Another week of NBA is in the books. One thing we know so far this year is that Golden State Warriors are playing better then last year and it looks like they are heading for a finals rematch against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Last week I kinda went on a little rant and the feedback I got was really positive. So keep the comments coming and questions coming. On Thursday we had some news come down from Maura Healey the Attorney General of Massachusetts. Unlike New York last week, Massachusetts wants to regulate the DFS industry and that is what the states should be doing. In there she says you need be 21 years old to play. When I heard this, I was like “you gotta be kidding me.” So you can defend your country, vote for the leader of this great nation, get married, raise a child, purchase state run lotto tickets, gamble at the horse tracks, and go down to your local convenience store to buy cigarettes but can’t play a $5 double up. Am I the only who thinks this is wrong? Then she wants to limit you to a $1,000 deposit a month unless you can prove you can prove you can sustain more of a loss. Oh really? Are they limiting the amount of money you can spend on their lottery each week? No they aren’t. There are some good things in there like not letting site employees/contractors play on the site, limit multi-entries, and getting rid of scripting. This should’ve been done a long time ago by the sites. Also, it says entries cannot be changed after the start of the contest. This seems to be end of the late swap feature on Draft Kings, which if you didn’t know is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. She goes on to say that she considers DFS gambling, but legal under Massachusetts state law. I don’t agree with that if you go by the true definition of gambling. You can read the whole story over at legalsportsreport.com. Ok, enough news let’s get on with the 6 evening games:
Injuries: Questionable – George Hill, Jeff Teague, Bradley Beal, and Rodney Stuckey
Out – Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore, Mo Williams, Zach Randolph, and Timofey Mozgov
Note: San Antonio Spurs are on the second game of a back to back. Popovich hasn’t sat players yet this year, so be on the lookout for it tonight.
Point Guards
There is lots of value at PG. Let’s start off with Dennis Schroder (5,600). He is another player really benefiting from more playing time because of an injury.
Matthew Dellavedova (4,100) will get the start for the injured Mo Williams. On Thursday he played 39 mins, and had 13 assists. He’s a plug and play in cash games.
Mario Chalmers (3,700) is fantasy relevant again since joining the Grizzlies. In the first 3 games in Memphis, he is averaging around 20 mins and 18.7 pts a game. Any time you can get a player for this price give you over a fantasy point a minute it’s a no brainer to put him in your lineup.
Shooting Guards
There isn’t much to like at SG on Saturday night. You can pay up for James Harden (10,200) and I can’t fault you if you do, but I think his price is a little inflated after that huge OT game on Wednesday when he put up 45-11-8.
Monta Ellis (6,300) has seen his price go up a little bit with his recent move to the PG spot for the injured George Hill but not enough that he can’t hit value.
Garrett Temple (3,500) has been inserted into the starting lineup the last two games for the injured Bradley Beal. Expect about 30 minutes and a little over 20 fantasy points. He’s only viable if Beal is out.
Small Forwards
LeBron James (10,100) and Paul George (9,700) have been awesome this year. They are the clear cut top options at the thin SF position. It’s not a bad idea to try and get both of them in your lineups.
Trevor Ariza (5,600) has been really consistent but his price stays the same. He’s not going to give you much in counting stats, so let’s hope he has the 3 ball working.
The lowest I would go is Jeff Green (4,500). He is getting around 30 minutes as of late but if Kawhi Leonard is guarding him, it takes him off my radar. GPP option at best.
Power Forwards
Kristaps Porzingis (6,300) has proved me wrong. I didn’t think this kid was going to make the impact that he has. On Saturday he gets a paced up game. As long as he sees the minutes, the production will come. But remember he is still a rookie.
Tristan Thompson (4,800) came in for Timofey Mozgov who got injured Thursday night. He played 26 mins and had a double/double. He should see around 30 mins Saturday night. If he stays out of foul trouble you could expect another double/double and at his price that’s all you’re asking for.
I have been waiting for Pop to rest LaMarcus Aldridge or Tim Duncan so I can just plug and play David West and his cheap ass price tag of (3,100). Saturday night I think we might get that chance.
Centers
Andre Drummond (9,900) and Hassan Whiteside (8,300) both have home matchups and are fine plays. I have a hard time paying up for them when Marc Gasol (7,000) is so cheap. Gasol started the year off in the low 8k’s and his production wasn’t good. He is now producing at the level that we are accustomed to, and he’s a thousand dollars cheaper. With Zebo out on Friday night, he had his first triple double of his career. Take advantage of the discount while you can. It won’t last long.
Ian Mahinmi (4,500) is a guy I am late to come around on. I just didn’t believe in him and he proved me wrong. Now he’s not a guy that is going to jump off the stat sheet or play a ton of minutes, but if you can get around 10 points, 8 boards, 2 or 3 blocks in 27 to 30 minutes you should be happy with that.
Don’t forget to check twitter for any late scratches and player news. As always you can catch me on twitter @realdaddybigs or leave a comment below. Good luck this weekend in your games.
