Welcome to another edition of Bales’ Top GPP play. In this article, I will outline my favorite NBA GPP play for today’s games. If you want all of my core plays along with our staff’s Final Thoughts articles and access to our Discord, click here.
Jonas Valanciunas
Valanciunas has enjoyed an outstanding season for the Memphis Grizzlies. He’s averaging 17.0 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, (38.8 fantasy points) in 28 minutes per game through 48 contests. Valanciunas caught fire in recent games, averaging 48.9 fantasy points in 31.3 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He’s scored 40+ fantasy points in each of his last 5 games, including a 69.5 fantasy point performance in 32 minutes against the Indiana Pacers.
Valanciunas gets a great matchup against the Chicago Bulls tonight. They rank 11th in the NBA in pace, and 18th in defensive efficiency this season. Chicago’s also featured one of the worst defenses in the NBA against opposing centers, and their defense hasn’t improved with the addition of Nikola Vucevic. Valanciunas boasts a usage rating north of 20% on a nightly basis, and it has the potential to increase over 30% depending on the night. He’s expected to play around 30 minutes tonight and boasts elite upside. On a smaller slate, Valanciunas would likely be a chalk option. He’ll garner some ownership tonight, but there are plenty of outstanding center options that are expected to spread out the ownership tonight.
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