NBA DFS Position Coach: Feb. 1

We have a massive 12-game slate on our hands and nothing will be more important than keeping up with the injury news. 

Point Guard

Yogi Ferrell stepped up in a major way in his last start against the Cavs and he’ll be the chalk value play of the night. Ferrell has only been in the NBA for a couple of months, so he’s obviously a bit risky. Because of his price and guaranteed minutes, he’s safe in cash but can be faded in tournaments if you want to go against the grain.

Kyle Lowry has a great history against the Boston Celtics and they’ve been terrible on the defensive side of the ball for weeks now. Lowry will be without his fellow star DeMar DeRozan, so he’ll have the ball in his hands a ton in this game. Aside from the usage increase, Lowry should see 38-40 minutes in this close game. 

Brandon Jennings was one of the best plays of the night as he dropped 37 fantasy points against the Wizards. Derrick Rose has already been ruled out for tonight, so Jennings is a near must-play in cash formats.

Isaiah Thomas continues to destroy in the fourth quarter and he’s shown no signs of slowing down. His price has climbed up to $9,500, but it makes sense considering his recent play. Thomas is more of a cash game play, but you need some exposure to IT.

Shooting Guard

Seth Curry has become an integral part of the Mavericks rotation and he’s now locked and loaded as the starting SG until further notice. He only averages 0.77 FP/min, but he’s a good bet for 35-plus minutes with all of the injuries in the Mavs backcourt.

The Mavs backcourt basically consists of Yogi, Curry, and Matthews. Due to injuries, Matthews has shifted to SF, but he’s still a great play because of his price. The 76ers have actually defended the SF position quite well this season, but Robert Covington is out for tonight, so don’t look too much into that. 

Victor Oladipo has been one of the only consistent producers offensively for the Thunder. Now that Enes Kanter is on the shelf for the next month or two, Oladipo should continue to have a steady role on offense. Westbrook eats away at most of the usage, but Dipo has still scored 30 or more DK points in five of his last six games. 

Jimmy Butler can’t stay out of the media and it could be affecting his play. He’s coming off a very solid performance where he scored 55 fantasy points. However, he has a tough matchup against one of the best perimeter defenders in the league in Andre Roberson. He should only be played in GPPs.

Small Forward

Carmelo Anthony will once again be the chalk SF play of the night regardless of Kristaps Porzingis’ status. He sees a 6.8 percent increase in usage with Rose off the floor. Melo underperformed last night and it could cause people to hop off of him tonight. You can make the case to fade him in tournaments, but he should be in your cash lineups. 

LeBron James has made it clear that he’s not very happy with the Cavs right now. He’s tired of losing and the team is too top-heavy for his liking. Kevin Love will be out once again tonight, and James will be relied upon heavily in his absence. He was a disappointment last game, but expect James to come out firing in this one. 

Gordon Hayward’s price has dropped to $6,600 and it’s the lowest we’ve seen him in months. To be fair, his recent play has been quite disappointing. Derrick Favors will miss tonight’s game and Hayward should have a solid game against the Bucks.

Dario Saric may be forced into the starting lineup due to Robert Covington’s injury. Even if he comes off the bench, Saric remains an interesting option in both formats. With Covington and Embiid off the floor, he averages 0.97 FP/min and he’s only $4,400.

Power Forward

Channing Frye will enter the starting lineup tonight against the Wolves and he should see 25-plus minutes. His minutes were limited last game because the Mavs tend to play small. Frye is a great value play today. 

Blake Griffin only played 25 minutes last game because the Warriors flat-out embarrassed the Clippers. He’s just $7,500 and has the potential to hit the 30-minute mark against the Suns. He’s still trying to find his groove since returning from his injury, but he should be fairly low-owned in tournaments on this 12 game slate. 

Wilson Chandler was one of the sneakiest plays last night because he’s the biggest beneficiary when Nikola Jokic is off the floor. He was also coming off a terrible game. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case. He exploded for 47 fantasy points last night and is no longer under the radar. He has a difficult matchup with the Grizzlies, but he can still exceed value.

 Center

Willy Hernangomez earned his first start of the season for the Knicks and he rewarded his owners with 39 fantasy points. He gets a juicy matchup with the Nets, but he’s only worth playing if Porzingis sits. 

On the other side of the ball, Brook Lopez is also a fine tournament play. He should be fairly low owned tonight and has 50 point upside. Lopez has really burned some owners this season, but that’s why we won’t play him in cash games. 

Jonas Valanciunas is one of the most frustrating players to roster in DFS, but he has a matchup with the Celtics and most DFS players probably remember how that worked out. J-Val dropped 50 fantasy points in just 28 minutes. He’s unlikely to explode like that again, but don’t be surprised if he hits 6-7x value. 

Andre Drummond recently obliterated the Celtics for 70 fantasy points and the Pistons still failed to take home the W thanks to Isaiah Thomas. Drummond gets another favorable matchup against the Pelicans and he could have another monster game. He’s only a tournament option, but we know he has 20-20 upside, so try to fit him into a few lineups just in case he blows up again.