Tastefully curated today by LineStar Fantasy Expert @GLandry on NBA chat.

***Important: LineStar iOS Apps have been updated with New StackFinder tool + Advanced Chat - Make sure to update today***

Monday was a pretty awful slate. Yesterday was a much better slate with some more value options and more competitive games (or so we thought they actually turned out to not be all that competitive). Today, we are landing somewhere in the middle. The first games in each of these series were somewhat competitive with one team ultimately pulling away to a definitive win in the end. Surprisingly, the game with the largest spread turned out to have the closest outcome. Before we get started on individual players let's once again take a quick look at how the minutes were distributed to the players during the first game of the series. This is only a one-game sample size so I wouldn't put a ton of weight into it just yet but it does give us at least some insight into how the playoff rotations might look:

Indiana at Cleveland

Indiana:

• Bojan Bogdanovic: 39

• Victor Oladipo: 37

• Myles Turner: 34

• Thaddeus Young, Darren Collison: 31

• Cory Joseph: 21

• Domantas Sabonis: 19

• Lance Stephenson: 17

• Trevor Booker: 12

Cleveland:

• LeBron James: 44

• Kevin Love: 34

• Larry Nance Jr: 30

• J.R. Smith: 29

• Jeff Green: 27

• Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson: 21

• George Hill: 19

Utah at Oklahoma City

Utah:

• Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell: 35

• Joe Ingles: 32

• Ricky Rubio: 31

• Derrick Favors: 30

• Jae Crowder: 28

• Royce O'Neale: 20

• Dante Exum: 18

Oklahoma City:

• Paul George: 38

• Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Adams: 37

• Corey Brewer: 34

• Alex Abrines: 21

• Jerami Grant: 14

• Raymond Felton: 12

Minnesota at Houston

Minnesota:

• Karl Anthony-Towns: 40

• Jimmy Butler: 36

• Andrew Wiggins, Taj Gibson: 32

• Jeff Teague: 29

• Jamal Crawford: 26

• Derrick Rose: 24

Houston:

• James Harden: 41

• Clint Capela, Chris Paul: 34

• Trevor Ariza: 33

• P.J. Tucker: 31

• Eric Gordon: 30

• Gerald Green: 20

What can we take away from these numbers? Larry Nance played more than starter Jeff Green which I think will lead to a larger change for tonight's game (we'll talk about that in a few minutes). Derrick Rose saw a huge uptick in minutes but this was likely due to Jeff Teague getting into foul trouble. For the most part, these rotations were not as tight as some of the other playoff teams as multiple bench players received over 20 minutes (except for Oklahoma City). This could open up some value for us in large field GPPs. Now that we've seen the potential minutes let's start getting into the individual player recommendations. As we've done all week with these small playoff slates we are only going to focus on less obvious, reserve and/or value players. All of these are players who carry significant risk but a case can be made for them that would help you differentiate your rosters. I don't want to waste your time writing articles recommending players like James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and LeBron James. You don't need me to tell you those guys are strong plays. I'd rather go deeper and see what else we can find. Let's get to work!

As always you can feel free to tag me in the LineStar chat rooms @glandry or follow me on Twitter @GP_Landry. I'm always up for talking DFS and would love any feedback about the daily articles so we can be sure they are adding value to your research process.

Guards

Eric Gordon, HOU [vs. MIN] (DK: $4.7K, FD: $5.7K)

Gordon started so often this year in place of Chris Paul that it's easy to forget he's actually a reserve player on this team. He's the first player off their bench and should have no problem reaching 30 or more minutes. This makes his price, particularly on DraftKings, too cheap to not pay attention. He did not have a good game one, shooting only 3-10 from the floor and 1-7 from three-point range to finish with a very underwhelming 16 fantasy points. Minnesota allowed opposing teams to shoot nearly 40% (36.6) from deep during the season so I'm willing to overlook these game one numbers as we know Gordon is capable of more. The floor is low in this spot as he's now had three games against them this year with less than 20 fantasy points. He did, however, also have a game against them earlier this season (January 18th) where he came off the bench and put up 45 fantasy points. Gordon is a player I played confidently throughout the season when he was pushed into the starting role. Now that he's on the bench, his floor becomes more sketchy, but the upside hasn't changed. I think people are likely to use the increased risk as a reason to fade him. I won't argue that there's definitely risk here but the ceiling is intact and the price is really good. He makes for a fine GPP option tonight.

Jamal Crawford, MIN [@HOU] (DK: $3.8K, FD: $3.6K)

Minnesota ran a tight rotation all season. Coach Thibodeau is known for playing his starters as many minutes as they can handle. One player who does consistently get minutes off his bench, however, is Crawford who averaged 20.2 per game during the season. Game one proved no different as Crawford played 26 minutes and came through with 15 points including 3-7 from beyond the arc. He's had success previously against the Rockets as well with 29 and 19 fantasy points in their two previous meetings in the regular season. I like the idea of having exposure to this game as it carries the highest O/U on this small slate and Minnesota proved to us in game one they are capable of hanging around and keeping this interesting. It's not a great matchup with Houston ranking 5th during the regular season in average fantasy points allowed to opposing shooting guards. But, Eric Gordon, who is likely to be matched up with Crawford most often, is an average defender at best with a defensive real plus-minus rating of -0.39. Crawford should get his share of playing time again tonight and be able to provide a spark off the bench that will hopefully help Minnesota keep this game close.

Derrick Rose, MIN [@HOU] (DK: $3.6, FD: $3.6)

I was joking during game one about Rose being alive as he finally got some meaningful minutes. In all seriousness, Rose's career has been such a tragedy. We know what he's capable of when healthy. He has the talent to be a perennial all-star, MVP candidate, and change the face of an entire organization. But injuries have plagued him for what seems like forever now and at this point, it seems like he's just trying to hang on to his career for as long as he can. Regardless, it was good to see him get out there during game one and he played really well providing 16 points and 4 assists including shooting 50% from the field in 24 minutes. This is where it gets interesting. Jeff Teague got into early foul trouble in this game which forced Rose into additional minutes. I don't think, myself included, that anyone expected the output that Rose provided. So, the question becomes will Rose go back to his typical minutes in game two or does he get rewarded with some additional playing time after how well he did in game one? You could argue Rose was one of the reasons Minnesota stayed in that game. I don't think Houston was expecting him to play that much or that well. Personally, as much as it pains me to say it, I will be on the Rose "fade train" today. Not because I'm rooting against him but because I think the majority of people were excited to see him play so well and he'll be popular today as a result. He's too risky if he's going to be chalky. Crawford, who we discussed previously, is the same price point but a much safer option. At the very least I figured this situation was interesting enough to discuss in this article. I'll be curious to see what people say in the chat today about him.

Forwards

Carmelo Anthony, OKC [@UTH] (DK: $5.4K, FD: $5.7K)

We discussed Derrick Rose earlier in the article and now we are looking at Carmelo Anthony. I feel like I've taken a time machine back to the year 2011. The Thunder "big three" have been underwhelming this year at best. Westbrook was obviously fine since he averaged a triple-double this season but even he had times where it felt like he wasn't worth the cost in DFS because of the usage he lost this season with the addition of Paul George. George was fine if unspectacular in my opinion. He had his fair share of big games but they were mixed in with games that often left you wishing you had rostered somebody else. Anthony had a down year. It just felt like he never really fit in with the other two. Game one, however, felt completely different. It was almost like these guys had been doing the bare minimum all season just to make the playoffs and now they flipped a switch. Westbrook did Westbrook things. Paul "Playoff P" George was scary good, and even Carmello Anthony contributed with a full stat sheet including 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 2 assists resulting in 36 fantasy points. If this is going to be the new normal during this series then Anthony is very undervalued at the moment being under $6K on both sites. Now, as a reminder, this is Utah who is arguably the worst matchup you can have. But, for some reason, Anthony seems to really enjoy playing the Jazz having never had less than 30 fantasy points against them in any meeting this season. I realize he's not a reserve player which is what I'm trying to focus on as much as possible in this article today, but his performances against Utah throughout the season and how the Thunder looked in game one are really making me pay attention. You don't have to be a reserve player to be a good value play.

Larry Nance Jr., CLE [vs. IND] (DK: $4.8K, FD: $4.3K)

Nance was one of the few, well, I don't want to say bright spots, but maybe "not so terrible" spots for Cleveland in game one. He played 30 minutes putting up 10 points (5-7 from the field) and 5 rebounds which resulted in 22 fantasy points. This was good enough for about five times return on investment on both sites (he was the same price on each). On FanDuel, his price stayed the same which makes him a better value on there today. He saw a $500 price increase on DraftKings which makes him less appealing but definitely still part of the conversation. Nance vastly outperformed his teammate, Jeff Green, who got the start at power forward in game one and scored zero points (0-7 from the field) with only 4 rebounds and an assist in 27 minutes. Don't be surprised if Nance starts today and sees a lot more then the 30 minutes he got in game one. The Cavs cannot afford to go to Indiana down two games to none. Anyone who produced will likely play as many minutes as they can handle today. This puts Nance squarely on our radar.

Jae Crowder, UTA [vs. OKC] (DK: $4.4K, FD: $4.5K)

I don't feel great about this one but on a small slate like today, he's worth making a case for to add to the discussion. Crowder is more known for his defense than his offense which typically makes him a better real-life basketball player but a not so great fantasy basketball option. But, he played well in game one, scoring 13 points with four rebounds, two steals and two assists in 28 minutes. This resulted in 26 fantasy points which was good enough for six times return on investment. If we could get similar production today he'd prove to be an excellent value as his price only raised $100 on FanDuel and $200 on DraftKings. Crowder was only with the Jazz for one other meeting against the Thunder this season but he played very well in that game also with 30 fantasy points including 7-12 shooting with four rebounds and four assists. He's risky as you don't get the ceiling you typically want to see when taking a shot on a value option. The six times return he got in game one is in all likelihood the best case scenario. But, if he does get that again, he leaves you in a good spot with enough salary left over to fill up the rest of your roster.

Centers

Karl Anthony-Towns, MIN [@HOU] (DK: $8.9K, FD: $10K)

As the case has been all week we are going to look at starting center options. The reserve options at this position are useless and I would never attempt to make a case for any of them since I would never roster any myself. You'll have to eat the chalk here with the few options that are available. If Towns burned you in game one don't get discouraged and don't be afraid to go back to the well. He's still Karl Anthony-Towns. The ceiling is massive and the floor is (usually) strong. Don't be fooled by that one game. Minnesota will make it a point to get him involved tonight. Had they done that in game one they likely would have won that game. Even better, he took a pretty big price decrease for today, particularly on DraftKings. This is the first time Towns has been under $9K on DraftKings since February 3rd. On FanDuel he dropped $500 but he's still $10K. Not as appealing but every little bit helps the potential value. Let's not forget this is a player who put up multiple 60 fantasy point games against these same Rockets this season. This is the perfect time to jump on board (and hope everyone else doesn't cause they got burned in game one) and take advantage of the reduced cost. After tonight chances are good the price will quickly revert to a more typical number.

Clint Capela, HOU [vs. MIN] (DK: $7.2K, FD: $8.2K)

Pretty much the exact opposite situation for Capela. While Towns is the least expensive he's been in quite a while Capela is the most expensive he's been in an extended period of time. On DraftKings today, Capela is the highest price he's been since back on February 23rd when he was $7.4K. His $800 price increase was the largest of any player on today's slate. On FanDuel, this is the most expensive he's been since he was $8.5K on February 14th. His $500 increase was the third most behind only Ricky Rubio and Carmelo Anthony on today's slate. Now, I won't say the price isn't justified as Capela has owned the Timberwolves this season with fantasy point performances of 47, 42 and 50 in their last three meetings. In game one, Capela had a double-double going 10-15 from the field, with 12 rebounds leading to that 52 fantasy point game. Minnesota has been a good matchup for centers all season allowing 32.9 fantasy points per game which ranked 27th. This makes for a very tough decision. Do we ride the hot hand with Capela despite the price increase? Or, do we pivot to Towns who is much colder but super cheap at the moment and has a much higher ceiling? I'm leaning Towns because I think the field will be more likely to ride the hot hand with Capela and "feel" like they are saving money in the process. You could make a case, however, despite being more expensive that Towns is still the better value. I'm going to be really interested to see where everyone lands on this one today.

Myles Turner, IND [@CLE] (DK: $5.7K, FD: $5.5K)

If you can't decide between Towns or Capela you could always go the road less traveled. Yes, I really am recommending Myles Turner. No, I don't feel great about it. The numbers, however, are worth making a case for him, especially on this three-game slate. Turner looked really good in game one nearly hitting a double-double with 16 points and eight rebounds in 34 minutes. After the game, he said, "I have a refreshed mindset, I need to make myself a presence and am going to do that." It's only one game so let's not get carried away but if he and Oladipo play the way they did in game one the Cavs are in a lot of trouble. This isn't the first time he played well against Cleveland this season either. In his only other appearance against them, he had 35 fantasy points including 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. Despite Cleveland being a difficult matchup for centers this season (they ranked 4th in average fantasy points allowed to the position) Turner appears to have them figured out. With the field likely focused on either Towns or Capela tonight if you were to go Turner and he were to put him something similar to game one, it would leave you in a great position in tournaments as you'll save as much as $4.5K depending on which player/site you are comparing to. This gives you a lot of freedom to do other things with your lineup that many others won't have the means to do themselves.

Injuries 🤕

Indiana at Cleveland

Minnesota:

• No injuries reported

Houston:

• QUEST: Ryan Anderson: PF/C

• OUT: Luc Mbah a Moute: PF/C

• UPGRADE: Gerald Green: SG/SF

Some difficult decisions out there today. I'm really interested in where people will go at center. If choosing between Capela and Towns I'm leaning Towns as I think he'll be lower owned but still has that massive ceiling. Honestly though, I'm talking myself into Myles Turner (excuse me while I go throw up) because the salary you save using him will open up more room to fit in some higher priced players and he should go under the radar. It's a huge risk but the potential reward is why we play GPPs on these smaller slates to begin with. I'm also curious to see how popular Rose gets. Like I said I'll be fading but I don't know if others will do the same. Without having done a ton of roster construction yet, it appears to be a good day to pay down at power forward and center so you can then prioritize and figure out how to fit in your studs of James, Harden, and Westbrook. Good luck today! Tag me on chat @glandry with any questions or feedback! Thank you for reading!

Like what you read? Give us a thumbs up below!