Five games on Tuesday’s slate, and there are at least a couple of players worth considering from each of them. In general I will plan to pay up at small forward while saving money at center and power forward. Point guard and shooting guard are kind of a mixed bag, so you may want to fill those positions first and then figure out who else you like from there.
Point Guard
Tyler Johnson is averaging 10.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists over his last three games. He should continue to be relatively safe while Goran Dragic is out, and playing Johnson is a great way to save some money in cash lineups.
Only the Nets and Pelicans have allowed more assists than the Bulls this season, and there is little reason to believe Rajon Rondo or Isaiah Canaan can slow Damian Lillard down.
The Timberwolves are 27th in fantasy points allowed to point guards, and I would rather pay a bit more to lock in Kemba Walker than take a chance with Kyle Lowry or play somebody with a lower ceiling like Kyrie Irving.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Tyler Johnson | MIA | H | ATL | 30.1 | 0 | 10 | 117 | 43 | 25 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 47% | 10.08% | 25.7 | 26.9 | 25.9 | 26.2 | $4,900 | $5,400 | $4,100 |
| Damian Lillard | POR | H | CHI | 35.9 | 0 | 31 | 338 | 55 | 51 | 9 | 1 | 33 | 49% | 20.60% | 42.5 | 45.7 | 42.8 | 43.9 | $9,500 | $9,300 | $6,400 |
| Kemba Walker | CHA | A | MIN | 32.6 | 0 | 31 | 228 | 33 | 49 | 14 | 1 | 18 | 47% | 17.87% | 39.2 | 42.1 | 39.4 | 41 | $8,300 | $7,900 | $6,200 |
Shooting Guard
Oftentimes the best DFS plays are shooting guards who are forced into ballhandling duty, which is why Sean Kilpatrick and Josh Richardson are on this list. Kilpatrick’s fantasy value may take a slight hit if Isaiah Whitehead returns, but Kilpatrick has scored at least 13 points in all but one game this season, which may make him the safest shooting guard of the day.
Josh Richardson has four assists in each of the games Goran Dragic has missed, and if he can make it three-in-a-row while scoring in double digits he will be a
C.J. McCollum is difficult to trust for cash games after he scored in single digits in two of his last six games, but he is averaging 23.7 points, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals at home. Playing McCollum is a good way to get exposure to the Bulls defense without breaking the bank on Damian Lillard.
This is the first game all season Dwyane Wade will play on more than one day of rest. This appears to be a good spot for Wade to top 20 points for the fourth time this season.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Sean Kilpatrick | BKN | A | LAL | 26.3 | 0 | 18 | 156 | 48 | 25 | 10 | 0 | 30 | 42% | 16.02% | 24.1 | 26.8 | 24.4 | 25 | $5,500 | $5,800 | $4,300 |
| C.J. McCollum | POR | H | CHI | 34.5 | 0 | 25 | 243 | 47 | 34 | 17 | 8 | 24 | 47% | 15.46% | 34.2 | 36.7 | 34.4 | 35.4 | $7,400 | $7,500 | $5,600 |
| Dwyane Wade | CHI | A | POR | 29.4 | 0 | 12 | 170 | 41 | 29 | 17 | 5 | 22 | 43% | 14.56% | 28.5 | 30.4 | 28.7 | 29.1 | $6,400 | $6,400 | $5,300 |
| Josh Richardson | MIA | H | ATL | 25.2 | 0 | 5 | 43 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 38% | 9.07% | 14.4 | 15.7 | 14.5 | 14.9 | $4,000 | $4,800 | $4,000 |
Small Forward
Pretty much everything I wrote about Dwyane Wade applies to Jimmy Butler. This is a good matchup, and Butler should benefit from an extra day of rest. I especially love Butler for cash games on sites where he is eligible at shooting guard.
So much for LeBron James taking it easy. LeBron has played at least 36 minutes in every game this season since playing just 32 on Opening Night. LeBron is expensive but he is super safe, and had 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists against the Raptors back in October.
If you have to go cheaper at small forward, Kent Bazemore is worth a look. Bazemore has averaged 16.25 points per game over his last four games, and while he is always a risk to completely disappear in any given game, his production is certainly trending in the right direction.
If you want a safer alternative to Bazemore, Moe Harkless is averaging 13.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks over his last four games. Harkless may not have Bazemore’s upside, but he should at least get you something.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Jimmy Butler | CHI | A | POR | 34.1 | 0 | 16 | 243 | 55 | 42 | 20 | 0 | 22 | 48% | 16.84% | 39 | 41.2 | 39.3 | 39.8 | $8,600 | $8,000 | $6,150 |
| LeBron James | CLE | H | TOR | 36.9 | 0 | 14 | 206 | 80 | 82 | 10 | 5 | 32 | 47% | 17.38% | 47 | 50 | 47.4 | 47.8 | $9,900 | $10,300 | $7,600 |
| Kent Bazemore | ATL | A | MIA | 27.8 | 0 | 11 | 102 | 28 | 30 | 16 | 6 | 14 | 42% | 10.08% | 23.4 | 24.9 | 23.6 | 24 | $4,800 | $5,000 | $3,800 |
| Moe Harkless | POR | H | CHI | 30.7 | 0 | 16 | 129 | 51 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 51% | 8.84% | 20.7 | 22.2 | 20.9 | 21.4 | $4,600 | $5,200 | $4,000 |
Power Forward
Nemanja Bjelica played 41 minutes in his first start of the season Sunday after playing just 37 minutes in his previous three games combined. Bjelica is averaging 13.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks per 36 minutes this season, and he will be a solid play in all formats if he starts again Tuesday.
Nikola Mirotic is maddening for Bulls fans and fantasy players alike, but he should get more minutes and shots with Doug McDermott out. I cannot endorse him for cash lineups, but he will likely be in at least one GPP lineup for me Tuesday.
Only three teams have allowed more fantasy points to opposing power forwards than the Nets this season. Randle is a safe power forward in a slate where the position is pretty ugly, and he has a pretty high ceiling as well.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Nikola Mirotic | CHI | A | POR | 22.7 | 0 | 17 | 105 | 55 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 40% | 10.77% | 19.6 | 21.4 | 19.9 | 20.5 | $4,300 | $4,800 | $4,000 |
| Nemanja Bjelica | MIN | H | CHA | 17.6 | 0 | 11 | 60 | 35 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 42% | 10.28% | 14.2 | 15.6 | 14.4 | 14.8 | $4,000 | $3,800 | $3,000 |
| Julius Randle | LAL | H | BKN | 28 | 0 | 2 | 153 | 90 | 35 | 11 | 8 | 31 | 55% | 14.50% | 29.1 | 31 | 29.5 | 29.2 | $6,400 | $6,600 | $5,150 |
Center
Few things are more painful than watching Timofey Mozgov and actually being invested in the result. Fortunately, the Lakers are not nationally televised Tuesday, so unless you have league pass, you can simply plug Mozgov in for cheap and not have to watch him lumber around the court. Mozgov should match up well with the Nets, and only three teams have allowed more rebounds than Brooklyn this season.
Robin Lopez played 38 minutes in each of his last two games, and he will likely play heavy minutes again Tuesday. The Trail Blazers have allowed the most rebounds in the league and the second-most points, and somebody has to score for Chicago outside of Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler.
The Heat are 21st in fantasy points allowed to centers this season, which gives Dwight Howard the best matchup of any of the expensive centers. Howard has seven double-doubles in nine games this season.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | ACEPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $FA |
| Timofey Mozgov | LAL | H | BKN | 21.5 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 51 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 16 | 65% | 10.64% | 15.8 | 16.8 | 16 | 15.8 | $3,600 | $3,500 | $4,000 |
| Robin Lopez | CHI | A | POR | 26.5 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 71 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 8 | 46% | 8.70% | 20.6 | 21.4 | 21 | 20.6 | $4,400 | $4,600 | $4,450 |
| Dwight Howard | ATL | A | MIA | 28.7 | 0 | 0 | 137 | 112 | 12 | 11 | 17 | 20 | 63% | 16.63% | 36.2 | 37.9 | 36.8 | 36.2 | $7,900 | $7,200 | $5,800 |
Player News
{{item.text}}
{{analysis.analysis}}