LeBron James should be able to capitalize on a favorable defensive matchup opening night
Well, well, well. We have another beginning to the NBA season, and boy, FanDuel has really started it right with a total prize pool of $1,000,000 on just a $4 dollar entry fee. However, let’s take a look at a lineup that should be suitable for cash play on this Tuesday three-game slate.
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Point Guard
Kyrie Irving (CLE): $7,100 vs NY
Let’s start things off right with Irving here. Going up against Derrick Rose, Irving shouldn’t really have a problem doing whatever he wants on the offensive side of the ball. In the last three outings against Rose, Irving has averaged more steals and assists than in his other games over this past year. Sure, this was against a Bulls team, but Rose will still be pretty woeful on defense with his new club.
George Hill (UTA): $5,600 @ POR
Another guy on a new team is Hill. Typically, the Utah team plays slow, and I really don’t think that changes this year, but with Hill at the helm, this should change a bit. Hill should benefit by the Trail Blazers faster gameplay. It’s an interesting slate, as you have Utah and San Antonio on a three-game slate. With the Pacers last year, Hill averaged 16 points per game against these Trail Blazers, which was up from his 12.1 points per game on the entire year.
Also Consider:
- Steph Curry (GS): $9,300
- Tony Parker (SA): $5,000
Shooting Guard
Klay Thompson (GS): $6,500 vs SA
As I eluded to earlier, it’s honestly a really bad slate in terms of game flow. However, this Golden State-San Antonio does have the highest over-under of the night with 213. San Antonio plays slow, but with the retirement of Tim Duncan, and the fact that Golden State was one of the fastest paced teams last year, this is expected to be high scoring. Thompson is a deadly shooter, and even though he disappointed a lot at times last year, with the addition of Kevin Durant, the Spurs should be too distracted by other shooters and ball handlers, which will benefit Thompson. To me, he’s underrated coming into this year, with Steph Curry, Durant, and Draymond Green on the court.
Courtney Lee (NY): $3,900 @ CLE
On small slates, you need to nail the top priced guys, then filter in a few lower priced plays. Lee is one of those cheaper guys who has found his way into the starting lineup. His production might be bleak due to Rose, Carmelo Anthony, and Kristaps Porzingas on the court, but that’s when you want to jump on him. Lee is in a prime matchup against J.R. Smith, who can’t really defend anyone. If the aforementioned guys aren’t able to get it going on offense, Lee might be the next man up.
Also Consider:
- C.J. McCollum (POR): $6,900
- Rodney Hood (UTA): $5,400
Small Forward
LeBron James (CLE): $9,600 vs NY
I saved a lot of fantasy money here to go with two huge names. As you can see, I didn’t go with Durant, mainly because I need a wait and see approach to quantify where his fantasy value will lie. Obviously, if you’re playing in a tournament, feel free to roll out Durant, as he does make for a nice GPP play. As for James, he’s another guy in a weak defensive matchup. Anthony isn’t quite known for his defensive abilities, and thus, James should have a big game. In the last four contests that James has faced Anthony, James is averaging 51.75 fantasy points on FanDuel, which is up from 44.67.
Kawhi Leonard (SA): $7,900 @ GS
Without Duncan on the court for the Spurs day in and day out this year, I definitely forsee Leonard having a big year. Even with Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge added to the mix, Leonard should be a dominant force out there. Since 2013, when Duncan was not on the court, Leonard averaged 2.5 more fantasy points per game, while scoring three more points overall. For the most part, Leonard’s numbers were pretty consistent without Duncan, but Leonard did see a dip in steals. For Leonard, steals have become a huge part of his game, and it’s something that should continue this season. Against Golden State, Leonard has seen an uptick in steals. With the addition of Durant, and the style of play being explosive, this might allow Leonard to snag an extra one or two steals than he normally would.
Also Consider:
- Kevin Durant (GS): $9,300
- Moe Harkless (POR): $5,600
Power Forward
Draymond Green (GS): $8,200 vs SA
During the middle and end of the season, Green was somewhat of a disappointment in fantasy circles. He just wasn’t doing much of anything on the court. He ended up turning it around for the postseason, but I am still writing that off as a fatigue issue for Green. He was a workhorse for the Warriors all of last season. Now that Durant is there, the weight should be lifted a little bit from his shoulders, as Durant will help on both the offensive and defensive ends. If Green can get back to doing everything on the defensive end, it shouldn’t matter if his offense goes quiet a little. He’s the kind of player who can rack up big rebounds, assists, and even steals numbers.
Al-Farouq Aminu (POR): $5,000 @ UTA
Aminu isn’t one of my favorite choices on this slate, but to roster all of the big salaried guys I wanted to, I had to dig a little deeper. Aminu saw just under 30 minutes per game last year with his new team. Even though the Trail Blazers added Evan Turner, they will still have to rely on Aminu’s height, as he will start at power forward. He is a versatile player who could see time at small forward if the rotation falls that way. Aminu is similar with Green, as he gets a lot of peripheral statistics. With a bunch of shooters on this team, it’s always good to roster a guy who could do other things than just score.
Also Consider:
- Kevin Love (CLE): $6,800
- Ed Davis (POR): $3,900
Center
Rudy Gobert (UTA): $6,200 @ POR
Honestly, I was very disappointed by Gobert’s performance night in and night out last season. He still managed to put up better numbers (on average) from the previous year, but his performance down the stretch during the 2014-2015 season showed a player who was ready to just explode in DFS formats. He ended up averaging 12.5 and 14.9 rebounds in each of the past two months, to go along with double-digits in points. However, he just didn’t see that explosiveness as to be expected last year. With that said, he’s in a decent matchup against Miles Plumlee. I expect for Meyers Leonard to also see a decent amount of time, so he could matchup height-wise against Gobert. I also think that Utah might play a bit faster this year, which could lead to more offensive rebounds and putbacks for Gobert.
Also Consider:
- Pau Gasol (SA): $7,600
- Zaza Pachulia (GS): $4,800
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Nick Tasso is a correspondent at FantasyPros. Find his other work at FantasyPros here. He also contributes to Daily Fantasy Cafe. Follow him on Twitter @theinefficient2.
