Welcome to Bales’ NBA Game Theory (12/4)! 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 |
| J. Brunson | P. George | D. Dedmon | LAC/SAC |
| J. Holiday | M. Kleber | R. Holmes | CHI/BKN |
| D. Melton | D. Finney-Smith | S. Adams | MEM/DAL |
| R. Jackson | B. Portis | J. Nurkic | SA/GS |
| C. McCollum | N. Powell | J. Poeltl | MIA/MIL |
*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 several elite cash game options at guard tonight. It all starts with Jalen Brunson, though. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis have already been ruled out, leaving Brunson to play massive minutes as the focal point of the offense. He’ll be one of the highest owned players on any slate in recent memory. Jrue Holiday’s another underpriced point guard, although he’s a bit more expensive. He’s averaging 40.5 DK points per game on his last 5 games, and he’s scored 47+ DK points in 2 of his last 3 games. Holiday gets a matchup against an injured Miami Heat team, and he’s an elite option tonight. Stephen Curry, Dennis Smith Jr., and James Harden can all be considered here depending on how much salary you can spend.
Tyler Herro is a great option for the Miami Heat once again. He’s struggled a bit in recent games without Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo in the lineup, but he’s continuing to see a massive role. Herro’s locked into big minutes, and he could get back to 20+ shot attempts tonight. He’s an elite option in all leagues. C.J. McCollum is another elite option here. With Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons already ruled out, McCollum will play all of the minutes he can handle. Similar to Herro, he’s coming off of a bad game, but that won’t stop him from garnering plenty of ownership. McCollum’s an elite option in all leagues tonight. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Khris Middleton can also be considered here, although they’re well behind Herro and McCollum in my rankings.
GPP
Reggie Jackson’s coming off of a solid game in a plus matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. He gets another elite matchup against the Sacramento Kings, who’ve been the worst team in the NBA against opposing guards. He tends to go overlooked in favor of Paul George in these types of matchups, but he’s cheap enough to make an elite GPP option tonight. De’Anthony Melton’s another interesting option at point guard tonight. He hasn’t been playing massive minutes, although the Memphis Grizzlies haven’t been playing in competitive games. Still, Melton’s found success in limited minutes, and he’s still a bit too cheap. Most importantly, he gets a plus matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, who are also dealing with a plethora of injuries. Grayson Allen, Davion Mitchell, and Jordan Poole can be considered here as well.
Caleb Martin saw limited minutes off of the bench in his last game, but he’s still an interesting option tonight. He’s performed well when given the minutes, and he’d be cash game eligible if I felt confident that he would play big minutes tonight. I’m not, though, meaning he’s better suited for tournaments. Zach LaVine will go overlooked with C.J. McCollum being only $100 more expensive. He gets a solid matchup against the Brooklyn Nets in a game that could be sneaky in terms of fantasy points. Other options at shooting guard to consider include Pat Connaughton and Duncan Robinson.
Forward
Cash
There are a couple of solid small forward options for cash games tonight. Your pool starts with Paul George, who is the focal point of the Los Angeles Clippers’ offense. He gets an elite matchup against the Sacramento Kings, who’ve struggled defensively throughout the season. George comes with elite upside, and he’s a great spend-up on. this slate. Norman Powell is the other option you’re considering. He’s locked into big minutes and a bigger role with Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons out. Powell gets a matchup against the Boston Celtics tonight, and he’s a great cheaper option on this slate.
Power forward is extremely straightforward tonight. Maxi Kleber played 31 minutes last night, scoring 28.75 DK points. He’ll be locked into big minutes without Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic in the lineup tonight. He could also see a few extra opportunities on offense. Kleber gets an elite matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, who are also dealing with injuries throughout their rotation. He’s the only other option (besides Paul George) that I’m looking at in cash games at power forward.
GPP
Dorian Finney-Smith’s an interesting option here for an injured Dallas Mavericks team. He’s locked into big minutes, although he isn’t a focal point of the offense. With that being said, he can contribute in different ways on the court, and he could see a few extra opportunities without Luka Doncic or Kristaps Porzingis on the floor. Jayson Tatum’s scored 50+ DK points in each of his last 2 games, and he gets a great matchup against the Portland Blazers tonight. He’s going slightly overlooked at the moment, but Tatum comes with elite upside, and he’s a great tournament option on this slate. Doug McDermott, Dillon Brooks, and Terance Mann are other options to consider here.
Bobby Portis is playing big minutes for the Milwaukee Bucks without Brook Lopez in the lineup. He continues to be a high-upside option, scoring 46 and 49.25 DK points in 2 of his last 6 games. He gets a matchup against the Miami Heat, who continue to deal with struggles. Giannis Antetokounmpo is also doubtful to play tonight, adding to the overall upside of Portis. Larry Nance Jr. isn’t a consistent option, but that’s kept his price tag down. He comes with tremendous upside, though, especially if he finds extra minutes. Nance is strictly a GPP option on this slate, though. Keldon Johnson, Marcus Morris, and Jarren Jackson Jr. can all be used in tournaments tonight.
Center
Cash
Once against there are only two options that should be considered at center with one standing above the rest. Dewayne Dedmon struggled a bit last night, playing only 23 minutes. He’s expected to return to 30 minutes tonight, and his price tag decreased $1.1k from last night. It’s simply a terrible misprice by DraftKings, as Dedmon can easily exceed value in only 20 minutes tonight. He’s an elite option in all leagues. The other center that is a bit underpriced is Richaun Holmes. He’s scored 35.75 and 43 DK points in his 2 games since returning from injury, and he gets a solid matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers tonight. Holmes can keep this efficiency up forever, but he’s priced far too cheap for his combination of floor and ceiling.
GPP
Steven Adams gets an elite matchup against an undersized Dallas Mavericks frontcourt. His minutes aren’t consistent, and the Memphis Grizzlies could opt to go small tonight. With that being said, Adams is an elite option in GPPs, as he comes with tremendous upside while on the floor. Jusuf Nurkic continues to be an interesting option. He isn’t locked into massive minutes, but he comes with tremendous upside. He could be forced to play more with Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, and Nassir Little all out. Nurkic’s a bit of a boom or bust option. Jakob Peoltl, Dwight Powell, and LaMarcus Aldridge can be considered here as well.
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