Welcome to Bales’ NBA Game Theory (11/20)! 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 |
| J. Suggs | K. Anderson | R. Gobert | CHA/ATL |
| M. Smart | G. Antetokounmpo | M. Bamba | UTA/SAC |
| D. Russell | J. Tatum | W. Carter | MEM/MIN |
| D. Bane | F. Wagner | J. Jackson | ORL/MIL |
| D. Mitchell | T. Harris | K. Towns | MIA/WAS |
*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
Marcus Smart’s quietly looked outstanding in recent games. He’s surprisingly cheap, as he’s averaging nearly 35 DK points per game over the last 10 days. He’ll also keep his current role, as Jaylen Brown’s been ruled out once again tonight. Patrick Beverley’s price tag is on the rise, although it’s still a bit too low. He’s playing around 30 minutes per game, and he’s flashed throughout the season. Although he’s a bit riskier for his current price tag, he’s a solid salary relief option on this slate. Malcolm Brogdon’s coming off of a pair of bad games, but his price tag is still a bit low, especially for a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Jalen Suggs will likely be the highest-owned player on the slate and for good reason. With Cole Anthony, Markelle Fultz, and Michael Carter-Williams all out, Suggs will be locked into big minutes as the Orlando Magic point guard. He’s far too cheap for that type of role. D’Angelo Russell’s getting a bit pricey, but he’s been extremely consistent for the Minnesota Wolves. He gets a great matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies in a game that should feature plenty of points. Russell’s a player that can be considered in all leagues on this slate. CJ McCollum and Josh Richardson can also be considered here.
GPP
Donovan Mitchell’s been struggling in his last couple of games, but he gets a great matchup against the Sacramento Kings this season. They feature one of the worst defenses in the NBA against guards, and Mitchell is an elite tournament option. In a similar position, Mike Conley is also a high upside option. He isn’t always overly involved in the Utah Jazz offense, but he’s flashed tremendous upside at times this season. This is the ideal type of matchup to take the chance on Conley. Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball, and Trae Young are all extremely expensive tonight, but they each make great tournament options at point guard. Tomas Satoransky and RJ Hampton are two cheaper options that make sense on this slate.
The majority of shooting guards that I’m considering have already been listed above. Desmond Bane is an interesting option with several players out for the Memphis Grizzlies tonight. He’s flashed when given the minutes in 2021, and tonight should be no different. Bane will garner some ownership, but he isn’t projecting for a ton, which is a bit surprising. Lu Dort finally slowed down last night after struggling a bit with fouls, but he’s found plenty of success in recent games. I’m not concerned with a matchup against the Boston Celtics, and Dort is an elite salary relief option, specifically in tournaments, on this slate. Bradley Beal, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Terry Rozier can also be considered tonight.
Forward
Cash
Small forward likely starts with Kyle Anderson tonight. He’s performed well on a per-minute basis in 2021, and Anderson is expected to play closer to 30 minutes with a few injuries in the Memphis Grizzlies rotation. He comes with unmatched upside for his price tag, and Anderson is an elite play on this slate. Josh Hart comes with a surprisingly low price tag after scoring 43, 36.75, and 38 DK points in his last 3 games. He’s been playing well for longer than that, and he gets a solid matchup against the Indiana Pacers tonight. Hart can be used in all leagues tonight.
With there being plenty of value on this slate, Giannis Antetokounmpo is an elite option in cash games, as it won’t be overly difficult to get to his price tag. He’s coming off of consecutive 66 DK point performances, and the Cleveland Cavaliers don’t boast anyone that will be able to consistently match up against him. Antetokounmpo is one of the safest fantasy options in the NBA. Without many great power forward options, I believe Jayson Tatum can be considered here He’s scored 64.75 and 57.25 DK points in his last 2 games, yet his price tag dropped from last night. Tatum gets a good matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he’s a great option if you can’t quite get to Antetokounpo tonight. If you need to save a bit of salary here, Franz Wagner continues to be too cheap. He’s somewhat broken out in recent games, and he’s only going to continue to get better as he plays more in the NBA. Wagner’s far too cheap for any matchup tonight.
GPP
I’ll likely focus on one of the small forwards listed in the cash section, as I don’t love the position. Terrence Ross should see a bigger role with Cole Anthony out, though, and he comes with tremendous scoring potential. He’s performed well in each of his last 2 games, and we could see him post 28+ DK points for the third consecutive game. Jimmy Butler isn’t going to come cheap, but he’ll make an outstanding option, specifically if Bam Adebayo is out. If that’s the case, Butler can be considered in cash games. Brandon Ingram, Josh Giddey, and Kevin Huerter can be considered, as well.
I’m not likely to consider him in cash games, but Tobias Harris comes with more than enough upside to be considered in tournaments. He’s a focal point of the offense with Joel Embiid out, although he’s struggled more often than not in recent games. It’s knocked his price quite a bit, and he boasts 50+ DK point upside. Bobby Portis continues to see plenty of minutes, and he gets an elite matchup against the Orlando Magic tonight. The focus will be on Antetokounmpo tonight, but Portis also makes a great option on this slate. Chimezie Metu, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Grant Williams can all be considered here, as well.
Center
Cash
Rudy Gobert isn’t overly expensive, and he’s been an extremely consistent option in recent games. He boasts a solid floor with 20/20 potential. Gobert gets a matchup against an undersized Sacramento Kings defense, and he’s a great option on this slate. Mo Bamba’s been surprisingly consistent in recent games, and he gets a solid matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks tonight. Bamba comes with tremendous size, and he’s a double-double threat with the ability to add in each of the other categories. Al Horford can also be considered here, although he’s far from my favorite option.
GPP
Karl-Anthony Towns hasn’t been a consistent option, but he boasts tremendous upside. He’s also playing in one of the best games on this slate, as the Memphis Grizzlies don’t boast a defense that can slow him down. On the other side, Jaren Jackson Jr. can be considered. He hasn’t seen consistent minutes, although he’s been producing. He comes with tremendous upside on a per-minute basis, and he could end up playing 30+ minutes on this slate. Wendell Carter, Clint Capela, and whoever is starting for the Miami Heat make great options here, as well.
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