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POINT GUARDS:
Stephen Curry (GS vs SAC)
We already got word that KD, Dray and Iggy are out for the Warriors so this could be mean a bonanza of usage for the two-time MVP. Keep an eye on his availability for tonight’s game because it’s possible that he sees reduced minutes.
Derrick Rose (CLE @ ORL)
LBJ is out of the lineup so this is a good chance for D-Rose to take command with his new team. He posted a decent stat line (13 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl) in 27 minutes last time out and I can only see those numbers improving in this game with more opportunities to get on the stat sheet.
Tyler Johnson (MIA @ PHI)
I have listed him in this space in hopes that he plays more than the 18 minutes, but this matchup against the Sixers is a good one.
Jerian Grant (CHI @ TOR)
He struggled shooting (2-11 FG, 1-6 3PT) in his last game but was able to contribute plenty of other peripheral stats. Grant will be the guy running point for the Bulls to start the season so I’m sure he’ll get slightly more than the 28 minutes he saw last game.
Patty Mills (SA @ HOU)
He has scored in double-digits in each preseason game and there is no Tony Parker or Dejounte Murray available to come in and swoop his minutes… also, no CP3 defense to deal with either.
Frank Mason III (SAC @ GS)
He is the only healthy (relevant) point guard on the Kings roster and doesn’t cost you much money on the salary cap. Mason has played 24 and 30 minutes in each of the last two games while posting similar stat lines, both of which pleased his fantasy owners
Milos Teodosic (LAC @ LAL)
The Clippers backcourt has been decimated by injuries, so the flashy 30-year old rookie should be a nice option in a pace-up matchup against one of the NBA’s worst defenses.
SHOOTING GUARDS:
James Harden (HOU vs SA)
The Beard’s history against the Spurs wasn’t all that great coming into last season but he turned it around in a major way, and even did so in their playoff series (except for Game 6, just scrap that one from your memory bank.) Chris Paul won’t be suiting up for the Rockets tonight so Harden’s usage will certainly go up.
Josh Richardson, Dion Waiters (MIA @ PHI)
With Dragic out, J-Rich and Waiters are the direct beneficiaries. J-Rich has been the much better fantasy option all preseason, but Waiters does have some narrative here going against his hometown team.
Justin Holiday (CHI vs TOR)
Not exactly the greatest matchup, but Holiday has clearly been the best Bulls player in the preseason. He scored 28 points and added 11 rebounds against the Cavs on Tuesday.
Tim Hardaway Jr (NYK vs WSH)
With KP out tonight, THJ will have an increased usage rate and plenty of threes will be hoisted up because of it.
Dwayne Wade (CLE @ ORL)
Increased usage for D-Wade with LBJ out tonight.
Klay Thompson (GS vs SAC)
Shooting guards against the Kings have always been a profitable endeavor. I don’t know how long he’ll play for, but Klay is capable of posting huge numbers with half of the Fantastic Four already ruled out.
SMALL FORWARDS:
Otto Porter, Kelly Oubre Jr (WSH @ NYK)
Both guys will have increased usage with Wall out of the lineup and this is a fantastic matchup against one of the NBA’s worst defenses.
Trevor Ariza (HOU vs SA)
Ariza has been a minutes-based play all preseason but he’ll get a nice boost in production with CP3 out of the lineup.
Tobias Harris (DET @ MIL)
Stanley Johnson was never going to threaten his usage, but Tobias has consistently played about 25-28 minutes in each game during the preseason. That could be bumped up even more now in preparation for the regular season opener.
Justise Winslow (MIA @ PHI)
He played a team-high 32 minutes last game and nearly triple-doubled in the process. I would assume Winslow gets another big workload and the injury to Rodney McGruder solidifies that.
Jae Crowder, Jeff Green (CLE @ ORL)
Both guys should have increased minutes/usage with LBJ out.
POWER FORWARDS:
Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL vs DET)
The Greek has only played in one preseason game, but it was a dandy- 24 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal in 23 minutes. I would imagine the Bucks want to see more from their stud heading into the regular season.
Aaron Gordon (ORL vs CLE)
In the last three preseason games, AG00 has been crushing it on a FP/min level. On Tuesday he was given a whopping 38 minutes and the production came accordingly- 27 points, 11 rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Kevin Love (CLE @ ORL)
With LBJ out of the lineup, K-Love should take the lead of the Cavs offense. I am a bit worried that Love won’t be extended after suffering a knee injury in the team’s last preseason game so let’s keep an eye out for that.
Julius Randle/Kyle Kuzma (LAL vs LAC)
Randle has posted some serious stat lines (15 pts/4 reb/1 ast/5 stl… 17 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk) in the last two games coming off the bench- this gives him more usage on the second unit. Kuzma has been the preseason darling- he’s played at least 26 minutes and scored at least 15 points in every game of the fake season thus far.
Jason Smith (WSH @ NYK)
I’d like word on whether he’ll get minutes in the 22-range like he saw in the last game (as opposed to the 15 and 16 in the two games before that), but Smith went 4-for-5 from behind the arc en route to 20 points on Wednesday against the Heat.
Lauri Markkanen (CHI @ TOR)
The Bulls first-round pick had a good outing against the Cavs on Tuesday, scoring 18 points (4-7 on 3PTs) and grabbing five rebounds in 30 minutes. Deep GPP dart toss only.
CENTERS:
Joel Embiid (PHI vs MIA)
He tore it up in his preseason debut against the Nets posting 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block in ONLY 15 MINUTES!!! WHAT??? Granted, that game was against one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA but it’s just another artifact that’ll prove Embiid is worth every single penny of the massive contract he just signed. This game will also be played in Lawrence, Kansas… making it a return to Kansas University for Embiid.
Andre Drummond (DET @ MIL)
We know that SVG likes to play his starters for a solid number of minutes, and this is a fairly decent matchup. Drummond just posted 14 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals in 38 minutes on Tuesday against the Raptors.
Jonas Valanciunas (TOR vs CHI)
Unless the Bulls get an octopus-man hybrid to defend the hoop, I will continue to pick on them. JoVal completely dominated the Pistons on Tuesday by scoring 18 points and adding 11 rebounds, two steals and one block in just 22 minutes. If we get word that his minutes will be increased, I like him to be the top $/PT center on the evening.
Clint Capela (HOU vs SA)
Not a huge fan of the matchup, but it’ll be tough to throw shade at a guy regularly getting 26-27 minutes each game (except for the game against Shanghai) this preseason. Capela has been one rebound shy of a double-double in each of his last two games.
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