NBA Thursday 2/18 Core Four

NBA Thursday 2/18 Core Four

For a three-game slate, we have a ton of options at the top end. We have Giannis Antetokounmpo under $11,000, LeBron James against the Nets at a low price, and the Miami studs against the Sacramento Kings. With the marquee game being the Lakers and Nets squaring off, I wonder how these other two fall for ownership. It’s going to be fascinating to see it unfold through the day but let’s lay the baseline in the NBA Thursday 2/18 Core Four to find the green! 

LeBron James($10,200 DK/$10,500) – I already know that Brian will want to stack this game, and who wouldn’t? The Nets will still be without Kevin Durant, so it’s much easier to peg who we should play on that side. The biggest priority for me in this game is King James. He’s without Anthony Davis, meaning he’s right at a 1.50 FPPM. Now we add in the pace the Nets play at which is top five. We then add in they hemorrhage points on the defensive end and are 18th in rebounding. LeBron just missed a triple-double last game, but I don’t think he does this game. I plan to pair him with another stud that we’ll get to in a minute. 

Hassan Whiteside($4,600 DK/$6,000 FD) – We already know that Richaun Holmes is out for the Kings, which is a big deal for Whiteside. It’s always a bit of a surprise to see the Heat dead last in rebounding since they have a very talented big in Bam Adebayo. They are also just average in paint points allowed at 16th, so this is not a bad spot exactly for Whiteside. Even if it wasn’t the best spot on paper, he’s under $5,000 on DK and should approach 24-28 minutes tonight. Provided he stays out of foul trouble, we could get a cheaper double-double. He’s sporting a very high 1.43 FPPM without Holmes and Harrison Barnes off the floor. 

Marc Gasol($4,000/$5,200 FD) – The wily big man is seldom on my radar, but the fact he’s playing Brooklyn negates just about all factors. They are dead last in points in the paint allowed and he’s coming off a game where he played 29 minutes. Gasol is going to be my center of choice if playing FD tonight, and that position is extremely gross. Whiteside is really overpriced and there are very few options. Gasol is at nearly a full 1.00 FPPM on just a 10% usage rate with AD off the floor through 166 minutes. That’s plenty at this price, in this matchup. I was ready to write up Montrezl Harrell but the disparity in minutes is scary in my eyes. The last game saw Trez play just 18 minutes and even against Brooklyn, that could be tough to pay off. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10,900 DK/$11,300) – The “fun” play is to stack Kyrie Irving with LeBron. There’s plenty of history there to pick at and I’m very interested in going that route if we get enough value. If not, I’m going to prioritize Greek ahead of Kyrie Irving. We say it all the time. On small slates, we need raw points and in honesty, Giannis has the highest odds of being the top scorer on this slate. In the games Jrue Holiday has been out, Giannis has played 34, 38, 39, 36, and 37 minutes. Not only is he constantly on the court, Giannis sees his usage rise to 33.4% and the FPPM go up to 1.76. As good as Kyrie is, he’s not at those ratios so the Giannis and LeBron combo is my starting point. 

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