NBA GPP Green Light 1-23-18

We have another typical Tuesday in the Association, meaning we only have five games on tap.The Cavaliers at Spurs game would normally be intriguing but with Kawhi, Pau, and Manu out, and the Cavaliers in a tailspin, it is a little less interesting. The Lakers will be without Lonzo as they take on the Celtics and we of course have to deal with the Kings resting some veterans. All of the games on tonight's slate have projected totals over 205 points, with the Knicks and Warriors game topping the list at 227 points. There is some blowout risk with the Warriors and Thunder games, so be sure to keep that in mind. Also, as I mentioned yesterday, the February 8th trade deadline is approaching fast and there are many players on tonight's slate that are rumored to be on the trading block. The best advice I can give for those playing the next couple of weeks is to turn on tweet notifications for @Wojespn, @ShamsCharania, @WindhorstESPN, and @TheSteinLine to make sure you get all the latest trade rumors pushed directly to you the moment they happen.

DK Salary: $7,200 / FD Salary: $7,500

My love for Steven Adams will never die and on a night where everyone's prices seem just a touch too high, he makes for one of the best GPP center options on the slate. The "Kiwi Phenom" is coming off an outstanding 25-point, 10 rebound double-double against the Cavaliers and has now posted over 40 fantasy points in two of his last four outings. Adams has recorded four straight double-doubles and is averaging 18.3 points and 11 rebounds during the stretch. Adams is leading the NBA in offensive rebounds with five per game, 11th in rebound chances with 17.8 per game, he is sixth points in the paint at 12 per game, and second in the NBA in second-chance points at 4.8 per game. Adams is averaging 3.9 points per game as a roll man in the pick-and-roll this season and is operating as the roll man on 27 percent of his possessions this season. He has become one of the top big men in the NBA, yet doesn't get mentioned in that conversation quite enough. He gets an excellent matchup against a Brooklyn Nets team that has struggled against centers all season long. They rank 30th in the NBA in fantasy points allowed, surrendering 53 per game, they are giving up 46 rebounds, 12.8 second-chance points, and 45.3 points in the paint per game to opponents. They are the second-worst defense in the NBA defending the roll man in the pick-and-roll, giving up almost 11 points per game on the play, and struggle against post-up big men, as well. I am counting on Adam's recent level of excellent play to continue tonight against a very inferior opponent. I didn't want to dedicate an entire section to Carmelo Anthony but he is another member of the Oklahoma City Thunder that I find myself extremely interested in tonight.

DK Salary: $6,300 / FD Salary: $6,800

Fresh off a near triple-double against the Pistons, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson finds himself in an intriguing spot facing the Oklahoma City Thunder. He managed to post an impressive 21 point, eight rebound, seven assist stat line in just 31 minutes against the Pistons on Sunday, and his offensive game has been on an entirely new level of late. He has notched at least four assists in four of his last ten games and has pulled down six or more rebounds in seven of the last ten. That includes an impressive 17 rebounds against the Raptors a few games ago. He has proven that he can produce in the toughest of matchups, as evidenced by that Raptors game, and he has sustained solid production with D'Angelo Russell returning to the court. Over the last ten days, Hollis-Jefferson is shooting 48.5 percent from the floor, while averaging 14.5 points per game. While I don't generally like picking on the Oklahoma City Thunder, as they play solid all-around defense, they have shown some holes in their defense of late. While they are only allowing only 100.8 points per game, and have one of the top offensive rebounders in the NBA, their overall power forward defense has been weak. That is entirely to be expected when you are using Carmelo Anthony as your power forward, though. Over the last ten games, the Thunder have ranked 19th in defensive efficiency to power forwards, surrendering 22 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 50.3 percent shooting. They are giving up over 45 fantasy points per game to the position over that span, as well. They rank in the 30th percentile in post-up defense, allowing players to shoot 48.3 percent out of post-ups. Rondae is posting up on 16.2 percent of his possessions this season and is averaging 1.09 points per play. Rondae performed admirably against the Thunder the last time these teams squared off, with 30.5 fantasy points, and I expect him to be solid again tonight.

DK Salary: $4,700 / FD Salary: $5,700

The situation with the Kings resting veterans on a nightly basis, but not disclosing who that will be ahead of time, makes predicting which of the Kings players are in play each night. Buddy Hield is always intriguing, especially in good matchups, as his role in the offense doesn't completely rely on which member of the team is sitting each night. That being said, he does generally benefit more from coming off the bench, so hopefully, he doesn't move into the starting lineup tonight. Hield is coming off a solid outing against the Hornets, scoring 18 points with five rebounds, and it was his third game over 28 fantasy points over his last four games. Hield hasn't shot the lights out of late, connecting on just 43.4 percent of his attempts over the last five games, but his increased peripherals have made up for it. I think Hield's matchup tonight makes up for his shooting woes of late, as they are allowing opponents to connect on 47.3 percent of attempts and 38 percent from three-point range. They have struggled all year to defend shooting guards, giving up 43.5 fantasy points per game to the position, and they have struggled against spot-up shooters as they have allowed 1.08 points per play to spot-up shooters. Hield ranks around the 80th percentile in the NBA on spot-up attempts, averaging 1.12 points per play, so it makes sense that he can torch the Magic tonight.

DK Salary: $3,900 / FD Salary: $3,700

Kyle O'Quinn has been ruled out. Consider Davis Bertans as the priority option in this price range. This will open up minutes for Michael Beasley, as well, and possibly Willy Hernangomez.

I will keep this pretty short, as Kyle O'Quinn is a total dart throw on tonight's slate. While the idea of using Kyle O'Quinn on any given slate is rather unsettling, there are some reasons I believe he could be in play. Obviously, his price is rather interesting, sitting below $4,000 across the industry, but he is also an extremely productive member of the team off the bench, averaging 6.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He, of course, plays limited minutes and is averaging only 16.6 per game, but he is producing at a rate of 1.14 fantasy points per minute. Because the Warriors tend to play small, there is a decent chance that Enes Kanter sees reduced minutes tonight, meaning more run in a good matchup for O'Quinn. The Warriors have bled points to opposing frontcourts all season, giving up 50.5 fantasy points per game to power forwards and 52.15 to centers, and they are giving up 47 points in the paint per game. I will admit that this is a pretty thin pick but if there is a chance that O'Quinn sees at least a few extra minutes against the Warriors tonight, I am all in at this price. If you are uncomfortable using KoQ tonight, Davis Bertans is a solid value pivot, albeit one that could a little bit chalky.