Christopher Day 
We’re changing it up today to focus on cash games as we give our man Adam his first day off in forever to celebrate his anniversary – well deserved my friend! Although I will not be playing cash since today’s NBA slate only consists of 4 games, there is still a path to success with contests galore and money to be won, so let’s get to it.
One thing I want to clarify based on the questions I have received is that I will never list a player under the $5,000 FD price tag simply because I use the projection model to identify all targets in these price ranges and below. While there are often plenty of options that I like in this range, you all have access to the very model I use to make my own selections, so when asking “Should I use player X or player Y?”, make sure to check the model because that is how I make all of my own decisions and I truly ride or die by it on a daily basis.
Before running to the DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo lobby to construct your NBA DFS lineup after reading this article, please make sure to utilize the abundance of tools we have at Win Daily:
Point Guards
Steph Curry ($10,800 FD / $10,100 DK)
Rarely will I play Curry in cash games simply because the difference between his ceiling and his floor is much greater than we’d like, but this spot is hard to ignore at a thin point guard position. Although a safe floor is one of the most important characteristics of NBA cash plays, amongst others such as ownership and positional scarcity, Curry has been on a tear, averaging 40.25 PPG in his last four on 57.4% shooting, while taking 23.5 FGA per game and making 30 three-pointers during that stretch. Versus Brooklyn’s defense, or lack thereof, it’s a tough pill to swallow paying 10.8K on FD, but he’ll surely be in DK cash consideration.
Malcolm Brogdon ($7,200 FD / $7,500 DK)
I could’ve easily written up Kyrie Irving here, or Kendrick Nunn, who should be getting another spot start with Goran Dragic sidelined for the Miami Heat, but remember, the Gems today are for cash games, and there is no safer option than Malcolm Brogdon as our PG2 on tonight’s NBA slate. Sporting a 26.1% usage rate for the Pacers, Brogdon is heavily involved on both ends of the floor, and he will be tasked with heavy minutes once again as he attempts to slow down Trae Young. He’ll likely be the highest owned point guard on the slate, and that’s exactly what we need for cash games.
Also Consider:
- Kyrie Irving ($9,800 FD / $9,200 DK)
- Kendrick Nunn ($5,300 FD / $5,900 DK)
Shooting Guards
Eric Gordon ($5,600 FD / $5,800 DK)
With Victor Oladipo out for the Houston Rockets tonight, expect Eric Gordon to slide into the Starting 5 alongside John Wall. In 8 games as a starter this season, Gordon is averaging a respectable 22.8/2.5/3 on 46% shooting – while the concern is real when playing streaky scorers in NBA cash games, his price point is safe enough relative to his floor in this one given his expected volume; Gordon has averaged over 17 FGA per game when starting this season and he has gotten to the free throw line 5 or more times in his past four games.
Jordan Clarkson ($4,700 FD / $5,400 DK)
This goes against my rule for writing up plays under the $5,000 FD price tag, but if Mike Conley remains out for the Utah Jazz, you need to lock in Jordan Clarkson as we anticipate high ownership here. Playing his best when he is the 6th man and first one off the bench, Clarkson has been electric for one of the NBA’s most surprising teams all season long, averaging 17.7/4.3/2 across 25.7 MPG with a whopping 28.1% usage rate off the bench. When he comes into the game, he does so to spark the offense, and will be a lock should Conley miss this one.
Also Consider:
- James Harden ($10,300 FD / $10,400 DK)
- Donovan Mitchell ($8,300 FD / $8,100 DK)
Small Forwards
Kevin Durant ($10,000 FD / $9,600 DK)
Coming off a 3.5 game hiatus after being ruled ineligible to play due to COVID tracing, KD makes his return right in time to face the franchise whom he won two NBA Championships with. Sporting a 30.9% usage rate on the season, KD is currently in the MVP conversation, averaging 29.5 PPG to go along with 7.4 RPG and 5.2 APG. Although he does see a slight decrease when both Harden and Irving are in the lineup alongside him, Durant may see even more minutes at the ‘5’ today with DeAndre Jordan already ruled out for tonight’s tilt; the Warriors will still be without James Wiseman and both teams should have a field day on the inside tonight.
Jimmy Butler ($9,000 FD / $8,300 DK)
I’ll likely be pairing Durant with Danuel House here for the savings, but we cannot ignore what Jimmy Butler has done for the Miami Heat since returning from COVID. In 7 games since making his return, Butler has been filling the stat sheet: not only is he averaging 22.6 PPG, he is also contributing 8.6 RPG and 8.6 APG during this stretch across 34.8 MPG, where the Miami Heat are 5-2. Playing against one of the NBA’s best teams this season will be a daunting task given their defensive skill, but that fits right into Butler’s game – we need to get different in two or three spots to jump the lineup trains, and there’s no better spot than doing so with Jimmy Butler in your lineup.
Others to Consider:
- Joe Ingles ($4,900 FD / $5,700 DK)
- Danuel House ($4,700 FD / $4,200 DK)
Power Forwards
Domantas Sabonis ($9,600 FD / $9,000 DK)
I probably won’t play him in cash today given other priorities in this price range, but I’ll never fault you for slotting in one of my favorite players into your NBA cash lineups. More importantly than how talented Sabonis is, the Hawks have been decimated on the inside all season long – John Collins fouls anyone that breathes within 6 feet of his proximity, and Clint Capela is now dealing with a nagging hand injury that has been limiting his minutes on a nightly basis. Domantas had a rough stretch where he struggled from the field, but after dropping 9 of 14 shots last game to the tune of a 26/8/8/3/2 stat line, good for 62 FD points and 59 DK points, the man is back in prime form in a premier matchup.
Julius Randle ($8,600 FD / $8,700 DK)
While we still do not know the extent of Mitchell Robinson’s hand injury from yesterday’s game, we do know that it is “fractured”, meaning that even if it’s an avulsion fracture, he is still likely to miss at least a few games rather than a few weeks. Enter Julius Randle, who was already playing over 36 minutes per game and will now be tasked with taking some minutes at the ‘5’ as the Knicks take advantage of their plethora of guard options in Derrick Rose, Elfrid Payton, and Immanuel Quickley to run small ball lineups. While Nerlens Noel is also a lock in NBA cash games, do not hesitate to play the two together tonight, as Randle is $1,000 cheaper than he should be, given his career year where he is currently averaging 22.4/11.1/5.8 on 46.9% shooting.
Others to Consider:
- Draymond Green ($7,600 FD / $6,700 DK)
- Nerlens Noel ($4,000 FD / $3,900 DK)
Centers
- On DK, you need to lock in Nerlens Noel ($3,900)
- On FD, use one of DeMarcus Cousins ($6,200) or Kelly Olynyk ($5,100)
Value Gems: Check the projection model.
I will continue to stress the importance of having both the projection model and cheat sheet open when building lineups for a further player pool and to ease a decision between two players, in addition to finding additional value plays.
You can find me on Twitter @DFS_Ghost
