There are five games on the board for Tuesday night. Let’s look at the FanDuel prices and see which players stand out most at each position.
Point Guard
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, $8,800
Although I like Kyle Lowry for his upside at this position tonight, I think Damian Lillard is the safest choice at point guard. He’s playing at home and has an extremely high usage rate as the focal point of this offense. You typically see the length of the Milwaukee defense give some point guards problems, but Lillard is not one of them. He relies so much on his outside shot that he’s relatively matchup proof.
Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves, $6,700
It is a short slate tonight and at this price tag I think Ricky Rubio makes for a fantastic second option at point guard. Clearly this is just based on matchup. Rubio typically doesn’t shoot enough to draw my interest on a site like FanDuel, but tonight I think all the peripheral stats can converge together and push Rubio up towards triple-double status.
Shooting Guard
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat, $7,900
James Harden is clearly the top player on this late but he also comes at a big price tag. If you can fit him, you do so. If you choose to go another route and roster different shooting guards, I think Dwayne Wade is the first guy you should look outside of Harden. He’s been hot lately, having dropped an average of 42 FanDuel points per game over his last five games, and this matchup against another premier shooting guard should only bring out the best in Wade.
Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves, $6,300
What makes shooting guard slightly tricky tonight is that Andrew Wiggins is now eligible at this position on FanDuel. At this price tag he is a fantastic option. He averages slightly over 35 minutes per game this year and this game has a chance to be competitive all the way to the end, seeing as how the Lakers are playing at home. If Wiggins gets that full assortment of 35 minutes or more tonight, it’s going to be hard to see him not posting a solid line against a week defense in a game in which Minnesota currently has a 103 point team total according to Vegas.
Small Forward
Trevor Ariza, Houston Rockets, $6,000
It’s a thin night and filling out that second spot on each one of these positions is going to be difficult. At some point you’re going to need to save money. I think Trevor Ariza and his $6,000 price tag serve a great benefit on this site tonight. He’s averaged 33.5 fantasy points per game over his last five games and that includes a couple of 40+ point outings. It’s not a good matchup, and he is an inconsistent player, but if his salary opens up a chance to roster two or three studs at other positions, I think it’s worth it.
P.J. Tucker, Phoenix Suns, $4,800
So, as you can tell by these picks, small forward is where I’m saving money. Tucker is still only $4,800 in salary but has averaged almost 25 points per game over his last five games. He is inconsistent and lacks upside, but on short nights like this you’ve got to find a way to open up salary. What he brings to the table is a ton of minutes, including a 42 minute performance last game out. Phoenix is decimated with injuries and Tucker is getting a lot of playing time. Most nights he’s able to pound out around 25 fantasy points, and at this salary, on the short slate, you would live with that all day long.
Power Forward
Chris Bosh, Miami Heat, $7,600
I would absolutely not disagree with wanting to punch the power forward position if that’s what you chose to do. For the sake of this write-up, I’ll say that you can punt small forward and roster Chris bosh. The price tag is moderate at $7,600 and he is a consistent performer. The most intriguing thing about Bosh tonight is the matchup. Houston has typically been pretty terrible against power forwards this year and Bosh gets an opportunity to exploit that tonight.
Julius Randle, Los Angeles Lakers, $6,100
Since being inserted into the starting lineup almost two weeks ago, Julius Randle has responded by averaging nearly 26 FanDuel points per game. His lowest performance was 23 points and his highest performance was 37 points. Otherwise he has lived right in that mid-20 range. He’s actually been a model of consistency over that time. The price tag has risen slightly, but it’s still very cheap at $6,100. The fact that you must roster two power forwards makes me feel as if Julius is almost a must play tonight because of his salary and consistency.
Center
Karl Anthony-Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves, $8,600
James Harden might have the highest upside of anybody on this late tonight, but KAT is giving him a run for his money for a much cheaper price. He is averaging nearly 47 FanDuel points per game over the last four games, and he recently dropped a 63 point performance ten days ago. His last four games have ranged between 46.1 to 47.2 points per game. He has upside, he has consistency and he has a good matchup. KAT makes for a fantastic, elite option at his position tonight.