Denver Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic, left, of Serbia, looks to pass the ball as Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, in Denver. The Nuggets won 127-120. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 31.21 DK - 32.26
Welcome to the first weekend in the NBA! With the MLB playoffs underway and football in full swing, we’re into the best time of the year for sports fans. We have a solid Saturday NBA slate on our hands tonight with plenty to look through. At point guard, we have a ton of guys that deserve attention. On the high-end, Simmons, Lillard and Wall are all in good spots. We just have some cheaper options that have ludicrous price tags. With that said, if you have the funds, don’t go out of your way to avoid the studs. We’ll kick things off with Jamal Murray, who’s playing in the second highest total game of the night between the Nuggets and Suns. The Nuggets are favored by 10 and hold an implied total of 117, giving plenty of room for everyone to get their work. In game 1, Murray faced off with Patrick Beverley and the slow-pace Clippers. He has a good excuse for a dud of a performance. Tonight, there is no such excuse. The Suns play fast and the don’t play a lick of defense. Murray is going to breakout this season and this game should start it all. At such a ridiculous price, he’s a guy I’m willing to run in all formats in this match-up.
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 29.79 DK - 30.42
If you’ve watched Suns basketball yet this season, it’s obvious why Isaiah Canaan is starting. He’s the perfect point guard for Devin Booker. He’s still capable of running the offense and creating a shot, but he’s just fine sitting in the corner and letting Booker do his magic. He also loves to run and fits right in with what the Suns want from this offense. He contributed across the board in his first start with 8 points, 6 boards, and 7 assists. He should play 30+ minutes a night as a starter, and I don’t see how you can pass that up against Denver. All three of these guys are rock solid in all formats and it’ll be tough to eventually narrow the field.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 29.62 DK - 30.25
It wasn't totally clear that it would work out this way, but Rajon Rondo is quite clearly a huge part of the Lakers' offense and his price will continue to rise. With Rondo not reliant on any 1 stat, he’s consistent when given playing time. He fits in well against Houston and should face off with Paul for most of the game. He has a tough offensive match-up, but doesn’t rely on scoring anyway. The Rockets play fast and give up plenty of peripherals, which is where he often gets his. The price is simply bonkers and it’s hard to get away from him in a cash game. This game is expected to far and away out score any other game and I’d advise you get plenty of exposure in all formats. Rondo is a cheap and safe way to do so.
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 55.34 DK - 57.44
I still get the feeling that Harden is too cheap right now. The Rockets got absolutely demolished by the Pelicans in game 1 and Harden still managed to put up 51 fantasy points. He's the same James Harden we dealt with last year, so expect 50-70 on a nightly basis. He'll be covered by the likes of KCP and Hart, who are good defenders, but we all know that doesn't matter. Harden has destroyed the Lakers in the past and will do the same tonight as long as the game stays close. With some of the other big stars pushing $13k, we should still have room for the price to go up from here. This game has a 235 total and with just a -3.5 spread there should be a lot of possessions to go around. If you're locking in a cheap player on FanDuel (and you should) he'll likely be in all of your cash game lineups.
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 33.97 DK - 34.06
Gary Harris is a middle of the road guy that you’re going to see a lot in this article as the year progresses. He’s not only consistent, but has the upside to go for 50+. He ran bad from the field in his first game, going 6 for 16, and ran cold on defensive stats as well. He averaged 2 blocks+steals last year, and had none in his first game. Tonight, he gets to face off with the fast-paced Suns team that plays no defense. He’ll also have the responsibility of guarding Devin Booker, so pencil in 34+ minutes on the court. Harris is as safe as it gets at SG and can put up 40 FP without blinking.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 17.88 DK - 18.09
This may seem like chasing points, but I came into the year with the take that Josh Hart will be one of the best 5 Lakers and on the court down the stretch. He’s just too good defensively and has too good of a shot for a Lakers team that’s missing both. If you’ve been paying attention, Josh Hart was a firm NO when the Lakers were going after Leonard. Hart dropped almost 40 fantasy points in the opener against Portland, and while you can't necessarily count on that on a night-in night-out basis, the upside remains obvious. He’s going to come off the bench again tonight and provide a spark against the defenseless Rockets. Given his low price, the floor should be pretty reasonable to. I hate to offer bench guys as a cash game play, but I might be willing to make an exception tonight.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 51.46 DK - 52.48
LeBron is certainly expensive, but you have to consider him in a game with a 235 total and 3.5 point spread. We touched on Harden as well, who’s similarly priced across from him. If you make me pick between the two, I’ll go LeBron, but it’s extremely close. I just think he’s a safer bet for 60 if the game stay close. It’s all P.J. Tucker and Carmelo Anthony for LeBron, so he’ll have no trouble at all. He looked phenomenal in the first game and will only grow with this offense as the season moves along. LeBron is my favorite spendy option of the night and will be locked into all of my FanDuel lineups, where it is easier to spend up.
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 25.62 DK - 25.62
If you’re looking to go a bit cheaper at SF, Ariza is in a great spot. He’s now starting for the Suns and looks to be the right hand man to Devin Booker. In game 1, he spread himself out with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. That was against a far slower and tougher Mavericks team. Tonight, he’ll grab 35+ minutes against the Denver Nuggets. It was easy to forget about Ariza when he was the 13th offensive option on the Rockets, but it looks for all the world like the Suns picked him up so he could be a contributor. He’s as safe as could be in cash games and has upside if he gets hot from behind the line. This game is one we’re all over and Ariza doesn’t take away stats from anyone, so don’t worry about negative correlation. He’s a stud in all formats in this new system.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 49.13 DK - 47.14
If you can't pay all the way up for LeBron, but still want a stud at SF, Kawhi Leonard fits the mold perfectly. He's still very cheap on both sites and has paid off his salary on both sites. This will be his best match-up yet with a faster-paced Wizards squad. Otto Porter is an average defender and nothing Kawhi Leonard is worried about. Expect another 35 minutes from Leonard and for him to have the ball in his hands early and often. The man has put 47 shots in the air so far this season, and while I don't expect him to maintain that pace over the course of a whole season, it's clear that Toronto brought him in to take shots. This will be a close and high-scoring game that will likely go overlooked for some of the others. Leonard is probably a no-brainer on DraftKings, but it's still close between him and LBJ for me on FanDuel.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 33.96 DK - 34.97
With Lauri Markkanen out, it’ll be hard to keep me away from Bobby Portis at this price. He’s not only way underrated for his talent, but locked into huge minutes. The Pistons play somewhat slow and are an average match-up for Portis and the Bulls, but in case the first game didn't make it obvious, the price is far too low for what we can expect from him in an average game script. He should hit value with ease, and as his last game showed us, there's room for plenty of upside as well. He's going to be popular, but this is chalk I'm willing to eat and differentiate elsewhere.
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 42.03 DK - 43.93
As usual, power forward is probably the weakest position on the slate. There are quite a few options, but nowhere hear the other positions. Blake Griffin is one of the more expensive options, but isn't as pricey as LaMarcus Aldridge, who may be a bit more popular. Griffin will face off with Bobby Portis, whose max-effort approach doesn't always translate to good defense. Portis is prone to over-committing on one hand, and losing track of guys on the other. These two guys are both offensive-minded and I could see this turning into a back and forth match a few times. The big issue with Griffin, though, is the price. We've seen him display no difficulty in maintaining a $9,000+ price in the past, and he should be heading back in that direction in short order.
Also considered: It will be tough to pry my hands off of the above two guys, but Aldridge looked awfully comfortable in his first game this season. He decimated a solid Minnesota front court for 21/19, and his former team in Portland should have a tough time with him as well. I'd like to play all three of these guys, and could be talked into Aldridge over Blake on DraftKings, where he is quite a bit cheaper.
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 47.82 DK - 50.27
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 55.41 DK - 57.39
You've got two excellent options to pay up at center tonight, which makes things sort of triggered. On one hand you have Jokic - the best player in a fast paced game with a huge total. He's also a fantasy monster and fits perfectly into the fast pace of this game. The Suns ranked in the bottom 10 against bigs last year and have added DeAndre Ayton, who is a known terrible defender. The Joker is still under $10k on both sites and I'm just hoping he's not over 25 or 30% owned for big tourneys. Embiid, meanwhile, is coming off of a 61 fantasy point drubbing of the Bulls in just 32 minutes, and the Sixers showed that they are willing to play him 35+ minutes in their opener. It's an excellent match-up against Vucevic, and he looks like a phenomenal play as well.
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 40.14 DK - 41.91
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 42.05 DK - 42.35
We also have two options in the lower price tier that look amazing as well. Coming into the season as first overall pick, Ayton has a lot to prove. It just doesn’t look like it will be all that hard for him to do. He destroyed the Mavs and Deandre Jordan for 45 fantasy points on 18/10/6 line. He now sees a Nuggets team that doesn’t have much interior defense at all. Jokic is a monster on offense, but a step behind and not as strong as Ayton down low. He did bang his ankle up a bit, so make sure he’s in the lineup before you play him.
As for Whiteside, the DraftKings price is just a joke. I get that he didn't totally show up against Dwight and Washington, but if the plan is to play him 30+ minutes a game (and it seems that it is) yuo can expect his price to rise by 10%-15% in very short order.
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View Comments
the date is wrong
Are you finding it more difficult with the new rules? Is it good strategy to punt a position and save the $ to pay up? My pricey players are being voided with lowest score and I’ve missed the cash line each slate.
I find the weakest position on the slate and punt 1 if not both of the spots with Min price players
But also look for at least one with upside...this allows you to pretty much do whatever you want elsewhere.
Hope that makes sense