PG Kyrie Irving – 8,500 FD & 8,200 DK
Kyrie Irving comes into today’s game labeled as questionable because of an elbow to the face in his last game against the Hornets on November 10th. Irving is expected to play tonight and happens to have a great matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. Kyrie is projected to matchup against Spencer Dinwiddie as D’Angelo Russell is already confirmed out with a knee injury. This injury will be the source for today’s value plays. Dinwiddie also becomes a viable play on such a small slate. Having exposure to various guards for Brooklyn is beneficial tonight – at least one of them should go off without D’Angelo Russell’s high usage in tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics. Remember Jaylen Brown is a shutdown defender, he is currently set to guard Crabbe but continue to monitor. The Boston Celtics are favored by 7 points with a 210 over-under.
Other Cash PG Option(s): Kyle Lowry & Spencer Dinwiddie (GPP)
SG DeMar DeRozan – 8,100 FD & 8,000 DK
On such a small slate you might ask yourself, “Can I afford to fade James Harden?” The Toronto Raptors are the 10th best team in the league at guarding the shoot guard position allowing 44.4 FP/game. Now that doesn’t necessarily answer our question, can we fade Harden? Both Toronto and Houston have been guarding opposing shooting guards well but taking salary into account and the fact that this is a cash write-up, I think playing DeRozan and fading Harden is viable. Controversial but viable. On such a small slate it’s going to be difficult to construct a safe cash game lineup while paying up for Harden, so I have no problem firing up DeMar DeRozan for a $3,000 salary savings. Obviously, DeRozan does not carry the upside Harden does but his 3,000 in salary savings allows for significant flexibility for your lineup construction which is huge for cash games tonight. The Toronto Raptors are underdogs at +6 with a 220 over-under.
**If you can find the value and go up to Harden I have no problem doing so, it’s just a question of whether your value play is a safe enough to be considered cash game worthy.
Other Cash SG Option(s): James Harden & Caris LeVert (GPP)
SF DeMarre Carroll– 6,200 FD & 6,700 DK
With D’Angelo Russell confirmed out, DeMarre Carroll should see a huge uptick in usage, shot attempts and minutes played. The Brooklyn Nets must compete tonight and the only way I see them doing so is by relying heavily on DeMarre Carroll, Rondae Hollis Jefferson and Spencer Dinwiddie to run this offense and supply most of their points tonight against a talented Celtics team. Jaylen Brown is a shutdown defender, make sure to stay away from his projected matchup (Allen Crabbe as of now). At reasonable prices of $6,200 on Fan Duel and $6,700 on Draft Kings, DeMarre Carroll is a must play due to his safety and salary on a small three game slate. The Brooklyn Nets are underdogs at + 7 points with a 210 over-under.
Other Cash SF Option(s): Jaylen Brown & C.J Miles (Value GPP)
PF LaMarcus Aldridge – 8,700 FD & 8,500 DK
LaMarcus Aldridge is the easiest lock in my opinion for cash game plays. The San Antonio Spurs don’t have many other offensive options without Kawai Leonard, this is obvious. Even with everyone knowing this, Aldridge has managed to maintain a solid floor while still carrying his usual ceiling. The Spurs are favored by 6 points with a 200 over-under. This is the game that I recommend having the least amount of exposure to, but LaMarcus Aldridge becomes a viable play in the lowest over-under of the night simply due to his high usage in a matchup he should be able to take advantage of.
Other Cash PF Option(s): Rondae Hollis Jefferson, Jayson Tatum & Ryan Anderson (GPP)
C Al Horford – 7,800 FD & 7,600 DK
Al Horford is a great play as he sets to return against the Brooklyn Nets, a team that /simply cannot guard the center position. The Nets are allowing an average of 49.3 FP/game to opposing centers which leads the league. Timofey Mozgov has not been much of a matchup for anybody this season, let alone Al Horford, a talented, three-point shooting center that should have an extremely favorable matchup tonight against the Nets poorly defended paint. If Al Horford ends up getting scratched or is on a minute’s limit, Aron Baynes becomes a viable value play at such low industry salaries.
Other Cash Center Option(s): Clint Capella
