Let’s get to it.
San Antonio Spurs (-12.5) at Memphis Grizzlies
Implied Totals: 97.8 – 85.3, O/U: 183
Assuming Zach Randolph starts at center again, Tim Duncan is essentially out of the picture given San Antonio’s preferred smaller unit. Rather, tournament exposure should be focused toward Randolph and LaMarcus Aldridge. Still, no one in this series is more than a contrarian option, given the brutal pace and total. Even Kawhi Leonard, who produced 64.75 DraftKings points on 42.3 minutes Friday, can’t fully be trusted in cash games due to the 12.5-point spread. Matt Barnes is seemingly a better option, if only because of his 98 percent Bargain Rating at DraftKings (and uptick in minutes if he once again starts as a power forward).
Golden State Warriors (-8.5) at Houston Rockets
Implied Totals: 113 – 104.5, O/U: 217.5
With Stephen Curry set to return, he’s actually quite viable as a cash option despite coming off an injury. His 11 Pro Trends and Opponent Plus/Minus of +4.33 give him a projected floor that’s 9.0 points higher than the closest player at his position. But, while Curry is the strongest cash option for Golden State at DraftKings (where he has an 86 percent Bargain Rating), Draymond Green is the better option at FanDuel, where his Bargain Rating, Opponent Plus/Minus, and Pro Trends all lead his position.
James Harden is a terrific option if you can make room for his salary, but he’s nota necessity in cash games due to the bevy of players receiving guaranteed time in Houston’s rotation. Dwight Howard, on the other hand, is still underpriced at DraftKings and likely overlooked (as most people will likely attempt to pay up for Al Horford). Howard’s Projected Plus/Minus trails only those of Jonas Jerebko and LeBron James in this slate. I also wouldn’t ride Donatas Motiejunas too hard despite his 31.1 minutes on Saturday. With Curry likely back, there might not be many opportunities for Motiejunas to play at center all that often.
Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics (-2)
Implied Totals: 100.8 – 102.8, O/U: 203.5
Isaiah Thomas has now produced at least 43.6 DraftKings points in two out of three games versus Atlanta. But, with an abundance of pricier options throughout this slate, he remains a better tournament option than cash play. Value, after all, will be hard enough to find. Evan Turner remains absurdly underpriced at FanDuel, where he has a Bargain Rating of 97 percent. Jonas Jerebko’s has experienced a +$1,000 Salary Change since his last outing at DraftKings, but he’s still a terrific option in tournaments.
As for Atlanta, it’s another night in which Al Horford is their strongest cash option. Paul Millsap has yet to meet expectations in this series, but he’s a tournament option if only for his minutes. With a 97 percent Bargain Rating at DraftKings, Dennis Schroder should have (limited) exposure in case he randomly logs 22+ minutes.
Cleveland Cavaliers (-6.5) at Detroit Pistons
Implied Totals: 102.5 – 96, O/U: 198.5
Tristan Thompson logged greater than 30 minutes for the second time in this series on Sunday. There’s no guarantee that he sees a similar amount of playing time at center, but he at DraftKings he need score more than only 17.57 points to surpass his salary-adjusted expectations. He’s a viable tournament option if only for the Upside. All those surrounding him — LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving — are once again cash options, as the Cavaliers rotation is basically written in stone. Love and Irving specifically are values at FanDuel, given their lower salary-adjusted expectations of 30.57 and 29.7 points.
Even though this slate doesn’t lack for off-ball guards, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is locked into both his minutes and floor. Evan Turner (at the same price) clearly has more Upside, but Caldwell-Pope has averaged 30.91 DraftKings points against Cleveland so far. But he’s still the lesser cash option in Detroit’s starting backcourt. Reggie Jackson, who has a 75 percent Bargain Rating at FanDuel, is still the top option among point guards. His Dud Percentage of nine percent is the lowest of anyone priced over $7,000 at his position.
Good luck!
