the league. Sitting in the bottom 10 against every position, they will be in a world of trouble against a 7-foot point guard. Antetokounmpo has seen a usage spike since Jabari Parker went down, though his usage was already plenty big. I would expect Wilson Chandler to cover Antetokounmpo to start, with Danilo Gallinari and Gary Harris also seeing some time on him. None of them will have any success fantasy-wise, as Giannis can score in so many different ways. This match-up is one of the best possible for Antetokounmpo and we will be all over him. He doesn’t have the 100 point upside that Harden does, but I think he does score more FP tonight.

Terrence Ross $8,950

Terrence was traded for Serge Ibaka, implying the Magic have some expectations for this guy. He has started in both games since the trade and has played very well. In 2 games, Ross has averaged 34 minutes, 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Ross has always been a player who produces when on the court, but couldn’t stay on the court for a reliable amount of time in Toronto. This opportunity with the Magic could open a door for Ross, who has a ton of potential as an NBA player. He gets a match-up with the Knicks tonight in which he should have a lot of success. They tend to play fast and not play too much defense. Ross will likely match-up with Carmelo on offense, which means he’ll be able to score with ease for most of the game. Ross may still be a bit risky, but I see the merit for playing him in cash. He is obviously a terrific tournament option when you consider the price and match-up. Unless value opens up later in the day, Ross could be one of the more popular value options.

Power Forward

Willie Cauley-Stein $9,350

Cauley-Stein will continue to see 30+ minutes with DeMarcus Cousins gone and his price will soon be 12k+. He gets a match-up with the Nets tonight that could let him payoff value by half time. While his price has risen, it’s not yet to the point where I’m scared to target him. Brook Lopez and Trevor Booker will cover WCS, or at least try. Cauley-Stein will have a physical advantage over both of them and will look to use it to his advantage. He has been running an extremely effective pick n roll with Ty Lawson, who had 6 of his 9 assists to WCS just 2 nights ago. While WCS will be one of the higher owned players on this slate, I am willing to play him. Power forward is one of the weaker positions on this slate and I would much rather go with the chalk here than a spot like SG where there are a ton of ways to go. All in all, Cauley-Stein is a great option across the board.

Dario Saric $12,600

Dario Saric is another guy who has busted onto the scene and made a huge name for himself so far in 2017. Saric was a rather unimportant role player for most of the season, though that all changed when Joel Embiid went down. He played 32 minutes and scored 41 fantasy points. The rest is what we’re seeing now, with a very consistent and productive box score. While Saric has seen a steep price increase, it’s rightfully so. He has been putting up 40 fantasy points on a consistent basis and has a pretty good match-up here against the Heat. While the Heat play slow, they struggle against stretch 4’s. James Johnson is just a little too small to cover Saric and all of the PF’s can’t comfortably move out of the paint. Saric should be able to get plenty of open opportunities and makes for an excellent option everywhere. While there are gonna be some people still on this hype train, I wouldn’t expect him to be more than 20% owned.

Center

Brook Lopez $15,050

While WCS is going to have success on the Nets interior, BroLo will return the favor. Lopez doesn’t have much interest in playing defense or rebounding, but loves to score the basketball. He has the potential to shoot 30 times in a game and score 40 real life points. He has been known as a guy who has been inconsistent, though that’s really not the case. Sure, when he was 18-19k, he often disappointed. However, he’s much cheaper now and has consistently been over 30 fantasy points. The upside is always there for 50 FP as well, as showcased a few times already this month.  It will be pretty difficult to keep him out of all of my cash games.

Willy Hernangomez $9,650 and Nikola Vucevic $14,000

These 2 guys will face off in the game we will have the most exposure to tonight, especially from the Magic side. Starting with Vucevic, he takes on a Knicks defense that can’t do much well, let alone stop centers. They have been a bottom 5 team against centers all season long. With Noah out, they are even worse. While Hernangomez is an extremely effective offensive player, he struggles on defenses due to his size and lack of experience. Vucevic is a seasoned post player who will almost certainly have success in this match-up. Vucecic is one of our favorite options on the Magic and can be deployed in all formats. As for Hernangomez, he’s in a similar spot. Nikola Vucevic is one of the absolute worst defense centers in the league, allowing over 45 fantasy points per game to centers on a nightly basis. Hernangomez has been playing some excellent basketball recently, topping 20 in every game and 30 in most. He makes for a solid play in all formats, though I would rather play Vucevic. Hernangomez now looks iffy to play. Kyle O’Quinn is a great play and Kristaps Porzingis is a guy to consider in tournaments.

Get a Free Entry to a $200 DraftDay Contest using Bonus Code: RANT

Share On FacebookShare StumbleUpon

You May Also Like