NBA Tournament Plays: Friday, 11/21
What’s up Grinders!
There are some huge tournaments going on tonight around the industry – there’s the $250K Slam on FanDuel for a $25 entry along with the $200 Monster and $2 shot, both of which have $100K prizepools.
Over on DraftKings, we have the $200 Showtime and $27 Crossover, both with $100K prizepools. It’s a great time to be a player in today’s DFS landscape, and with so much money to be won tonight, let’s jump right into some GPP plays for tonight’s 12 game slate.
POINT GUARD
John Wall – When Wall is at home, he is always a player to target, as his career splits at home are very favorable. He gets a plus matchup against Kyrie Irving, who is not known for his defensive skills. Wall is usually underowned, as people generally spend way up at PG to get guys like Curry or CP3, or spend down to the value plays. He is a great way to get top-tier production at a lower ownership.
Mike Conley – With so many of the Grizz questionable tonight with the flu, Conley could be in line for major minutes tonight. If you stacked the Grizz on Wednesday, you probably had yourself a great night, and if ½ the team sits out, is something I will be doing again tonight. Conley should have no problem seeing 40+ minutes tonight if the flu bug keeps Udrih out again, so pay attention to the status updates.
Other PGs to consider: Stephen Curry, Ty Lawson, Mo Williams
SHOOTING GUARD
Kobe Bryant – The Lakers have won two in a row, and I’m sure Kobe thinks it’s all because of him. Kobe has taken 62 shots in the past two games, making just 25 of them, but with that kind of shot volume, he is about as near of a lock for 40+ Fpts as you can get. He is playing big minutes, and the Lakers are going to lean on him again tonight (as if they have a choice). He is going to have a 60+ Fpt night at some point this season with how many shots he is taking, and with this game easily having the highest O/U of the night at 218, it makes Kobe one of my top GPP plays tonight.
Eric Bledsoe – Bledsoe seems to be finding his game recently, and has been ripping the Sixers in the media, saying Kentucky would absolutely beat this Sixers team. He has put up 44+ points on FD twice in his past seven games, and has a great matchup with the Sixers. This game has a 209 O/U, and with the Suns favored by nine, that should mean ample opportunity for Bledsoe. He has put up two horrific outings in his past seven as well, which may keep his ownership low in a high scoring game.
Other SGs to consider: Klay Thompson, Monta Ellis, Jimmy Butler
SMALL FORWARD
Kawhi Leonard – Kawhi is a player I love to target in GPPs, as his game is just so versatile. He will never kill your chances in a game, as he contributes in every category, and he has tremendous upside if he has a hot shooting night, as he will always have plenty of rebounds, assists, and steals. The Timberwolves are the fourth-best matchup a SF can have on our DvP tool here on RotoGrinders, which has every arrow pointing toward a big game tonight for KA-WHYYYYYYYYY.
Shabazz Muhammad – If you are looking for salary relief tonight, check out Shabazz, who got the start for the Timberwolves on Wednesday. He played 32 minutes against a tough Knicks defense and put up 17 and 8. If word comes out the Shabazz is starting again tonight over Anthony Bennett, he makes a very nice GPP play, as he saves you some cap space, which allows you to spend on the star players.
Other SFs to consider: LeBron James, Tobias Harris, Chandler Parsons, Corey Brewer
POWER FORWARD
Zach Randolph – Z-Bo should once again see heavy minutes tonight, as the Grizzles backup big men struggle with the flu. He played 38 minutes in Toronto on Wednesday and put up 40 FD points. Tonight he gets the easiest matchup for PFs in our DvP tool, the Celtics, who have a very soft interior defense. The Grizz are playing at home in a game with a 199 O/U (that is very high for a Memphis game) and are favored by six. If word comes out that Grizz backup bigs are out again tonight, lock in Z-Bo to your teams. Even if the flu doesn’t get the best of the Grizz tonight, Z-Bo makes a great play anyway due to the great matchup.
Editor’s Note: Pau Gasol and Kirk Hinrich are out Friday. Aaron Brooks will start at PG and Taj Gibson will start at PF.
Taj Gibson – This play is reliant on Pau Gasol being ruled out, so pay attention to injury reports leading up to lineup lock. Simply put, whenever Gasol or Noah is out, Taj is a near lock to make my lineups. His bench role keeps him at a reduced price, and when he is thrust into the starting lineup he puts up huge games on huge minutes.
Other PFs to consider: Anthony Davis, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, Kris Humphries
CENTER
Marc Gasol – Gasol is in the same boat as Z-Bo tonight. If the Grizzles sit the backup bigs, Gasol gets a big boost in minutes and production. On Wednesday he played 41 minutes and put up 45 FD points. He contributes in every category and makes a great play in your tournaments tonight to create a contrarian GPP lineup, as many of your opponents will be focused on the man listed below.
Gorgui Dieng – Dieng is one of the top value plays of the day again, as he is a fantasy-point producing machine when he gets the starting role. The Timberwolves are very shorthanded up front again tonight, so look for Dieng to play at least the 32 minutes he played on Wednesday. He is a fantasy-point-per-minute player, and should play a huge role in tonight’s game at home if the Timberwolves have any chance of beating the Spurs.
Other Centers to consider: Al Jefferson, Jordan Hill, Tyson Chandler, Enes Kanter, Timofey Mozgov