Hi there! I’m Glen but I go by Blande and you can find me on twitter as @DfsBlande. I’m a contributor and coach over here at the DFS Army.
We have a massive 12-game slate on our hands tonight. With all the injuries around the league, teams shutting down players, resting players, and giving younger players more run, there is a lot of value on this slate. Starting lineups are filled with nicely priced players with upside. While you do not need to go the bench tonight to find value, there are some solid options who could be low-owned. Let’s take a look at them.
CORE PLAYS
PG – Fred VanVleet ($5,800): With Lowry still shaking off the ankle injury, VanVleet has been playing really well for the Raptors. He has three 30+ FP games in his last five. VanVleet is getting close to 30 minutes a game and against the Nets, can translate those minutes into points. He makes for a nice low-owned play today in cash and hybrid lineups.
SG – Dwayne Wade ($6,200): It’s the end of the line for Wade, and as the end draws closer, the Heat are looking to send him out in style. Wade is playing 27-30 MPG over his last 5 and has gone for over 30 FPs in four of them. He just put up 33 FDPs against the Celtics, and in the rematch today will look to do something similar. He is priced right at value and given his floor and upside, makes for a nice all-format play tonight.
SF – Jabari Parker ($6,700): Jabari Parker is playable in all formats today. In his two games against the Bulls, since they traded him, Parker has put up 40 and 46.7 FDPs. With Jeff Green already ruled out, Parker will play over 30 minutes tonight and you know he’ll love nothing more than to take it to his former team one last time this season. He is a core play tonight.
PF – Serge Ibaka ($5,300): The Raptors are at full strength as of this writing. Ibaka will get around 25 minutes tonight. In a matchup against the Nets who bleed points to opposing centers and bigs in general, this is more than enough for him to exceed value. Last time they play, Ibaka went for 43 FDPs in 25 minutes. I like him here in hybrid/GPP lineups.
GPP PLAYS
PG – T.J. McConnell ($3,800): With Butler likely out tonight, McConnell stands to benefit. He played just 16 minutes last game in this same situation, but he’ll likely get around 20 minutes tonight. The matchup is really good, and he has shown 30 FP upside in just 16 minutes. He has 30+ upside here tonight and makes for a good drop-score candidate.
SG – Wayne Selden ($4,000): I love Selden here today. While everyone continues to be infatuated with all the shiny new toys the Bulls are bringing out, I like going back to reliable Selden here. He is averaging 30 MPG in his last 5 games with 2 30+ FP efforts. He gets an excellent matchup tonight and can crush value here in 30 minutes. Selden is an excellent drop-score option tonight.
SF – Thabo Sefolosha ($3,600): With Favors out, Crowder will slide into the starting lineup. This opens minutes for Thabo Sefolosha in the backup forward role. He played 22 minutes against Charlotte and will likely play a similar number of minutes tonight. Sefolosha can go for 30+ in 20 minutes. At his price, he is one of the top drop-score candidates on the slate.
PF – Josh Jackson ($6,000): With Ayton joining the long list of injuries the Suns are dealing with, Josh Jackson is locked into 30+ minutes tonight. This season, Jackson has gone for 53.3 and 11.7 FDPs in 38 and 21 minutes respectively against the Jazz. Playing 30-35 minutes, against a Jazz team with no Derrick Favors tonight, Josh Jackson has a really good chance to test his ceiling. He is a hybrid/GPP caliber play.
C – Joakim Noah ($4,400): Noah has been out the past 4 games with an injury. With Valanciunas out, if Noah suits up, he’ll play around 30 minutes tonight. At his price and given the matchup against Kanter, this is hard to pass up on. The key here is that we most likely won’t know if he’ll play until after lock. Hence, he is a GPP only target. If we get word before lock that he is in, he becomes a core play.
Honorable Mentions:
Michael Carter-Williams ($4,200), Jordan McRae ($3,900), DeAndre’ Bembry ($4,300)