Christopher Day 
Taco Tuesday’s edition of the Gems has to be one of my favorites! An exciting NBA slate that sees a juicy matchup between Memphis and Washington right at 7pm lock, let’s dive in to see who we’re surrounding the rest of our lineups with.
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
Russell Westbrook ($9,600 FD / $10,100 DK)
Do we absolutely need Westy on this slate? Not necessarily, but I will have one of he or Beal in my main lineup – take a guess which one it will be. Nonetheless, this is an elite game environment where Westbrook can easily triple-double; the Wizards play at the fastest pace in the NBA while ranking 25th in defensive efficiency – if they want to win games like they have been as of late, it will be on offense, not on defense. Enter their backcourt duo of Westbrook and Beal, with the former having collected seven triple-doubles in his last ten games, with the other three missed by a single rebound or assist. Averaging 20.2/11.3/10.6 with a 31.5% usage rate during Washington’s surge, the volume is there for Westbrook to set the tone early in the night.
Ja Morant ($7,100 FD / $7,000 DK)
On the flipside of the same game between the Wizards and the Grizzlies is the sophomore PG that is looking to make waves in a new Memphis system. Since Morant’s arrival, gone are the days of the Grit’ & Grind Grizzlies and in are the young, fast-paced kids. While Memphis ranks 14th in pace this season, they have no issue playing at a ridiculous speed, as seen by their 105.3 pace ranking last season, good for 6th in the NBA. Sporting a 28.3% usage rate on the season, Morant will have ample opportunity to lead the offense in transition and take advantage of a turnover prone Westbrook.
Also Consider:
- Kemba Walker ($6,800 FD / $7,300 DK)
- Goran Dragic ($5,400 FD / $5,600 DK)
Shooting Guards
Bradley Beal ($10,200 FD / $9,700 DK)
Every single NBA slate, the field refuses to play the best scorer in the league. Ok. On a ridiculous run that can be attributed to his entire season, Beal has a 34.6% usage rate in his past 12 games, where he’s averaging 33.2 PPG to go along with 5.9 RPG and 5.1 APG. He’s taking just under 23 shots per game, so you’d think his efficiency is lower than most, right? Wrong. Beal is shooting a ridiculous 50.7% from the field and 93.1% from the free throw line. Lock and load!
Paul George ($7,900 FD / $8,400 DK)
This game has peaked my interest for our NBA GPPs tonight. What it lacks in pace or defensive rating statistics we typically look for; it makes up with star power. Both Kawhi and PG13 are in great spots tonight, especially if Jaylen Brown sits this one out. I’m heavily targeting the MEM/WAS game as my stack of the night, but have no issue with getting exposure to the 1-2 Clippers punch, where an underpriced George takes the nod on FD after getting 38 minutes for the first time since returning from a two-week absence early in February. The statistics haven’t been pretty, but coming off a game where he logged heavy minutes and shot the ball 21 times, I’ll beat the field to a Paul George ceiling night while the others chase game logs.
Also Consider:
- Dillon Brooks ($5,200 FD / $5,300 DK)
- Immanuel Quickley ($5,100 FD / $4,800 DK)
Small Forwards
Kawhi Leonard ($9,600 FD / $8,800 DK)
Nobody is guarding Kawhi tonight. While Jayson Tatum flashed defensive upside during his time at Duke, maybe it’s his offensive responsibility to the Celtics that is too great to focus all his energy on defense or that his defensive game just hasn’t transitioned to the NBA as much as he has hoped, amongst other possibilities as to why he isn’t an avoidable defender, especially when a player of Kawhi’s magnitude is on the other side of it. Having scored 25 or more points in 7 of his last 8, Kawhi has a 31% usage rate during that span, where he’s shooting 52.9% from the field on 19.6 FGA per game.
Jimmy Butler ($9,500 FD / $9,200 DK)
Not only is he the defensive catalyst for the Heat, but he is also contributing in every aspect of their offense since his return to the lineup. Jimmy Butler has been a triple-double machine over the past month, averaging 21.9/8.7/8.7 on 44.2% shooting and 84.8% from the free throw line. Facing the 24th ranked Hawks defense, who average over 14 turnovers per game, will give Butler opportunities to flourish on both ends of the court tonight.
Also Consider:
- Mikal Bridges ($5,500 FD / $5,300 DK)
- Justice Winslow ($4,400 FD / $3,900 DK)
Power Forwards
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,300 FD / $11,000 DK)
Two teams with bonified superstars that need to run a tight rotation to win a game facing one another for the late-night hammer with the second highest total on the NBA slate? Sign me up. Sporting a 38.5% usage rate in his last four games, Giannis has averaged a ridiculous 37.3 PPG in this span, shooting 56% from the field while taking nearly 23 shots per game. His 12.5 RPG are standard by now considering Milwaukee essentially has given up on Brook Lopez’s presence in the paint, and his defensive upside is huge on any given night.
Jayson Tatum ($9,300 FD / $9,400 DK)
This is a brutal matchup for the face of the Celtics franchise, but if they want any chance in beating LA tonight, Tatum needs to go bonkers. In a previous meeting this season, the Celtics were without Jaylen Brown, and while Paul George was missing for the Clippers, he won’t be guarding Tatum tonight regardless – Tatum dropped a cool 34/7/2 on a whopping 27 FGA. By no means that he is in for a repeat performance, but it’s indicative of just how important Tatum is to the Celtics winning this game.
Others to Consider:
- Brandon Clarke ($5,800 FD / $4,900 DK)
- Kyle Kuzma ($5,300 FD / $5,800 DK)
Centers
- Nikola Jokic ($11,000 FD / $10,800 DK)
- Jonas Valanciunas ($7,000 FD / $7,200 DK)
Also Consider:
- Robert Williams ($5,300 FD / $4,600 DK)
- Kelly Olynyk ($4,400 FD / $4,600 DK)
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
