The all-star break has come and gone. For DFS purposes it seemed like an eternity. For me it was a nice break to step away and recharge batteries. Thursday was the NBA trade deadline and we seen a ton of movement. 39 players were traded. Now I’m not going to sit here and tell you who the winners and losers were cause I could care less. I will tell you it opens up opportunity for a lot of players for DFS and also takes the value away from a few players. When you are building your lineups make sure these players that were involved in a trade are playing for their new teams. This process can take a few days because of the amount of trades at one time and the players have to pass physicals. On Saturday we a small 5-game slate so let’s get on with it:
Point Guards
Russell Westbrook is a must play if Kevin Durant sits out.
Chris Paul has been taking more of a scoring role since Blake Griffin has been injured. Since Blake’s injury CP3 has averaged 38 minutes, 19 points, 13.5 dimes and 6 boards. He is a bit cheaper than Westbrook and gives you just as much upside.
Goran Dragic has a nice price around the industry. I can’t see the Heat not wanting to show off their new shiny toy.
Ray McCallum has a bad matchup against Chris Paul. With that said he should be bare min across the industry. I don’t see how he doesn’t start over newly acquired Andre Miller but new coach George Karl might see different. Just make sure he is starting first.
Shooting Guards
DeMar DeRozan gets to go up against a great offensive player, but James Harden really doesn’t care too much about defense. The Rockets give up the third most fantasy points to SGs. Also, DeRozan seems to go under owned which makes a good GPP play as well.
Jamal Crawford and J.J. Redick shouldn’t be ignored against a Kings team that gives up the 5th most points to SGs.
Gerald Green is only 3k on Draft Kings. Even with Brandon Knight in the mix, Green will be needed more after Dragic and IT2 getting traded.
Also consider Lou Williams in a game with a 212 O/U. He’s just a scorer and doesn’t give you much else. The last 2 games have been great for him. His price really doesn’t reflect those two games.
Small Forwards
Thursday night Kevin Durant was really favoring his foot that he had surgery on for a “Jones” fracture. Now I had this same fracture in my foot a little more than a year ago and I can tell you this is going to bother him the rest of the year. OKC is on the front end of a B2B Saturday night. I am no doctor but I can’t see KD playing both these games the way he was limping around and might sit out both games.
Most people will tell you that Josh Smith isn’t a good cash game play. I think that used to be the case but not anymore the way he has been playing. He has found a good rhythm in Rockets offense. Averaging around 30 minutes a game and has had 4 double/double’s in his last 7 games going into Friday’s game.
The Clippers wing defense is terrible. They give up the 2nd most fantasy points to SF’s and haven’t slowed down Rudy Gay in the 2 games he has played against them this year. I doubt that changes Saturday night.
Omri Casspi saw 31 minutes off the bench for new coach George Karl. He had 7 points, 12 boards and 6 dimes. He should be close to a bare min punt option around the industry.
Power Forwards
Usually PF is a fruitful position. On Saturday night I think it’s dog shit. There is no value that you will feel confident in rostering. I’m not going to put players in this article just to have them in here. Bottom line it’s a pay up position for me. It’s Anthony Davis and this guy below. If you play on a site that has multi position eligibility try using a center at power forward.
Pau Gasol is the league leader in double/double’s. Last night Pau had an off night. It was his worst game since January 14th. So his bad games are few and far between. On Jan. 30th he had 10 and 19 against the Suns.
You can also consider Serge Ibaka only if KD sits out.
Centers
DeAndre Jordan has been a monster since Blake Griffin went down. In the four games without Blake, Jordan has averaged 20 points and 18 boards. I would say that pretty damn good.
Hassan Whiteside will have his hands full with Anthony Davis and this isn’t the best matchup on paper. Last night Whiteside only played 20 minutes but he got you more than a fantasy point a minute. He just wasn’t needed in the Heat’s blowout win against the sad ass Knicks. People will look at last night and fade Whiteside. That makes him a good GPP play because the herd will look elsewhere at center.
If you want to save some at center then look no further than Alex Len. He played 35 minutes last night and had a double/double. I don’t know if this is a sign of things to come but I do know he will get more time with Miles Plumlee out of town. He is pretty much a must play on Draft Kings for 3k.
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.
