Now that everyone has moved on from being titled at the Cleveland Cavs’ surprise rest for the Big 3 Saturday, we can focus on the last couple of weeks of the regular season.
Tonight we have a 7-game slate in the NBA, and we must be weary every night until the end of players resting to gear up for the playoffs.
Paul Millsap is the main name we know is not going to play Monday evening while Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari each are questionable, I am sure more news will open up as we get to lock. I just hope we get the news before lock instead of after.
There are some huge tournaments on DraftKings and FanDuel tonight, so it should at least be a fun night assuming we don’t have any late scratches after lock.
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Now let’s get it on!
Stephen Curry – PG – Golden State Warriors – $9,400
Analysis: Point guard is loaded today – Westbrook, Harden, Kemba, Paul, Wall, and IT2, but it’s Curry that i am looking at here for tonight. With no Kevin Durant, Curry has a 35%+ usage rate this season and the Warriors aren’t the dominant team they once were. I like the shootout potential here and would definitely pair Curry, who has a floor of 40 points, with Westbrook in tournaments. Finding the value for that pairing will be key to making that work. I also like Curry because I think he goes overlooked a bit with the strength of the position. I think many will flock to Denver and Houston because that game was just played and it was high-scoring and close. Curry under $10K feels like a steal.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot – SG – Philadelphia 76ers – $3,800
Analysis: We aren’t chasing waterfalls here, but TLC has started to see a solid load of minutes for the 76ers. Gerald Henderson is out of the mix and the 76ers are trying to tank. Giving minutes to a young, raw talent is what teams do at this point in the season. TLC has seen minute totals of 29, 30, 23, 27, 33 and 18 in his past 6 outings. Some of those were with Covington out and some were with him in the lineup. He’s scored no less than 17.5 fantasy points in that span, a floor that would be solid at this cheap price. I believe there is more upside to him tonight in a game against another tanking team in Orlando. I really prefer TLC if he plays on the second unit, but think minutes are secure either way.
Taurean Prince – SF – Atlanta Hawks – $3,500
Analysis: Who is Taurean Prince? Well, he went to Baylor and is a rookie for the Atlanta Hawks, who will be without Paul Millsap and Kent Bazemore tonight. Prince has played 28 minutes or more in the last two games. So far, Prince has been able to stuff the stat sheet, accruing blocks, steals and rebounds to go along with some scoring. I never like to trust the Hawks this season because they have random blowouts, but Prince doesn’t worry me at all. As long as they are going to give him minutes, blowouts are a non-factor with a young talent on a team with injuries. For me, Prince is the top value play on the board at the moment.
Ersan Ilyasova – PF – Atlanta Hawks – $5,000
Analysis: Ersanity looms tonight! Without Paul Millsap, Ersan should draw the start against a weak Charlotte frontcourt. The Hornets are in the top 5 of fantasy points allowed to power forwards this season. Ersan showed while in Philly that he can be consistent and flash 40+ fantasy point upside. This is a great matchup for Ersan and faces a stretch four in Marvin Williams. Again, trusting Atlanta is sometimes dicey, but if the Hawks keep this close, I like for Ersan to be one of the main cogs. A double-double here is certainly in play.
Nikola Vucevic – C – Orlando Magic – $7,700
Analysis: Vucevic has been dominant against the Sixers in his career and in the 2016-17 season thus far. The Sixers have been the worst team against centers since Embiid was shut down for the season. Vucevic’s price has climbed, but he has averaged nearly 50 fantasy points per game in three contests against the Sixers, who also might be without Jahlil Okafor. I actually would prefer Okafor to play because he’s a defensive liability over Richaun Holmes, but this also is a revenge game for Vuc and he has yet to disappoint (hope that’s not a Monahan jinx statement). I am all in on Vuc tonight.
