NBA DFS Position Coach: November 29, 2016

This may be the toughest slate I have tried to navigate so far this season. Of the 10 teams on the docket, five of them rank in the bottom seven in opponent’s points allowed per game and three more are in the bottom 13. To make matters worse, the teams that do have good matchups have a distinct lack of reliable fantasy options themselves. Hopefully, some team like the Hornets will decide to rest a few starters, but if that doesn’t happen, it will be difficult to find cheap players you can actually count on. In cash lineups, I think I’m going to go with mid-priced guys across the board and hopefully scrape together enough savings to play two more expensive guys.

Point Guard

The Nets are really bad at basketball. No team has allowed more steals, and only the Lakers have surrendered more assists. Chris Paul should have little problem taking advantage.

The Lakers are allowing 110.9 points per game this season, and if you want to take advantage, you probably have to play one (or both) of the Pelicans’ point guards. I probably prefer Jrue Holiday slightly over Tim Frazier. Holiday hasn’t scored 20 points since he did it in back-to-back games in his season debut, but we know he is capable of having a big game.

Shooting Guard

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the cheapest he has been since Veterans Day thanks to a cold shooting night on Saturday, and I think he is a great value. The Pistons are playing on two days rest against a Charlotte team that is losing an hour traveling east to play their fourth game in five nights. Caldwell-Pope may be the riskiest of the Pistons I will recommend, but I feel pretty confident he can score 20 points and provide some other stats as well.

I’m doing it again. I’m recommending J.R. Smith. Smith played 39 minutes Sunday with Iman Shumpert out despite missing all 11 of his shots from the field. Smith has been terrible lately, but he is an excellent punt play, especially for GPP lineups.

As weak as this slate is, if you can lock in solid production at every position, you should cash pretty easily. Jordan Clarkson may not have much upside, but he is pretty much money in the bank for 15 points and a handful of rebounds, assists and steals.

Small Forward

I’m not sure anyone has ever been stoked to play Marcus Morris, but he is extremely solid for cash games, and I love the matchup. The Hornets are 23^rd in fantasy points allowed small forwards this season.

Brandon Ingram isn’t exactly safe, but over the last week, he is averaging 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He has an outside shot at a double-double, but more importantly, he is very cheap and has played at least 29 minutes in each of the last three games.

Kawhi Leonard may not have LeBron James’s upside, but his floor is just as high and his price is a lot lower. I don’t know how you afford LeBron in this slate and still put together a quality lineup. Leonard’s price is far more manageable.

Power Forward

The Brooklyn Nets have allowed the most points and rebounds in the NBA and the second-most assists, and that bodes well for Blake Griffin. Griffin will be well-worth his price if he can get to 20 and 10, and I think he has an outside chance at a triple-double. Griffin had 20 points, six rebounds and six assists against the Nets two weeks ago.

Tobias Harris is probably a bit riskier than Marcus Morris, but his ceiling is higher as well. The Hornets are even worse against power forwards than they are against small forwards.

In the last three games, all of which Julius Randle has missed, Larry Nance Jr. has played 18, 20 and 32 minutes. Nance will probably play close to 30 minutes if Randle is out again, as he matches up pretty well against the Pelicans’ power forwards. Nance could provide a cheap double-double.

Center

As much as I like the other Pistons mentioned above, Andre Drummond is the only one I am completely confident in. Drummond is the most likely candidate for a double-double, and he could have a monster game against a depleted Charlotte team.

With the way the Nets surrender points and rebounds, there should be enough to go around for Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. I would probably prefer not to play them both in the same lineup, but DeAndre is a nice alternative if you cannot afford Blake.

I don’t usually like to pay up for centers, but barring a surprise day off for a starter, I think you almost have to. If you insist on going cheap, just grab Tristan Thompson and hope he can put together a third consecutive double-double. Thompson isn’t exciting, but he is the cheapest center in Tuesday’s slate who is relatively safe.