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UPDATE: Kawhi Leonard (knee) has been ruled out for the Los Angeles Clippers in tonight’s game vs. the Memphis Grizzlies.
There are 28 teams worth of players to sift through tonight. I actually regret not taking last night off to be honest, because my head is spinning looking at all these names. We’ve got a 14-game slate which means the most amount of variance we’ll see almost all season long. With so many options, it will be important to hit the top performers and crafting the perfect lineup for GPPs will be tough. But here we’ll go over some core plays that can help you with your lineup on DraftKings.
Point Guard
Fred VanVleet, TOR vs. NYK, $7,900 — This is more of a tournament play but if you look at FVV’s recent stat lines, he jumps off as a solid cash-game play as well. I like paying down a lot at point guard, but the mid-range may be where we find some leverage. VanVleet and the Raptors have a cake matchup vs. the Knicks, who may be without Kevin Knox, RJ Barrett and Frank Ntilikina. FVV has at least 33.5 DraftKings fantasy points in each of his past nine games.
Other options: Damian Lillard, POR vs. OKC, $8,600; Lou Williams, LAC at MEM, $6,900; Ricky Rubio, PHX vs. WAS, $5,500
Shooting Guard
Devin Booker, PHX vs. WAS, $8,500 — I think because of the 14-game slate, we’re going to be able to get some players at very low ownership. Booker in my eyes is the best tournament play on the slate given the way the Wizards play. Washington allows a ton of points and plays up in pace, which is the perfect environment for a Booker ceiling game. His usage is still high and all he needs to do is find his shot from outside.
Other options: Jimmy Butler, MIA at HOU, $8,000; DeMar DeRozan, SAS vs. MIN, $7,400; Evan Fournier, ORL at CLE, $6,400
Small Forward
Paul George, LAC at MEM, $8,600 — I tried to catch PG-13 lightning in a bottle last night, hoping the Clippers would maybe rest Kawhi Leonard. Now that appears to be the case tonight, so if it happens, I’m not going to get burned. PG-13 is still underpriced in my eyes and he’d be in line for big usage in a strong matchup vs. the Grizzlies, who could be without PG Ja Morant (back). The Clippers effectively blew out the Mavs last night and PG still played around 30 minutes and posted 47 DKFP.
Other options: Brandon Ingram, NOP vs. LAL, $8,300; Jonathan Isaac, ORL at CLE, $7,500; Draymond Green, GSW vs. CHI, $5,700
Power Forward
Anthony Davis, LAL at NOP, $10,000 — Ahhhh, of course I’m taking Anthony Davis against his former team in New Orleans. Who do you think I am? A rational man? But seriously, AD should be emotional tonight and I don’t think Frank Vogel will hold him back. This could mean a ton of minutes and usage for AD. LeBron James is a sentimental type of guy and I think he’ll move aside to let Davis shine. This is pure narrative sauce here.
Other options: Domantas Sabonis, IND vs. UTA, $7,900; Marcus Morris, NYK at TOR, $6,600; Thomas Bryant, WAS at PHX, $6,000
Center
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN at SAS, $10,400 — KAT to me is the most enticing player to pay up for over $10K on the slate. AD will have high ownership, so I think some lineups will be off of KAT vs. the Spurs, who rank in the bottom five in defensive efficiency. We’ve already seen KAT smash in this matchup earlier in the season: 28-11-4 for 53.75 DKFP. He gives us a little bit of leverage at the center position, which will likely be determined by all the injuries we’re waiting on.
Other options: Andre Drummond, DET at CHA, $9,400; Bam Adebayo, MIA at HOU, $7,500; Lauri Markkanen, CHI at GSW, $5,800