Welcome to another edition of Bales’ Top GPP plays. In this article, I will outline my favorite NBA GPP plays 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.
Guards
Patty Mills
Mills’ quietly enjoying a solid season for the San Antonio Spurs. He’s averaging 14.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists (23.1 fantasy points) in 24.2 minutes per game. Mills has posted 20+ fantasy points in 5 of his last 7 games. He’s also coming off of his best game of the season, scoring 35.25 fantasy points in 29 minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Mills gets a matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, who currently rank last in the NBA in pace and seventh in defensive rating. With that being said, they could be without LeBron James or Anthony Davis tonight. Mills has also found success against LA, averaging 23.5 fantasy points in 23.4 minutes per game against them this season. Mills boasts a usage rating of around 20%, although it fluctuates quite a bit. He’s expected to play minutes in the mid-20s tonight with Derrick White injured once again. Mills relies heavily on scoring, and he will continue to play a large role in the San Antonio offense. He’s a bit too cheap and will go overlooked tonight.
Bigs
Jarred Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt’s looked outstanding in limited minutes early this season. He’s averaging 5.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.6 steals (18.5 fantasy points) in 13.3 minutes per game. Vanderbilt’s seen 15+ minutes in 3 of his 5 games, averaging 26.5 fantasy points per game in those contests. He also saw 23 minutes in his last game, posting a season-high 30.25 fantasy points.
Vanderbilt gets a matchup against the Portland Blazers tonight. They currently rank 11th in the league in pace and 26th in defensive efficiency. Vanderbilt isn’t a high usage player, recording a usage rating of around 16%. He boasts the potential to score in any of the five categories each night, though. He comes with a risky role, although he’s expected to see 15-20 minutes with Karl-Anthony Towns out. Vanderbilt was a highly touted prospect that dealt with injuries throughout his career, dropping him to a second-round pick in 2018. Although the minutes aren’t likely to be there, he’s averaging 1.39 fantasy points per minute this season. He’s a player that only needs 15 minutes to exceed value at his current price tag, and he’s a boom or bust salary relief option tonight.
Willie Cauley-Stein
Cauley-Stein has seen an inconsistent role in the Dallas Mavericks offense this season. Through 7 games, he’s averaging 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds (12.9 fantasy points) in 13.3 minutes per game. Cauley-Stein’s seen 15+ minutes in only 2 of his 7 games, recording 30.75 and 21.5 fantasy points in those contests. He’s also coming off his best game of the season, playing a season-high 24 minutes against the Houston Rockets.
Cauley-Stein gets a great matchup against the Denver Nuggets, who rank 24th in the NBA in pace and 28th in defensive efficiency. He isn’t a high usage player, but he comes with double-double potential when given the minutes. He can add blocks and steals, as well. Although they aren’t guaranteed, Cauley-Stein is expected to play roughly 20 minutes tonight. He’s absurdly cheap, and he’s proven he can easily exceed value in limited minutes. There are a number of elite high-priced options on this slate, and Cauley-Stein is a lower owned way to get them in your GPP lineups.
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