NBA DFS Position Coach -- October 29, 2016

You ever wish you could just ignore an entire position and pretend it doesn’t exist? That is how I feel about shooting guard. Usually in that situation I would tell you to go cheap, but there aren’t any cheap guys I particularly like, either. What I will suggest is you fill shooting guard last; play the guys you actually like first, and then spend whatever you have left on whichever shooting guard makes you least likely to hate yourself at the end of the night.

Point Guard

Jeremy Lin has proven in the past he can put up good numbers on a bad team simply by handling the ball a lot, and that recipe has worked so far this season. He finished one rebound and one assist shy of a triple-double Friday, and he will likely have more than one triple-double this season.

Matthew Dellavedova was underwhelming as a starter Wednesday night against the Hornets, but I suspect that will change Saturday against a Brooklyn team that only has one above-average defender. He will still handle the ball a decent amount, and he could get a lot of open looks while Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker run at the rim.

Ty Lawson hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, but he is cheaper than guys like Jeff Teague, Rajon Rondo, Emmanuel Mudiay, Derrick Rose and Ricky Rubio despite outscoring them so far. Lawson is a solid alternative if you cannot quite afford Jeremy Lin.

It is entirely possible I will look like an idiot for not recommending Damian Lillard, but I would rather save some money and play Kyrie Irving. Irving has started the season right where he left off in the NBA Finals, and he should remain safe for DFS so long as he is shooting the ball 22 times a game. It may only be a matter of time before Irving costs as much as Lillard, so until then, I will use Kyrie.

Shooting Guard

Will Barton shined with Gary Harris out Wednesday, and it could happen again Saturday. I am probably avoiding both players if Harris plays, so be sure to pay close attention before tip-off.

The worse the slate is for shooting guards, the more likely I am to take a shot with J.R. Smith. Smith has struggled to this point, but we all know he is going to get hot from deep sooner or later. I would be willing to take a shot in a GPP lineup.

If Will Barton isn’t an option and J.R. Smith is too volatile for your liking, Avery Bradley should at least get you something. He only has one steal on the season, which is surprising, but he has been solid across the board so far. That should continue Saturday, even if I don’t love the matchup with Charlotte.

Zach LaVine is like the rich-man’s J.R. Smith. He was pretty good in the opener despite a tough matchup against the Grizzlies, and it was nice to see him get 34 minutes. LaVine could easily go off, but there is always some game-to-game risk.

If Zach Lavine is the rich-man’s J.R. Smith, Justin Holiday is the poor-man’s. I have had a soft spot for Holiday since his days with the Warriors, and it was nice to see him play six more minutes than Courtney Lee Tuesday night. Holiday is an afterthought in the offense, but if he can stay on the floor, he can get enough stats to not hurt you.

Small Forward

Kawhi Leonard has produced like an MVP through two games, but he still isn’t priced like one. A lot of the other top players have very tough matchups, which helps make Kawhi a strong play even if he costs a lot more than he did opening night.

I prefer Leonard a bit to LeBron James, but I may try to fit them both in a lineup or two. The only risk I see for LeBron is that the Cavs get up big in this game and LeBron doesn’t play much in the fourth quarter. Beyond that, LeBron should be extremely safe.

James Ennis is not exactly safe, but he was very good with Chandler Parsons out in the opener. The Knicks looked terrible defensively against the Cavs, and that should mitigate Ennis’s risk somewhat.

Power Forward

I suspect Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will guard Giannis Antetokounmpo for most of the game, and while I doubt anyone can shut Giannis down, I suspect Hollis-Jefferson will do a good enough job for somebody else to pick up the slack. That somebody will probably be Jabari Parker. Parker averaged 19.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in April, and he will be a nice value if he can get back to that production in this game.

Trevor Booker is averaging 9.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals in 25.5 minutes this season. Those numbers aren’t specially, but they are good enough while his price remains pretty low.

One of the interesting parts of putting together a DFS lineup Saturday is deciding what to do with players who have put together one good game and one disappointing game like LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge probably needs a double-double to justify paying for him in Saturday’s slate, but I think he can get it.

Speaking of double-doubles, Kevin Love has two in two games. Sooner or later he will face a tough matchup and his production will dip, but I doubt it happens Saturday. Love is averaging 15 field goal attempts and eight free throw attempts per game so far, and both of those are good signs.

Center

Much like Kyrie Irving, Karl-Anthony Towns is another elite fantasy player who doesn’t quite cost like it.

I doubt there is anyone on San Antonio who can slow him down, and I would much rather save some money and play Towns instead of DeMarcus Cousins.

I suspect almost everyone is going to play Myles Turner Saturday, and while that is probably enough to keep me away in a GPP, it is hard to argue against him in a cash game. The matchup with the Bulls is not particularly scary, and it is certainly possible this is the start of Turner’s breakout season and he will never cost so little again this season.

I really don’t think much of Portland’s bigs, and if there was ever a night for Jusuf Nurkic to dominate inside, it would be Saturday. Nurkic may be a popular play following a big game Wednesday, but I like him anyway.