While the NBA’s official opening night was yesterday, the majority of teams kick off their season on Wednesday. There is no shortage of compelling matchups and storylines heading into Game 1 of the NBA season and plenty of fantasy goodness to be had. I’ll be focusing mostly on a cash-game strategy on FanDuel, but I’ll be sure to sprinkle in a few GPP targets as well.
New Orleans vs. Houston: Over/under is set at 229, which is the highest implied total on the slate.
Denver vs. Los Angeles Clippers: Over/under is set at 226. Denver plays at one of the faster paces across the league.
Dallas vs. Phoenix: Over/under is set at 215. Phoenix plays at the fastest pace in the NBA and showcased very little defense last season.
Players to Target
Trey Burke (NY): $4,900 Burke is an appealing option given his low price point and the amount of usage he will likely see tonight. Emmanuel Mudiay and Courtney Lee will not play tonight, which means the Knicks backcourt will belong to Burke and Tim Hardaway. After Kristaps Porzingis was injured, Burke held the second-highest usage rate on the team last season behind only Michael Beasley, who is no longer on the team. Until proven otherwise, Atlanta possesses a below-average defensive unit.
While the NBA’s official opening night was yesterday, the majority of teams kick off their season on Wednesday. There is no shortage of compelling matchups and storylines heading into Game 1 of the NBA season and plenty of fantasy goodness to be had. I’ll be focusing mostly on a cash-game strategy on FanDuel, but I’ll be sure to sprinkle in a few GPP targets as well.
New Orleans vs. Houston: Over/under is set at 229, which is the highest implied total on the slate.
Denver vs. Los Angeles Clippers: Over/under is set at 226. Denver plays at one of the faster paces across the league.
Dallas vs. Phoenix: Over/under is set at 215. Phoenix plays at the fastest pace in the NBA and showcased very little defense last season.
Players to Target
Trey Burke (NY): $4,900 Burke is an appealing option given his low price point and the amount of usage he will likely see tonight. Emmanuel Mudiay and Courtney Lee will not play tonight, which means the Knicks backcourt will belong to Burke and Tim Hardaway. After Kristaps Porzingis was injured, Burke held the second-highest usage rate on the team last season behind only Michael Beasley, who is no longer on the team. Until proven otherwise, Atlanta possesses a below-average defensive unit.
Dennis Smith Jr. (DAL): $6,600 Smith draws a fantastic matchup against the worst defense in the league last season in Phoenix. If Phoenix tries to push the pace at home, which is likely, Smith should sail past value given his ability to score and create in transition.
Josh Richardson (MIA): $6,300 Richardson is a value play given the number of minutes he will likely see tonight. Dion Waiters, James Johnson, and Justise Winslow are all injured and will miss their season-opener, which leaves the door open for Richardson to increase his usage by a substantial amount. He could realistically see around 40 minutes tonight against a below-average Orlando Magic defense.
Anthony Davis (NO): $12,400 I like Davis over some of the other top-priced options because of his matchup. Houston’s defense will likely be down to start the season with Trevor Ariza no longer on the team, and Nene ruled out for the season opener. New Orleans played at the NBA’s fastest pace last season, and I don’t see a scenario where Davis doesn’t dominate this thin Houston frontcourt.
Nikola Jokic (DEN): $9,900 Jokic should dominate against a Clippers frontcourt that no longer possesses DeAndre Jordan. I’m more bullish on Jokic’s skill-set compared to others, I think he takes another step towards becoming one of the league’s best players in 2018.
E’Twaun Moore (NO): $4,400 Moore is a good bet to exceed value tonight as the Pelicans are squaring off against a porous defense in Houston. In the four games between the Pelicans and Rockets last season, Moore averaged nearly 17 points per game with 4.5 rebounds and three assists. His cheap price point allows for higher spending on other positions.
