NBA GPP Green Light 2-7-18

After a devastating night in the NBA, where we saw Kristaps Porzingis suffer a season-ending ACL injury, it is time to reset and focus on tonight's six-game slate. All of the games have projected totals over 200, with the Wolves/Cavs and Pacers/Pelicans games both projecting over 220 points. The status of Victor Oladipo will change how we attack the slate tonight, as his absence would open up plenty of value, but with Wade being out, and Devin Booker probably sitting, as well, there are some decent value options to build around early on. We are now just one day away from the February 8th trade deadline, and as we saw last night with Belinelli, players will continue to be sat out as teams make trade negotiations. Make sure you are paying very close attention to news, rumors, and chatter around the league by turning on tweet notifications for @Wojespn, @ShamsCharania, @WindhorstESPN, and @TheSteinLine to make sure you get all that information pushed directly to you the moment they happen.

DK Salary: $11,600 / FD Salary: $11,900

Well Davis let me down last game when I locked him in against Utah, and I really hate to use another high priced player in this article, with Drummond and Whiteside also in here, but on a short slate that looks rather weak on paper, you pretty much have to lock in the player with the highest-upside on the slate. As I referenced on Monday, Davis has shouldered the majority of the offensive load with Cousins out for the season and the big man has notched at least 30 field goal attempts in two of the last four games, and 16 field goal attempts in the other two outings. He has pulled down double-digit rebounds in three of the last four games and has 60 or more fantasy points in two of those four games. He is posting a massive 35.1 percent usage rate in 340 minutes with Cousins off the floor and is averaging 1.53 fantasy points per minute in those minutes. You probably don't need me, however, to tell you that Davis is a monster with Cousins off the floor. He has notched multiple blocks or steals in ten-straight games, which certainly helps boost his floor and ceiling. Facing a Pacers team that is giving up a combined 12 blocks and steals to opponents this season, in addition to 42.9 rebounds, 13 second-chance points, and 46 points in the paint, there is a lot to love about Davis here. The Pacers are giving up the third-most fantasy points per game to centers this season, allowing 54.95. I could go on and on about specific play types that he excels in, and can exploit the Pacers with tonight, but I think you guys get the point. If you are playing on FanDuel, and would rather use one of the centers below, then feel free to pivot to Blake Griffin at the PF position, as his price will likely suppress ownership tonight.

DK Salary: $9,800 / FD Salary: $11,000

I am going to take a slightly different approach to my GPP breakdown today, mostly because the pricing across both sites is drastically different, at least in the case of Andre Drummond, and he is a great play on DraftKings, but not so much on FanDuel. Because of the price differences, I am going to include a second center option in my next section, one that I prefer in tournaments on FanDuel in place of Drummond, and one that can be used together with Drummond on DraftKings. When the Pistons made their acquisition of Blake Griffin, I had some concerns about how his reduction on the offensive side of the ball but that hasn't been the case. In the first three games since the trade, Andre Drummond has posted a usage rate of 26.8 percent, the second-highest mark on the team. He has been outstanding in those games, averaging 18 points, 17.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks and steals over that span. He has posted two games with at least 15 field goal attempts and 12 attempts in the third. He notched 53.25, 64, and 45.25 fantasy points in those games, with the 45.25 performance in just 28 minutes against Memphis. Drummond and the Pistons are facing off against a terrible Brooklyn Nets squad that is allowing a league-high 53 fantasy points per game to centers, 45.8 rebounds, 12.9 second-chance points, and 44.8 points in the paint. He has played them twice this season, posting a huge 62 fantasy point performance in 30.6 minutes in the first game and 31.3 fantasy points in 26.4 minutes in the second outing. Let's just hope we get a repeat of the 62 fantasy point outing tonight.

DK Salary: $7,700 / FD Salary: $7,800

The last time the Heat and Rockets faced off, I had concerns that Whiteside would get run because he had been benched in several games before and the Rockets play small at times, well that didn't exactly happen, as Whiteside played 30.2 minutes and put up 45.3 fantasy points. He pulled down 22 points with 13 rebounds and managed a solid outing despite seven turnovers. Tonight, obviously, Whiteside could end up playing fewer minutes if head coach Spoelstra chooses to sit Whiteside, but with Olynyk possibly sitting, and Spoelstra planning to play Adebayo and Whiteside alongside each other, the odds of that happening are much lower. This is a tough matchup, facing a Rockets team that is allowing only 41.1 rebounds per game and ranking 10th in defensive efficiency against centers over the last ten games, but they rank 21st in fantasy points allowed to centers on the season, giving up 48.3 fantasy points, and there are several things working in Whiteside's favor tonight. First off, as I mentioned above, there is a chance that Kelly Olynyk is unable to play tonight, and if that happens, Whiteside's usage will see a decent spike. So far, this season, Whiteside has posted a 27.3 percent usage rate with Olynyk (and the other injured Heat players) off the floor, which is a 2.3 percent increase, and he is averaging a whopping 1.41 fantasy points per minute. As I also mentioned, there is a chance that we see Whiteside and Adebayo playing together, especially if Olynyk is out, and in 36 minutes together on the court, Whiteside is averaging 1.59 fantasy points per minute with a 24.9 percent usage rate. Regardless of what lineups get rolled out tonight, there is a great chance that Whiteside will carry a hefty usage rate and should have no issues putting up another big game.

DK Salary: $4,000 / FD Salary: $4,300

Since I tossed out several high-dollar options today, allow me to give you a couple value options to consider. While I feel that Danny Green is an excellent option to consider tonight, I am leaning towards going with Manu because of his price. Giniboli has been outstanding of late for the Spurs, posting double-digit points in three of his last four games, and over 20 fantasy points in six of the last 10 games, and the veteran sharpshooter has posted double-digit field goal attempts in two of his last four games. He has connected on 42.9 percent of his attempts from the floor in those four games, and 46.2 percent from three, as well. Manu completely destroyed the Suns the last time these teams faced off, posting 33.8 fantasy points in 19.2 minutes. The Suns, as we all know, are a terrible defense and their shooting guard defense is especially bad. Phoenix ranks 30th in fantasy points allowed to the position, surrendering 43.5 per game, and over the last ten games, opposing shooting guards are connecting on a whopping 40.4 percent of their three-point attempts and 50.5 percent of the overall attempts. The Suns have given up 28.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and three combined blocks and steals over that span. Manu won't play a bunch of minutes, but at his current price, he only needs to get us around 24-25 fantasy points to be a solid value option, something he can easily do against this terrible Suns defense.

DK Salary: $3,500 / FD Salary: $3,500

We have officially reached the portion of the article where I go off the deep end and recommend my off-the-wall GPP option, but I promise, there is a somewhat good reason why I am considering Rose in this spot. Obviously, we know the Cavaliers are a train wreck right now, and they face a Timberwolves team that completely embarrassed them in a blowout the last time they squared off. So, there is a chance we could get some blowout run for Rose, but that isn't why I am most interested in him. Dwyane Wade is expected to sit tonight's game out, and with Wade and Love both out, the onus will fall on Rose to initiate the majority of the offense for the second unit. With the duo of Wade and Love off the floor this season, Rose has posted a usage rate of 31.6 percent and is averaging 1.16 fantasy points per minute. It is a small sample size, only 58.1 minutes, but those are some staggering numbers for someone at his price. He gets a matchup against a Timberwolves team that has struggled all season long against point guards, ranking 22nd in fantasy points allowed to the position, but of late, they have been especially bad. Over the last ten games, Minnesota has given up 26.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 11.2 assists to the position, ranking them 29th in defensive efficiency. In the two previous games that Wade missed in late January, Rose played 15 minutes and nine minutes and managed 22 fantasy points against the Pistons in the game that he played 15 minutes. Obviously, he is pretty risky, as he may not see the minutes, but assuming he sees the floor tonight, he should be able to smash value given the usage and per minute production without Wade and Love. This will also open up usage for Jeff Green, who is similarly priced across the industry, so feel free to pivot to Green if you can't stomach Rose. If we get news that Oladipo is out, then Joe Young is far and away a better option than Rose.