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Forming a cash game lineup is built on identifying a high enough floor that a roster of players will do well enough to finish in the top 50 percent of players in a given night. One particularly sound strategy when rounding out these lineups is to target players who typically play a ton of minutes.
The idea is to exploit opportunity. The more a player is on the floor, the better the chances he has in tallying numbers. While many top players are on the floor for long sections, there is a litany of role players who see boosts in value because of the sheer volume of floor time amassed. It's important to monitor minutes, because opportunity changes as the season progresses.
Here are five players who will help secure your cash game floor early in the season.
PG George Hill, Utah Jazz
Hill's usage in Utah may not be guaranteed because of the deep roster he is joining, but as long as he's the primary PG ahead of Dante Exum, he's going to be a great, low-cost and low-risk daily fantasy option despite his limited upside. Hill averaged 34 minutes per game in 2015-16 with the Indiana Pacers and even if those numbers dip, his usage could be comparable.
Utah's slow pace of play could hurt his numbers as much as the deep roster, so keep your eye on his role. If the minutes are there, he'll be a bargain option on most nights.
SG Arron Afflalo, Sacramento Kings
Another veteran in a new location, Afflalo is not a flashy player. But he is a starting SG who hasn't averaged fewer than 32 minutes over a full season since 2009-10. He'll usually post close to 13 points with a couple of rebounds and assists sprinkled in. His low ceiling will prevent his daily fantasy price tag to ever get astronomical and you know he'll see the floor.
He has played middling preseason minutes, and is day-to-day, but he did play 38 minutes against the Lakers on Oct. 13 before sitting in every game since.
SF Jae Crowder, Boston Celtics
Still a potential work in progress, Crowder averaged more than 30 minutes per game for the first time in 2015-16. His salary never jumped too high because he rarely scored an absurd amount, which can largely be attributed to the Celtics' ball movement and overall depth of scoring. Crowder will be busy, and will often contribute in various stat categories with regularity.
PF Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks
Third-year Parker could leave this list because he could easily push his numbers up again. Parker, like Crowder, never saw his daily fantasy price tag rise too high to deter playing in cash games, but his returns were never so strong that he became a great tournament play.
It's reasonable to believe Parker will eclipse his 31.7 minutes per game and see better scoring averages, especially after the Bucks booted Michael Carter-Williams to Chicago.
C Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic
Vucevic and new Hawks C Dwight Howard are both suitable options based on playing time and slightly lower daily fantasy salaries than the likes of DeMarcus Cousins. Both were among the top 10 centers in minutes per game in 2015-16, and Vucevic was constantly reliable as a cash game piece. His price tag did rise a little too high at times, but his consistency warranted it.
With the Magic's newly-crowded frontcourt, Vucevic may see a dip in minutes, making him a little less of a cash game staple. In the event that C Bismack Biyombo and PF/C Serge Ibaka eat into his minutes too much, Utah Jazz C Rudy Gobert, if healthy, could be the next best option. Gobert averaged close to 32 minutes last season and should see the same in 2016-17.
