NBA DFS Playbook Position Coach: November 10, 2015

Last night was one of those nights that started off right away with your friendly neighborhood position coach writer wishing he put Paul George in his lineup like his esteemed colleague Mark Kaplan recommended. The thing is, I have my way, I do my research to get over the 50 percent mark to cash out on most nights just like all of our other writers here do. That is why you might see a guy in the Position Coach that you do not see in the Playbook. For whatever reason my methods led myself down one way and the other guy another.

At times we are close in theory. So close it is scary. For instance, without reading each other’s work we both had the same value theory last evening fading Stephen Curry in cash games (which turned out to be a great idea). That is a sign of a truly great DFS team. When you see different experts coming to the same conclusion it says something about the team as whole. Between Justin Fensterman, Mark Kaplan, Ben Scherr, and your chubby friend here, we cover pretty much every angle on a daily basis. That is what makes the package work. Our jobs are to make this as easy for you as possible, but in the end playing DFS is like anything else in life, you get what you put in. The truth is in my experience there is no such thing as easy money. So take a moment when doing your research to read all the content available on the Fantasy Alarm site. Use our research tools and take full advantage of what you are paying for.

We have a nice seven-game slate tonight with the feature games being the Dallas Mavericks at the New Orleans Pelicans and the game I will be watching as a die-hard Celtics fan, my beloved Celts at the Milwaukee Bucks. Both of these games feature teams that are playing at a faster pace of game with expected point totals exceeding the 200 mark in what Vegas has deemed close games. I am not a “stacker” in NBA as I find it inefficient but, I will use combos.

I may have cashed my 50/50’s last night but in the end was a day late and a tenth of a point short in GPP play. Let’s win some cash.

Point Guard

Russell Westbrook without a doubt is the top option on the board at the PG position today. He is putting up over 20 points and 10 assists every night no matter who the opponent. Tonight he faces the Wizards and should easily dominate despite Washington allowing the 10^th-fewest points to the PG position. He makes a fine cash game and great GPP play.

One of two guys I am running in my cash game lineups tonight is Deron Williams. Dallas has had two days off now and tonight he is playing in a game with an expected point total of 211. In his last game he went 3-for-5 from the three-point line, putting up 19 points and is averaging 26 fantasy points per game. Tonight he faces the Pelicans who are allowing the most points to the PG position in the NBA in a game where Dallas is the two-point underdog.

Ricky Rubio is too underrated. In the last five games he has been a hair short of a triple-double three times. Tonight he is playing the Hornets at home in what is slated to be a close game. Rubio is averaging 35 fantasy ppg and remains mid-priced across the industry, making him a great cash game and GPP option.

The Lakers, despite some new blood mixed in, are performing very similar defensively to last season. In other words...they still suck. Goran Dragic in his last five games has put up nearly 20 points twice and double-digits three times. Tonight he gets the Lakers who are allowing the 25^th-most points to point guards on the young season. I say Dragic gets 25 fantasy points tonight for a decent salary.

The other guy I am running in my cash games tonight is Jerryd Bayless. In his last game he had a double-double putting up 19 points and 10 assists over 32 minutes versus the Nets. Tonight with Michael Carter-Williams sitting out again, Bayless should draw the start over Tyler Ennis or at least still get the bulk of the minutes for the near minimum salary across the industry.

A few other guys I will have some exposure to in GPP are Jrue Holiday and Isaiah Thomas and if Thomas starts, which it looks like he will, I expect him to dominate tonight.

Shooting Guard

Giannis Antetokounmpo is as good as his name is long. He is actually playing at SF but FanDuel has him in the SG slot. The Greek god is averaging 20 points and eight rebounds per game and is putting up monster fantasy numbers on a nightly basis averaging over 30 fantasy ppg. In the last five games he has scored 20 or more points three times and I see no reason why he won’t do it tonight versus the Celts who allowing the 22^nd-most points to the SF position. I will be running him out in all my cash games tonight.

Here is the deal, in cash games and GPP play you gotta love Bradley Beal. He is dealing with a shoulder bruise but should start tonight facing the Thunder where the Wizards are obvious underdogs. He is averaging almost 23 points and over 30 fantasy ppg. With Oklahoma surrendering the 28^th-most points to the SG position and both teams playing at a +100 pace of game it makes him a strong viable option tonight.

Along with the Greek god tonight Wesley Matthews will be headlining my cash game lineup. His minutes are expected to increase to over 30 which should bring his numbers up from where they have been. Tonight he is facing the winless Pelicans who are allowing the 26^th-most points to the SG position. I expect Matthews to reach over the 20 mark in fantasy production tonight for cheap.

I love the value tonight in the Celtics game. A great value play tonight is Avery Bradley. He is averaging almost 13 ppg. Tonight with this game being slated to be a close one all hands will be on deck for the 2-3 Celtics. I expect Bradly to hit the 25 fantasy ppg mark tonight for under $6K.

The Knicks defend two positions well on the young season, the PG and SG. This is the only reason DeMar DeRozan is at the bottom of the list. A lot of people say you cannot put much stock in early season rankings but like I have said many times, in the NBA if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, then…well…guys…it’s a duck. DeRozan is putting up over 20 points nightly with a little bit of everything else thrown in and on a night where I find the SG position shorthanded he could make a fine GPP play. I have no doubt he will have a good night but in cash games I just see better options.

Small Forward

Tonight in cash games the one guy I feel you have to build your lineups around is Kevin Durant. He put up 32 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks in his last game. He is averaging over 44 fantasy ppg and has put up over 30 points in two straight games. Tonight he faces the Wizards who are allowing the most points to the SF position on the season. How can you not spend up?

Otto Porter is the other fellow I plan on having full exposure to tonight in cash games. In his last four games he has put up 16, 19, 9, and 23 points, respectively. He is averaging almost 25 fantasy ppg for a dirt-cheap price across the industry. Tonight he gets a great matchup, where the Wizards are more than expected to be playing from behind.

Khris Middleton has been on fire lately. In his last game he put up 14 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists versus the Nets. Tonight he faces the Celtics who are allowing the 29^th-most points to the SG position. Yes, another one. Middleton is playing at SF but FanDuel has him at SG much like my next play Andrew Wiggins.

Wiggins went off last night putting up 33 points, five rebounds, and four assists. He is averaging over 26 fantasy ppg and tonight faces the Hornets in what should be a decent matchup. Much like yesterday I still do not subscribe to the theory of avoiding players in back-to-back games and I will have some exposure to him in GPP play tonight. Also, good call on the message board yesterday Chris Dau with the Wiggins call.

Gordon Hayward is the only player in my research model from the Jazz / Cavs game. This is a game with two teams that move slow and defend heavy. Hayward does, however, get a favorable matchup with the Cavaliers surrendering the 21^st-most points to the SF position. For the price, he is well worth the flyer and I see no reason why he should not achieve value tonight in a game with little to be found.

Power Forward

The other guy I am building my cash game lineups around tonight is Anthony Davis. Everyone was waiting for Davis to go off and he finally did the other night versus the Hawks putting up 43 points and 10 rebounds and helped my bank roll grow a plenty. Tonight he faces the Dallas Mavericks in what is supposed to be a close game with a high expected point total. All in on Davis for a monster night tonight.

The deal of the century and the best value play of the night is Jared Sullinger. When the season started I couldn’t believe my eyes when he was not the starter. If I had a man crush on any professional athlete right now it would be Sullinger. In his last game he scored 21 points while grabbing eight rebounds and gets a great matchup facing the Bucks tonight, who are allowing the 25^th-most points to the PF position. He is also averaging over 27 fantasy ppg for a measly $5200 on FanDuel tonight and is a must play for the price. All in like Flynn.

The Lakers continue to be, well, let’s just say Magic Johnson is much better owning stock in the Dodgers right now than the reeling Lakers franchise. When I was a kid it was Clippers who? Oh, how times have changed.

Chris Bosh on the season is averaging almost 17 points and 10 rebounds per game. He can get you double-doubles on a nightly basis having three in the last five games and only missing by two rebounds in the other two games. Tonight facing a Lakers team that is allowing the 28^th-most points to the PF position on the young season seems too easy and I say he easily hits the 40 fantasy point mark tonight.

Another fine value play tonight is one of my new go-to-guys Kristaps Porzingis. Many nights lately when Porzingis is in the right matchup I find him in my lineups. He is averaging over 27 fantasy ppg for peanuts across the industry. Tonight he faces the Raptors in what is slated to be somewhat of a blowout. I say he gets close to 30 fantasy points tonight in this one.

Serge Ibaka is a guy you can take pretty much any night and get decent numbers. He is coming off a 10-point, nine-rebound performance on Sunday versus the Suns and gives you that double-double potential nightly for a fair price. He is averaging almost 30 fantasy ppg and tonight faces the Wizards who struggle to defend, well, everyone.

A few guys that were near misses tonight are Julius Randle who has been playing extremely well but in a bad matchup and Dirk Nowitzki who is averaging a hair under 30 fantasy ppg.

Center

Zaza Pachulia tonight is playing in what should be the highest scoring game of the evening. He is putting up near double-doubles nightly for what is an extremely low price across the industry. He is averaging almost 10 points and 10 rebounds per game and to bring the point home he is facing the team that is allowing the 26^th-most points to the center position in the winless Pelicans. I am running him in all my cash games tonight.

Hassan Whiteside is the guy to spend up on tonight if you are inclined to do so. He is averaging 14 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks per game. He has had three double-doubles with two near misses in the last five games. When you factor in the 21^st-ranked Lakers defense versus the center, he is a great cash and GPP play tonight.

The New York Knicks are a good bet most nights to take some action against. They give up a lot of shots and seem to almost help their opponents out. Tonight they will have to contend with Jonas Valanciunas. He has been on an absolute tear lately, putting up monster numbers on a nightly basis. He has 77 points and 46 rebounds in the last five games and is averaging almost 29 fantasy ppg. That is pretty good if you ask me, for the low $6300 price on FanDuel.

Last but not least, take a look at Roy Hibbert tonight versus Miami. He has been playing well since moving to LA and is coming off an 18-point, 10-rebound performance versus the Knicks and should be well rested coming off of a day off. Worth a flyer for cheap in GPP play.

Good luck tonight and if you have a question, “Direct Message” me on Twitter so I hear the notification and can answer. @geraldcolvin73.