More mid-sized slates and I couldn’t be happier. Tonight we’re glaring at a seven-game slate and while there’s a few nice looking games at the DFS bar, there’s one drop dead gorgeous one standing by the jukebox. We’ll get to that soon enough, but if this is your first time, we’re going to break this thing down one piece at a time. First I will be reviewing the Vegas numbers followed by my top plays, cheap value options and then I will end things with positional rankings that should all help you assemble winning lineups no matter where you play your daily fantasy sports at. Let’s get today’s grind going.

Vegas lines and totals

Indiana (+8) @ Cleveland — 208.5
Philadelphia (+11.5) @ Washington — 214
Utah (+5.5) @ Boston — 202.5
Houston (-1.5) @ Milwaukee — 212.5
Memphis (-2.5) @ Denver — 207
Oklahoma City (-?) @ Sacramento — ???
Brooklyn (+13) @ LA Clippers — 208.5

After last night was a low scoring DFS night, despite three games with 210+ totals, tonight looks even more promising to be a higher scoring slate. No game with a projected total under 202.5 and the gem of them all we don’t have a total for just yet, but it will likely sit around the 220 level. There’s no game to completely fade, but I won’t be messing with more than a player or two from the Jazz/Celtics or Grizzlies/Nuggets games. A lot of high dollar studs going for a mid-sized slate, so now just to choose how to prioritize them, who to use in your primary cash-game and GPP tournament lineups. It’s time to go position by position and find the top plays and values of the slate to help you finish in the green.

POINT GUARD

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Russell Westbrook – No if, ands or buts about it, Russ is the play of the night even with the highest salary on the board. He has surpassed his value line of 48 fantasy points (FPs) in 13 straight games, and he’s averaged 54 FPs in two games against the Kings already this season. My only hesitation would come if Rajon Rondo were to be ruled out, that would leave me some fear of a blowout, but the Thunder tend to keep games competitive even when they’re undoubtedly superior. I’ll probably have Russ in 90% of my lineups tonight.

Mike Conley – Conley has really shouldered the extra work with Gasol out, seeing his usage rate climb over 2% and his offensive rating ramped from 105 to 114. While his price is steadily rising, he’s managed to hit at or above what his tonight’s price value line in six of the last seven games, making him a really nice mid-level cash-game target if you dare fade Westbrook and the other top dollar options, or decide to run with two PGs.

Cheap risk option: D.J. Augustin stands atop the value point guard options, and on a night like tonight where you want to get as solidify your core with as many studs as possible, players like Augustin with fairly high floors for being so lowly priced are critical to the equation. Augustin has put up 20+ FPs in four of the last five games, 30 in the most recent when the team went to the small-ball approach, and he’s truly outplayed rookie Emmanuel Mudiay since joining Denver — Mudiay simply can’t shoot. Much as I had David Lee in all of my lineups last night, Augustin will be my go-to cheapie tonight.

SHOOTING GUARD

James Harden – Whether you decide to go contrarian and fade Westbrook or if you try and go beast mode by pairing up two super studs, Harden is the guy I would go to after Russell. Don’t get me wrong, I love Cousins and Durant tonight as well, but Harden has a great matchup also, won’t be as highly owned as those two and there’s simply less ideal mid-tier and cheaper options at shooting guard compared to everywhere else. Aside from the last game when the Beard got the Kawhi treatment, he had gone for 50+ FPs in eight of the last nine games, and he’s already lit the Bucks up for 53 once this season.

Wil Barton – Nobody is happy about player injuries, but dislike it as we may, we can benefit from them when it comes to fantasy, by using the uncovered cheap options. Wil Barton was looking like the waiver wire add of the year in seasonal leagues early in the year until Danilo Gallinari got 100%, but now with Gallo out again for a few weeks, we get ballerific Barton back, and with the Gallo injury being new, Barton’s price is still really low. Look for Barton to play minutes in the high-30s, and his FPs to land in the same range, making for an outstanding value.

Cheap risk option: There’s a few players worth looks in the shooting guard punt-o-sphere, and they’re all equally as likely to hit a little above value as they are to leaving you feeling like you got kicked in the jewels. Bojan Bogdanovic and Wayne Ellington, odds are one of the two will play 30 minutes and hit value, while the other plays around 22 minutes and falls short much as they have traded places doing the last two games since Joe Johnson was traded. Ellington is the safer guy of the two. Vince Carter will play just a hair over 20 minutes and get you 15-20 FPs, I’d say 15 is most likely.

SMALL FORWARD

Kevin Durant – Yes, I like him a lot tonight, and in cash games he’s pretty safe to hit value (44 FPs) or better, but in GPPs I am going to look elsewhere more than I should be comfortable with. I just like paying up for other studs or going with less owned players like then next two guys I will mention.

LeBron James – He took a game off to rest and now he’s back and ready to put in work at home against the Pacers. I think especially in tourneys Bron makes for a nice contrarian play because he will be so overlooked compared to the other premium priced players and average players will see the dreaded red number between his name and the matchup, and instantly shy away even more. Look, LeBron has played George and the Pacers enough in his day to know how to beat them. I have him projected at a hefty 49 FPs tonight. In tourneys, be bold, take chances that most others are too scared to.

Giannis Antetokounmpo – You already know this is my guy and tonight he faces the Rockets who are worst in the league against small forwards. The Greek Freak is set up nicely to be a nice play at SF tonight while most look to pay up for Durant or go much cheaper. I have him projected at 38 FPs and he’ll probably be the guy I own most at this spot in cash-games just due to the safe feeling I get from him while also saving a couple grand compared to the top two dogs.

Cheap risk option: Lance Stephenson still sitting at a low price due to nightly uncertainty, but it surely looks like he’ll be playing around 25 minutes a night with his new team. He’s put up 24, 14, 29 and 21 FPs in his four games as a Griz player, so with a value line of just 20 FPs and us frantically looking for safe savings plays trying to bulk up our top-end, Lance looks like a fine play, even if he does only get you 15 in the end, just make sure you don’t miss with those top-end plays.

POWER FORWARD

DeMarcus Cousins – I don’t have to sell you on Boogie, we all know what he is and what he does. We all know he can put up a 30-20 gem and equally as likely get tech’d out of a game by the end of the first half. He’s a monster and he’s at home tonight where he’s been 5.5 FPs better per game on the season, in a game likely projected near or above a 220 total, he’s a great play. If you decide to be insanely bold and fade the OKC duo totally and run out a Harden/Cousins or an even bolder LeBron/Cousins lineup, that’d be a badass tournament move. Any combo of the five big names could be the one that takes home the big prizes tonight, truly. Oh, and while there’s plenty of solid options at PF, I have Cousins projected almost 20 FPs higher than the next guy, granted he’s priced $3K higher, so…

Jabari Parker – While there’s plenty of options priced above him that I have projected for more FPs, I think the better play is to pay less and still get a solid output and know there’s upside as well. I have Parker projected at 32 FPs, but his upside nears 40, and he’s a grand cheaper than the other non-Boogie options. I’ll surely have some Derrick Favors and Kevin Love shares, but Parker will probably be my highest owned PF in non-Boogie lineups. After what he did against Golden State, Serge Ibaka will be a highly owned mid-level guy, but I’m almost always a pessimist on him when everything looks shiny for him on a given night.

Cheap risk option: If Brandan Wright (questionable, knee) is able to go, I am a fan of him tonight as a cheap play for sure. Mr. Efficient has shot 13/16 from the field the last three games, but had to leave their last game early when he hurt his knee. Denver is soft in the paint, so Wright should be able to manage you 20 FPs if he’s cleared to go in full. The other candidate here is Nene Hilario who has put up 22+ FPs in three straight despite playing just 20 minutes a night.

CENTER

Marcin Gortat – Not going to be paying top-dollar tonight at center, even if I do think DeAndre Jordan will be a real nice play. I’d rather save the grand and use Gortat who should be money in the bank against the Sixers who he has averaged 38 FPs against in two games this season at just 30 MPG. It’s also at home where Marcin is 4 FPPG better on the year. Rudy Gobert is the higher upside tournament play, but in cash, give me the Polish Hammer.

Nikola Jokic – There is risk every night with a Denver frontcourt player because their minutes are all over the place and just when you think they’re safe, they pull a rope and the floor drops out from under you. Jokic is fantastic when he plays 25+ minutes, but you just never can tell. Against the Grizzlies without Gasol though, this seems like the ideal time for Jokic to see plenty of minutes and hit well above value at his cheapish price. Since I’ll be paying up more elsewhere, I’ll have a few too many shares of this sketchy situation tonight.

Cheap risk option: The cheapest that I will go tonight is Steven Adams, and I’ll actually own plenty of shares of him as I stated above, I am looking to save at center and spend up elsewhere. Adams will be needed heavily against Cousins, and he’s actually averaged 29 FPs in two games against the Kings this season. I have him projected at 23 FPs tonight, which is still fine for his price and the flexibility he gives you at other spots.

Cash game rankings:

This isn’t necessarily an order of who will score the most DraftKings points. Rather, the rankings are aimed to find the best price, value and production combo to help you win cash games, also taking into account potential ownership levels for each player.

PG
1) Russell Westbrook
2) D.J. Augustin
3) Chris Paul
4) Rajon Rondo (if he plays)
5) Mike Conley
6) Kyrie Irving
7) Isaiah Thomas
8) Shelvin Mack

SG
1) James Harden
2) Wil Barton
3) Khris Middleton
4) J.J. Redick
5) Wayne Ellington
6) Vince Carter

SF
1) Kevin Durant
2) LeBron James
3) Giannis Antetokounmpo
4) Gordon Hayward
5) Rudy Gay
6) Lance Stephenson
7) Matt Barnes

PF
1) DeMarcus Cousins
2) Jabari Parker
3) Derrick Favors
4) Kevin Love
5) Nene Hilario
6) Thaddeus Young
7) Kenneth Faried
8) Zach Randolph

C
1) Marcin Gortat
2) Brook Lopez
3) Rudy Gobert
4) Nikola Jokic
5) DeAndre Jordan
6) Steven Adams

As always, stay locked to Twitter and Rotoworld for any late-breaking news the hour before the first game tips at 7 p.m. EST. I’ll do my best to update this article as news breaks throughout the day, but the best way to get the latest is always to follow me on Twitter @BigZack44, where I’ll do my best to break down the implications of any late scratches or lineup changes.

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