This article is part of our FantasyDraft NBA series.
Sunday's modest four-game slate narrows our choices significantly, but there's still plenty of fantasy-proficient players to choose from at each price tier. Luckily, there's also a few value plays that can help you differentiate for tournaments, an especially important factor on small ledgers. Without further ado, let's see where your dollars can best be invested Sunday:
GUARDS:
Ben Simmons, PHI at WAS ($17,600): Simmons exploded for 57.00 and 61.75 fantasy points, respectively, in the two games sandwiched around the All-Star break, and he just posted 40.00 fantasy points against this same Wizards squad on Feb. 6. Washington has also been more vulnerable to point guards in the absence of John Wall (knee), as they've allowed 45.5 fantasy points to ones over the last five. Meanwhile, Simmons has been a virtual lock for 40 fantasy points in February, reaching the mark in six of eight games during the month while sporting a 55.6 effective field-goal percentage, 23.4 percent usage rate and average of 1.30 fantasy points per minute.
Will Barton, DEN vs. HOU ($12,400): Barton is now averaging 30.23 fantasy points per game after scoring 33.50 to 43.25 fantasy points in six of the last eight contests. The swingman is also averaging a solid 14.0 shot attempts over his last three, an appreciable uptick over the 12.2 he's putting up on the campaign. Meanwhile, the Rockets have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points (45.3) to small forwards over the last 10 games -- including the sixth most (47.3) over the last five – while Barton is averaging 1.32 points per possession and sporting a 62.3 effective shooting percentage in the aforementioned eight-game sample.
Tony Parker, SA at CLE ($8,500): Parker unsurprisingly came out of the All-Star break looking refreshed, as he scored 26.50 fantasy points in 23 minutes versus the Nuggets on Friday. He'll be in a position for similarly strong production Sunday, as the Cavaliers have struggled to contain point guards of late. Cleveland comes in allowing the second-most fantasy points (42.5) to ones on the season, including 55.3 over the last five. Parker should be a solid candidate to see minutes in the low 20s again Sunday, giving him a good opportunity to build on the impressive 55.8 percent he's shot over the last five contests and offer another solid return on his modest price.
FORWARDS/CENTERS:
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL vs. NO ($21,300): Antetokounmpo is in a prime spot to build on his 56.00 fantasy-point outing versus the Raptors on Friday, as the Pelicans come in allowing the second-most fantasy points (42.2) to power forwards, including 53.8 over the last five games. They've also allowed bottom-10 figures to the position in several other categories during the latter span, while Antetokounmpo posted 32 points, nine rebounds, four assists, five steals and one block across 42.0 minutes in his one previous meeting against New Orleans this season. The Pelicans haven't been unable to slow many players down low this season, either, as they've allowed the fifth-most points in the paint (47.0), while Antetokounmpo is averaging a career-high 16.3 points per game in that area of the floor. Given their penetrability down low and their second-fastest pace of play (104.8 possessions per game), New Orleans presents as an especially appealing target.
LaMarcus Aldridge, SA at CLE ($15,800): Aldridge touched up the Cavs for 30 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block across 41 minutes in his one previous meeting against them this season, and he's eclipsed 50 fantasy points in three of the past four games. The floor-spacing big man has also shot a stellar 61.2 percent over the last five contests overall, while the Cavaliers have proven to be the most vulnerable team in the NBA to power forwards this season. Cleveland has allowed the most fantasy points (42.5) to fours on the campaign, along with league-worst or bottom-five figures in multiple other categories to the position. Moreover, it's worth noting that Aldridge is scoring almost half of his points (48.6 percent) in the paint this season, while the Cavs
are allowing the sixth-most points (46.8) in that area of the floor.
John Henson, MIL vs. NO ($8,700): Henson's teammate Tyler Zeller ($7,100) is also an intriguing option for tournaments, although it's difficult to know how many minutes he might see behind Henson. Meanwhile, Henson returned from a hamstring injury against the Raptors on Friday, scoring 20.50 fantasy points over a full allotment of 34 minutes. He'd been playing well prior to his absence as well, as he scored 25.00 to 51.50 fantasy points in six of the prior eight contests. With his first game in two weeks out of the way, he'll look to capitalize on a matchup against a Pelicans team that's allowed 38.4 fantasy points to centers over the last 10 games, along with the third-highest shooting percentage (56.0) on the campaign. The fact that Henson has scored a robust 77.5 percent of his points in the paint this season also dovetails nicely with the Pelicans' previously described vulnerability in that area of the floor.
UTILITY:
Chris Paul, HOU at DEN ($15,800): Paul scored over 40 fantasy points on three occasions and over 50 in another pair of instances over the last eight games, a span during which he's sporting a 24.4 percent usage rate and averaging 1.35 fantasy points per minute. He's also averaged a near double-double of 17.0 points, 9.5 assists, 1.0 rebound and 2.5 steals across just 25.0 minutes over two games against the Nuggets this season as well, and Denver is becoming increasingly vulnerable to ones as the season unfolds. Denver is allowing the most fantasy points (55.6) to point guards over the last 10, along with the most assists (10.4) over that span as well. The latter number is especially relevant in the case of a facilitator like Paul, who's averaging an impressive 8.3 dimes on the season.
Jrue Holiday, NO at MIL ($14,300): Holiday is averaging 1.13 fantasy points per minute along with 19.4 points (on 46.1 percent shooting), 7.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals across the 10 games DeMarcus Cousins has missed thus far with his Achilles injury. He's scored 49.25 to 55.00 fantasy points in his last three contests as well, and he's tallied over 20 points in four straight while also serving as an excellent facilitator (37 total assists during that stretch). The Bucks shape up as potential facilitators for more of the same, as they've allowed 61.7 fantasy points to two-guards over the last five, a significant bump from the 38.7 they've surrendered to the position on the season.
