Adam Strangis NBA DFS Yahoo Cash Plays 1/31
There are eight games tonight and one of the most popular plays on the slate has already been decided as Joel Embiid has been ruled out for the Philadelphia 76ers. That is going to dictate a lot of our cash builds since Embiid does so much for the 76ers so let’s talk about who we’re targeting tonight in the NBA DFS Yahoo Cash Plays 1/31!
Guard – Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder – $25
The salary feels a little high on some sites but the Yahoo salary is incredibly affordable and this is a phenomenal spot for Giddey tonight. He’s part of the “late-night hammer” (all games start by 8:00 p.m. tonight) and the Thunder are missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In that scenario, Giddey has 1.03 Yahoo points per minute and a 39.1% assist rate. While the true shooting rate is just 47.4%, Giddey contributes in Avery facet of the game and Portland remains 29th in defensive rating this season. We always start with the chalkiest player on the slate in our builds and Giddey is that player.
Honorable Mention – Tyrese Maxey, CJ McCollum
Forward – Julius Randle, New York Knicks – $29
There isn’t much of a grosser feeling, but Randle has fallen under $30 for Yahoo and that is the threshold we have to pay attention to. He also gets the Sacramento Kings, which can pull a good fantasy game out of just about anyone. It hasn’t been a good season for Randle and his shot has failed him. The true shooting rate is 49.5% and his FG% went from 45.6% to 41.3% and the 3-point shooting went from 41.1% to 30.6%, explaining a lot. The good news is he’s still playing 35 minutes per game and his rebounding and assists are at least within one of last year’s marks. Sacramento is eighth in pace and 28th in defensive rating so Randle almost has to have a worthwhile game for cash settings.
Honorable Mention – Andrew Wiggins, Tobias Harris
Center – Andre Drummond, Philadelphia 76ers – $27
Drummond is fascinating on Yahoo tonight for multiple reasons. The first is they actually are competitive with his salary, whereas he is just $3,700 on DK, $27 is a much higher investment. This is reflected in being the top center in popularity but is far from overwhelming chalk on Yahoo (under 30%). Secondly, as I’m writing this, Jimmy Butler was just ruled out for the Miami Heat. A player like Bam Adebayo is only $7 more expensive and has a 23.8% usage rate with 1.44 Yahoo points per minute compared to 1.29 and 17.5% for Drummond. The field could gravitate toward double-center with both and Drummond needs to get some minutes tonight. Memphis is a strong rebounding team, ranking first in overall rebounding and fourth in rebounds allowed in the paint. Both players are going to be popular with good reason tonight.
Honorable Mention – Bam, Christian Wood
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