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We have a nice slate today, with just enough value on the slate from bench players to allow us to attack the slate with studs. Our 6th Man article points out the value that can be had from bench players on this slate. It is most useful for GPPs, but occasionally there are good cash plays off the bench as well, which I point out. The pricing in the article is FD/Dk. Before we dive in, let’s take a moment to congratulate Army member dwilcox22 for a nice performance on DK. Click on the image to join the Army!
Point Guards
Derrick Rose (4800/4600): Rose is averaging 28 minutes and 28 FD points off the bench so far this season. With Andrew Wiggins questionable, Rose could see a slight bump in minutes and usage, making him a good bench play tonight at his price. Add to this the favorite matchup based on DvP, and Rose makes for a solid hybrid play. You can use him in cash games if you really need a value PG.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (4400/4000): As we can see from the graphic, the DFS Army Research Station (RS) has Shai projected for 26 minutes today, a little over his season average. This is good enough minutes for a punt play. He has not broken the 25 FD points ceiling yet, but if you are looking a cheap punt on FD, especially in GPPs, you can do worse than going with Gilgeous-Alexander. He is a strictly GPP play and should be used sparingly.
J.J. Barea (4400/4700): To start off, I’m only looking at Barea on FD where he’s a little cheaper. Barea just isn’t getting a lot of minutes so far this season, averaging 20 MPG. This relegates him to a strictly GPP role. With that in mind, we can observe that Barea has made the most out of the meager minutes he has received. Averaging over 1.36 fantasy points per minute this season. This alone raises his ceiling to around 32 FD points, making him an excellent GPP dart.
Honorable Mentions: Shaun Livingston, Ryan Arcidiacono
Shooting Guards
Damyean Dotson (5200/4200): Dotson is a much better value on DK than he is on FD. With that out of the way, Dotson makes for a nice GPP play. He has been hot recently, averaging 30 FD points in 29 minutes in three games this season. His minutes have also been trending upwards, and while we don’t predict blowouts, he is blowout proof in this matchup. The matchup is not the easiest on the board, but Dotson will get plenty of opportunities to pay off his salary here tonight, especially on DK.
Frank Mason (3600/3400): Frank Mason is my sleeper GPP play. I love him on FD, where I can essentially punt a spot. Just looking at his average stats, he is averaging 16 minutes and 19 FD points. However, in two of his four games this season, he has gone for over 30 FD points, averaging 24 minutes in those games. While in the other two he has averaged just 8 minutes. This clearly tells us he can only be played in GPPs but has the upside we need at min price if he gets the minutes. I’m using a lot of him in my GPPs, hoping to get that upside, and at potentially low ownership too. Just remember he is a complete hit or miss player.
Small Forwards
Carmelo Anthony (6400/4900): DK has not yet updated Melo’s price to take into consideration his increased workload with Harden out. That’s good for us as it creates an opportunity to exploit on DK. Melo will take as many shots today as he possibly can, as the Rockets will need his scoring with Harden out. His price on DK makes him an excellent cash play there. He is also usable in GPPs since his reputation will serve to keep his ownership a little lower than it should be.
Kelly Oubre Jr. (4000/4500): Oubre Jr. is a much better play on FD than he is on DK, so if you are going to use him, do so on FD only. Oubre has been all over the place this season, but with the issues the Wizards currently have at center, opportunities keep arising for him to play a lot of minutes. Oubre should see close to 30 minutes tonight, with the potential of even eclipsing that if the game gets out of hand early. Add to that the matchup against the Kings who have been poor defensively so far this season, and you have the makings of a fantastic night for Oubre. His inconsistencies relegate him to a strictly GPP play, but this is a play I’ll have some shares of.
Gerald Green (3700/3400): Gerald Green is on here as a GPP punt play who will get minutes and shot opportunities due to Harden being out. Gerald Green is capable of getting hot real quick and blowing up a slate, and at his price, it only makes sense to take some GPP shots. He is projected to score 24 FD points, which is good for his salary.
Power Forwards
Marvin Bagley III (5500/5200): Marvin Bagley III has 45+ points upside. His floor is around 16 FD points, and he is averaging 1.05 FP/min. This is exactly the kind of game Bagley can exploit, with a good matchup. He is also blowout proof. In fact, you can make the argument Bagley will perform better if the game gets out of hand. With all this said, Bagley is cheap enough and has the upside to be an excellent GPP play tonight. He can also be used in hybrid lineups. His floor is a little low for cash games, but I can see using him there if one needs to pay down a little at the spot.
Montrezl Harrell (5400/4600): Harrell is coming off the 45 FD points game against the Rockets and faces them again tonight. The ownership on him will be high as game log watchers plug him in hoping for a repeat. That said, in the last two games Harrell has asserted himself as the Clippers best option at center. This makes him a good play in this matchup and one playable in hybrid lines. He definitely has the GPP upside too.
Noah Vonleh (4100/4000): Injuries have decimated the Knicks frontcourt, and in a matchup against a Warriors team that likes playing small, Vonleh could see some increased minutes. As can be seen from our Research Station graphics, Vonleh is averaging 1.5 FP/min on the season, and this spot is one he can exploit well if he gets the minutes to play with. He is strictly a GPP play here since his minutes are not guaranteed.
Honorable Mentions: John Henson, Jonas Jerebko
Center
Cristiano Felicio (3700/3200): Felicio is an interesting GPP play today. Wendell Carter will get the start at center, but with Bobby Portis out, there are enough minutes to go around here. Felicio will get his share of those minutes and is likely to outpace Robin Lopez. If there’s one thing we know about Felicio, it is his ability to do a lot with a few minutes. He is near min-priced on both sides and is capable of exceeding value easily if he gets minutes. This makes him an excellent play in a good spot for GPPs. I love him on FD as a GPP punt, and on DK as a salary reliever with good upside.