For the purposes of this column, a stud will usually be a superstar player who costs at least $7,500, a mid-salary player will be within the range of $5,000-$7,400, and best bargains will be within the $3,500-$4,900 price range. The following are some suggested players you’d want to acquire in order to have a winning lineup tonight.
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Point Guard
Stud: Russell Westbrook – $13,200 – Despite his inflated price tag, it’s hard to picture a winning lineup without Oklahoma City’s explosive point guard. Westbrook has been an absolute gem for the Thunder, and is averaging 60.4 fantasy points per game this month. With Kevin Durant still recovering from a foot injury, Westbrook will need to take control of a matchup against the Eastern Conference leading Atlanta Hawks.
Mid-Salary: Alexey Shved -$7,000 – After bouncing around from team-to-team, Shved has finally found success in New York. The 26-year-old guard is averaging 17.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game over his last five contests. With Tim Hardaway still nursing a wrist injury, Shved has been seeing plenty of minutes. In a matchup against the lowly Sixers, he should continue to dominate the backcourt.
Best Bargain: Greivis Vasquez – $4,000 – If Kyle Lowry is unable to suit up against the Bulls, Vasquez will be plugged into Toronto’s starting lineup. In his 19 starts this season, he is averaging 10.8 points, 4.5 assists, 2.9 boards and 0.6 steals per game. Going up against Chicago’s injury-depleted backcourt, Vasquez could exceed those numbers and provide plenty of value for fantasy owners.
Other Options: Stephen Curry, Ishmael Smith, Beno Udrih
Shooting Guard
Stud: Victor Oladipo – $8,400 – Oladipo has been slaughtering his opponents recently. The second-year guard is Orlando’s go-to option on offense, and will be depended on heavily if Tobias Harris is unable to suit up. In his last three outings, Oladipo is averaging 39.9 fantasy points per game. If Orlando wants to keep up with the Blazers tonight, the ball will be in Oladipo’s hands.
Mid-Salary: J.J. Redick – $6,600 – The former Duke Blue Devil has stepped up for the Clippers in the absence of Jamal Crawford. Over his last five contests, the sharpshooter is averaging 21.4 points in 36.8 minutes per game, and is shooting lights out. In what should be a high-scoring and close game against the Washington Wizards, look for Redick to supply fantasy owners with a huge night.
Best Bargain: Tony Snell -$4,200 – With Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler still nursing injuries, Snell has had to step into Chicago’s starting lineup and produce major minutes. On Wednesday in Indiana, he scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a whopping 40 minutes for 23.1 fantasy points. With the amount of playing time he is seeing, Snell has ample opportunity to generate a solid stat-line.
Other Options: DeMar DeRozan, Danny Green, Lou Williams
Small Forward
Stud: Rudy Gay – $8,300 – Weather or not DeMarcus Cousins plays tonight, Gay is still one of the best options at small forward. His usage rate has skyrocketed since Darren Collison was shut down for the season and will increase even more if Cousins is unable to go. Gay is coming off a 40.1 fantasy point performance and should put up similar numbers tonight.
Mid-Salary: DeMarre Carroll – $5,800 – Carroll has been surprising a lot of people with his play since Kyle Korver went down with a broken nose. In his last two outings, he is averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds for 35.25 fantasy points per game. Against a fast-paced, high-scoring team like the Thunder, look for Carroll to light it up.
Best Bargain: Justin Holiday – $4,400 – With Klay Thompson out, Justin Holiday has stepped into the first place Golden State Warriors’ starting lineup. In 25 minutes against Atlanta, he produced 19.1 fantasy points. If he sees just a few more minutes, and can get his shot going, he could be one of the biggest sleepers of the night.
Other Options: LeBron James, Nicolas Batum, Andre Iguodala
Power Forward
Stud: LaMarcus Aldridge – $9,600 – Aldridge has been dominating the NBA for a long time, but he may be playing better than ever right now. He has produced three double-doubles in a row, and is coming off a game in which he scored 34 points and grabbed 12 boards for 54.4 fantasy points. The Blazers take on a Magic squad that has no one that can match his strength on the defensive end. He could be the high scorer of the night.
Mid-Salary: Thaddeus Young – $5,800 – Now that Young is in Brooklyn’s starting lineup, he is a very valuable fantasy option. Young is incredibly athletic and has staggering upside. However, he can also have down games like Wednesday’s matchup against the Cavs when he produced just 13.6 fantasy points. Young is a unique talent, and is seeing plenty of minutes. I expect him to get back on track tonight against the Bucks.
Best Bargain: Amir Johnson – $4,800 – Johnson has really turned it up recently, and is playing some of his best basketball of the season. Over his last five contests, he is averaging 24.5 fantasy points per game. At his price, owners would be happy with that number. Johnson will need to play plenty of minutes tonight against a strong Bulls frontcourt. Look for him to dominate the boards if the Raptors want to have a chance in this one.
Other Options: Paul Millsap, Kenneth Faried, Lou Amundson
Center
Stud: Hassan Whiteside – $8,200 – Despite some poor decision making and a lack of maturity at times, Whiteside has proven that he is one of the premiere centers in the NBA. He is a rebounding machine and an incredible shot blocker. No one on the Nuggets will be able to keep up with him tonight.
Mid-Salary: Steven Adams – $5,100 – With Serge Ibaka out and Enes Kanter questionable, Adams will enter the starting lineup for Oklahoma City tonight. In his last start, he recorded 14 points and 13 boards in 38 minutes for 33.1 fantasy points. Adams has tremendous upside considering how much playing time he will get.
Best Bargain: Robin Lopez – $4,900 – There aren’t too many cheap options at center, but Lopez has the ability to gain you 30 fantasy points. While that is rare, he certainly has the talent. The Blazers will need Lopez in the lineup if they want to stop Nikola Vucevic and the Magic frontcourt. Lopez is a risky play so only commit to him if you are willing to take a roll of the dice.
Other Options: Al Horford, Omer Asik, Kelly Olynyk
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Matt Brandon is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Matt, check out his archive.