PG – Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics @ Chicago Bulls
Irving was unusually off in the Celtics’ loss to the Rockets as he had just 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting. However, the All-Star point guard couldn’t have asked for a better matchup to help him bounce back as he takes on the Bulls. Irving had a highly efficient night the last time he faced Chicago. He put up 25 points, seven assists, and two steals in just 28 minutes of work. Look for him to do something similar tonight.
Also consider: Goran Dragic, Miami Heat vs Phoenix Suns
Dragic was admittedly a bit of a dud against Detroit as he had just 13 points and five assists in 31 minutes. But like Kyrie, Dragic has been gift-wrapped a terrific matchup to get him back on track in the form of an awful Suns team that’ll be working on the second night of a back-to-back. The last time Dragic faced his former team, he burned them for 29 points, nine boards, and four assists in 38 minutes.
SG – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers
Caldwell-Pope continued his unbelievable play of late as he dropped 18 points, 13 rebounds, and three steals in a huge win over the San Antonio Spurs. It’s the third time KCP has dropped 44 or more fantasy points in FanDuel in his last six games. He was aided by the fact that he played 43 minutes against the Spurs due to the injuries to Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart. He may just get the chance to have another 40-minute night with Ingram’s status still in doubt.
Also consider: Ben McLemore, Memphis Grizzlies @ San Antonio Spurs
The Grizzlies are just decimated with injuries at the moment, particularly along their backcourt. Andrew Harrison, Tyreke Evans, and Mario Chalmers are all out injured. Ben McLemore had to play a team-high 38 minutes against the Orlando Magic on Saturday and he delivered with a strong line of 20 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. The Spurs defense will obviously be a tougher matchup, but with all the playing time and usage he stands to have against the Spurs, McLemore could still prove to be terrific value given how cheap his price remains.
SF – LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers vs Detroit Pistons
James’ triple-double against the Denver Nuggets went to waste as the Cavs lost pretty badly at home. But the King won’t let a golden opportunity to snap the team’s two-game losing skid pass by as he takes on a free-falling Pistons team tonight. LeBron has been a guaranteed 50-plus fantasy points for a solid month now, and anything short of a dominant King James performance against this demoralized Detroit squad would be a massive surprise.
Also consider: Justise Winslow, Miami Heat vs Phoenix Suns
Winslow was moved back to the bench by head coach Erik Spoelstra against the Pistons, but that didn’t do much to change his impressive play of late. He had 13 points, four rebounds, two steals, and a block in 27 minutes of action, and has now reached 7x value in three of his last four games. Winslow’s energy could see him have another impressive night against a Suns team working on the second night of a back-to-back. Winslow had an impressive 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists in his first meeting against Phoenix this season.
PF – JaMychal Green, Memphis Grizzlies @ San Antonio Spurs
Green is making the absolute most of his opportunity to play and impress as Memphis’ season continues to go into the tank. Despite a rough shooting night, he was still able to string together a monster performance against the Magic and finished with ten points, 13 boards, seven assists, three steals and two blocks. Over his last seven games, Green is averaging 12.4 points and 10.6 rebounds, and has exceeded 30 fantasy points in FanDuel on five occasions. Green should be worth the gamble against a Spurs team that has struggled significantly for the past few weeks.
Also consider: Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz vs Orlando Magic
Favors has had a strong start to the month, putting up 15 points and 7.5 rebounds in his first two games against the Timberwolves and Kings. Favors doesn’t have a ton of upside, but his ceiling should creep up that little bit higher as he takes on the Magic. He went off for a season-high 25 points with 11 rebounds and two blocks in his first meeting against the Magic earlier this season.
C – Pau Gasol, San Antonio Spurs vs Memphis Grizzlies
A lot of people will likely be jumping all over Hassan Whiteside and Andre Drummond tonight, but don’t sleep on the significantly cheaper Pau Gasol. The veteran big man turned back the clock with a vintage line of 19 points, ten rebounds, eight assists, and three blocks against the Lakers in a losing effort. Gasol had a similar line the last time he faced the Grizzlies (14 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists) and could come up with another strong performance LaMarcus Aldridge misses out for one more game. But if Aldridge does return, Whiteside figures to be a worthwhile pickup.
Also consider: Alex Len, Phoenix Suns @ Miami Heat
Tyson Chandler’s return limited Len to just two minutes last night, but since it’s the second night of a back-to-back, Len will likely play big minutes against the Heat. Len is coming off a seven-point, eight-rebound, six-block showing against the Thunder. His services will be needed to bang against Whiteside and all that playing time could result in another highly productive outing.
What are your thoughts about tonight’s fantasy slate? Share them in the comments below!