Welcome back to another Monday in the world of NBA DFS! Tonight we have a sizable eleven-game slate to work from so there should be plenty of opportunity to differentiate your lineup. A couple of items of note before starting, Joel Embiid is questionable for tonight’s game, but is not expected to play. Otto Porter Jr. is a game-time decision, as is Reggie Jackson. Lastly, Ricky Rubio is listed as questionable, but is expected to play.
This article is intended to focus on the players that I think have the best chance to push your lineup into the green. Players listed here will have the best chance of success based on match-up, recent play, and opportunity. There will be two players listed for each position, with the exception of center which will have one. As always good luck!
Point Guard
Ben Simmons (PHI): $9,700 @ ATL
My most expensive player of the night, Ben Simmons is an absolute must-use tonight. At this moment it’s unknown if Joel Embiid is playing tonight, but that doesn’t make much of a difference for this pick. Simmons averaged a triple-double a year ago against the Hawks, and when you look down the Hawks roster you see that there’s just nobody on that roster who can guard Ben Simmons, their guards are too small to stop him in transition, and their wings just don’t have the speed to stay in front of him. He took advantage of that last year, and will continue to do so tonight.
With the 114 point implied total for the 76ers being the 6th highest total of the night, I love Simmons to lead that attack and put up close to a triple-double against a weak Hawks defense.
Welcome back to another Monday in the world of NBA DFS! Tonight we have a sizable eleven-game slate to work from so there should be plenty of opportunity to differentiate your lineup. A couple of items of note before starting, Joel Embiid is questionable for tonight’s game, but is not expected to play. Otto Porter Jr. is a game-time decision, as is Reggie Jackson. Lastly, Ricky Rubio is listed as questionable, but is expected to play.
This article is intended to focus on the players that I think have the best chance to push your lineup into the green. Players listed here will have the best chance of success based on match-up, recent play, and opportunity. There will be two players listed for each position, with the exception of center which will have one. As always good luck!
Point Guard
Ben Simmons (PHI): $9,700 @ ATL
My most expensive player of the night, Ben Simmons is an absolute must-use tonight. At this moment it’s unknown if Joel Embiid is playing tonight, but that doesn’t make much of a difference for this pick. Simmons averaged a triple-double a year ago against the Hawks, and when you look down the Hawks roster you see that there’s just nobody on that roster who can guard Ben Simmons, their guards are too small to stop him in transition, and their wings just don’t have the speed to stay in front of him. He took advantage of that last year, and will continue to do so tonight.
With the 114 point implied total for the 76ers being the 6th highest total of the night, I love Simmons to lead that attack and put up close to a triple-double against a weak Hawks defense.
Mike Conley (UTA): $7,500 @ PHO
Mike Conley’s early numbers with Utah have been rough, through three games he’s shooting just 24% from the field and just 18% from three, this has resulted in just 19.13 Fanduel points per game so far this season. However, at this point in Conley’s career we know he isn’t this bad. This pick is mainly based on simple regression against a bad defense.
The Suns defense has a chance to be a different kind of awful without Deandre Ayton. Last season, there were eight Suns players who played at least 1,000 minutes, and Ayton’s 113 defensive rating was tied for second best. With that being said I also think Rudy Gobert is a solid play tonight, but the price was a bit steep for me.
Shooting Guard
Zach LaVine (CHC): $8,000 @ NYK
Tonight, Zach Lavine represents a solid floor play. The Knicks defense has been as bad as advertised so far in 2019, allowing at least 113 points in all three of their games so far this season. Both the Bulls and Knicks rank in the bottom ten in defensive rating so far this season and I expect this to be a fast-paced up and down game, and with Lavine leading the Bulls in field goal attempts per game and free throws per game, I love LaVine’s chance to put up a ton of points tonight, along with his normal five rebounds and assists.
Derrick Rose (DET): $6,500 Vs. IND
With Blake Griffin once again out, Derrick Rose is an automatic play for me. Rose’s creation off the bench has been vital to the Pistons early in the season, and his astronomically high 36.6% usage rate is representative of how much the second team offense for the Pistons has completely ran through Rose. I’ll be intrigued to see what Rose’s role looks like with the return of Griffin, but for now if Rose isn’t priced alongside other higher-end options at shooting guard, he’s a must-play.
Small Forward
OG Anunoby (TOR): $5,200 Vs. ORL
OG Anunoby had a bit of a lost season a year ago, but so far in 2020 he’s taken over as the Raptors starting small forward and has been impressive so far this season. He’s playing a ton of minutes so far this season, currently sitting at 33 MPG, and has shown legitimate strides on both sides of the court.
The block production he’s given early in the season isn’t sustainable, and neither is the 42% shooting from deep, but Anunoby should easily give enough production to be extremely valuable at this low of a price. A price that will raise quickly if he continues producing like he has with the minutes he’s seen.
Cedi Osman (CLE): $4,300 @ MIL
My cheapest play of the night, this pick isn’t one I’m excited about, but with my last spot it came down to Cedi Osman or Mo Harkless, and I went with the one I expect to play more. Cedi’s 12% usage rate is extremely low, and a pretty steep drop from his 18.6% rate a season ago. This is a bit to be expected, with the Cavs playing two ball-dominant guards, but Osman should still be able to give some rebound and steal+block production along with maybe ten points to give some value from the cheapest spot in my lineup tonight.
For what it’s worth, I don’t mind using Harkless over Osman, as he probably has a higher floor, and is a part of the game with the second highest over-under of the night, but the minutes for him have been a bit more inconsistent early on this season.
Power Forward
Draymond Green (GSW) $7,000 @ NOLA
My most hot-takey prediction for tonight Draymond Green is going to have a performance that makes his $7,000 dollar price point for tonight the lowest it will be for the rest of the season. On a team without a ton of its production from a season ago, Green has only seen a slight uptick in usage, but I expect that to change as this team has lacked any sort of shot-creation early in the season.
In a game against the highest-paced team in the league, Green should have a great chance at racking up counting stats and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if we see him play a season-high in minutes. If this isn’t the game where Green can breakout on this new version of the Warriors, then it will be hard to trust him to produce as a close to top-end power forward.
Frank Kaminsky (PHO): $5,200 Vs. UTA
Probably the chalkiest play of the night, Frank Kaminsky has seen starting minutes since Deandre Ayton’s suspension and has averaged 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in the two games without Ayton. Kaminsky is pretty much a free space play until his price is raised or if Ayton’s appeal is successful.
Center
Cody Zeller (CHA): $6,300 @ LAC
On a team void of any creation without Kemba Walker, Cody Zeller has taken advantage early on with two impressive performances. In a game with the second highest over-under of the night, Zeller should get a chance to have his third double-double in as many games, as early on this season centers have continued to dominate against the Clippers, as was the case in the 2018 season as well.
