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Point Guard

Chalk City

Russell Westbrook ($12,300 DK / $11,600 FD)

Stephen Curry ($8,900 DK / $8,800 FD)

Kyrie Irving ($7,600 DK / $7,600 FD)

Contrarian

Mike Conley ($6,900 DK / $7,100 FD)

I won’t try to talk you out of spending up for the top PGs. They’re generally strong plays, and the sheer volume of options will differentiate them a good deal. But if you’re looking for salary relief and a major turn from the herd, Conley sits in an attractive spot. He’s been absurdly effective this year, boasting an elite true shooting mark of 61.4% and a 31.4% assist rate that eclipses that od Kemba Walker, Jeff Teague, and Kyle Lowry. His salaries have yo-yoed quite a bit all year, but settle in reasonably tonight for his recent upside. Conley has topped universal 7x value twice in his last 4 games and simply couldn’t ask for a much better matchup. Sergio Rodriguez’s defense has been uniformly bad this year, so Conley can probably choose which type of game to dominate with. Point guards with scoring ability (Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic, John Wall) spent last week shredding the 76ers. The blowout potential is a bit concerning, as the Grizzlies haven’t been challenged much lately. But Conley’s most recent eruption (47.0 DraftKings, 43.8 FanDuel) came in a 15-point win. With Chandler Parsons and James Ennis out for awhile, Conley will be an offensive engine, particularly in terms of scoring. Assuming he’s given 35 minutes, Conley is in position to bring tournament value that offers a lot more salary relief than the top options.

Shooting Guard

Chalk City

James Harden ($11,700 DK / $11,600 FD)

DeMar DeRozan ($8,700 DK / $9,400 FD)

Contrarian

Eric Gordon ($4,800 DK / $5,200 FD)

Gordon typically doesn’t see much ownership, primarily due to Harden’s shadow but also because most see him as an inconsistent. But he’s actually been a fairly even producer all year, and he’s brought home universal cash value in four of his last six games. (That includes two 8x-9x performances, by the way.) Gordon plays from the bench with Patrick Beverley back in the lineup, which also scares DFSers away. But he’s the second unit’s anchor and still sees plenty of time, including minutes next to Harden, and won’t hurt for scoring opportunities. In 3 games since Beverley’s return, Gordon has seen 24, 37, and 29 minutes and taken 15+ field goal attempts in 2 of them. He’s priced right around his midlevel expectation tonight, and while the pace outlook isn’t great, there’s no getting around the wild scoring Toronto has allowed (113.0 over its last 8 games). That’s a fine avenue for Gordon to rack up 15-20 real-life points and his customary handful of rebounds and assists. And his nightly steals potential gets a boost as he defends a Raptors backcourt of insanely high usage. Together, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan cough up 5.9 turnovers a game.

Lou Williams ($5,500 DK / $5,100 FD), Jordan Clarkson ($5,200 DK / $4,900 FD), Nick Young ($4,400 DK / $4,200 FD) (STACK)

GPP stacking is often frowned upon when it involves pairing teammates who alternately dominate games. It’s hard to justify stacking, say, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter in a tournament; if one goes lights-out, of course, it’s less likely the other will be able to do so simultaneously. But if you’re confident the two will reach GPP value together, regardless of the individuals, then it’s a strategy that can reap benefits in the ownership department. Two guards that dominate an offense, for instance, make sense together as both carry more than enough opportunity to hit value. And stacking Lakers guards is always a shrewd move, as their main backcourt accounts for four of their top five scorers and a smattering of peripheral numbers from night to night. Tonight, D’Angelo Russell will sit again with a knee injury. There’s a good chance some combination of Williams, Clarkson, and Young, the team’s most voluminous and most consistent guards, dominate the Lakers’ usage in a high-paced, high-scoring game. When these teams met earlier in the month, Los Angeles put up 117 points, and the Williams-Clarkson-Russell trio combined for 86.75 DraftKings points (81.5 FanDuel). Together, a duo formed of these 3 can bring home easy GPP value with just 75% of that production.

Small Forward

Chalk City

Kevin Durant ($9,700 DK / $9,900 FD)

Kawhi Leonard ($8,200 DK / $8,500 FD)

Contrarian

LeBron James ($9,500 DK / $9,800 FD)

Cash players tend to stray from 32-year-old James, who is always fantastic on the court but whose usage fluctuates based on game flow. This past week he both took a rest day and posted his lowest minute total of the year (28). The safer big-boy chalk lies with Durant and Leonard, but James could pay big dividends in GPP play. Don’t lose sight of the facts that he had played 36+ minutes in every single game prior to that one, and that a 27.8 usage rate from an unstoppable stat-stuffer is absolutely nothing to sneeze at. Rebounds often tell the tale in James’ hunt for value – he’s putting up 8.4 a game, after all – and that outlook gets a huge boon against Portland, who allows more rebounds per game than anyone. He feels like a guarantee for a double-double, which could even be reached through three quarters of play in the event of a blowout. All told, today could be his lowest-owned day of the young season, and he probably carries a similar ceiling to Durant’s. Portland struggles mightily to defend anyone, especially without Al-Farouq Aminu in the lineup, and James has obliterated much stronger units.

Nicolas Batum ($6,100 DK / $6,400 FD)

DFSers won’t touch Batum with a ten-foot pole today, considering the pace of this matchup and the perception of the Spurs defense as impenetrable. But they’re definitely prone to allowing big fantasy performances – especially on the wings. In fact, three of the last five primary wing scorers to face the Spurs have produced big games:

Most of these guys shot poorly, but wound up feasting on volume and/or peripheral numbers. Batum is tailor-made for the latter, with 6.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game and multiple blocks-plus-steals in 4 of his last 5. Vegas projects the Hornets to 97.75 points, which is low but not prohibitively so. And Batum is priced too cheaply for a guy with real potential to account for 20-25% of them while stuffing the stat sheet elsewhere.

Matt Barnes ($4,000 DK / $4,000 FD)

Barnes was a letdown in the starting lineup Sunday, which will depress his ownership into GPP-relevant levels. I’ll be taking some advantage at this tiny salary, with a GPP value marker that he reached twice last week. It’s even more encouraging that both performances came in slow-paced matchups with elite defenses (Spurs and Clippers). Locked into 30-35 minutes – Barnes actually played 36 in Sunday’s clunker – he brings cheap and low-owned, yet high-opportunity appeal.

Power Forward

Chalk City

DeMarcus Cousins ($9,900 DK / $10,000 FD)

Blake Griffin ($8,400 DK / $9,500 FD)

Kevin Love ($7,700 DK / $7,800 FD)

Terrence Jones ($5,200 DK / $5,100 FD)

Contrarian

LaMarcus Aldridge ($6,400 DK / $6,900 FD)

This is a bit too cheap for Aldridge, and his ownership would be significantly higher on a smaller slate. He’s benefitted from two high-scoring games in a row, reaching universal 5x-6x value, only to see his salary dip tonight. Those who don’t pay up for Cousins, Griffin, or Love are advised to get some Aldridge exposure. He needs only to land a notch below his recent production to bring GPP value, which seems to be in his wheelhouse tonight. The Hornets field a generally strong defense and keep their pace slow, but good PFs have had little trouble reaching value against them. Aldridge’s usage (26.3) is near the likes of Jimmy Butler, and Kevin Love, and he’s also been on a tear in blocks and steals, with 3+ in 4 of his last 6 games.

Center

Chalk City

Hassan Whiteside ($9,000 DK / $9,200 FD)

Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,400 DK / $8,700 FD)

Contrarian

Al Horford ($7,100 DK / $7,200 FD)

Horford will indeed draw a noticeable share of ownership, as he’s been nothing short of phenomenal in two games since returning from his concussion. He’s dominated both Towns and Andre Drummond, averaging 19.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 4.5 blocks-plus-steals, and 2.0 threes. Yikes. Minutes and usage clearly aren’t big worries, and neither is the pitiful Nets defense. The Celtics project to 111 points, and if the Nets can keep it close at home (currently +7.5), Horford will see massive opportunity into the fourth quarter. His ability to produce in so many ways brings ceiling as well as floor, and there are multiple avenues by which he can erupt and again hit GPP value. Assuming the rest of your contest is focused on Cousins and Towns, Horford can provide serious salary relief with universal upside for 45-50 fantasy points.

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