We have eight matchups to choose from tonight, in a heavier than usual Tuesday slate. There’s plenty of high-priced talent tonight, with 11 players checking in at salaries over $9,000. As of this writing, the highest predicted point total of the night is the matchup between the Hornets and Clippers at 230.5. There are some potential blowouts in the making to be wary of, and some injuries to keep an eye one, which could open the door for some big salary savings. Tonight I’m going to breakdown three players at each position; one that’s worth the high price tag, one that will net you some serious savings, and one that you’re betting off fading tonight. Let’s dive in.
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Point Guard
Pay up for: Russell Westbrook ($11,800)
Westbrook has been finding his groove lately, notching triple-doubles in three of his last four games played. He’ll play the Timberwolves Tuesday, who gives up the third most assists to point guards and the twelfth most rebounds. He’s in a great spot for another triple-double performance, and it could be a big one.
We have eight matchups to choose from tonight, in a heavier than usual Tuesday slate. There’s plenty of high-priced talent tonight, with 11 players checking in at salaries over $9,000. As of this writing, the highest predicted point total of the night is the matchup between the Hornets and Clippers at 230.5. There are some potential blowouts in the making to be wary of, and some injuries to keep an eye one, which could open the door for some big salary savings. Tonight I’m going to breakdown three players at each position; one that’s worth the high price tag, one that will net you some serious savings, and one that you’re betting off fading tonight. Let’s dive in.
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Point Guard
Pay up for: Russell Westbrook ($11,800)
Westbrook has been finding his groove lately, notching triple-doubles in three of his last four games played. He’ll play the Timberwolves Tuesday, who gives up the third most assists to point guards and the twelfth most rebounds. He’s in a great spot for another triple-double performance, and it could be a big one.
Salary saver: Trey Burke ($4,000)
The Knicks might get run out of the building Tuesday night when they travel to Golden State on the second night of a back-to-back. It’s not a great spot for the Knicks as a team, but it could mean big value for Burke. With Frank Ntilikina likely to remain out with an ankle injury, Burke will be the first point guard off the bench Tuesday. He put up some monster numbers early in the season when he was seeing more minutes; if game-flow dictates more playing time for Burke he should easily hit 5X value, if not more.
Fade: Stephen Curry ($10,400)
As mentioned above, the Knicks are traveling to Golden State on the second night of a back-to-back. The Warriors are favored by nearly 18 points in this matchup, so there’s a good chance the Curry sits most of the second half of this game. With that kind of risk, your salary is best spent elsewhere.
Shooting Guards
Pay up for Victor Oladipo ($9,200)
There are several players with the GTD tag for Indiana tonight when they take on the reeling Cavs. Darren Collison, Cory Joseph, and Myles Turner are all very questionable to play. Each one that sits should open up more opportunities for Olidipo to handle the ball and see his team-leading usage rate increase. Cleveland has no answer to defend him, putting him in a great spot for a big game tonight.
Salary saver: Danny Green ($4,300)
The Raptors are another huge home favorite tonight when they take on the Hawks. Danny Green has been hit-or-miss this season but should see ample opportunity tonight. The sharp-shooter could see increased minutes if the game goes as expected with Toronto getting out to a big lead.
Fade: Buddy Hield ($7,400)
One of the few consistencies this season with Hield has been his struggles in back-to-back games. He’s averaging just 17.8 points per game on zero days rest, compared to his overall season average of 20.3. In five of his last six back-to-back performed worse in game two. This may not be the case tonight, as he only put up 18.1 FD points last night, but I wouldn’t expect him to be worth the $7,400 price tag, even against the hapless Suns.
Small Forward
Pay up for: Paul George ($10,000)
George has been red-hot lately. Sunday’s game against Washington was the first time since November 30 that he’s finished with under 40 FD points. Meanwhile, he’s hit at least 49 FD points ten times over the same period. Until I have reason to believe otherwise, I’m treating Sunday’s dip in production as nothing more than a blip on the radar.
Salary saver: Otto Porter Jr. ($4,900)
After missing ten games with a knee injury, Porter has slowly been returning to form for the Wizards. He’s seen his minutes and production increase in each of his three games since returning and looks to be back to full form. The Wizards don’t have a lot of scoring options outside of Bradley Beal, so expect Porter to help carry the load as much as possible as long as he’s healthy. There’s also a good chance the Beal draws Jimmy Butler defensively tonight, opening up more chances for Porter.
Fade: Kawhi Leonard ($10,200)
As mentioned earlier, the Raptors are big home favorites tonight, 14.5 points at the time of this writing. Even though Toronto rested Leonard yesterday, they may not be inclined to give him a full workload tonight, especially if they get out to a big lead early on Atlanta. I’m spending my big money elsewhere tonight.
Power Forward
Pay up for: Domantas Sabonis ($7,100)
There aren’t many high-priced power forwards on the slate tonight, Sabonis checks in as the fifth highest at $7,100. His matchup with the Cavaliers is already a good one. He’s practically assured of another double-double, and if Myles Turner sits out again with a shoulder injury it could be a huge one.
Salary saver: Josh Jackson ($4,100)
Devin Booker is another name to keep an eye on tonight, and whether or not he plays will be key to Jackson’s value. It still seems odd to me that FanDuel lists Jackson as a power forward, but he’s likely to get the start in Booker sits again with back spasms. He’s put up over 30 FD points in two of his last three games and will have an excellent chance to do so again against the Kings Tuesday night if Booker is held out.
Fade: Paul Millsap ($6,500)
Milsap finally rejoined the starting lineup for the Nuggets Monday after being eased back into work. It was an underwhelming performance, as he only put up 15.6 FD points in 21 minutes of play. Seeing as the Nuggets take on the Heat in the second half of a back-to-back, I wouldn’t expect him to perform much better tonight, and definitely don’t think he’ll be worth the $6,500 price.
Center
Pay up for: Joel Embiid ($11,500)
The 76ers will take on the Wizards Tuesday, who have absolutely nobody that will be able to slow down Embid. Over the last seven games, Washington has given up the third most FD points to centers at just over 61. This is another game that has the potential to be a lopsided victory, but if the Wizards can stay close enough to keep Embid in the game he should be in line for a huge night.
Salary saver: Marcin Gortat ($3,600)
Don’t look now, but the 13-year veteran from Poland has strung together three solid games in which he’s averaged 10.7 points and 10 rebounds per game. He and the Clippers will be taking on the Hornets in what is expected to be the highest scoring game of the night. Charlotte is still without their usual starting center Cody Zeller, so Gortat should be set up for success.
Fade: Karl-Anthony Towns ($11,000)
Anthony-Towns has been also been red-hot lately, but I would rather pay the extra $500 for Embid tonight. Minnesota takes on Oklahoma City tonight, who along with Steven Adams have allowed the second-fewest FD points to centers this season. On top of this, there is the unknown variable of interim head coach Ryan Saunders, who may not take the same approach as Tom Thibodeau. With so many variables I would prefer to spend elsewhere tonight.
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Aaron Larson is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Aaron, check out his archive and follow him @aalarson.
