Welcome to Bales’ NBA Game Theory (1/4)! In this article, I’ll outline my favorite cash game and GPP options at each of the positions. I’ll utilize our Projections Portal when making decisions about what types of leagues specific players are best suited for. You can get all of my Core Plays along with our Cheat Sheets, projections, and Premium Discord channels with our Premium NBA Package.
| Guards | Forwards |
Centers | Game Stacks |
| D. Washington | L. James | M. Turner | SAC/LAL |
| T. Jones | D. Sabonis | D. Jones | SA/TOR |
| D. Fox | J. Smith | J. Valanciunas | MEM/CLE |
| D. Booker | J. Holiday | P. Siakam | PHX/NO |
| F. VanVleet | O. Toppin | B. Clarke | IND/NY |
*If you don’t already play 3 max entry contests daily, try using the teams provided in the stacks above to maximize upside and correlation in your NBA lineups.
Guards
Cash
There are two elite salary relief options at guard tonight. Duane Washington Jr. and Tre Jones are starting for the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs because of injuries and Covid protocols. They should both play 30+ minutes, and they’re too talented for their price tags. I prefer Jones to Washington because he’s flashed more at the NBA level, although both are elite options in all leagues. Oddly enough, Fred VanVleet isn’t projecting for a ton of ownership. With that being said, he’s scored 54+ DK points in each of his last four games, including a 66.25 DK point performance. He should be priced significantly higher than $9k, and he’s one of the best expensive guards on this slate. You can also consider Keifer Sykes, Russell Westbrook, and Derrick White here tonight.
GPP
There are several elite GPP options on this slate with a few playing for the same team. De’Aaron Fox’s taken a backseat in the Sacramento Kings offense with Tyrese Haliburton taking on a bigger role. They both come with elite upside against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight. This is an ideal game environment, and I’m looking to take the discount on Fox. He’s far too cheap at this point, and he’s an elite option in tournaments tonight. Devin Booker and Chris Paul are in a similar situation. Paul gets the better matchup, as the New Orleans Pelicans have struggled against scoring point guards, but he hasn’t been attacking this season. Both of these players can be considered in this game. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Ja Morant, and Malik Monk are great options on this slate as well.
Forward
Cash
You’re starting forward with LeBron James, who is arguably the best play on the slate. There are plenty of salary relief options, meaning it will be extremely easy to fit James into your cash games. He’s consistently been posting 70+ DK points per game, and he gets an elite matchup against the Sacramento Kings in the best game environment on the slate. Domantas Sabonis is another expensive option that can be used on this slate. He’s taking on a massive role in the Indiana Pacers offense with several players out. He’s scored 57 and 62.25 DK points in his last two games, and he’s still priced under $10k. Sabonis is simply mispriced on this small of a slate. Quite frankly, these are two players I’m locking into cash games at their position. If Julius Randle is ruled out, Obi Toppin will be another elite option here. Furthermore, Devin Vassell is a great play that can be used here.
GPP
I keep going back on forth on if Jalen Smith can be used in cash games. He’s playing extremely well, and he gets a great matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, who he should easily be able to score against. With that being said, he’s a bit too small for a matchup against Jonas Valanciunas, and Smith could get in early foul trouble. Because of that, I’m leaning toward using him in GPPs over cash games. Justin Holiday is another interesting option that I considered in cash games. Similar to the other Indiana players, he’s going to be forced into bigger minutes. With there being a few clear-cut options that I prefer at forward, I’m leaving Holiday in the GPP pool for the moment. Cameron Johnson, Killian Tillie, Josh Hart, and Evan Mobley can all be considered in tournaments at forward tonight.
Center
Cash
This is one slate where there are several options at center that I feel comfortable using. Myles Turner is locked into big minutes for the Indiana Pacers, and he’s likely to continue to see plenty of opportunities to score fantasy points with several players out. Turner gets a plus matchup against the New York Knicks, and he’s a player that can contribute in each of the five categories. Damian Jones continues to be far too cheap if he’s starting. He scored 35.5 DK points in 29 minutes in his last game, and he benefits from Richaun Holmes being out. If Jones is starting, he’s the top cash game option at center. Brandon Clarke and Pascal Siakam are elite options for different price tags on this slate.
GPP
There are only two center spots, so any of the four players listed above can be considered in GPPs on this slate as well. As I mentioned at power forward, Jonas Valanciunas gets a matchup against Jalen Smith and the Phoenix Suns, and I don’t believe he has the size to slow down Valanciunas. The New Orleans center is a boom or bust option on this slate. Steven Adams continues to be a bit too cheap, and the Memphis Grizzlies will need his size against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He should see around 30 minutes tonight, and Adams boasts 45+ DK point upside. He should be priced significantly higher. You can also consider Jarrett Allen, Jakob Poeltl, Mitchell Robinson, and Jaren Jackson Jr. here.
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