NBA DFS Position Coach: January 3

There are a lot of injuries in Tuesday’s slate, especially at the point guard position. This creates a lot of underpriced options who will handle the ball a lot as well as eliminating a lot of the point guards you might consider paying up for. With that in mind, I’m almost certainly going cheap at point guard (and probably shooting guard as well) and spending money elsewhere. There are a surprising number of centers I really like in this slate, and on sites with a UTIL spot, I have mostly been plugging in centers.

Point Guard

Darren Collison tied a season-high with 39 minutes Saturday, and he should see heavy usage again if Ty Lawson is out. Collison would be a near-lock for 15 points and should throw in a handful of rebounds and assists as well.

In the two games Sergio Rodriguez has missed this season, T.J. McConnell has averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists. McConnell will likely be a popular play, but I don’t think I can fade him.

Shelvin Mack had 15 points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals in 32 minutes Monday, and with George Hill and Dante Exum likely out again, Mack should be a safe play Tuesday as well.

Aaron Brooks may be the riskiest of the possible point guard injury replacements, but he probably has one of the highest ceilings as well. Brooks could be in line to start if Jeff Teague is held out, and Brooks had 14 points in 18 minutes Sunday.

I don’t want to be that guy who recommends the most expensive player at every position, but with so many point guards either injured or facing bad matchups, John Wall is worth considering. He has at least 18 points and nine assists in 10 consecutive games and you can definitely afford him if you go cheap elsewhere.

Shooting Guard

While Aaron Brooks is almost certainly the better value, Monta Ellis is extremely intriguing thanks to his shooting guard eligibility. Indiana had a lot of success with Ellis as a ball-handler last season, and he could easily approach 30 minutes as the backup at both guard positions. Ellis is risky, but at the very least he probably belongs in one GPP lineup.

I wouldn’t go so far as to label this a good matchup for DeMar DeRozan, but no team on Tuesday’s slate has allowed as many fantasy points to shooting guards as the Spurs. You have to spend money somewhere, and DeRozan should be significantly better than the mediocre options at shooting guard.

If you insist on going with a mid-priced shooting guard, Rodney Hood is it. He appears to be back to his normal playing time, and he has three consecutive games with 13-or-more points. Utah’s backcourt is crowded, but Hood is pretty cheap and you can be reasonably confident he will at least get you some production.

Small Forward

Kawhi Leonard plays a stronger position, but otherwise, everyone I wrote about DeMar DeRozan applies to Leonard as well. There are plenty of small forwards who can match Leonard on any given night, but he is super safe and affordable.

I nearly recommended Harrison Barnes, but Danilo Gallinari is just as safe and a lot cheaper. Gallinari should see even more of his minutes at power forward with Denver depleted up front, and no team has allowed as many made threes as the Kings this season.

Over his last four games, T.J. Warren has scored 24, zero, four and 23 points. He probably isn’t playable in cash games, but I love him for GPP lineups. Warren will likely spend most of the night matched up with Wayne Ellington and Josh Richardson, and nobody would be shocked by another 20-point night.

Power Forward

James Johnson has scored 20 points in consecutive games, and he should get a lot of minutes and shots with Hassan Whiteside and Justise Winslow out Tuesday.

Pascal Siakam played a career-high 31 minutes Sunday with Patrick Paterson out, and while he scored just three points, he did have 10 rebounds and four blocks. Siakam’s upside is limited, but he is a reasonable punt play if Patterson is out.

Nikola Jokic, I wish I knew how to quit you. Jokic is averaging 20.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists over the last week and perhaps more importantly, Mike Malone doesn’t have a whole lot of options for post minutes with Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur out.

Center

Only three teams in Tuesday’s slate have allowed as many fantasy points to opposing centers as the 76ers, and Karl-Anthony Towns has been pretty awesome of late. Towns has four consecutive double-doubles 14 in his last 15 games, including his first career triple-double last week.

Joel Embiid has scored at least 23 points in three consecutive games, and he will be an excellent play if Jahlil Okafor is out again. The 76ers haven’t played since Friday, and Embiid is averaging 20.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists on three-or-more days rest.

Andre Drummond completely eviscerated the Heat with Hassan Whiteside out Sunday, and while Tyson Chandler is not nearly the player Drummond his, he did have 21+ rebounds in back-to-back games last month. That is in play for Chandler Tuesday.

What is the point of saving so much money on cheap guys with increased playing time if not to spend on studs? DeMarcus Cousins has thrived with Rudy Gay out, averaging 32.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists over the last two weeks. KAT may be cheaper and a bit safer, but nobody has boogie’s upside right now.