Squad Up Daily NBA Fantasy Dose: Playoff seeding dictates motivation

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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NBA fantasy picture for Tuesday, March 14:

Dynamic Duos

• SF LeBron James (86K) & PG Kyrie Irving (72K), Cavaliers (vs. Pistons): When in doubt, the tried and true approach to making a viable 50/50 lineup is to double down on the Cavaliers' two healthy stars -- maximizing exposure to the bulk of Cleveland's scoring opportunities -- then filling in the rest of the lineup with affordable fliers. One way or another James and Irving get to 50 points.

• C Andre Drummond (68K) & PG Reggie Jackson (47K), Pistons (at Cavaliers): The Pistons are just one game back from the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and the Cavaliers are just two games up on the Boston Celtics for the top seed. Expect an absolute dog fight. Drummond has 20-20 upside while Jackson at just 47K could be a steal as part of a duo or on his own.

• PG Jeff Teague (59K) & C Myles Turner (59K), Pacers (at Knicks): The Knicks have the sixth-worst defensive efficiency in the league, and much of their focus will fall on stopping SF Paul George. Teague and Turner have both regressed from strong mid-season production but still offer tournament upside at moderate salaries.

Bargain Plays

• SG Allen Crabbe (28K), Trail Blazers (at Pelicans): Over his past seven games, Crabbe has averaged 13.4 points (including 2.3 made 3-pointers) with 3.4 rebounds and an assist in over 28 minutes per game. The Trail Blazers don't have the size to match up with C Anthony Davis and PF DeMarcus Cousins, so look for them to go small, with Crabbe playing a big role.

• PG Deron Williams (29K), Cavaliers (vs. Pistons): Williams hasn't overwhelmed fantasy backers in his seven games with Cleveland, but there are worse ways to balance out superstar salaries. The savvy veteran is averaging 6.3 points, 4.3 assists and 2.1 rebounds in just 21.2 minutes per game. Though his output is muted, he's safe as can be at this price.

• C Jahlil Okafor (40K), 76ers (at Warriors): It's always a mixed bag with Okafor, but his fantasy production has stabilized somewhat with the trades of C Nerlens Noel and SF Ersan Ilyasova, as well as C Joel Embiid being shutdown for the season. He's averaging 13.4 points and 5.2 rebounds over his past 15 games. If the 76ers find themselves losing big, they'll still have incentive to keep Okafor on the floor to continue his development.

Top Fades

• PG Damian Lillard (84K), Trail Blazers (at Pelicans): New Orleans has one of the better defensive ratings on the slate, allowing just 104.4 points per 100 possessions. Having one of the premier lock-down guards in PG Jrue Holiday and the physically-imposing interior presence of Davis and Cousins will cause issues for Lillard, who could fail to return cash-game value.

• SG Ian Clark (58K), Warriors (vs. 76ers): When the Warriors rested four-fifths of their usual starting lineup, Saturday, it set in motion a chain of rapid price inflation for some of the backups elevated into one-off starting gigs. Hence, you have Clark priced at 58K, after his 36-point outpouring. It wouldn't be a shock if he scored four points.

• PF Taj Gibson (41K), Thunder (at Nets): If your name isn't Russell, you're probably not going to have fantastic scoring upside while playing for the Thunder this season. Unfortunately for Gibson, his rebounding has also fallen way off. He has grabbed just 4.6 rebounds per game since joining OKC, so even even though Brooklyn is weak on the glass, there's no reason to think Gibson has tremendous upside, even at this price.

Contrarian Options

• C Jusuf Nurkic (66K), Trail Blazers (at Pelicans): In the nine games since Cousins debuted in New Orleans (including one game missed because of suspension), the opponents' leading rebounder has averaged 11.7 rebounds per game, with no fewer than double-digit rebound totals. The team has size but isn't infallible on the glass. Nurkic should meet his usual expectations.

• PG T.J. McConnell (43K), 76ers (at Warriors): McConnell's scoring upside pales in comparison to most guards, but he offers much of the same appeal as a Ricky Rubio-type player: a great source of assists and a smattering of other contributions. With Robert Covington sitting out, McConnell will have to shoulder a larger workload.

• SF Thaddeus Young (41K), Pacers (at Knicks): In his first game back from injury two weeks ago, Young scored 10 points -- not unexpected after an eight-game injury absence. He followed it up with single-digit scoring in five-straight games, causing his salary to crash. In his last three games, he averaged 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)