NBA DFS Position Coach: November 5, 2016

I’m pretty sure the NBA puts one game at 6:00 p.m. every day just to stick it to DFS players. On Saturday Minnesota plays Oklahoma City in the early game, but that game is only available on FanDuel. I didn’t list them below, but Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine are solid FanDuel plays.

Point Guard

With John Wall resting Saturday, Tomas Satoransky will likely start at point guard for the Wizards. Satoransky hasn’t exactly stuffed the stat sheet as Wall’s backup, but he should have the ball in his hands a decent amount and he may never be this cheap again.

Dennis Schroder scored 20 points in a game for the first time this season Friday night, and he has an excellent chance to repeat the feat Saturday against the Rockets.

Just in case you aren’t sold on James Harden, he is facing an Atlanta team that lost in Washington Friday. Perhaps more importantly, this isn’t a great slate at the top, and you may be chasing points if you fade Harden.

Jamal Murray was pretty terrible in the first start of his NBA career, but there are reasons for optimism. Murray played 29 minutes and took eight shots despite going scoreless. If he gets similar minutes and shots Saturday he should be well worth his price.

In the two games Tony Parker has missed this season, Patty Mills is averaging 17 points, two rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes per game. Mills costs a bit more than Murray and Satoransky but he is much safer.

Shooting Guard

Bradley Beal played in three games without John Wall last season. In the two games where Beal managed to stay healthy, he averaged 25 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. If he can match those numbers Saturday it would be Beal’s best fantasy game of the season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has flirted with a triple-double for three consecutive games, and he is going to be in a lot of winning GPP lineups when he finally seals the deal. Like a lot of teams, the Kings don’t have anyone who can defend Giannis.

I would much rather play Bradley Beal, but Evan Fournier is probably safer. The Wizards have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season, and Fournier has scored at least 17 points in four of his five games this season. It also doesn’t hurt that Washington played Friday night.

Small Forward

LeBron James averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 2.8 steals against the 76ers last season, and for all of the talk about Russell Wilson or James Harden averaging a triple double, LeBron is averaging 22.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 10.0 assists this season. There is some risk LeBron sits in the fourth quarter of a blowout, but I think Philadelphia can keep this game relatively close with Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid both active.

I don’t necessarily believe Matt Barnes and Omri Casspi are any good, but both could play 30+ minutes with Rudy Gay out. Barnes is probably the better play of the two, but Casspi is cheaper. The best play may be to simply play whichever one is in the starting lineup.

If you don’t want to pay for LeBron but want someone safe who doesn’t play for the Kings, your options aren’t great. Trevor Ariza is in a favorable spot facing an Atlanta team playing for the second consecutive night, but his ceiling is limited.

Power Forward

Blake Griffin has four double-doubles in five games, and he scored 25 points in his only game against Spurs last season. If Griffin tops 20 points and 10 rebounds as I suspect he will, he will be in a lot of winning lineups.

Jabari Parker has scored topped 20 points in each of his last two games, and I like his chances to keep it going against the Kings. I have always thought Rudy Gay was a solid comp for Parker, and with Gay out, Parker becomes even more attractive.

Someone besides Bradley Beal will have to pick up the scoring slack with John Wall out, and my pick is Markieff Morris. Morris is cheaper than guys like Taj Gibson and Serge Ibaka despite scoring more fantasy points so far this season.

Center

I won’t tell you Dwight Howard is going to have a huge game because he is playing the team that couldn’t run him out of town fast enough, but there is a pretty decent chance that scenario plays out. Dwight has at least 18 points and 11 rebounds in each of his last three games.

I would trust the Orlando big men so much more if there were only two of them. That being said, the Wizards are 27^th in fantasy points allowed to centers, and when in doubt, go with the home team against a team on the second of a back-to-back. Nikola Vucevic has been pretty consistent, if not spectacular, but he does have 20-and-10 upside, which makes him an interesting GPP play as well.

I don’t usually recommend one player against the Spurs, much less two, but San Antonio doesn’t have anyone who can match up with DeAndre Jordan. I probably wouldn’t play both DeAndre and Blake Griffin in a GPP lineup, but at least one of them will probably go off, and I have no issue playing them both in a cash lineup.