NBA DFS Position Coach: November 17, 2016

Not all short slates are made the same. A five-game slate can have a ton of solid DFS options if you get a lot of teams that like to run, but it is quite different when three of the 10 teams rank in the bottom seven in opponents’ points. Perhaps the most remarkable part of Thursday’s slate is the uniformity across positions. Usually there is a position where you almost have to go cheap, or one where I recommend paying more. In this slate, you could construct your lineup in a variety of different ways even though there aren’t too many guys I really love. In these situations, I recommend you simply lock in the players you feel most confident in and go from there. You don’t have to worry too much about how you fill specific positions.

Point Guard

The Rockets have actually been respectable on defense, and they should improve with Patrick Beverley returning Thursday. Even So, the Rockets are on the second of a back-to-back and Damian Lillard is by far the best point guard available.

Tyler Johnson continues to produce solid games with Goran Dragic out, and with all of the uncertainty at the point guard position, I would be happy to lock in Johnson’s production, especially for cash games.

It is interesting the Bulls chose to start Jerian Grant with Rajon Rondo out, considering Isaiah Canaan has played pretty well as a backup. Grant had 18 points, three rebounds, two assists and five steals, and while he probably won’t produce those numbers again, he should produce enough to be startable.

Tomas Satoransky had 12 points, nine assists and four rebounds Saturday with John Wall and Bradley Beal both out. Satoransky is playable if Wall sits, but he is almost a must-start if Wall and Beal are both out. Even if Wall does play, he isn’t startable for DFS because he may only play 24 minutes like he did Wednesday.

Shooting Guard

Am I the only person who finds it oddly encouraging when a surprise starter has a poor shooting night? Dion Waiters got the start Tuesday with Justise Winslow out and took a team-high 18 shots despite making only five of them. Waiters finished with 11 points, and I think that is pretty much his floor with Winslow siting again. Waiters will likely be in all of my lineups.

Josh Richardson is a better play with Goran Dragic out, but Justise Winslow’s absence probably means Richardson will play 30+ minutes even if Dragic returns. I prefer Waiters, especially for GPP lineups, but Richardson is a nice play as well.

I don’t know how likely this scenario is to play out since they are both considered questionable, but if Bradley Beal plays and John Wall does not, I would like Bradley Beal quite a bit.

I don’t love James Harden on a back-to-back, so I will probably just save a whole bunch of money with C.J. McCollum, especially in GPP lineups.

Small Forward

Gordon Hayward scored fewer than 20 points in a game for the first time Monday, and I would be shocked if that happens again Thursday. Joe Johnson is far more risky, but he had 10 points and six rebounds after Derrick Favors left Saturday’s game, and I suspect both Johnson and Hayward will pick up the offensive slack with Favors out Thursday.

Maurice Harkless is maddeningly inconsistent, but he has scored 17 or more points in three of his last six games. I like the matchup quite a bit, and if you want to save some money at small forward but don’t like Joe Johnson, Harkless is your man.

Andrew Wiggins is cheaper than Carmelo Anthony—by a lot on some sites—and I don’t understand why. Wiggins is playing the best basketball of his career right now, and there is no reason to believe Philadelphia will slow him down.

Power Forward

It is pretty rare for any slate, even a small one, to have so few quality power forward options. Kristaps Porzingis has been pretty terrible in his career on the second night of back-to-backs, and if you eliminate him you have some decent upside but nobody you can play with complete confidence.

I think Jabari Parker could benefit from Justise Winslow’s absence; Miami certainly doesn’t have any other wing defenders who should scare you.

Trey Lyles is always risky, but he scored 18 points Monday and he has undeniable upside with Derrick Favors out. Lyles is a solid GPP play, but I may fade him in cash games.

I just do not see how Ersan Ilyasova, Dario Sarich, Robert Covington or Richaun Holmes are going to keep Gorgui Dieng off the glass. Dieng is always risky, but I think he will get double-digit rebounds with a decent shot at a double-double.

Center

The Trail Blazers have the lowest rebound percentage in the league, and Clint Capela and James Harden may be the only above-average rebounders on the court for that game. I would be a bit surprised if Capela fails to reach double digit rebounds for the fourth consecutive game.

The one player in this entire slate who I feel most confident in is Marcin Gortat. Joakim Noah has been pretty terrible defensively and while the Knicks are at their best with Kristaps Porzingis at center, I’m not sure he can defend Gortat or keep Gortat off the glass. Gortat has double-doubles in each of his last two games, and he could be a focal point of the offense if John Wall and/or Bradley Beal are out.

Karl-Anthony Towns show below 40 percent in each of his last two games, and I doubt that continues. Hassan Whiteside may have a bit more upside, but Towns is cheaper, safer and he has the better matchup.