PG
My favorite play:
Goran Dragic, $6,700- On a night where Russell Westbrook and Steph Curry (pending injury updates) play, how can someone else be my favorite option at the PG position? Well, the formula looks like this: Phoenix backcourt defense + an offense thats heating up in Miami (pardon the pun) + revenge game. This equals fantasy gold, and at a reasonable price tag, Dragic is a lock to exceed his value.
Top options:
Russell Westbrook, $11,200- Once you look at the shooting guard position, you will understand that your guard slot will be a PG, and if you can’t get Westbrook or Steph into your lineup, it’s going to be tough to win. Do I need to explain why this guy is a good option? Since that price tag is so high, perhaps I do, but Russell is a triple-double machine, and he produces versus Golden State, a team that quietly gives up a ton of production to opposing point guards.
Steph Curry $10,800- I see a GPP strategy in the making here. I will put Westbrook into my lineup, and if Curry ends up being a game time decision, you can expect his ownership percentage to be lower than usual. If he ends up playing, I will have the luxury of swapping out Westbrook for the soon-to-be back-to-back MVP.
Cheap options:
Darren Collison, $5,500- Not much of a cheap option, and quite frankly not really considering this play on this slate, but I felt obligated to mention the cheapest guy I would consider rostering.
SG
My favorite play:
Wesley Matthews, $4,900- It’s ugly here tonight, people. Calling Wesley Matthews my “favorite play” seems wrong to me considering Dwyane Wade is the clear #1 option (and the fact that it’s Wesley Matthews), but considering what I want to pay for at other positions, I need to find salary relief somewhere. Matthews is seeing plenty of minutes, shooting plenty of 3’s, and gets to play against Sacramento who play at one of the fastest paces in the league. He doesn’t fill the stat sheet, though, so if he goes cold from beyond the arc, get ready for a dud.
Top option:
Dwyane Wade, $7,100- I usually like to give options, plural, but there really isn’t any. I could write up Klay Thompson, sure, and he’s not a bad look, but he’s $800 more than Wade, and as I mentioned previously, I don’t want to spend at this position. Wade, like Goran, gets a cake matchup, and the only thing that keeps him from returning value is perhaps a blowout. Wade is a great play in GPPs if you want to try to fade the OKC/GS matchup a little.
Cheap option:
Josh Richardson, $3,600- For a second I thought this was Jason Richardson, but then I saw his picture on DraftKings and noticed this man is a youngster. Then I looked at his game log, and I was like, woah, those minutes tho. He gets called up from the D-league and since late February Richardson has been getting 27-30 minutes per game. He’s not lighting the world on fire with his playing time, but with the Suns in town in a potential blowout, Richardson should get plenty of playing time with opportunities to score.
SF
My favorite play:
Kevin Durant, $10,300- Highest priced player at the position is your top play? Daring. I considered Kawhi Leonard considering he’s been great recently and is much cheaper, but Durant’s ceiling is too high not to label my favorite here. Golden State is a premier defensive team in the NBA, but that’s when you factor in the number of possessions their opponent receives per game. The Warriors also play to the strategy of “we will let KD and Russ get theirs, just shut down the others”, which makes sense when you look at the Thunder’s scoring when they play them. Durant is also the only guy that can match Curry’s greatness shooting the ball in a given night, and the Thunder understand that. KD is a great play.
top options:
Kawhi Leonard, $7,700- The Spurs played last night at home and now travel to New Orleans, so predicting what their rotation will look like becomes even harder than it usually is. Kawhi has scored no less than 40 fantasy points since the all-star break, and he’s the only guy you feel comfortable trusting on this team with his minutes. He’s a good fade option from Durant.
Joe Johnson, $5,700- He probably went to Miami over Cleveland because he actually would get a chance to start. Look at that, he’s starting, and he’s getting 30+ minutes, and hell, he’s being relied upon as the go-to 3 point shooter for this team. His price tag is going to continue to climb, so take advantage of this while you can.
Mirza Teletovic, $5,700- This poor guy went from the Nets to the Suns, so it’s no wonder you don’t really know much about him. Now that Morris is gone, Teletovic is getting plenty of minutes, and we are noticing that this guy can score. Not only does he shoot 3’s proficiently, he also can gobble up rebounds. Miami has struggled to defend the 3 this year, so yeah, don’t be afraid of the lack of knowledge of Mirza. He’s a fine play.
Cheap option:
Kyle Anderson, $3,600- If the Spurs decide to rest a player or two, I will consider Anderson for the salary relief. Even with Leonard healthy, Anderson is now seeing 18-22 minutes per game, and if the Spurs rest players AND run away with it in New Orleans, Anderson will return value and then some.
PF
My favorite play:
LaMarcus Aldridge, $6,600- The price tag seems low to me, and if he plays, he gets a matchup versus the Pelicans in which he’s averaged 46.1 fantasy points per game in 2 previous match-ups this season. That kind of production would comfortable exceed his price tag, so you need to keep watch for inactives in this game.
Top options:
DeMarcus Cousins, $10,700- Don’t really need to say anything here. Cousins has been a beast this year, and considering that many people will be trying to fit Durant/Westbrook/Curry into lineups, you could get a premier player at a low ownership percentage.
Draymond Green, $8,900- I have been so hot and cold with this guy. He’s seen his price tag climb into the $10,000’s this season, then dip back, and once again he’s starting to heat up. Green doesn’t score like an elite fantasy player, but he is a triple-double threat that makes the Warriors the dynamic team that they are. 60.5 points the last time they played OKC, and with Curry out last game, the Warriors ran their offense through Green. Great option tonight.
Ryan Anderson, $6,100- Um…why isn’t this guy starting? He’s a must play no matter the match-up when Anthony Davis isn’t playing, and New Orleans is now starting the pharaoh that is Kendrick Perkins (he looks like a pharaoh, go look). He’s getting 25 minutes consistently now, which is clearly not enough considering the state of the Pelicans roster, but Anderson can get hot from 3, and even with a tough match-up with the Spurs, you need to consider him considering the lack of mid-tier options.
Serge Ibaka, $5,900- He’s playing well as of late, and he lit up the Warriors last time out. I expect him to be highly owned, so I’m going to resist him here.
Cheap options:
David Lee, $4,300- He’s getting playing time now that he’s in Dallas, but I’m weary as to how consistent those minutes will be. He’s gotten as much as 25 minutes in a game (37.5 fantasy points), and as little as 12 in his last game (18.5 fantasy points). If you need relief with upside, Lee’s a good option, but it really comes down to minutes, and I’m not entirely sure as to what dictates that right now with such a small sample size.
Quincy Acy, $3,200- Acy is one mean looking dude. This is pretty much all I have to say, and that he’s seen 25+ minutes in his last 2 games, and he’s returning value. Sometimes punting is the right decision.
C
My favorite play:
Hassan Whiteside, $8,300- In such a small slate, I’m sort of forced to make my favorite plays the most expensive plays sometimes. Whiteside, even coming off the bench, has been outstanding recently, and even with that dreaded red number 1 beside his name saying that the Suns are the worst matchup for opposing centers, I believe that with the change in rotation in Phoenix that is giving Alex Len and Tyson Chandler heavy minutes, that red 1 will start climbing (Suns aren’t playing small lineups as often, which has forced the opposing center off the court).
Top option:
Alex Len, $5,600- It’s Whiteside or Len pretty much, or you will be punting here tonight. 34 minutes in his past 2 games, scoring 50 and 34 fantasy points. He’s been a great option when he gets the playing time this year, so yeah. Use him while he’s playing.
Cheap options:
Tyson Chandler, 4,400- Even with Len getting so many minutes, Chandler is still getting his. He’s still a good defender, and facing Whiteside would hint that Chandler would be seeing the floor in this one. It’s not a sexy play, but hey, nothing is sexy at the center position really tonight.
Amar’e Stoudemire, $3,800- He’s still getting playing time, albeit much less than when the Heat barely had enough players to form a basketball team, but at a sub $4k price tag, you could do worse.
