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Is it just me, or have fewer starters been shut down this season than at the same point last season? It seems to me like last season every team that wasn’t in the playoffs shut down their best players with nagging injuries. Outside of the Lakers and teams of their ilk trying desperately to tank, there are plenty of teams out of contention still dutifully playing their starters, like the Mavericks, Timberwolves and Pelicans. Maybe I just didn’t notice, because 11 of the 18 teams going Friday are still eligible for the playoffs. There are obviously some cheap bench players getting heavy minutes because there always are this time of year, but I felt it important to point out that while I will probably go stars-and-scrubs more often than not Friday, you certainly do not have to.
Point Guard
Dennis Schroder is averaging 22.5 points and 6.5 assists against the Cavaliers this season.
Emmanuel Mudiay averaged 16.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists in two games with Jameer Nelson out this week. Nelson is doubtful for Friday, making Mudaiy the best option if you want to go cheap at point guard.
Russell Westbrook is averaging 41.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 13.7 assists and 2.3 steals against the Suns this season. He narrowly missed his record-setting 42nd triple-double of the season Wednesday, and it appears highly likely he will get it Friday.
Tyler Ennis had 19 points and six assists in 39 minutes Wednesday, and he could play similar minutes Friday with D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson questionable. Ennis could be a decent value on DraftKings, but I love his price on FanDuel and Yahoo!.
Dennis Schroder is averaging 22.5 points and 6.5 assists against the Cavaliers this season. Cleveland’s defense has been a disaster for most of the second half, and what little rim protection they had is gone with Tristan Thompson out. Schroder has at least 14 points and five assists in nine consecutive games.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Emmanuel Mudiay | DEN | H | NOP | 53 | 25.7 | 79% | 1 | 10.9 | 3.2 | 4 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 2.2 | 37% | 22.70% | 20.5 | 22.3 | 21 | $3,800 | $3,800 | $10 |
| Russell Westbrook | OKC | A | PHX | 78 | 34.7 | 84% | 2.5 | 31.8 | 10.7 | 10.4 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 5.4 | 43% | 41.80% | 58.9 | 63.4 | 60.1 | $13,500 | $14,000 | $65 |
| Tyler Ennis | LAL | H | SAC | 31 | 6.3 | 67% | 0.2 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.8 | 39% | 19.50% | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4 | $3,800 | $5,000 | $10 |
| Dennis Schroder | ATL | A | CLE | 77 | 31.6 | 85% | 1.3 | 18.1 | 3.1 | 6.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 3.3 | 45% | 28% | 30.3 | 32.8 | 31 | $7,300 | $7,600 | $32 |
Shooting Guard
Courtney Lee is pretty cheap for a guy averaging 15.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists over his last four games. Lee has taken at least 10 shots in four consecutive games, and that is unlikely to change while Kristaps Porzingis is out.
No team in the NBA has allowed more points since the All-Star break than the Suns. Outside of paying up the wazoo for Russell Westbrook, Victor Oladipo is the only Thunder player you can feel good about paying for, even if he completely let me down Tuesday against the Bucks.
David Nwaba makes me a little nervous, especially now that he is playing every day between the NBA and the D-League, but he might have to play a ton of minutes if D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson are both out. Nwaba is a fine alternative if you cannot afford Courtney Lee.
James Harden still doesn’t look right following his wrist injury, so if I pay up at shooting guard, I will pay for DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan has been quite good at making plays for others lately on days his shot isn’t falling. DeRozan has at least 22 points or six assists in 13 consecutive games, which makes him a safe cash play if nothing else.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Victor Oladipo | OKC | A | PHX | 63 | 33.4 | 77% | 2 | 16.2 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 45% | 21.20% | 26.6 | 28.6 | 27.6 | $5,800 | $5,900 | $22 |
| David Nwaba | LAL | H | SAC | 18 | 19.1 | 63% | 0.1 | 5.6 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 57% | 11.50% | 12 | 12.4 | 12 | $3,900 | $4,500 | $10 |
| Courtney Lee | NYK | A | MEM | 74 | 32.2 | 88% | 1.4 | 10.8 | 3.4 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 46% | 14.20% | 20.3 | 21.6 | 21 | $4,600 | $4,800 | $13 |
| DeMar DeRozan | TOR | H | MIA | 72 | 35.5 | 84% | 0.5 | 27 | 5.3 | 4 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 47% | 34% | 39.4 | 41.1 | 39.7 | $8,900 | $7,800 | $42 |
Small Forward
LeBron James is averaging 30.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists against the Hawks this season. Even if LeBron was inclined to limit his minutes in preparation for the playoffs, he probably can’t do it with Tristan Thompson out.
Carmelo Anthony took at least 19 shots and scored 23 points in both games without Kristaps Porzingis this week. Carmelo may not be the most efficient scorer in the world, but he is pretty safe so long as he has to carry the entire offensive load for the Knicks.
Doug McDermott played 32 minutes Wednesday, his most minutes in a month. He responded with 10 points and seven rebounds. McDermott has a decent shot at playing similar minutes Friday with Alex Abrines out and Andre Roberson questionable. It is still an open question if McDermott is a real NBA player, but we know the Suns are not a real NBA team, so I like his chances to have a nice game if the minutes are there.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| LeBron James | CLE | H | ATL | 72 | 37.6 | 67% | 1.7 | 26.3 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 4.1 | 55% | 30.10% | 49.3 | 52.6 | 50.1 | $10,900 | $10,600 | $57 |
| Carmelo Anthony | NYK | A | MEM | 73 | 34.5 | 83% | 2.1 | 22.5 | 5.9 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 43% | 29% | 34.4 | 36.8 | 35.5 | $6,700 | $6,600 | $31 |
| Doug McDermott | OKC | A | PHX | 44 | 24.5 | 88% | 1.3 | 10.2 | 3 | 1 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 45% | 17.10% | 15.2 | 16.3 | 15.8 | $3,500 | $3,000 | $10 |
Power Forward
Kevin Love has played at least 27 minutes in four consecutive games, with double-doubles in each. Love should be pretty safe for minutes and rebounds while Tristan Thompson is out.
It appears we finally, maybe, possibly found a backup wing player in San Antonio we can trust when the starters are out. Davis Bertans has topped 23 minutes twice this month, scoring at least 11 points each time. I’m willing to go out on a limb that Bertans scores in double-figures again Friday, and even if he doesn’t, he only costs you the minimum across the board.
David Lee is averaging 11.8 points and 9.3 rebounds as a starter this season. Lee is the closest thing to a playmaker the Spurs will have on the floor outside of their point guards, so there is a decent chance his usage is quite high for his price.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Kevin Love | CLE | H | ATL | 57 | 31.1 | 87% | 2.5 | 19.1 | 11 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 2 | 43% | 26.60% | 35.7 | 38.5 | 36.9 | $7,600 | $7,900 | $34 |
| Davis Bertans | SAS | A | DAL | 63 | 11.8 | 82% | 1 | 4.4 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 44% | 15.60% | 8 | 8.8 | 8.5 | $3,500 | $3,000 | $10 |
| David Lee | SAS | A | DAL | 75 | 18.6 | 71% | 0 | 7.3 | 5.6 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1 | 61% | 16.60% | 17.1 | 17.9 | 17.1 | $4,000 | $4,800 | $10 |
Center
I don’t trust Dewayne Dedmon nearly as much as I trust Davis Bertans or David Lee, but Dedmon plays a different position and costs the minimum. Dedmon is averaging 5.8 points and 7.3 rebounds as a starter this season, which is decent enough production for a punt play.
Perhaps the best reason to play Dedmon is the rest of the center position is pretty mediocre. That being said, Rudy Gobert has 10 consecutive double-doubles, averaging 20.1 points, 14.4 rebounds and 3.8 blocks over that span. He is probably safer than the centers who cost more, even if his ceiling isn’t as high.
Clint Capela gets the award for center most likely to get a double-double without breaking the bank. He had 15 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks in his only game against Detroit this season, which is certainly encouraging.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Dewayne Dedmon | SAS | A | DAL | 72 | 17.5 | 74% | 0 | 5.1 | 6.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 65% | 11.90% | 15.4 | 16.1 | 15.4 | $3,500 | $3,000 | $10 |
| Rudy Gobert | UTA | H | MIN | 77 | 34.1 | 65% | 0 | 14 | 12.9 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 66% | 16.60% | 36.1 | 37.7 | 36.1 | $9,100 | $8,700 | $39 |
| Clint Capela | HOU | H | DET | 63 | 23.8 | 54% | 0 | 12.3 | 8.1 | 1 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 63% | 19.80% | 25.6 | 26.7 | 25.6 | $5,500 | $5,700 | $17 |