Typically on a night like Monday, with a 10-game slate and some juicy matchups to target, your options are wide open. Unlike on a shorter slate, where the lack of options often limits you to tournament play, 10-game slates bring all kinds of variety. If you want to play cash games, there are plenty of safe options, but there are also a ton of high-upside, high-risk plays to build a tournament lineup around.

Tonight, however, I'm having some trouble finding a cash game lineup I like. There are plenty of players I like, but as you'll see from the top-five rankings, there isn't a ton of middle ground on the players we do like. Across five positions, there are only five players priced between $6,000 and $8,000; this isn't a great night for the middle class.

Of course, that doesn't mean you can't play a cash lineup with a mix of high-price stars and low-cost value plays. You certainly can. However, cash games are all about maximizing certainty and minimizing risk, and it's hard to do that with four or five sub-$6,000 players in your lineup. The lower a players' cost, the more inherent uncertainty there is going to be in there performance, even if you like their upside.

So, my plan tonight is going to build as many stars-and-scrubs lineups as I can and throwing them into tournaments. I know I want a lot of exposure to LeBron James against Sacramento, but I also know I want Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant against the Suns; I want Chris Paul against the 76ers andAndre Drummond against the Raptors andPaul George against the Pelicans too. Not all of these stars will have great games, obviously, so mixing and matching will be the key.

With so many stars in play, the key is surrounding them with those low-cost plays. With so many players in the top-fives under $6,000, you might be able to put together lineups with three or more of those superstar types. My favorite combination of the low-cost players is probably Archie Goodwin, Devin Booker, E'Twaun Moore and either Myles Turner or Markieff Morris; four of those players will leave you almost $9,000 per player for your remaining spots.

The only problem with this strategy is that a lot of those players are likely to be highly owned, popular plays. Still, the upside for them is all so high, they're still worth building around.

Injury Report

SG Jimmy Butler (Knee, Out)
E'Twaun Moore has played at least 30 minutes in five of the last six games.

PF Kevin Love (Thigh, Probable)
This is a plus matchup for Tristan Thompson, but the really beneficiaries may be LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.

PG Jameer Nelson (Wrist, Questionable) & PF Darrell Arthur (Quad, Questionable)
Emmanuel Mudiay should continue to see big minutes against a plus matchup.

SF Tobias Harris (Ankle, Questionable)
Evan Fournier becomes one of the best values of the night if Harris sits.

PG Ish Smith (Ankle, Questionable)
Even if Smith is ruled out, T.J. McConnell is no better than a risky tournament play.

SG Ben McLemore (Wrist, Out) & Rudy Gay (Ankle, Out)
Omri Casspi and Marco Bellinelli will benefit against a bad matchup.

Wednesday's Slate

Denver @ Brooklyn
Fantasy points allowed: 411.1

Nikola Jokic has been surging lately, but a matchup against Brook Lopez does increase his risk of foul trouble. I wouldn't trust Jokic in cash, but he's a fine tournament play. I'd much rather trust Mudiay from the Nuggets. This game is full of good tournament options but Thaddeus Young and Will Barton are two of my favorites.

Chicago @ Charlotte
Fantasy points allowed: 409.1

E'Twaun Moore has been up and down but with a very good matchup and his virtual minutes guarantee, he should be a popular play. Both Cody Zeller and Marvin Williams are in play, but I like Zeller more largely because he's $1,200 less. Expect Derrick Rose to be one of the more popular PG plays in cash.

L.A. Lakers @ Indiana
Fantasy points allowed: 407.8

It's a fantastic matchup for the Pacers, but it is difficult to know which Pacers to target. George Hill has limited upside and Paul George seems slightly overpriced. Myles Turner has taken at least 11 shots in each of his past 11 games but the return of Ian Mahinmi makes him slightly more risky.

L.A. Clippers @ Philadelphia
Fantasy points allowed: 402.8

This is one of five games with with a spread above eight on a night full of blowout potential. Jamal Crawford may be my favorite play just because of his low cost. Both Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan are tournament options with a sky-high ceiling. I'm not particularly excited about anyone from the Sixers.

Oklahoma City @ Phoenix
Fantasy points allowed: 400.2

Of all the games with blowout potential, none has a higher spread than this one. The Thunder are 12 1/2 point favorites on the road and that seems too low. Russell Westbrook has already shown the ability to put up a triple double (and 53 Fantasy points) in less than 30 minutes, but I don't feel quite as confident in Kevin Durant. The Suns team is full of great plays, highlighted by Archie Goodwin and Markieff Morris.

Orlando @ Atlanta
Fantasy points allowed: 399.5

Paul Millsap is still below $8,000 and deservedly so with his recent performance. Still, he has a plus matchup and his activity has been better lately. I'm playing Millsap every night until he goes back above $8,000 or faces a really bad matchup. Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon are both good offensive rebounders against a team that allows a lot of them.

Sacramento @ Cleveland
Fantasy points allowed: 399.5

LeBron James was my top cash game play of the night when Kevin Love was questionable, but he falls off a little with Love's upgrade. That doesn't mean I'd completely ignore him as this is a prime matchup. Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson are both in play as well. In fact, the question marks surrounding Love's thigh may make him a solid contrarian play. The injuries in Sacramento create a lot of value, but it's also a terrible matchup.

New Orleans @ Minnesota
Fantasy points allowed: 399.1

Anthony Davis at $10,300 against a bad defense seems like a great deal. Of course, this is exactly when we've seen Davis get hurt. In tournaments, Davis is a fantastic option but it's really tough to trust him in cash. Speaking of tournaments, this is a fun game to stack, as long as you can figure out which Timberwolves center you'd like to use. I'd lean towards Dieng.

Portland @ Memphis
Fantasy points allowed: 389.2

This game scares me, and I'll likely fade it unless late scratches create value.

Toronto @ Detroit
Fantasy points allowed: 382.1

Stanley Johnson is going to be one of the more popular plays again as his price hasn't kept up with his increased minutes and production. Andre Drummond has exactly two games in his last nine above 40 Fantasy points and his price has dropped accordingly.

Top Five

PG

1. Archie Goodwin $5,200 PHO vs. OKC
2. Russell Westbrook $11,100 OKC @ PHO
3. Chris Paul $9,600 LAC @ PHI
4. Kyrie Irving $7,200 CLE vs. SAC
5. Jrue Holiday $7,000 NOR @ MIN

SG

1. Andrew Wiggins $6,700 MIN vs. NOR
2. Monta Ellis $6,500 IND vs. LAL
3. Devin Booker $5,400 PHO vs. OKC
4. E'Twaun Moore $4,100 CHI @ CHA
5. Zach LaVine $4,800 MIN vs. NOR

SF

1. LeBron James $10,200 CLE vs. SAC
2. Kevin Durant $10,800 OKC @ PHO
3. Stanley Johnson $4,900 DET vs. TOR
4. Kent Bazemore $5,100 ATL vs. ORL
5. Paul George $8,700 IND vs. LAL

PF

1. Myles Turner $5,600 IND vs. LAL
2. Markieff Morris $5,600 PHO vs. OKC
3. Aaron Gordon $4,900 ORL @ ATL
4. Paul Millsap $7,800 ATL vs. ORL
5. Tristan Thompson $4,600 CLE vs. SAC

C

1. Andre Drummond $8,300 DET vs. TOR
2. Karl-Anthony Towns $8,800 MIN vs. NOR
3. Gorgui Dieng $6,100 MIN vs. NOR
4. DeAndre Jordan $8,500 LAC @ PHI
5. Nikola Vucevic $7,800 ORL @ ATL

Five Under $5,000

PG TJ McConnell $4,000 PHI vs. LAC
SG Dion Waiters $4,000 OKC @ PHO
SF CJ Miles $3,700 IND vs. LAL
PF Cody Zeller $4,700 CHA vs. CHI
C Ian Mahinmi $4,700 IND vs. LAL