Plays of the Day
Value: Evan Turner can help you stay under budget and afford some top-tier names at other positions tonight. The Blazers point forward has been very steady off the bench, scoring in double figures in all three appearances this year and producing at least 25 DK points in the process and he faces the Pelicans 26th-ranked defense tonight.
Fade: DeMarcus Cousins began the season with nearly equal production to Anthony Davis, but he’s beginning to turn it over too often and rebound much less than the Brow, while he’ll likely draw a tough defender tonight in Jusuf Nurkic on the road.
Point Guards
Damian Lillard – (8,400 DK/9,900 FD) – Like many star players tonight, Lillard is under priced on DK and over priced on FD. He’s a great play tonight against a Pelicans team that’s obviously stronger down low than on the perimeter, as they’ve given up the seventh-most FPPG (47.12) and sixth-most PPG (23.82) to opposing PGs so far this season. Dame averaged 27.7 PPG and shot 44% from downtown over 3 meetings with New Orleans last year and continues to produce even though C.J. McCollum returned from suspension, yet his price tag doesn’t reflect his lofty floor-ceiling combination.
D.J. Augustin – (5,100 DK/5,900 FD) – With Elfrid Payton (hamstring) out and Aaron Gordon questionable, Augustin is in line for a start and another heavy workload tonight. HE proved capable of stepping up with 12 points and 10 assists to exceed value in a surprising win over Cleveland on Saturday. Now he’ll look to lead the Magic in arguably the best matchup possible for a PG, as Brooklyn ranks second in pace and is giving up the second-most PPG (121.7) so far this season. Augustin averaged 17.8 points and 7.2 assists per 36 minutes with Denver back in 2015-16 and he’s starting to benefit as Orlando increases its pace of play.
Potential Value
Patrick Beverley – (4,800 DK/6,000FD) – Beverley will have a more secure role with Milos Teodosic (foot) on the shelf for the next couple of weeks.
Longshot
D’Angelo Russell – (7,800 DK/7,800 FD) – Russell is still certainly the top scoring option for a fast-paced Brooklyn team and matching up against the diminutive Augustin increases his outlook.
Shooting Guards
Victor Oladipo – (7,200DK/7,600FD) – His role is quite secure in that the Pacers have no other true playmakers on the perimeter, yet you should use some caution in terms of exposure to Oladipo as he’ll likely have to deal with elite defender Jimmy Butler tonight. That being said, he’s averaging 25.7 points per 36 minutes and posting a career-high 30.2% usage rate, so he’s definitely worth using in a game with a 219-point Over/Under tonight.
Evan Turner – (4,300DK/5,500FD) – In cash games, you could definitely go with Turner as a way to stay under budget and afford some top-tier names at other positions. The Blazers point forward has been very steady off the bench, scoring in double figures in all three appearances this year and producing at least 25 DK points in the process. Tonight he’ll face a Pelicans team that ranks 26th in defensive rating and has very little depth at the forward position, enhancing his prospects off the bench.
Potential Value
Allen Crabbe – (4,900 DK/4,800 FD)- Crabbe is a volume shooter, who is forced into a bigger role for the Nets with Jeremy Lin done for the year.
Longshot
Austin Rivers – (3,800 DK/4,500 FD) – Rivers should see more playing time with Teodosic out and he’s getting the green light despite his horrendous shooting to open the season.
Small Forwards
Joe Ingles – (4,700 DK/5,000 FD) – Of course you’d like to play a stud like LeBron James, but that’s just not feasible on this shorter slate with indispensable studs at other positions. Ingles is a grinder, who thrives on chaos and is averaging 2 steals per game on the young season, so a matchup between two tough defensive teams at Staples Center suits him. He actually leads the NBA in effective FG shooting (.846%) with a ridiculous 64.3% mark from downtown and Ricky Rubio’s deft passing is going a long way as far as generating looks for the steady lefty. With Rodney Hood (calf) likely to be hobbled or inactive again, Ingles makes for a solid value.
Jonathon Simmons – (4,200 DK/4,400 FD) – Here’s a great value to help you afford all the studs at the power forward and center position tonight. Simmons has been great on a per-minute basis and got a chance to start on Saturday, responding with 19 points over just 20 minutes of playing time. The Magic draw the best matchup in DFS tonight against a fast-paced Nets team and Simmons is an elite athlete who thrives in the open court.
Potential Value
DeMarre Carroll – (5,000 DK/5,800 FD) – Carroll is a very good cash game play as a reliable source of production for the young Nets.
Longshot
Evan Fournier – (6,100 DK/7,000 FD) – Love Fournier’s price point on DK for tournament formats, as he could pile up the points in a fast-paced matchup against Brooklyn.
Power Forwards
Anthony Davis – (10,900 DK/12,200 FD) – It’s extremely difficult to afford Davis on FanDuel tonight and he’s quite pricey on DK, but for good reason, as he’s on a torrid run to open the season. He’s likely to stay hot against a Portland team that’s given up the third-most FPPG (49.49) to opposing PFs over the last two seasons and allowing the third-most FPPG (50.42) to the position so far this year. Even in an injury-plagued campaign last year, The Brow averaged 28 PPG and 12 RPG while shooting 53.7% from the floor over 3 meetings with the Blazers and he’s leading the league in MPG (39.7) with the best rebounding rate (22.2%) of his career through 3 appearances this season.
Kristaps Porzingis – (8,500 DK/9,300 FD) – If you can’t afford The Brow, Porzingis is a nice consolation prize as a top option who is rocking a 40-point floor on DFS sites to open the season. Tonight Porzingis faces an under sized Celtics team that ranks 25th in total rebounding after finishing 25th in rebounding last season. Porzingis’ rebounding numbers are up and his usage rate has skyrocketed to 33.9% with Carmelo Anthony out of the picture, which is why he should be able to continue producing at a consistent clip.
Potential Value
Lauri Markannen – (5,700 DK/6,300 FD) – The Bulls are extremely shorthanded in the frontcourt and that gives Markannen a solid floor as a player who should see 30-plus minutes of run.
Longshot
Al-Farouq Aminu – (4,800 DK/5,300 FD) – Aminu is an appealing value with upside in a potential track meet against the Pelicans.
Center
Karl-Anthony Towns – (8,600 DK/10,100 FD) – Another star that’s under priced on DK tonight, Towns faces a Pacers squad that’s without starting center Myles Turner (concussion) once again. In Turner’s absence, skinny young Domatas Sabonis logged 30 minutes at center on Saturday and was lucky that the Heat were missing Hassan Whiteside as well. Towns should be able to bully Sabonis all evening and flash the upside that he’s lacked thus far to open the season.
Nikola Vucevic – (8,300 DK/9,800 FD) – He’s averaging 27.7 PPG and 10.7 RPG on the young season and Vucevic’s biggest output came when he dropped 41 points over 35 minutes against these Nets. Brooklyn’s coaching staff is stubbornly using athletic rookie center Jarrett Allen as an occasional reserve and neither Timofey Mozgov nor Trevor Booker are capable of slowing down Vucevic. The Magic center is rocking a team-high 27.5% usage rate and averaging 1.28 points per minute with Elf Payton off the floor over the last two seasons and Augustin is even more of a pass-first PG, who will look to feed big Vooch.
Potential Value
Domantas Sabonis – (4,600 DK/4,800 FD) – Sabonis will be forced into an expanded role with Turner on the shelf and should meet value if he can avoid foul trouble while guarding KAT.
Longshot
Jusuf Nurkic – (6,800 DK/7,900 FD) – You can use Nurkic as a way to gain salary relief at this position without losing too much upside in a matchup against Boogie Cousins and the Pelicans.
