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)
The NBA is back and set to begin a new season and we are ready to roll with FanDuel and DraftKings plays. This first slate is just a two-gamer, but there is plenty of star power to take in. Plus, there are some cheaper plays to speculate on as well.
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Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 45.52 DK - 46.29
The preseason performance was a bit all over the place which is something of a concern, but this game should be an absolute track meet between the Blazers and the Kings. It has the highest over-under on the slate and Fox is coming too cheap on FanDuel for the matchup. The Blazer’s perimeter defense is rough for sure and Fox should be able to exploit some of it with his speed. The Kings are very guard-heavy now with Haliburton and Davion Mitchell both in the backcourt as well, but I think Fox is too good of an FD price to pass up.
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 35.83 DK - 37.74
He’s coming much too cheap on DraftKings and we saw from the preseason that from a fantasy perspective, he’s going to be viable enough in the fantasy department even sharing the court with Bradley Beal. It’s a bit speculative considering he’s coming off the knee injury from last year and is on a new team. I’m not as worried about the former because he was close to coming back in the playoffs last year and played a strong preseason. The new system is a bit of a concern, but the DraftKings’ price mitigates that potential issue some on this slate.
Strongly consider Malcolm Brogdon (FD 7300 DK 7500)
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 27.48 DK - 28.3
In his final two preseason games, Giddey showed how he had a lot of fantasy promise this season, even for a team that projects to be pretty damn bad. He averaged 14 points, seven rebounds, and six assists which is just the kind of floor you want from someone in this price range. His minutes should be around 30 even as a rookie on a team in the tank. He’s close to a lock on DraftKings considering he’s coming under $4K and basically works out as a punt on FanDuel as well. I think he will be pretty popular on this slate considering the preseason contributions aren’t sneaking up on anyone.
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 27.13 DK - 27.79
If Maxey draws the start for the now-suspended one-game Ben Simmons then we are possibly grabbing some of our first real punt value on the slate, especially on DraftKings. He showed a willingness to score even when on the court with Joel Embiid last season and the Sixers will need some of his on-ball ability. If he’s in the starting lineup then I think you run him on DraftKings without worrying all that much about it.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 35.6 DK - 35.42
With Pascal Siakam on the shelf to start the season and Kyle Lowry exiting in free agency, the offense will run more through OG this season. We saw that during the preseason with Anunoby leading the team in shots over the final three tune-up games. He was effective on both ends of the court and is set to take a fantasy leap here. He’s underpriced for the new role in the offense and gets a Wizards team that will still struggle some on the defensive end even with the off-season additions.
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 39.97 DK - 40.2
With Ben Simmons out the first game of the season, more of the scoring and rebounding load should fall to Harris here. He is right in that upper-middle tier in terms of pricing and has a high enough floor considering the context. Without Zion Williamson, the Pelicans are a bit of an unknown here but it’s hard to imagine they’ve made massive strides after being a bottom-third defense last season. This is a good spot for Harris who should take mid-teens shots.
Kyle Kuzma (FD 4700 DK 5100) is an interesting flyer. He had a strong preseason and is going to put up shots in this offense.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 47.07 DK - 49.71
Sabonis was a fantasy superstar last season, averaging 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game in a lot of minutes. We will see if they dial that back any with Rick Carlisle in the coach’s chair, but it shouldn’t take too big of a hit. The offense will continue to run through him and he was back to his double-double self during the preseason. The Hornets are still weaker on the interior in terms of defense even with Mason Plumlee and won’t have a ton to offer Sabonis in terms of a higher quality matchup.
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 27.74 DK - 26.86
I’d almost never advocate for a bunch of rookies in cash games on their first nights in the NBA, but this was a pretty special class and there are impact guys projected to play a lot right from the jump. Mobley is one of those guys who will start for the Cavs at the four. He had two double-digit rebound games in his final three preseason games (that he played meaningful minutes) and could get after it on the defensive end. The Cavs should have him playing about 30 minutes right out of the gate and he’s coming too cheap on both sites especially with some defensive upside.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 50.89 DK - 53.77
This is a big season for the Timberwolves and Towns definitely has something to prove. He has another legit offensive weapon out there with Anthony Edwards and this team could put up points. They won’t be good on defense, but who cares for this exercise. The Rockets also don’t project to play a ton of defense and the 227.5 over/under for this game is the second-highest on the slate. When he played last season, Towns averaged 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. He should be good for at least 34 minutes in what should be an up-and-down game throughout.
I don’t mind Wendell Carter Jr. (FD 5300 DK 5900) here especially on FanDuel. He should push towards 30 minutes even on a bad Magic team and they just paid him in the off-season which does help firm up the commitment to his improvement some.
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