DFSGhost 
After yesterday’s extended run to the heater, we’re looking to keep things rolling on a smaller NBA slate. Truthfully, just as we preach planting your flag somewhere on the large slates to narrow down your player pool, the same process works for small slates to really gain an advantage over the field, who are trying to “cover all basis”. There are already names that stand out above the rest; it’s Taco Tuesday’s edition of the Gems – let’s ride.
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
The Lock: Kyrie Irving ($9,400 FD / $9,900 DK)
Easiest play on the NBA slate, in my opinion. With both Harden and Durant sidelined for the Nets tonight, Kyrie takes center stage in what can only be described as an amazing matchup. In his most recent game without his two fellow all-stars, Kyrie dropped 37/3/9 against the 76ers while taking 22 shots and making 13 of them. With the Pelicans ranking dead last in the NBA versus primary ball handlers, allowing over 51 FPPG to the position, Kyrie is set up to go nuclear in this one.
The GPP Gem: De’Aaron Fox ($9,900 FD / $9,800 DK)
With everyone looking to Kyrie Irving, and rightfully so, De’Aaron Fox will go completely overlooked in a great matchup. With seven of his last eight games totaling 27 or more points, Fox’s 32.8% usage rate during that span is only one statistic indicating how important he is to the Kings franchise on a nightly basis; logging over 38 MPG and putting up a 30.5/4.8/7.8 scoring line on 49.2% shooting in his last eight, Fox gets a Minnesota defense that ranks 26th against primary ball handlers and 28th in defensive rating.
The Cash Gem: Cole Anthony ($5,600 FD / $6,000 DK)
By no means is he the sexiest play on the NBA slate, but Cole Anthony’s floor is as safe as it gets in the midrange tonight – exactly what we need for cash games. Logging 29 and 34 minutes in back-to-back games for the Magic in the absence of Michael Carter-Williams, Anthony has posted a 17.5/5.5/7 scoring line on 42.3% shooting while shouldering the load on offense for a team that traded away Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier, amongst others.
Also Consider:
- Trae Young ($9,500 FD / $9,000 DK)
- Terry Rozier ($7,800 FD / $8,000 DK)
- Lonzo Ball ($7,500 FD / $7,000 DK)
- Anfernee Simons ($3,700 FD / $3,800 DK)
Shooting Guards
The Lock: CJ McCollum ($8,100 FD / $8,900 DK)
Despite there being no Damian Lillard in the lineup tonight for a second straight contest for the Trail Blazers, McCollum’s price barely moved since their last game against Charlotte. Sure, he didn’t wow us with a 22/6/6 night, but what’s important to note is that he took 22 shots, making only eight of them – the volume was there for him to be a 50+ fantasy point producer, and being the primary ball handler against a Clippers team that I love to attack with this exact role, he’s right back in the conversation to be in our main NBA lineups yet again.
The GPP Gem: Paul George ($9,000 FD / $9,400 DK)
PG13 takes games against the Trail Blazers personally, and that is putting it lightly. Not only does he have that going for him on tonight’s NBA slate, but he’s simply been balling since – wait for it – a game from two weeks ago against these very same Trail Blazers. Since then, PG has played six games, sporting a 36% usage rate while posting a 32.8/6/6 scoring line on 53.4% shooting, while also shooting 51% from deep and 90.6% from the charity stripe. Logging 34.8 MPG while Kawhi gets healthy, this is the PG show, and I am absolutely here for it.
The Cash Gem: Bruce Brown ($4,800 FD / $4,900 DK)
Similarly to the Cole Anthony play, Bruce Brown by no means is the best of the bunch. What he does provide us, though, is a safe floor as the secondary ball handler to Kyrie Irving. Averaging 27.35 DK points per contest in his last five, BB is not a player that can fill the basket, as seen by his 9 PPG and 7.8 FGA per night, but the 7.8 RPG and 3 APG give us the floor we need for our NBA cash lineups.
Also Consider:
- Tyrese Haliburton ($5,200 FD / $5,900 DK)
- Landry Shamet ($4,400 FD / $4,400 DK)
- Cody Martin ($4,000 FD / $4,100 DK)
Small Forwards
Kawhi Leonard ($9,900 FD / $9,200 DK)
If you’re not playing PG13, take a long look at the top of the pricing grid at the weakest position of the NBA slate. With three straight games of 27 or more points combined with 5 or more rebounds and assists, Kawhi’s been filling the stat sheet outside of their blowout win versus Minnesota the other night, where he only played 23 minutes. He should be ready to go and takes on the 29th ranked defense in the league tonight in Portland.
Brandon Ingram ($8,600 FD / $8,400 DK)
Sporting a 31.3% usage rate in his last five games, BI is having quite the second half of the NBA season for himself alongside Zion Williamson. Averaging 28.4/4.8/6.2 in that same stretch, with no KD on the wing tonight for the Nets, Ingram will be able to take advantage of whomever lines up on him.
Anthony Edwards ($7,100 FD / $7,100 DK)
The second best game environment needs to be spoken about when playing tournaments on this NBA slate, and it starts with the Edwards/Towns combination on the Minnesota side. While the return of D’Angelo Russell complicates things a bit for Edwards, his 27.5% usage rate and 34.3 MPG in the month of April shows how much run he gets; averaging 22/4.5/3.5 on 43.3% shooting, this game will feature two of the leagues fastest teams and the 30th and 28th ranked defenses. Giddy up!
Also Consider:
- Norman Powell ($6,200 FD / $6,400 DK)
- Joe Harris ($4,600 FD / $5,900 DK)
- Jeff Green ($4,400 FD / $4,800 DK)
Power Forwards
Pay Ups
- Zion Williamson ($9,800 FD / $9,700 DK)
- Julius Randle ($9,400 FD / $10,100 DK)
Also Consider:
- Harrison Barnes ($6,000 FD / $6,700 DK)
- Blake Griffin ($5,000 FD / $5,000 DK)
- Alize Johnson ($3,500 FD / $3,400 DK)
Centers
- Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,800 FD / $10,600 DK)
- Enes Kanter ($5,500 FD / $6,100 DK)
- Hassan Whiteside ($5,400 FD / $5,800 DK)
- DeAndre Jordan ($4,600 FD / $3,900 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
