Looks like we are in full trade mode in the NBA. Teams trying to get better for the playoff push. Then we have teams dumping salary and getting much needed draft picks. How does this relate to the daily game you say? If NBA teams are in the advanced stage of trade talks the players involved in the deal can not play that night. So if players that are involved in trade talks do not play them. Go a different route. As far as the article goes, I am going to tell you when the article does good and last week wasn’t one of my better efforts. We had players sitting out for injuries, bereavement issues, and I just flat out missed on some guys. This is a new week so lets kick some ass and make money playing some DFS hoops.
Note: There are 9 games on Saturday. We are only going to concentrate on the 7 night games.
Point Guards
If you want to spend up at point guard on Saturday night then the two options are Kyle Lowry and Damian Lillard. Both are priced very similar, so your not going to get a discount from one to the other. Both play at home and are playing teams on the second end of a back to back. Lillard did hurt his back last game when he collided with Dwyane Wade. Reports are Lillard is sore but will play. The advantage I see with Lowry is that he plays against a Boston team that is 2nd in pace in the NBA. Lillard plays against Orlando and they are 24th in the league in pace. Both games have double digit spreads but the game total for the Boston @ Toronto game is 15 ½ points higher than Orlando @ Portland. Add all this up and I rank Lowry over Lillard on Saturday night.
With Deron Williams out with fractured ribs Jarrett Jack has the point guard position all to himself. Minutes usually equal production. The red hot Pistons are middle of the road in defensive efficiency vs. pg’s on the season. So no real advantage there. He is SG eligible on Draft Day which is a bonus.
Mo Williams didn’t play Friday night with a sprained ankle. Zach LaVine will start again if Williams is ruled out again.
Tony Parker might sit on the 2nd end of a back to back. That means it’s Cory Joseph time.
Shooting Guards
James Harden is still a little overpriced for what his production has been lately. Just don’t expect the insane numbers he had earlier this year. It’s a pace down game for Houston but Utah is last in the league in defensive efficiency vs shooting guards.
Joe Johnson has stepped up his offensive workload with Deron Williams out. His minute are very stable and there are a couple games where he went over the 40 minute mark. The matchup against Detroit isn’t bad. The Pistons rank 23rd in defensive efficiency against SG’s.
Danny Green has a nice opportunity vs. the Timberwolves if Manu Ginobili doesn’t play and with Kawhi Leonard still out injured.
Small Forwards
Andrew Wiggins has taken his opportunity and run with it. He is playing almost 40 minutes a game the last 7 out of 8 games. The one hiccup came at Golden State where the Timberwolves got dump trucked. With that said his price has risen and if you can pay around 12% of the cap is ok. Now the matchup with San Antonio isn’t the greatest on paper. The Spurs are good at defending SF’s but I think that’s with Kawhi Leonard in the lineup. Overall on the season the Spurs are 8th in defensive efficiency against SF’s. The last 10 games they are 16th in the league. So I really wouldn’t shy away from using Wiggins on Saturday night.
Evan Turner isn’t really reliable but with Jeff Green out of town, Turner’s minutes should be more stable. Last night he played 33 minutes and played all of the OT for 38 total minutes. If he still is playing some point guard that makes him more valuable.
Jae Crowder is a cheap punt option. He started for Jeff Green on Friday night (he is listed as a PF on Draft Kings which is absolutely stupid).
Power Forwards
LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol are both at similar price points and situations on Saturday night. They both play teams that don’t go guard PF’s very well. The one thing Aldridge has going for him is that he didn’t play on Friday night.
Robert Covington is still playing really well. Friday night he played 40 minutes and had 20 points and 7 boards. The matchup vs. the Pacers isn’t a good one but his price tag remains real good. If you want to save money at PF, Covington isn’t a bad option.
Centers
Andre Drummond is insanely priced at Draft Kings and I wouldn’t use him. Plus he only played 17 minutes Friday night because of an illness.
Dwight Howard doesn’t have the best matchup but hey it’s Dwight Howard. Utah has been good at protecting the rim with the young Frenchman Rudy Gobert blocking a lot of shots.
Speaking of Rudy Gobert, he will come with a much cheaper price tag then Howard or Drummond. Gobert has 25 blocks over the last 5 games. Yes, I said 25. That’s pretty freaking good and shouldn’t be ignored. He does have tendency to get into foul trouble, so keep that in mind.
If you want to go dumpster diving then take a flier on Meyers Leonard. Getting a little more run with Robin Lopez and Joel Freeland injured. If he’s not bare min across the industry there needs to be an investigation.
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.
