We’ve got a tight 5-game slate tonight with a number of big names already ruled out. I’m going to be prioritizing a couple of spend-up options to build my foundation of points and will keep a close eye on injury updates to open up some value later in the day. Be sure to check out today’s NBA Spreadsheet with projections. You can find it here.
Guards
Top Play | Russell Westbrook – Washington Wizards PG – $10,900
I talk about securing raw points often on these shorter slates and Russ Westbrook is my favorite way to do that tonight. He’s AVERAGING 78.8 DK points over his last 5 with games of 70.3, 80.5, and 82.3 in that span. What I love most about this play is that Westbrook gets there by stuffing every corner of the stat sheet. Even in a game where New York’s stout defense slows the scoring, Russ can get there a variety of different ways; making him my top play overall tonight.
Mid-tier | Paul George – Los Angeles Clippers SG – $7,800
Playoff P is simply too cheap here. $7.8k for a guy who is likely to lead the Clippers in shot attempts? Yes please. Over his last games, he’s twice flashed 45-point plus upside and tonight’s matchup against the Spurs is the 6th easiest for Shooting Guards on the season. The story of George’s night will be told from behind the 3-point line and against this Spurs teams allowing the 10th FG% from deep, I like the value that PG13 offers on this short slate.
Value | Kendrick Nunn – Miami Heat PG/SG – $4,600
Kendrick Nunn is fresh off a 32.8 fantasy point game where injuries to Goran Dragic and Avery Bradley afforded Nunn a full compliment of 35 minutes on the court. Those two are looking very questionable for tonight’s matchup against the Trail Blazers, setting up Nunn to operate as the backcourt’s primary scorer. You’ll be hard pressed to find another guy in the price range that will see 35 minutes of run and Nunn’s salary affords us the flexibility to pay-up for the studs we’ll anchor our lineups around.
Forwards
Top Play | Tobias Harris – Philadelphia 76ers PF – $8,400
I’ve built my bankroll by fading players facing the vaunted Lakers defense this year but without LeBron and AD available, they have become the 2nd-worst team in defensive efficiency. Enter Tobias Harris. Toby is averaging nearly 60 points per game since Embiid went down to injury 6 games ago and should carry lower ownership than Ben Simmons on this short slate. Sign me up!
Mid-tier | Richaun Holmes – Sacramento Kings PF/C – $7,300
Richaun Holmes has been absolutely feasting while Marvin Bagley has been down with a hand injury. Over that span, he’s averaging right at 40 fantasy points per game and has triple doubled in 6 of his last 9. That type of consistency is simply too good to pass up on this short slate.
Value | Alec Burks – New York Knicks SF – $5,800
The Washington Wizards are one of the best matchups out there for Small Forwards. Alec Burks has established himself as the leader of the Knicks 2nd unit and is seeing a ton of usage as the primary option off the bench. Burks has scored over 20 points in 3 straight (missed 4-straight by 1) and has largely stayed under the radar. I expect him to take advantage of this soft Washington matchup and be one of the few leverage spots out there from an ownership perspective.
Centers
Top Play | Julius Randle – New York Knicks PF/C – $10,200
I never thought I’d see the day where Randle cracked 10k, but here we are and it’s well-deserved. He has clearly taken a step forward under coach Thibodeau and can legitimately triple-double on any given night. Against this Wizards teams that is particularly weak against bigs; I expect Randle to beat the 56 fantasy points he’s averaged over his last 6 and deliver the raw points we need on tonight’s slate.
Mid-tier | Ivica Zubac – Los Angeles Clippers C – $5,600
The math here is pretty simple. Since Serge Ibaka went down with Zubac has been a must-play. He’s broken 30 points in 4 of those 5 games and has been staying busy in the “stocks” department. What I love most about this play is that he has only crossed the double-double threshold once in that span. If he can secure just one or two more boards tonight, he has legitimate 8x+ upside.
Value | Mitchell Robinson – New York Knicks C – $5,100
Well, that didn’t take long. Mitchell Robinson returned from injury 2 games ago and almost immediately ramped up to a full workload. Last time out he saw 31 minutes and turned in a nice 16/12/2/3 line. Knicks are chronically under-owned and this is one of the best matchups going for Centers. Expect Robinson to return nice value and single-digit ownership.
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