Well, from one extreme to the other, we had just three games yesterday and ten on tap for tonight. Somehow last night despite the Lakers shockingly decimated the Suns (wow, they’re this bad without Bledsoe?), and Tyson Chandler who I loved at his price barely played, Dwyane Wade no-showed again and Otto Porter sat the fourth quarter due to a blowout, but I still ended well in the green. My primary lineup put up 252 thanks to Knight, McCollum, Bosh, Lou Will and Nance(!), which cashed in all my double-ups and put me 71st of 920 in a $5 GPP, for $15. Nothing to quit my day job over but enough to finish nicely above water and add some funds into tonight’s big slate. Let’s keep grinding and breakdown this big 10-game slate we have on our hands tonight.

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Vegas lines and totals

Minnesota (-5) @ Philadelphia — projected total of 204.5
Toronto (+8) @ Cleveland — 192
Indiana (+2.5) @ Miami — 192
Orlando (+4) @ Detroit — 197.5
Boston (-6.5) @ Brooklyn — 202.5
San Antonio (-9) @ Milwaukee — 192
Sacramento (+7.5) @ Oklahoma City — 214.5
Houston (-2.5) @ Utah — 199.5
Memphis (-2) @ Portland — 193
Charlotte (+9.5) @ Golden State — 208

As of writing this, four games have yet to have numbers posted by Vegas. The reasoning for those unknown numbers is we all are awaiting word on key players being in or out of three of those games. Derrick Favors, Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry are all questionable once again and would sway the projected scores of those games by good margins. The Raptors/Cavaliers, Pacers/Heat and Spurs/Bucks games all have fairly low totals that hint that it isn’t as good of an idea to do any stacks (using a few players from one game) from them. The Kings/Thunder game on the other hand, yeah, I’m going to be all up in that game throughout my lineups tonight. I’ll try to update the others today when they are posted if time is permitted at work.

UPDATE: With the news that Kevin Durant will likely be out tonight, the line in the SAC/OKC game went from 11 to 9.5 and total from 119.5 to 114.5. Also, the MEM/POR game is in danger of being cancelled due to extreme weather, so monitor that situation closely, and if you’re not going to be near a computer later, just play it safe and fade the game completely.

Just know in advance that I do the initial write-ups the night before, so if I say Shaun Livingston is a great value play if Curry is out, then if you see later that Curry is active, that would cancel out the appeal of that suggested play. I try to make it back for updates every evening, but that 5-7pm (EST) stretch is a busy one for me, so I am not always able. I definitely won’t suggest the players who are questionable as plays, but obviously if Lillard, Favors or Curry plays and is said to be on no minute restrictions, they’re worth consideration.

POINT GUARD

Russell Westbrook ($10,700) – Two days ago I put Westbrook as the top point guard play if you were going to pay up at the position, and he laid an egg (35 DK points) considering his price tag. If you’ve been playing DFS more than a couple of weeks, you’ve learned not to sweat what a top player did the game before, because over the long haul, they’re going to hit at or above their averages more often than not. You saw the 219.5 total above, you see that the Kings are awful at stopping opposing point guards and both teams like playing at a fast pace, so you know this game is all lined up for Russ to bounce back in a big way.I have him projected at 55 fantasy points (FPs), and I could see him breaking 60 if the game isn’t out of hand late. Update: Kevin Durant is listed as doubtful to play tonight due to his injured toe. This news makes Russell an absolute MUST USE. Don’t get cute and try to fade even in the deepest of tournaments, play Russ or just light your money on fire, period.

Isaiah Thomas ($7,800) – The Nets were 24th in the league at fantasy points allowed to point guards even before Jarrett Jack tore his ACL over the weekend. Now, with Shane Larkin and the crafty veteran Donald Sloan (how does he find himself in these situations annually? Is he a starting PG hitman?) running the show in Brooklyn, they will be at an even bigger disadvantage at that spot the rest of the way. Isaiah is an elite scorer and should net over 20 points tonight plus a few steals from Larkin who has a per-36 of 2.8 turnovers as is, let alone against a tenacious defender like IT. Look for Thomas to hit over 40 FPs tonight unless the Celtics run away with this one, which isn’t expected by Vegas anyways.

Darren Collison ($5,300) – Collison is playing right around 30 minutes a night for the Kings, and in a high scoring game as this one looks to be, the Kings will likely use him a few extra minutes over the inept Ben McLemore. DC has put up 42, 27 and 33 FPs the last three games, and he put up 30 FPs the last time these two teams faced off. He only needs to hit 25 to finish above value tonight, and I think he does that handily mostly playing the two against the likes of Andre Roberson and Dion Waiters.

Cheap risk option: With Tony Parker already ruled out tonight, Patty Mills ($3,700) is in line to start for the Spurs at the point. Over the last six games, Mills has played an average of just 19.5 minutes and put up 15.8 FPs over those games. With Patty in line to play around 30 minutes tonight, it’s easy to project him to finish well above value at this price. I will have him in most of my lineups, as will most everyone else, but unlike those who will fall for the Shane Larkin trap, Mills puts you at a nice advantage.

SHOOTING GUARD

Klay Thompson ($7,800) – Man, I do not love the shooting guard position tonight. So many of them have either inflated prices, tough matchups, been too inconsistent lately or a combo of those things that it just feels like walking on thin ice. Klay however has been the opposite of all of those things. He has a fair price, his matchup is favorable and he’s been hot lately scoring 40+ FPs in three of four. If Curry is out, he is for sure my top play here tonight and should be looking at near that 40 FP territory again.

Andrew Wiggins ($6,400) – If Curry is active tonight, I prefer Wiggins as my top safe play at SG. His price is mid-level and he’s put up and he’s averaged 32.8 fantasy points over the last four games, playing 36 minutes and getting about 17.5 shots a night. While his FG% has been poor, he’s still been reaching value and with a nice matchup tonight, he could pulverize value if he shoots even 45% from the floor.

Evan Turner ($5,100) – With Avery Bradley out tonight for the Celtics, Turner should see a nice boost in playing time, and at a this price he would only need 24 FPs to hit value which is something he has done in the past three games. He’s a really solid lower mid-level target if you decide to aim for some savings at the iffy SG spot tonight.

Cheap risk option: Patty isn’t the only Spur who benefits from Parker sitting, Manu Ginobili ($4,100) played 27 minutes per game the ten games that Parker sat last season while Manu was active. He averaged 26.2 FPs over those ten games (according to statmuse) also, so there is definite reason to feel like Manu could be a aged diamond in the rough tonight at SG. I have him projected at 24 minutes and 24 FPs tonight, hopefully the Spurs don’t make this one too ugly, too early so that that projection can come true. Update: With the news that Durant is likely out tonight, Anthony Morrow ($3,100) is projected to start and is worth considering if you need a really cheap punt play. Morrow’s shot is either on/off, so he’s still a risk whether he gets big minutes or not.

SMALL FORWARD

Paul George ($8,900) – Guess who is back to playing like a superstar the past two games (50.5 and 56 FPs)? Guess who is playing against the Heat who are on the second game of a back-to-back and already struggle to stop quality small forwards from putting up big stats? Guess who has averaged 51 FPs in two matchups against the heat already this season? Dammit, I gave the answer away before the questions again…

Joe Johnson ($4,600) – With Jack out, look for Smooth Joe to play a decent bit of point forward the rest of the way for the Nets (or until they trade for a better PG). Johnson is playing over 34 minutes a night and while he’s shooting a disgusting 36% from the field, he could benefit from having the ball in his hands more. That probably doesn’t make sense, but if he is controlling the ball and looking to drive and score or dish to the open man, he should get better shots and up his assists instead of just shooting anytime Jack gave him the ball, good look or not. There’s risk here because of how on/off he can be, but the upside is real and I especially like Joe in GPP tournaments where most won’t have picked up on this notion yet.

Cheap risk option: Scott Skiles hinted at a possible starting lineup change on Sunday and seeing how Channing Frye, well, he stinks, and Aaron Gordon ($3,700) has played 25+ minutes in three straight games, that could be the change he’s looking towards. Either way, Gordon should again see 25+ minutes of court time due to his defensive skills and hustle, and he has hit value at this price in each of the last three games with that PT. Corey Brewer ($3,600) should also be on your punt options list as he’ll see an uptick in minutes with Marcus Thornton out to see his wife give birth. So, I think it’s safe to bet Brewer will play around 25 minutes and can get you 20 FPs with that, which is above value for this lowly price, and he can help you afford to fit more studs in your lineups elsewhere.

POWER FORWARD

Draymond Green ($9,900) – How do you not use Draymond the way he’s been playing lately. Yeah, his price jumping up more makes you hesitate briefly, but the guy put up 87(!!) and 60 FPs in the last two games. So, if Steph is out again, he’s almost a must-play and if Steph is active, he’s still a really solid option, high price or not. He would have to hit 44 FPs to meet value at this price, and his season average at home this season is 45, so the price is right on par with what it should be. The bigger hold up here is that it could be a big time blowout as Charlotte is just not in Golden State’s league if Curry is active, and/or if Batum is out. Either way, Dray should get a minimum of 30 minutes and he’ll be guarded by guys like Cody Zeller, Marvin Williams, etc…. So, he’ll get his regardless.

Thaddeus Young ($7,200) – Thad delivered nine double-doubles in December and started off the new year with another, so me expecting a nice game out of him against the Celtics mysterious game-to-game set of bigs is likely not a surprise to you. After shooting just 14 shots combined in the two games prior, Thad took 16 on Saturday to let us know the other two games were not the beginning of a trend. The Nets will actually need more shots out of their trio of Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez and Thaddeus with Jack out, so expect 15+ shots a game to continue, and when he is shooting 52% on the year, that’s great news for DFS players.

Cheap risk option: Don’t think I’ll be punting at PF tonight, but if I were to do so, I’d be rolling with Boris Diaw ($3,800) who has been producing well with the Spurs second unit recently. Nothing big, but averaging 20 FPs in 21 minutes over the last six games. Against a weak Bucks frontcourt, that could very easily continue.

CENTER

Karl-Anthony Towns ($7,300) – The rookie continues to impress and tonight has a good matchup in a game that should be competitive throughout with a healthy above 200 projected total. Wiggins and Towns should lead the way for the Wolves, and I have Towns projected at 43 FPs tonight going against Nerlens Noel and co. Look for a healthy double-double and a few blocks by the efficient young big.

Dwight Howard ($7,100) – If Favors is out, Dwight is my top play at center tonight because as good as he’s been, Jeff Withey isn’t going to stop Howard from putting up a big time stat line. D12 has put up 58, 55 and 40 FPs in the last three games and this is a more favorable matchup than any of those games were. Even if Favors plays, Dwight is a good option at this price, I have him at 33 FPs if Favors is active and 45 if he’s out.

Cheap risk option: Don’t really like the punt plays here tonight to be honest, but Steven Adams ($3,900) is worth a shot if this is your strategy at center. His game log shows you about what to expect and to know it’s not a safe bet: 26 – 18 – 21 – 5 – 8 – 21 – 21. So, he hits decently more than not, but the floor is super low. If I were to punt at center tonight though, I’d go full on punt to get the maximum savings and go to Marreese Speights ($3,000) who does not get reliable minutes but would see extra PT in garbage time of this game. In two of the last three games, Speights played 18 and 21 minutes and in those put up 17 and 19 FPs, which if you go this route would be sufficient. More of a GPP strategy than cash though.

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 (MUST USE!)
2) Patty Mills
3) Isaiah Thomas
4) Reggie Jackson
5) Darren Collison
6) Ishmael Smith
7) Rajon Rondo
8) Trey Burke
9) Ricky Rubio

SG
1) Klay Thompson (falls to 4th if Curry plays)
2) Andrew Wiggins
3) Evan Turner
4) James Harden
5) Manu Ginobili
6) C.J. McCollum (if Lillard is out)
7) Rodney Hood
8) Dwyane Wade
9) Anthony Morrow

SF
1) Paul George
2) Gordon Hayward (if Favors is out, drops to 6th if Favors plays)
3) Joe Johnson
4) Aaron Gordon
5) Marcus Morris
6) Trevor Ariza
7) Corey Brewer

PF
1) Draymond Green
2) Thaddeus Young
3) DeMarcus Cousins
4) Derrick Favors (if he plays and is slated for full-go)
5) Chris Bosh
6) Nerlens Noel
7) Boris Diaw

C
1) Dwight Howard (falls to 2nd if Favors plays)
2) Karl-Anthony Towns
3) Brook Lopez
4) Andre Drummond
5) Marc Gasol
6) Nikola Vucevic
7) Hassan Whiteside
8) Ian Mahinmi
9) 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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