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POINT GUARDS:
* ALL FORMATS
Russell Westbrook (OKC vs SAC)
If you’re not playing Russ, then you’re likely stacking the Cavs/Warriors game, and I think both options can work – SAC is a slightly above-average aDvP matchup for PGs this season, yet they do get much better with George Hill in the lineup. Russ does have a solid history vs SAC (averaging 56 DKP/54 FDP over the last three seasons), but he was held to 49 DKP/45.4 FDP against them back on November 7th.
Stephen Curry (GS @ CLE)
Isaiah Thomas has always been a turrrrrrrble defender and this should be fun to watch Curry light him all… night… long.
Chris Paul (HOU @ LAC)
This should be a fun night at Staples Center as CP3 will return to face his old team. Everything seems cordial between both parties, yet I don’t think there is a whole lot of love lost between the two sides. LAC has actually been a “red” matchup for PGs this season, but you can throw all that out the window when you have a game of this magnitude for the returning player.
* GPP
Ricky Rubio (UTA vs IND)
If you’re paying down at the position tonight, Rubio seems like the best choice. He disappointed us on Friday night vs CHA, but I’m willing to go back for more punishment in what I believe to be a better-than-advertised matchup. We’re only going GPP with Rubio here since his lows are absolutely gut-wrenching.
* MATCHUP-BASED
Darren Collison (IND @ UTA)
UTA: Best aDvP matchup for PGs on tonight’s slate (4th-best this season).
SHOOTING GUARDS:
* ALL FORMATS
Donovan Mitchell (UTA vs IND)
Averaging 37.3 DKP/36.6 FDP over the last nine games.
Eric Gordon (HOU @ LAC)
LAC: Best aDvP matchup for SGs on tonight’s slate (3rd-best this season).
* CASH GAMES
Klay Thompson (GS @ CLE)
CLE has improved recently against SGs, but it hasn’t been pretty as a whole this season. With how many potent scores the Warriors have, it’s tough for Klay to really pop off with massive upside… however, somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 points is realistically expected every time he takes the court.
* SALARY-SAVER
Tyrone Wallace (LAC vs HOU)
Since joining the Clippers, Wallace has played 30+ minutes in four of those five games. His production has waned a bit at times, but this is a great price for a guy playing this much.
* CAUTION
Victor Oladipo (IND @ UTA)
UTA: worst aDvP matchup for SGs this season.
SMALL FORWARDS:
* ALL FORMATS
Kevin Durant (GS @ CLE)
KD has crushed it in this matchup plenty of times before, most notably, the last eight times… five of which, came in last season’s Finals.
LeBron James (CLE vs GS)
The last time these two teams met (on Christmas Day) LeBron was thoroughly embarrassed, and I would expect him to come out with a lot more urgency in this one. The most appealing part of rolling out LeBron tonight is the ownership, which I expect to be lower than usual since we saw him fail massively in that first meeting of the season.
Gerald Green (HOU @ LAC)
Green dropped a massive dud on Friday night in Phoenix, so hopefully that’ll keep his ownership to a reasonable level. I didn’t get to see that last game, but I know what he’s capable of… especially in these up-tempo matchups. LAC is terrible at nearly every position so Green will be in a good spot whether he’s playing at the two or three.
* CASH GAMES
Joe Ingles (UTA vs IND)
This game sets up nicely for Ingles, who should easily see 30+ minutes. He’ll likely be matched up with Bojan Bogdanovic throughout the night, who ranks 84th out of 87 SFs in DRPM.
POWER FORWARDS:
* ALL FORMATS
Draymond Green (GS @ CLE)
Not much talent at the position tonight, so Dray makes sense here. I’m not going to sit here and say that it’s the best use of your money, but I would be utterly shocked if Dray doesn’t have the most raw fantasy points of any PF tonight.
Derrick Favors (UTA vs IND)
IND: Best aDvP matchup for centers on tonight’s slate – The Pacers interior defense is slightly improved with Myles Turner inactive, but it’s not a spot where I’m afraid to test the waters. Favors has been incredibly consistent, so I think he’s a fantastic cash-game option… however, since this is such a small slate he’s playable in all formats.
Ryan Anderson (HOU @ LAC)
LAC: 2nd-best aDvP matchup for PFs on this slate (6th-best this season) – We all know that Ryno is much better on the road than he is in Houston, so fire him up with confidence.
CENTERS:
* ALL FORMATS
Steven Adams (OKC vs SAC)
SAC has improved against centers since the beginning of the season, but I don’t have any issue with going back to this matchup. Willie Reed just toasted them on Saturday, so Adams should be able to duplicate a similar type of performance.
Clint Capela (HOU @ LAC)
LAC: 2nd-best aDvP matchup for centers on this slate – Regardless of whether it’s DeAndre Jordan or Willie Reed playing tonight, Capela should have no trouble in this matchup.
* IF DEANDRE JORDAN IS INACTIVE
Willie Reed (LAC vs HOU)
I’m not overly enthused about playing DJ coming off a sprained ankle, but I could probably do somersaults over the thought of playing a discounted Reed. He stepped in on Saturday and posted a 14-point/13-rebound performance (with two blocks and steals apiece) in 26 minutes.