NBA Positional Coach - October 28th

*All stats are from last season

Point Guards

Damian Lillard could legitimately put up 25-30 shots tonight and almost every game this season. He would be a must-start if his price tag was lower, but he is only a GPP option because of his price tag.

For his price and high ceiling/floor, Kyle Lowry is one of the best options at the position. Don’t overthink it in cash games on FD, get Lowry in your lineup.

Michael Carter-Williams is going to get a lot of playing time as the Bucks are missing some of their key players (O.J. Mayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jabari Parker). Williams is a triple-double threat, especially vs. Jose Calderon and the poor Knicks defense.

Emmanuel Mudiay has a strong chance to win Rookie of the Year this season as he is going to be the primary point guard for the Nuggets. His price is extremely low tonight, which means he should have no problem exceeding value.

The Kings point guards (Darren Collison and Rajon Rondo) are both quality GPP plays as each player is severely underpriced. Collison will likely get about 25-30 minutes of playing time while coming off the bench. Rondo is better on a site like DraftKings that rewards double-doubles, as he will flirt with a double-digit in assists. 

Shooting Guards

James “Too hard to guard” Harden absolutely destroys the Denver Nuggets as he averaged 61 fantasy points on DraftKings in four games against them last season. His price tag is high, which makes him more of a GPP option, but he could also finish as the No. 1 player in fantasy tonight.

C.J. McCollum is going to be a popular play tonight and for good reason as he will flirt with 20 field goal attempts. Plus, his price is considerably low across the industry. If he goes off and you don’t have him in your lineup, you’re going to be in a world of hurt.

Khris Middleton is projected as one of the best value options tonight. A lot of that has to do with the same things I said about Carter-Williams. His price on DraftKings is ridiculously low, especially since you get bonus points for three-pointers made.

Eric Bledsoe is a great cash game on FanDuel because he has a floor of 30 fantasy points and a ceiling of about 40 fantasy points, which can’t be said for the players that are priced in the same range as him. 

Small Forwards

Paul George is on a mission to prove that he is 100 percent after his scary leg injury last season. Before that injury, his numbers were some of the best in the league. I expect him to finish as one of the top options at the position, without the high price tag that LeBron James or Kevin Durant have.

The Hornets head coach said that he wants to run his offense through Nicolas Batum. That means Batum is going to pile up assists since he’ll have the ball in his hands a lot, while still racking up points and rebounds. He makes a solid cash game option as his price tag is relatively cheap on FanDuel.

Otto Porter looks to be the primary small forward for the Wizards. This is a big year for him since he’ll finally get a chance to start on an every day basis for the Wiz. Believe he will exceed value, but he does have a limited ceiling.

Danilo Gallinari’s price tag is going to eventually go up, this a tough matchup for him, but he is going to be the No. 1 scoring option for the Nuggets this season.

Andrew Wiggins has some value on DraftKings because his price tag is low and he has a high ceiling. Wiggins is a good defender, which translates into some steals and blocks. 

Power Forwards

Blake Griffin is one of the highest projected players at the position, however, not a fan of his price tag on FanDuel.

Nerlens Noel is going to go beast mode on the Celtics tonight by posting a double-double with the ability to get five-plus steals/blocks. He averaged just under four steals/blocks per game last season as a rookie. Derrick Favors is a strong cash game play on FanDuel, especially since the Pistons are weak at power forward with Ersan Ilyasova.

Clint Capela and Terrence Jones are both extremely solid value plays since they’ll play heavy minutes with Dwight Howard suspended. Capela is practically minimum value across the board, but make sure he is starting before plugging him into your lineup.

It is going to be interesting to see how many minutes Kris Humphries gets with the Wizards. They already announced he is going to start for them, which makes him a dark horse double-double threat.

Both of the craft veterans, Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan, are extremely underpriced. Problem with both players is their amount of playing time is up in the air. Nowitzki could be a sensational option if he gets 33-plus minutes. 

Centers

As much as I love Boogie Cousins tonight, center is looking like the top position to save money at. That makes him a contrarian GPP option.

Roy Hibbert gets disrespected because of his lackluster performance with the Pacers last season. However, he gets a fresh start with the Lakers this year. This is a player that could easily produce a double-double with multiple blocks. It helps that his price tag is extremely low across the board.

Joffrey Lauvergne is going to get the start for the Nuggets, which makes him a solid punt play in any format. He had double digit points and at least eight rebounds in all but one preseason game, so the guy produced solid fantasy numbers when he’s on the court.

Was a lot higher on Ian Mahinmi before they announced that Myles Turner is going to be active. I still expect Mahinmi to exceed value, but this news does put a damper on his high ceiling.