NBA Winners From Downtown: 2-5-16

Winners From Downtown is bringing the top daily picks for your cash games, alongside some value plays, and Vegas notes. Be sure to check out our minutes tool, and Colossus lineup optimizer.

Projections show DraftKings prices and fantasy points.

Vegas Notes

- Washington-Philly is the highest total on the night, but the Wizards are favored by 9.5. This is your most likely blowout game tonight, but I will still fire away anyway.

- Milwaukee-Utah is sitting at 189 right now, which on a medium size slate is passable in cash. Derrick Favors would be the only one to grab in that one.

- Brooklyn-Sacramento, L.A.-Orlando, Boston-Cleveland, Denver-Chicago, and Indiana-Atlanta are all excellent totals tonight, with competitive spreads.

Top Picks

Salary: FD: $6,200 DK: $6,200

Regardless of the injury news surrounding the Bulls today, Derek Rose is in play in all formats. Now I would love him even more if Jimmy Butler took another night off, but he has been coming around lately. He averaged 17-3-3 in January, and is averaging 15-4-4 in the last five games. Going up against Denver at these prices makes him one of the better points-per-dollar plays. The Nuggets have allowed the 6th most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards this season, and the 4th most in the last ten games. Averaging 14 attempts per game, Rose is still in the attacking nature. If you are paying up, John Wall is your safe top tier option.

Salary: FD: $7,800 DK: $7,200

Dwyane Wade is the safest shooting guard on the slate, but you are going to pay up for it. Wade's minutes still are the only downside to him, but he continues to produce otherwise. He is averaging 21-5-6 in the last six games, averaging 30 minutes a game. He is also averaging 3.0 blocks+steals per game, which helps his floor. Charlotte has allowed the 8th most fantasy points per game to opposing shooting guards. If you are going with the balanced approach tonight, Wade is an easy plug and play. Otherwise you are really going to pay down.

Salary: FD: $7,200 DK: $7,800

LeBron James is top option against the Celtics tonight, but if I am paying up for DeMarcus Cousins (which I am) James isn't going to fit in. The blowout factor the Spurs present on most night is why you don't see Kawhi Leonard here more often. Tonight is different, Dallas should be able to keep this a game at home tonight. Spurs-Mavs is always a fun back and forth game anyway. Leonard has averaged 20-6-3 against Dallas in two games this season, also tacking on two steals per game. Leonard is shooting 54% in the last five games, still providing an above average fantasy points per minute, but is lacking the minutes. Expect to see him above 30 tonight, which is a nice breath of fresh air.

Salary: FD: $11,000 DK: $11,300

After a mild injury scare, DeMarcus Cousins dropped 30-11-4 on the Bulls, getting right back to work. He posted a 38% usage rate in that game, which is just insane. He is averaging 29-10-4 in the last five games, also adding 3.8 blocks+steals per game. A matchup against Brooklyn is unfair for his opponents tonight, and also for those DFS players who do not use him. Brooklyn is allowing the 5th most fantasy points per game to opposing centers, and are an average rebounding team. Yes he is expensive, but is completely worth it each night. If you feel you can't fit him, Kevin Love and Derrick Favors are top options as well.

Salary: FD: $5,600 DK: $6,500

Myles Turner made a lot of people angry last time out, but have a short mind, because he is an excellent guy to pair with Boogie. On FanDuel he is PF where Boogie is C, and vice versa on DraftKings. Turner gets the Hawks tonight, who rank dead last in rebounding, and struggle against opposing bigs. In the last five games, Turner is averaging 30 minutes per game, 2.6 blocks per game, and a 13 and 7 line. The price is on the rise, but so are the minutes and production. If you need to go a bit cheaper on DraftKings, Nikola Jokic has started to see consistent minutes, to match his 1.14 FPPM.

Value Plays

Mike Conley (PG - MEM) FD: $6,700 DK: $6,200

I could easily pair up Mike Conley and Derrick Rose tonight and feel good about it at these prices. Conley is fairly cheap on both sites, and is averaging 10-3-8 in the last four games, sitting around 30 fantasy points per game. I love the matchup against the Knicks, who have allowed the 3rd most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards in the last ten games. The Jose Calderon return is not going to cause that to go down.

Marco Belinelli (SG - SAC) FD: $4,000 DK: $4,500

Even with Ben McLemore active last game, Marco Belinelli drew the start, and played 35 minutes. He shot 50% from the field, adding 18 points, and three steals. He has three 25+ fantasy point games in the last four, and it would make me feel better knowing he was drawing starts like this. Still keep an eye on news heading into lock time, but he should draw another start. Brooklyn has allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing shooting guards, so he would be stepping into a great matchup.

Taj Gibson (PF - CHI) FD: $5,300 DK: $5,800

There is some news about Pau Gasol being questionable tonight, which would make Gibson the primary big down low, but either way Gibson is a lock for value tonight. He is averaging 8-9-1, with 2.4 blocks+steals per game in the last five, while averaging 34 minutes per game. Denver has allowed the 3rd most fantasy points per game to opposing power forwards, and if Gasol sits, the 15th most to opposing centers.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (SF - CHA) FD: $5,800 DK: $5,200

I am a bigger fan of MKG where he is cheaper on DK, but his consistency so far since coming back has been very solid. He has dropped two double-doubles in a row, and although he is more known for his defense, has shot 55% since coming back. He is also a lock for bigger minutes, and although a matchup against the Heat is not ideal, they have slipped towards the middle of the league in fantasy points allowed to opposing SF in the last ten games.