We had an amazing week of games, and this marks the first Sunday of the season in which the NBA doesn’t have to compete with the NFL. That would make one believe that we have a huge slate here, but only four games make up this night slate. Even though we only have eight teams in action, there’s plenty of superstars available. That makes things even more exciting, so let’s go ahead and get into it!
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Most Value Per Dollar
Below is a list of the top-10 players of the day expected to generate the most value relative to their salary. These are ranked in order.
There are some glaring team totals on this slate. The most notable is the Brooklyn Nets against the Washington Wizards. They’re projected for over 120 points here, and that’s easily the highest total on the slate. Every game outside of that has a spread within six points, though, and we should have some close games ahead of us.
If you’d like to see more information on how the betting landscape will be for this slate, check out BettingPros.
Darius Garland (CLE) $5,200:
Garland is easily my favorite value play of the day. The sophomore guard saw a limited workload after an injury but has been astounding aside from that. If you take out the four games he was limited, Garland is averaging 34 FanDuel points per game across 34 minutes a night. That’s ridiculous from someone this cheap, especially against a 29th-ranked T’Wolves defense.
James Harden (BKN) $10,700:
Harden is our favorite stud of the day, and we’ll discuss that more in the studs section.
Aaron Gordon (ORL) $5,500:
Gordon has been playing a lot of point guard for the Magic, and it’s led to one of the best stretches of his career. Over his last 13 games, AG is averaging 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. We can’t ask for any more out of a player south of $6K.
DeAndre Jordan (BKN) $4,900:
DJ is one of the best values at the center position. Since they traded Jarrett Allen, Jordan is averaging 26 FD points per game across his last seven outings. We obviously love that against the worst defense in basketball.
Andre Drummond (CLE) $9,000:
Drummond has seen limited minutes, but he has too much upside to fade at this price. We’ll discuss that more later.
Collin Sexton (CLE) $7,100:
Sexton is averaging 36 FD points per game since returning from injury, and it’s hard to overlook that against one of the worst defenses in the NBA.
Naz Reid (MIN) $6,300:
Reid has been starting for Karl-Anthony Towns and has been fantastic in his absence. In fact, Naz has scored at least 27 FanDuel points in seven of his nine starts this season.
Jeremy Lamb (IND) $5,400:
Lamb has been a pleasant surprise off of his injury, averaging 26 FD points per game across 27 minutes of action since his debut. That’s all you can ask for from a sub-$6K player.
Joel Embiid (PHI) $9,900:
Embiid might be the best bet for 50 FanDuel points on this slate, and we’ll discuss that more in the next section.
D’Angelo Russell (MIN) $7,500:
Russell has a usage rate north of 30 percent with Towns off the floor this season. That has led to him averaging 38 FD points per game across his last 10 outings.
Studs Worth Their Salary
- James Harden (BKN) $10,700: While Harden struggled in his first couple of games with the Nets, he seems back to normal now. Over his last two games, James is averaging 62 FanDuel points per game. That’s the stud we remember, and it’s strange that his price has dropped so much. Not to mention, he gets to face the worst defense in the NBA here.
- Joel Embiid (PHI) $9,900: Embiid is a monster right now. The big man has at least 39 FanDuel points in all but one game this season and is averaging over 50 fantasy points per game. He killed the Pacers last year, too, averaging 36.5 points, 16 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 2.0 blocks in two games against them.
- Andre Drummond (CLE) $9,000: Minnesota is currently surrendering the most fantasy points in the NBA to opposing centers, and that’s terrible news against a beast like Drummond. The Cleveland big is averaging 46 FD points per game for the season and can easily drop 60 on a defense like this. We also love that his price has dropped to $9K as well.
Notable Players to Fade
- Ben Simmons (PHI) $8,800: Something seems a little off with Simmons right now. He’s scored 28 or fewer fantasy points in two of his last three games and appears to be ceding touches to Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Seth Curry. That makes us even more concerned against an Indiana team that allows the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing point guards.
- Larry Nance Jr. (CLE) $6,500: With Allen and Drummond swallowing up so many frontcourt minutes, it’s hard to trust Nance. What makes it even tougher is Darius Garland and Collin Sexton swallow up all the usage. That leaves very little for Nance, averaging just 12.5 FD points over his last two games. All of his value has come through steals this season, too, and that’s simply impossible to trust.
- Chris Boucher (TOR) $5,900: Boucher is a heck of a talent, but one has to wonder if Toronto knows it. He played just 14 minutes on Friday and is averaging 19 FD points per game across 20 minutes a night over his last six games played. It’s hard to believe he’s doing that after averaging nearly 40 FD points per game in the 10 previous games, and it makes Boucher impossible to use.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
