Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) in the first half during a preseason NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
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Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 48.88 DK - 51.02
Point guard is sort of a mess on this 4 game main slate, which makes Luka look like a straight-forward pay-up option. He's averaging 52.5 fantasy points a game this season, and while you could argue that he's had great match-ups in New Orleans and Washington, all you can really do is beat the team that's in front of you. He actually could present size issues for the Portland wings, and when you look at the rest of the position "high floor" options just don't really exist. I'll be pretty unhappy if my final lineups don't have Luka involved.
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 31.16 DK - 31.84
Did I mention that point guard is thin? Because it's really heckin' thin. I'm not a huge believer in Rozier necessarily, but I was actually encouraged by his game two performance against the Timberwolves. While foul trouble limited him to just 18 minutes, he still managed a double-double, and given how thin Charlotte is I just can't figure out what they will do if they don't at least try to lean on their "big ticket" off season acquisition. Given that I really don't want to pay up for Kyrie against Memphis or Lillard against Dallas, I'm not really seeing the other attractive options here.
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 27.66 DK - 28.17
For as good as Herro looked in his first game against Memphis, he looked a lot more like a rookie against Milwaukee. Still, Herro seems locked into a 32-33 minute rotation until Butler gets back, and as of now, Butler is still slated to miss this one. The Miami rookie should have a great match-up against the defensive duo of Teague and Napier, and if he's really going to keep taking 15 shots a game it's hard to imagine him not being a $5,300 player in a plus match-up.
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 34.77 DK - 35.17
I know LeVert is coming off a rough performance in what should have been a great spot against the Knicks, but I think his opener is a lot more of what we should be able to expect from him going forward. He ran bad in every way possible against the Knicks, turning the ball over far more often than he normally does, and then losing a ton of minutes to severe foul trouble. Given that he has a history of neither, I have to think we'll see him settle back in to the number 2 role we're all forecasting him for. Memphis has historically been a tough match-up for DFS purposes, but early returns there are promising - the young Grizzlies squad has played the fourth fastest PACE in the NBA this season. I still think LeVert's price has room to climb, and I love him in any format tonight.
If you want to go a safer route, CJ McCollum is about as known a commodity as it gets in the league. Yes, he's not done a whole lot in his first two games this season, but this is exactly the kind of silly small sample size stuff that can move prices early in the season. Don't worry about playing him until you see some injury news or other extenuating circumstance.
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 32.39 DK - 33.13
It's a simple price and opportunity mismatch while Butler is sidelined. Winslow posted a LeBron game against the Grizzlies in 36 minutes and then double-doubled against the Bucks in 40 minutes. He's the chief ball-handler for the Heat right now, and that's quite simply worth more than $7,000 on both sites. On a short slate, he's the rock-solid cash game inclusion that you dream of.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 52.25 DK - 53.71
Speaking of LeBron! I don't know if you can afford it on FanDuel, but a sub $10k DraftKings price is looking pretty juicy. There's obvious blowout risk here, as Charlotte could very well be the worst team in the entire NBA, but given how shallow the Lakers are in general it's hard to imagine LeBron not being the guy who causes the blowout (alongside Davis of course). If his 32/7/10 in 30 minutes against the Jazz is any indication, LeBron has shown up this season ready to do two things: kick ass, and drink lemonade. And he's all out of lemonade. Or something.
Also considered: Rodney Hood and Joe Harris as high floor, low cost options.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 57.42 DK - 56.99
After watching Karl-Anthony Towns destroy the Hornets' interior defense for an eye-popping 83 fantasy points, it's easy to wonder if this Hornets team is ever going to stop anybody. Like LeBron, Davis should account for something like 35-40% of the team's usage on a slate where they have the highest implied total of any team. He's averaged 50 fantasy points a game in two tough match-ups, and grabbing what could be the best match-up in the league at below peak prices is looking pretty damned good at the moment.
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 35.1 DK - 36.03
BAM! is looking pretty important to this Heat team now that Whiteside is out of the picture, and he's still pretty clearly to cheap for what he is bringing to the table, particularly with Butler out of the picture. He's double doubled in both games, and the Bucks game indicates that he should be in line for a 33-34 minute rotation. And he even chipped in 8 assists! They'll need his size against Towns, and Vegas thinks this feisty Heat squad can hang. I love Bam in all formats.
Also considered: PJ Washington, if you're hoping to live the dream.
Center is an absolute mess. I think the only answer is to go game by game and at least highlight the playable options.
Brooklyn vs. Memphis: Nope. JV and DJ are the only players that qualify on FanDuel.
Portland vs. Dallas: Whiteside is the only guy who qualifies here. He's actually paid 5x on his price in each of the first two games, but do you expect him to keep scoring 40 fantasy points a game on 26 minutes? Terrifying.
Miami vs. Minnesota: KAT is looking like a man possessed early this season, but he's really expensive, and money is at a premium on small slates. Still, if he's the only guy who is actually going to play starters' minutes, you might have to take your savings elsewhere.
Charlotte vs. the Lakers: Cody Zeller isn't on the injury report, but um.. do you really want to play him as a double digit dog here? The Lakers are running a time share between Dwight Howard and Javale McGee, which might have been exciting 6 years ago, but not so much today.
All in all, the position is a big ol' yikes.
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its nice that you guys do NBA picks EVERY day, even if there are only 3 or 4 games but only do hockey maybe twice a week now regardless of schedule. Come on guys!