NBA DFS Playbook Position Coach: November 20, 2015

Gluten? I am pretty sure I lived my whole life without worrying about gluten. Now, I go to the bakery and half the selection is flavorless gluten free products. So removing the gluten also removes the flavor? I find this crazy and it’s the little things like this in conjunction with my life that explains why I do not sleep much. My brain never stops, I have no shut off. In fact last evening I went to bed watching the Kings play the Magic and was back up and researching today’s slate during the fourth in the Warriors-Clippers game. This is one of those nights where not even the cat is up yet to bother me. Where I can only blame my overactive brain. I am not sure what goes on in that head of mine while I sleep but whatever it is the first word I thought of today was gluten.

I, like everyone, have my own way of doing things in the DFS world. One of the things I do is play lighter on nights like tonight with a huge slate. Most of the time it seems with so many games on the board your score has to be much higher to cash out in cash games and GPP play. So I will play about 60 percent of my usual amount and go extra light in GPP. So being the only guy who orders food and asks for extra gluten I bring you my last position coach article for this week. Let’s win some dough (with gluten in it).

Point Guard

14. This is the number of PGs my model spit out at me today for possible plays tonight. Then, I must decide based on a bevy of things which guys just do not make the cut. With value everywhere tonight you will have little choice but to spend up in some fashion on the PG position.

The one guy I am running out in all my cash games tonight regardless of price is Russell Westbrook. In the last two games he has scored over 40 points with one double-double and a near triple-double. He is averaging over 50 fantasy ppg and has more than 60 the last two games and if you are spending up this is the guy tonight.

Last night I watched Stephen Curry drain buckets in the fourth like a guy with a hole in his roof during a hurricane. The kid is an absolute force, scoring 46, 34, 37, and 40 points in the last four games with a double-double last night. Some people like Westbrook, some like Curry, if you are really sneaky you might get them both in a stars and scrubs GPP lineup.

Kyle Lowry tonight has two things going for him right away that I look for each night, he is playing the Lakers who are allowing the 28^th-most points to the PG position on the season and it’s a late game. Lowry has scored more than 20 points in six straight games and I cannot imagine that trend not continuing tonight. I see no way he does not get 40 fantasy points this evening.

If the middle-of-the-road is the way you want to spend tonight then take a look at Kemba Walker. He is averaging over 16 points, five rebounds, and 31 fantasy ppg and tonight faces the Sixers who are allowing the 24^th-most points to the position. He makes a great GPP play.

The Pelicans suck, I hate to say it but it is true. One guy who does not suck, though, is Ishmael Smith. He is averaging over 10 points and seven rebounds playing over 27 minutes per game. Tonight he is facing the Spurs, who seem to be stingy with points to everyone but the PG position for the low price of $5,600 on FanDuel tonight.

With so many options a few guys who just missed the cut were Austin Rivers, who I am willing to go back to if they rest Chris Paul after last night and Mike Conley, facing a Houston team with a new coach who is allowing a ton of points to everyone.

Shooting Guard

As always the SG position is a little thin in my model but we do have some value tonight which should allow us to spend up elsewhere. At the top of my list tonight is James Harden which should come as little surprise. The matchup is not favorable but it seems the Rockets' gameplan is give the ball to Harden. He is the only SG on the board who could put up 60 points tonight, you just have to decide if you are willing to take the risk. If it helps he is averaging over 45 fantasy ppg and I will have some GPP exposure to him myself tonight.

The guy who is a must play if you can fit him in tonight is C.J. McCollum. He is averaging over 20 ppg facing a Clippers team allowing the 28^th-most points to the SG position tonight in a game that should be a high-scoring affair. He is averaging almost 30 fantasy ppg and should easily reach that tonight.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, whose name I find exhausting to type, is playing in a game where Detroit is a one-point favorite with an expected point total of over 200. He scores in the double-digits nightly with a few rebounds and assists thrown in and is averaging over 20 fantasy ppg for $5,000 on FanDuel tonight. I will have limited exposure to KCP tonight in cash and GPP play.

One guy who is on fire right now is Jamal Crawford. Last night he put up 15 points and five rebounds versus the Warriors and tonight is facing a Portland team that allows its share of points to the PG position where he is currently expected to start tonight. He has scored 23, 55, and 22 fantasy points in the last three games and for the price is hard not to roster tonight.

I like Arron Afflalo. Probably one of the few in the industry. Here is the thing about Afflalo, he is scoring easily in the double-digits with three rebounds and a few assists thrown in for good measure on a nightly basis. Tonight he is facing the Thunder who are allowing the 29^th-most points to the SG position on the season. For the price if you can get over 20 fantasy points it is a victory.

A few fellows who just fell short tonight are Eric Bledsoe, who is playing lights out averaging over 20 points and six assists per game facing a Nuggets team allowing the 22^nd-most points to the PG position where he is playing in real life, and Kirk Hinrich, if he draws the start is a great punt play scoring 14 points with six assists in his last game.

Small Forward

This is another position today I just cannot imagine spending up on with so many cheaper options. My favorite guy tonight is Danilo Gallinari. Aside from the fact he plays heavy minutes, he also scores a lot of points. He averages over 18 points, five rebounds, and 29 fantasy ppg. With Phoenix allowing the 27^th-most points to the SF position in what is supposed to be a close game with a high expected total, I am all in on the Italian Stallion. Did I mention I am half Italian? Just the good half I assure you.

The guy I am pairing with Gallinari tonight in cash games is not only on my favorite team (Boston Celtics) but for some reason his price is rising extremely slow. Jae Crowder is facing the Nets who are at the bottom third defensively versus the SF position. In his last two games Crowder has 30 points and nine rebounds, and has scored 22 and 25 fantasy ppg respectively. It’s never too crowded to fit Crowder in my lineup.

Anytime anyone is facing the Lakers they pretty much make the list as long as they are fairly decent players. DeMarre Carroll is more than decent. He is averaging almost 12 points, five rebounds, and 23 fantasy ppg. The Lakers are allowing the 26^th-most points to the SF position and he will be in some of my GPP lineups this evening.

Al-Farouq Aminu is playing in a game with an expected point total of 210 with Portland being three-point underdogs. Aminu put up 16 points and 15 rebounds versus the Rockets on Wednesday night and is averaging over 13 points and seven rebounds per game and deserves serious consideration tonight in all formats.

Harrison Barnes scored 21 points with seven rebounds last night in quite an exciting late night game. Tonight he is facing a Bulls team allowing the 25^th-most points to the SF position. Barnes is averaging 23 fantasy ppg and has hit the 30 mark three times with 29.9 last night. For the low price of $5,100 on FanDuel I will be using him often and expect at least 28 fantasy points tonight.

A few other guys I like tonight are Kawhi Leonard, who is averaging almost 40 fantasy ppg but I find the price a bit high tonight, and in a boom or bust stars and scrubs GPP I plan on having some exposure to Jeff Green who is playing the Rockets who are allowing the 28^th-most points to the position.

Power Forward

Blake Griffin is a great play any night. He is averaging over 26 points, eight rebounds, and has scored over 100 fantasy points in his last two games. Tonight he is facing the Trail Blazers, and back-to-back game or not, he remains the top play tonight at the position and I am using him in my cash games with Westbrook.

The other guy I am going to use tonight in some lineups is “The Green Warrior” Jared Sullinger. Tonight he is playing at the center position but FanDuel has him as a PF still. He has had four double-doubles in the last five games and tonight gets the good fortune of facing a Nets team allowing the 26^th-most points to the center position.

It must be almost Christmas because I am hearing a lot about Noel. Nerlens Noel that is. First off all the Hornets are allowing the most points in the NBA to the PF position. Second of all, he has had two double-doubles in the last four games since returning from injury. He should see plenty of shots tonight playing from behind to a heavy Thunder favorite and you would be foolish to not at least take a look at him.

One guy in the NBA whose name I absolutely love typing is Kristaps Porzingis. For some reason I think of the little cereal elves when his name comes to mind and every time I say it I get a warm feeling inside like I do when I find a way to use the word "lackadaisical" in a sentence. Maybe I need help, but Porzingis does not. The rookie is averaging over 12 points and eight rebounds per game right now and is facing Thunder team allowing the 20^th-most points to the position. You never know, the Knicks could surprise you tonight.

Luis Scola, for the low price, is the other guy I am fitting into my cash game lineups tonight. He put up 22 points and five rebounds against a defensive-minded Jazz team on Wednesday and tonight gets the Lakers who are allowing everyone, even the guy selling Laker Dogs, to score against them.

Center

I tend to play conservative at the center position. It seems whenever I chase value at this spot I end up with 15 points out of some bench player who I should have left behind. I am not taking that risk with so many great consistent players in good matchups tonight.

The guy who you have to rank numero uno tonight is Andre Drummond. He continues to absolutely dominate in the NBA putting up 25 points and 18 rebounds versus the Cavs on Tuesday night. He is averaging 19 points. 19 rebounds, and 47 fantasy ppg. He is expensive but is the only guy on the board at the position who has a shot at 50 fantasy points tonight. I will have some GPP exposure to him.

The guy I am using tonight in my cash games is Mason Plumlee. In case you have not noticed Plumlee is having a hell of a season. He has scored 25, 20, and 30 fantasy points in his last three games and tonight is facing the Clippers who are allowing the 22^nd-most points to the position in what is slated to be a high-scoring affair.

If you want to go mid-tier pricing DeAndre Jordan is the guy to consider. The Trailblazers are allowing the 27^th-most points to the center position and Jordan is averaging over 30 fantasy ppg. He has had three double-doubles in the last five games with two near misses. If you can fit him in I doubt you will be sorry.

Last but not least let’s get back to picking on the Lakers. Jonas Valanciunas is certainly not a household name. I do not see families sitting around having dinner talking about him over mashed potatoes or anyone paying particular attention to him, like the Lakers. He is averaging over 13 points, nine rebounds, and 26 fantasy ppg and with the Lakers allowing the 28^th-most points to the position, he should be strongly thought about.

That is it for yours truly until Monday. As always I will be back later on to answer questions or just chat. Hit me up on Twitter: @geraldcolvin73.