NBA DFS Position Coach: November 16, 2016

Point Guard

If you haven’t figured it out already, Emmanuel Mudiay and the Denver Nuggets cannot contain opposing PGs. They’ve been torched by Damian Lillard twice and Stephen Curry also took part in the destruction. Eric Bledsoe is less than $7k on DK and is a great play in both formats tonight. 

I truly believe this is the last time we see Chris Paul under $9,000 on DK for the foreseeable future. He’s been one of the best players, if not the best player so far this season. Memphis will likely keep this close but CP3 is the only player I plan on using in this otherwise ugly game. 

If more value options open up, James Harden will be tough to fade against his former team. His price makes it tough to fit him into lineups comfortably but more injury news should pop up later in the day. It’s unlikely anyone scores more fantasy points than Harden tonight. 

The same goes for Russell Westbrook, there’s no way you can fit both in tonight. The price difference is miniscule so pick whomever you like more and run with it. Currently, the slightest edge goes to Harden, but it’s almost a tie for me. 

Darren Collison is my value play of the day. Regardless if he starts or not, he will see heavy run against the Spurs. Ty Lawson has proven to be incapable of being a quality starter anymore and Collison is coming off a 37 minute game and should see a similar workload tonight. He’s a fairly safe option despite a tougher matchup.

 Shooting Guard

I’ll be honest, I expected DeMar DeRozan to fall off after his first 3-4 games, but boy was I wrong. It’s impossible to ignore what he’s done and he should dominate from a fantasy perspective against the Warriors tonight. I still don’t love him in tournaments but he’s near impossible to fade in cash games. 

Shooting Guard is by far my least favorite position of the day so the following options are just alternative options but I don’t love any of them at this point in time. 

Devin Booker is tough to play because you essentially have to pick him in the game where he’s feeling it. If Gary Harris and Will Barton miss tonight’s game, Booker will have Emmanuel Mudiay guarding him and he should be able to drain plenty of threes in his face. He’s an interesting GPP play. 

When in doubt, lock in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. His ceiling is always capped because he basically scores and that’s it. He’s always a good bet for 5x value because he can often score 15-20 actual points and get you a steal or two. If you hate SG as much as I do, throwing KCP in may not be a poor idea. The Knicks are middle of the pack in terms of guarding SGs so there’s nothing to be afraid of here.

 Small Forward

LeBron James is under $10,000 and he’s in one of the higher scoring games of the night. The matchup against Paul George isn’t great but he’s essentially matchup proof. It’s tough to love LeBron tonight with all of the other expensive options and he’s on a back to back, limit your exposure but try to fit the King into some of your lineups. 

Carmelo Anthony remains one of the safest cash game options of this slate. If we could give out awards to DFS players, he would probably earn most consistent honors behind LeBron James. He has an average matchup with Detroit but he should still hit value, cash games only. 

If Bradley Beal sits, Markieff Morris will remain a top play of mine against the Sixers. He played 43 minutes and dropped 51 fantasy points in his last game sans Beal and he’s just $6,100. Don’t expect a similar performance but we know he’s capable and at $6,100, that’s the upside we all crave. 

Wilson Chandler is my value SF of the day. He’s in a mouth-watering matchup with the Suns and he should be able to light it up off the bench. Chandler is coming off an injury but I wouldn’t worry about it too much. GPP only, though. 

Power Forward

Anthony Davis may be the forgotten man of this slate. As I said earlier, this is a star-studded slate and people will be going through any obstacle to try and get two-three studs on a team, but that’s near impossible. The Magic have been sub-par against big men and Anthony Davis should be able to destroy them, as well. 

Channing Frye is hot. He’s 11/20 from downtown in his last two games! Frye is firing on all cylinders and is worth a look as a value PF on a day where stars fill the slate, give him a look. 

It’s been a guessing game in terms of predicting Paul Millsap’s big games. He has squandered his chances in games against the Sixers and Lakers but has dominated against the Bulls and Wizards. He has 50 point upside everytime he touches the floor and he’s under $7.5k. I love Millsap as a GPP play against a weak Milwaukee frontcourt. Especially if Howard sits. 

Okay, I lied. I’m a fan of Blake Griffin tonight. The Grizzlies aren’t the defensive juggernauts they once were and Griffin should feast tonight. Regardless of who guards him, JaMychal Green and Zach Randolph will likely get destroyed.

 Centers

Let’s assume Dwight Howard sits for the sake of the article. He left the game yesterday and did not return in a very close game, not good. Mike Muscala will see the biggest boost in minutes and he’s been very solid in his bench role. He’s just $3,600 on DK and I’ll be locking him into most of my lineups if Howard sits. 

Marcin Gortat is a great play against the Philadelphia Sixers tonight. It’s unclear if Embiid will play tonight but regardless, Gortat should see a healthy dose of minutes. He’s already collected five double-doubles to start the year and he remains a top cash game option tonight. 

Aron Baynes remains one of the most intriguing plays of the night. Andre Drummond will supposedly “try and give it a go” tonight. The Knicks defense sucks and Baynes would likely have a monster game if Drummond were to sit. Despite the early indication that Drummond will play, keep an eye on this and Baynes could be a sneaky option even if Drummond ultimately plays. 

Pau Gasol is another top GPP play of the night. He’s just $6,000 and gets an easy matchup with the Kings. He’s capable of a 50 burger anytime he touches the floor but he can also get you that 14 point dud. Gasol has been extremely volatile to start the season but that’s what makes him a solid, low-owned GPP option.