This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
With only two games on a small playoff slate, the selections are limited. The two matchups are Indiana/Cleveland and Memphis/San Antonio. One strategy is to stack the Pacers/Cavaliers and fade the Grizzlies/Spurs. The reason for that is the defenses in each matchup, since not only do Memphis and San Antonio both rank top-three in defense, Indiana and Cleveland are both below average. That's evident by the season numbers, with the Grizzlies and Spurs combining for an average of 185 points per game in their five matchups, with the Pacers and Cavaliers combining to average 229 points in their five. That's significant disparity and it makes this strategy the optimal way to approach a two-game schedule…
Jeff Teague, IND at CLE ($6,700): Most people are going to pivot to Kyrie Irving or Mike Conley, but Teague is the best value at the position. What is most enticing is his matchup, with Cleveland ranking 28th in defensive efficiency across its last 15 games. That's evident through Teague's season numbers against Cleveland, averaging 18.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 11 assists.
Tony Parker, SAN vs. MEM ($4,400): It's playoff time, so that means Parker should be looking at more minutes than usual. He was productive in his first game against Memphis too, scoring 18 points in 22 minutes. Parker is also in one of his best stretches of the season, scoring at least 18 fantasy points in six of his last seven games. That's all you can ask for from a $4,400 player and he makes for a cheap punt-play given the limited slate.
J.R. Smith, CLE vs. IND ($3,600): Smith has not provided much fantasy value this season, but his minutes alone make him an intriguing option. Over his last 10 games, Smith is averaging 34 minutes, which is impossible to find from a player south of $4,000.
Paul George, IND at CLE ($9,900): George has been a freak recently and is hard to fade right now. Not only has he scored at least 43 fantasy points in eight straight games, George is averaging 50 fantasy points in that span. He's destroyed this bad Cleveland defense all year too, averaging 24.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks in his four regular-season games against them.
Kevin Love, CLE vs. IND ($7,900): Love is generally overlooked among Cleveland players because of Irving and James, but he's been a huge asset for fantasy owners this season. Indiana struggles with rebounding too, allowing opposing centers and power forwards to average over 27 rebounds a game against them. That should benefit a player like Love, who is a double-double machine.
Thaddeus Young, IND at CLE ($4,800): Young is a bit overlooked, as he's really turned his disappointing season around over recent weeks. In fact, Young has at least 22 fantasy points in 10 straight games, while scoring at least 29 in half of those. He's really exploited this Cavaliers defense too, averaging 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds against it this season. Young has also spent at least 32 minutes on the court in each his last 10 games.
Myles Turner, IND at CLE ($6,700): Over his last four games, Turner is averaging just shy of 40 fantasy points. The fact that the other center matchups are so tough makes Turner the go-to selection against the Cavs, with both Gasol brothers facing off in that stingy San Antonio-Memphis game.
Tristan Thompson, CLE vs. IND ($4,700): Thompson has very limited upside, but he's a nice fill-in if you choose to stack at forward and guard. What's most enticing about using Thompson is his matchup, as Indiana allowed the third most rebounds to opposing centers this year. That's Thompson's specialty (11 boards on average in five games against Indiana), and he also averaged 36 minutes against them, giving him a solid floor Monday.
