NBA DFS Position Coach: January 13

Point Guard

Kyle Lowry is facing the Brooklyn Nets and he’s arguably the top PG play of the day. He’s under $9,000 and should hit 5x value with ease. Not to mention the Nets have one healthy PG in Spencer Dinwiddie. 

Darren Collison may be one of the least exciting DFS plays out there because he seems to only rack up points and assists. However, he’s starting and at just $4,300 he appears to be a strong value against the Cavs. 

Kyrie Irving is coming off arguably his worst game of the season against the Blazers where he scored just 19 fantasy points. The Cavs were blown out by the Blazers and the Cavs don’t take blowouts very well. The entire Cavs big three is in consideration today because they will not lose to the Kings today. 

Spencer Dinwiddie could end up being the lone PG on the roster for the Nets if starter Isaiah Whitehead cannot suit up. He couldn’t finish last night’s game and there’s a good chance Dinwiddie starts and plays around 28-31 minutes. He’s $3,600 so you can squeeze in some of the big hitters.

Shooting Guard

Nicolas Batum is returning from a two-game absence and typically that means stay away because a minutes limit is likely. Jeremy Lamb is out tonight and Batum should be forced back into his usual role. He’s been hurt so he comes at a heavy discount on DraftKings. 

C.J. McCollum has been carrying the load for the Blazers lately and I don’t see that changing at home against the Magic. He’s scored below 40 fantasy points in just one of his last five games and that makes him a great combination of upside and consistency. 

Zach LaVine, the minute monster, is back. Ricky Rubio was thriving in his absence but the party stops here. Lavine should assume his normal role and at $6,400 Lavine is a relatively safe option at the SG position.

Small Forward

LeBron James is the safest stud of the night which means fire him up in your cash games. Even though he had a “bad” game against the Blazers, he still scored 42 fantasy points. He barely played in the 4th quarter and the Kings should keep it close with DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay defending their home turf. 
Marcus Morris is coming off a strong performance against the Warriors and he’s about the only one who played well on the Pistons last night. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was hurt in the first quarter and never returned. I’d bet on him sitting this one out. It’s an awful matchup against the Jazz but someone has to score. 

Stacking high-scoring, competitive games is the way to go. Rudy Gay doesn’t have the most upside due to his stat set, but I think Gay has a high floor for cash games. He averages 1.01 FP/min and he should see over 35 min in this contest. 

Even though the Utah and Detroit game is the lowest scoring game of the night by far, it doesn’t mean we have to completely fade the game. Stanley Johnson saw 37 minutes last night after KCP went down. He’s not going to get you a ton of points, but he should start and see 30-plus minutes, making him the top value SF.

Power Forward

Serge Ibaka is on track to play tonight and even though usage monster Nikola Vucevic is in the starting lineup, Ibaka is a strong play against the Blazers. His upside is capped, but he’s a good bet for 30 fantasy points, which means 5x value is well within his reach. 

The Boston Celtics are known for giving up fantasy points to opposing big men and Paul Millsap could destroy them. The stat sheet stuffer offers a rare combination of upside and consistency and it would be a mistake to fade Millsap tonight. 

Zach Randolph and the Grizzlies are heading to Houston where they should see the pace jump considerably. Randolph comes off the bench, but he still offers high upside. It would be quite a surprise to see Randolph miss 5-6x value tonight and he’s safe to lock into GPPs. 

Joel Embiid recently sprained his ankle, but it appears as though Embiid will be all systems go. He’s already on a minutes limit and he played through the injury in his last game so there’s not much to worry about it. The Hornets are bad against centers and he’s basically a lock for 5x value or 40-45 fantasy points.

Center

Marc Gasol is just $6,900 and while his usage rate and fantasy points drop when Mike Conley is healthy, he’s still a great option against the Rockets. Big men tend to destroy the Rockets as they’re one of the worst in the league at guarding that position.

I’m going back to the ugly game. I won’t play more than two or three guys from the Det vs. Utah game, but there are a few solid options to pick from. The terrible matchup for both teams resulted in a price reduction for all players and that means Andre Drummond is cheap as well. He’s been rolling lately and the only thing that has slowed him down is foul trouble and blowouts. Drummond remains a GPP only option, though. 

Now that Nikola Vucevic is back in the starting lineup, it’s actually an upgrade for those playing the Magic. Mason Plumlee has arguably the best matchup among all centers against the Magic. He’s only a tournament option because of his inconsistent playing time. 

Rudy Gobert is just $6,500 and it’s almost insulting. He’s grabbed double-digit rebounds in over 15 straight games and he’s one of the safest center options out there. He’s much safer than Drummond and should be considered in cash games. 

Greg Monroe has finally been let out of the dog house and he’s been on fire. He’s racking up every statistical category and he’s averaging 3.5 assists per game since returning to the rotation. The matchup against Hassan Whiteside looks intimidating on paper, but the Heat are actually one of the worst teams in the league against big men.