NBA Tournament Plays: Friday, February 20th
What’s up, Grinders? There are some huge tournaments going on tonight around the industry, so you have plenty of chances to take down the field and land a big payday.
Over on FanDuel, we have the $300K Slam for a $25 entry, the $200 entry Monster with a $100K prize pool, and the $2 Shot, which has a $125K prize pool.
On DraftKings, we have the $300 3-Ball with a $100K prize pool, The $100 Mega Post Up with another $100K prizepool, the $20 Crossover with a $125K prize pool, and finally a $3 Sharpshooter with a $100K prizepool.
It’s a great time to be a player in the NBA DFS landscape, and with so much money to be won tonight, let’s jump right into some GPP plays for the upcoming 13-game slate.
POINT GUARD
John Wall – With many eyeing value PG options tonight, Wall makes a nice play at home tonight against the Cavaliers. The Cavs stepped up their defense against PGs before the break, and Wall was banged up some as well, which may move some off this matchup in favor of value plays. Wall should be fully recovered from his nagging injuries after the break, performs much better at home, and could easily be the top scoring PG of the night.
Derrick Rose – Rose had back-to-back huge 40+ FPT performances before the break, and will likely have another tonight, as he takes on the Pistons, who are starting Spencer Dinwiddie at PG tonight. Rose is finally starting to look healthy and like the Rose of old. He should dominate in this game, and likely will be low owned as many players focus on cheap PGs tonight.
Other PGs to consider: Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Ty Lawson, Jarrett Jack (if he plays), Ricky Rubio, George Hill, Tony Parker, Deron Williams (if Jack sits), Jerryd Bayless (if he starts), Tim Frazier, Ray McCallum
SHOOTING GUARD
James Harden – Harden was on a tear before the break, posting five 40+ FPT games in his last six, with two huge performances of 67 and 70 FPTS included. A matchup against the Mavericks, who are playing on a back to back, sounds like easy pickings for Harden, who is still playing without Dwight Howard. With so much value available tonight, Harden should be on your radar, as he is easily attainable in a great matchup.
Eric Bledsoe – With Dragic and Thomas both shipped out of town, Bledsoe is going to be the chalk play at SG tonight, and I’m not sure I will be fading him. His usage rate should be sky high tonight, as I don’t expect Brandon Knight to play tonight, and the matchup is great in an up-tempo game against the Timberwolves, who have not been great against PGs recently. Their defensive efficiency vs PGs is below league average over the past 10 games. Pairing him with Harden theoretically gives you the two players at the position with the highest ceilings tonight.
Other SGs to consider: Jimmy Butler, Tyreke Evans, DeMar DeRozan, Victor Oladipo, Kevin Martin, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Evan Turner, O.J. Mayo (if no Bayless), Jodie Meeks, Evan Fournier (if no Harris)
SMALL FORWARD
Robert Covington – Covington is going to some extra minutes tonight, as K.J. McDaniels was sent packing yesterday along with MCW (who was out before the break anyway). The matchup is not ideal versus the slow paced stingy D of the Pacers tonight, but have no fear in rostering RC3 tonight. He is going to see the ball more tonight, and will clearly be the focal point of the offense moving forward, as there is simply no one else that can shoot left on the Sixers. Anywhere from 10 to 20 points to go along with 6-8 rebounds and a few other stats should be attainable for him just about every night moving forward for the Sixers.
P.J. Tucker – Tucker quietly put up four straight solid performances before the break, and should see a nice usage increase tonight with IT2 and Dragic shipped out of town. SF isn’t the sexiest position tonight, and Tucker can do a little of everything for the Suns. He has 30+ FPT upside tonight, and should be somewhat under the radar (although with the trades I do expect him to on a lot of radars today).
Other SFs to consider: LeBron James, Gordon Hayward, Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green, Tobias Harris (if he plays), Wilson Chandler, Luol Deng, Trevor Ariza, Hollis Thompson, Gerald Green, Danilo Gallinari
Editor’s Note: Tobias Harris is out for tonight’s game.
POWER FORWARD
Greg Monroe – With the Pistons being shorthanded tonight from trades, I expect them to really give Monroe plenty of looks tonight, as there will be plenty of extra shots to go around. The Bulls haven’t exactly been the toughest interior defense all season, and Monroe has shown the ability to have huge games. With him having a horrible game before the break against the Spurs, his price came down a little, and will likely keep his ownership down a few points tonight. Monroe should be heavily featured tonight in the offense, and will likely fly under the radar of the public, so don’t overlook him.
Josh Smith – Smith has been playing great since Howard left the lineup, and had nine straight useable fantasy performances before the break. He is contributing in all categories right now, which not only makes him safe, but also gives him huge upside if he has a good scoring night. A matchup against the Mavs on a back to back (who looked horrible last night) should allow him to unleash his full game and shoot you up the leaderboards.
Other PFs to consider: Anthony Davis, Pau Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, David West, Markieff Morris, Jason Smith, Brandon Bass
CENTER
Brook Lopez – With DMC, Whiteside, and Gobert all in great spots (I love all three and will be using them), let’s take a look at a few guys that will go overlooked tonight. Lopez will get the starting gig tonight with Garnett shipped out of town and Thad Young unlikely to play tonight. Lopez has showed multiple times this season he has huge upside when starting, and gets a matchup against the tanking Lakers, who need to lose every game to assure a top five pick this season. With many focusing on the top three plays listed earlier, don’t be afraid to use Lopez, as he has tremendous upside tonight against the Lakers.
Gorgui Dieng – With Thad Young gone, and Kevin Garnett unlikely to play, Dieng creeps back into fantasy relevance for a night, as he will likely get the starting PF nod for the Timberwolves tonight. This game has one of the highest O/U of the night and the Suns are not known for their solid interior defense. If he starts, he showed earlier this season plenty capable of big nights, and will be very low owned as many players focus on DMC, Whiteside, and Gobert.
Other Centers to consider: DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Drummond, Hassan Whiteside, Joakim Noah, Nikola Pekovic, Rudy Gobert, Mason Plumlee, Tyler Zeller, Alex Len