The NBA season is officially back, and we’re now getting back into the groove with the third slate of games coming up on Friday night. As we continue to progress throughout the season, we’ll have a better feel for usage and rotations (all stats per NBA.com).
Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel
Point Guard
Damian Lillard (PG – POR): $9600 @ SAC
Dame Dolla had a strong start to his season with a 32-point performance, collecting eight assists, four rebounds, one steal, and three turnovers on 47.6/30/90 shooting splits. Tonight, Dame gets to oppose the Sacramento Kings, which rank 23rd in defensive rating and are tied for 3rd in pace. Portland lacks the pace to keep up as they rank 21st, though the game presents a big opportunity for Lillard as he’ll have a lot of possessions against a lackluster defense.
Ja Morant (PG – MEM): $7100 @ CHI
Rookie, Ja Morant, had an interesting debut that teased his potential, but he also had a high rate of turnovers and personal fouls. Still, Morant should have plenty of opportunities tonight as the Memphis Grizzlies face the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are currently ranked 28th in defensive rating and 12th in pace, but the Grizzlies currently lead the league in pace.
The NBA season is officially back, and we’re now getting back into the groove with the third slate of games coming up on Friday night. As we continue to progress throughout the season, we’ll have a better feel for usage and rotations (all stats per NBA.com).
Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel
Point Guard
Damian Lillard (PG – POR): $9600 @ SAC
Dame Dolla had a strong start to his season with a 32-point performance, collecting eight assists, four rebounds, one steal, and three turnovers on 47.6/30/90 shooting splits. Tonight, Dame gets to oppose the Sacramento Kings, which rank 23rd in defensive rating and are tied for 3rd in pace. Portland lacks the pace to keep up as they rank 21st, though the game presents a big opportunity for Lillard as he’ll have a lot of possessions against a lackluster defense.
Ja Morant (PG – MEM): $7100 @ CHI
Rookie, Ja Morant, had an interesting debut that teased his potential, but he also had a high rate of turnovers and personal fouls. Still, Morant should have plenty of opportunities tonight as the Memphis Grizzlies face the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are currently ranked 28th in defensive rating and 12th in pace, but the Grizzlies currently lead the league in pace.
Shooting Guard
Gary Harris (SG – DEN): $5200 @ PHO
If the Phoenix Suns are playing, it’d be wise to target somebody who opposes them, which is why I chose Gary Harris, ensuring some exposure against the team which just lost their starting center in DeAndre Ayton to a 25-game suspension. Harris struggled in his first game scoring only 12.6 FanDuel points, though he seen 35 minutes of action, threw up 11 shots, and launched five threes (one of which he scored). The Suns are 3rd in pace but rank 2nd in defensive rating, though that number is sure to take a hit with Ayton out.
Dwayne Bacon (SG – CHA): $6100 @ MIN
Bacon had as good of a first game as you could have, scoring 36.5 FanDuel points, 22 actual points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and had the opportunity of launching 21 shot attempts. Small forward Nic Batum fractured his finger and will miss 2-3 weeks, giving Bacon even more opportunities in Batum’s absence. His matchup – the Minnesota Timberwolves – rank 19th in defensive rating and 10th in pace.
Small Forward
Taurean Prince (SF – BKN): $5600 @ NY
Like Bacon, Prince had an electric first game – debuting with a new team – scoring 40.2 FanDuel points. Prince collected 15 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block, had 13 shot attempts, and shot 46/40/50 on his splits. Prince gets an awesome matchup against the New York Knicks as they rank 22nd in defensive rating and 5th in pace.
Harrison Barnes (SF – SAC): $5000 @ POR
Barnes isn’t a flashy player by any means, though the injury to power forward Marvin Bagley III could present Barnes with more opportunities and minutes, some of which could come in small lineups with Barnes lined up at the 4 spot. Barnes wasn’t particularly impressive in his first contest, but he gets the Portland Trailblazers, which rank 15th in defensive rating and 21st in pace. The matchup isn’t amazing, but the increase in opportunities and time should give Barnes enough potential to reach 5x value.
Power Forward
Jaren Jackson Jr. (PF – MEM): $7400 @ CHI
Like Morant, Jackson is a young player oozing potential with a juicy matchup tonight. The Chicago Bulls are 28th in defensive rating and 12th in pace, but the Grizzlies currently lead the league in pace. Jackson scored 26.6 FanDuel points in his first contest, but his night was dampened by foul trouble, and it has developed into something to keep a keen eye on when it comes to Jackson. Still, Jackson is an ascending and talented player with a nice matchup.
Robert Covington (PF – MIN): $6400 @ CHA
One of the better all-around players in the league, Covington put together a solid-yet-unspectacular performance in his first contest, scoring 23.8 FanDuel points. Covington gets the Charlotte Hornets tonight, ranking 29th in defensive rating and 12th in pace. The potential for Covington to fill up the stat sheet is always present.
Center
Mitchell Robinson (C – NYK): $7000 @ BKN
Robinson needs to be closely monitored as he missed the Knicks’ first contest, though Head Coach David Fizdale said he believes Robinson will play. If he does, Robinson presents an incredibly unique rim-protecting animal who’ll rack up a ton of rebounds and blocks, and he can finish around the room to boot. The Brooklyn Nets rank 17th in defensive rating and 10th in pace.
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Sosa Kremenjas is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Sosa, check out his archive and follow him @QBsMVP.