Point Guard
Chris Paul has been on a tear lately. If it wasn’t for half of his games resulting in blowouts, he would be much more than $8,900. While Westbrook is a force on the offensive end, his defense hasn’t been outstanding. CP3 dropped 54 fantasy points a couple of weeks ago against this OKC team and he could very well repeat that performance.
Another player who has been on a tear is Kemba Walker. But he is a pretty tough matchup with Kyle Lowry and the Raptors who have given up the second-least fantasy points to point guards. This doesn’t mean he can’t produce but temper expectations a bit.
Marcus Smart will be one of my favorite value plays once again. His stat set doesn’t translate great to fantasy but he’s still under $5k and should see 28-32 minutes. The Celtics were demolished when Smart was off the court and he ended up starting the second half.
Damian Lillard has a great matchup against Ty Lawson and the Kings. The Kings have given up the eighth-most fantasy points to point guards and Lillard should have a field day after getting blown out by the Clippers in his last game.
Shooting Guard
Marco Belinelli is never one to fully invest into but I’ll have some exposure here. He’ll be the starting SF with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist out of the lineup. He’s $3,800 so his price isn’t even that appealing. 20-25 fantasy points is definitely a real possibility but due to his heavy reliance on scoring, he could also give you a dud.
If you’re too scared to play Belinelli, go with Nicolas Batum. He has really struggled this year so he’s more of a GPP option. But with Kemba Walker in a tough matchup and MKG out, he should improve.
Marcus Thornton is worth considering if Bradley Beal ends up sitting. He can get hot in a hurry but his price is the main concern. Thornton is now $4,200 and he’s tough to unleash at that price even if Beal sits. It may come down to Belinelli vs. Thornton today.
DeMar DeRozan is the most expensive SG of the night and it’s well deserved. I’ve been expecting a dud for far too long and he keeps proving me wrong. I still don’t love his price of $8,200 and I will still limit my exposure but it’s tough to ignore the production of DeRozan right now.
Small Forward
We have a few tough decisions to make at the SF position today. Gordon Hayward or Carmelo Anthony? Both have good matchups and have been playing very well lately. Pick your poison here, I will most likely split my exposure between the two and may even play both in the same lineup.
Matt Barnes is worth considering today because I’m expecting the Kings to play small against the Blazers. Al Farouq-Aminu is out and Mo Harkless will most likely start at the four, so it wouldn’t make much sense if the Kings rolled out DeMarcus Cousins and Kosta Koufos together. Barnes is $4,000 and should see around 28 minutes today.
Robert Covington was ice cold to start the season but he seems to be heating up a bit. They’re playing the Pacers who they just played a couple of days ago. The game went into OT so the stats are a bit inflated but he scored 23 points and shot 50 percent from the field. His shot is finally coming back to him and he’s a decent play at $5,200.
Power Forward
Let’s get this out there, the PF/C positions are pretty poor today. There’s not too much to love here.
If DeMarcus Cousins ends up starting at the center position (which I expect him to do) he makes for a much better play. Mason Plumlee is not a great defender. The Blazers are giving up the second-most fantasy points to the center position and Cousins could have a monster game. He’s been a bit quiet this year and that may be due to the coaching change so that’s a potential concern.
Kevin Love has been one of the most consistent fantasy producers this season. He finally seems comfortable with the Cavs. He’s at $7,600 and he has only dipped below 38 fantasy points once this season. He’s safe in cash games and has some upside in tournaments because of his tendency to accrue double-doubles.
My value play will be Domantas Sabonis. I don’t love him here but the other PFs around his price range are a bit less inspiring. If he was guaranteed 30 minutes, I’d be all over him but his minutes will fluctuate night to night. He’s worth some exposure but obviously don’t go nuts.
Center
The Myles Turner explosion is appearing to be a fluke. He’s still having a great season, but from a DFS perspective, he’s not really getting it done. Turner is nearly $7,000 and he can’t seem to surpass 33 fantasy points. The matchup with the Sixers is solid but he’s only a GPP play because of his recent performances.
The center position is horrendous today, just play a PF who’s eligible as a center like DeMarcus Cousins or Kevin Love because it’s just not a good day for centers.
I wouldn’t fault you for playing a guy like Marcin Gortat or Rudy Gobert in the $6,000 range but it’s tough to really fall in love with them. Al Jefferson is $3,700 and just dropped 18 points and 6 boards on the Sixers in his last game so he’s also worth considering as a punt play.