Let’s analyze some Friday matchups. After three days of games we have the makings of some early season rotations taking form and prices have not caught up. I will list some value plays at each position to make your rosters work.
Points Guards:
Dennis Schroder $4900
Emmanuel Mudiay $5700
Ty Lawson $5600
Ty Lawson is my top value play to exploit today at the PG position. Vegas set the over/under for the Houston/GS game at 215.5 points. Houston has Dwight Howard back after suspension so Lawson has his full complement of weapons. Lawson played 37 minutes in the opener so I expect a nice game out of him today as the pace should be up. Mudiay is in a great spot to produce again. Again Vegas has set a high over/under of 210.5 points for this game vs Minnesota. Rubio is not a great defender so Mudiay should produce across the board again as he is able to push the tempo and fill up the stat sheet. Schroder is in a great spot to see increased minutes in the 2nd game of a back to back.
Shoot Guards:
Evan Fournier $3700
Hollis Thompson $3900
CJ McCollum $6400
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope $4900
I really like Fournier and Thompson for very similar reasons. Both guys are starting and should see at least 28 minutes and possibly 35 minutes. Both guys are good shooters and were off in their 1st games. They will fly under the radar and their prices have not increased. I tend to favor Thompson since he got 15 shots in the 1st game and logged 36 minutes. He is underpriced and his usage looks good. CJ McCollum has a very high usage rate. He handles the ball a ton and is the primary ballhandler when Lillard goes to the bench. They have a good matchup vs Phoenix with an over/under of 205 points and I expect this game to be paced up. Caldwell-Pope is seeing 36 minutes a game and leading the Pistons in scoring after 2 games.
Small Forwards:
Rodney Hood $3900
Jae Crowder $4400
Marcus Morris $5100
Rodney Hood will be in all of my lineups. In Utah’s opener he got up 15 shots in 29 minutes and the price is right for that kind of production and usage. Jae Crowder is the perfect fit in the Boston attack. He starts for the Celtics and gets plenty of attacking opportunities from the top of the key off ball rotations as the trailer in their offense. He can hit a 3 or drive and create. Marcus Morris is getting plenty of opportunities both in the post and away from the basket. He is getting 36 minutes a game for the 2-0 Pistons after 2 games.
Power Forwards:
Julius Randle $5200
Nikola Mirotic $6600
Marvin Williams $3500
Randle is a bull going to the rim, rebounds hard, and uses his body well. I like him to outperform his price. Mirotic is doing a lot of scoring for the Bulls. He can hit the perimeter shot and rebound with his size. He attacks the rim and gets to the FT line. Detroit does not match up well with a forward with his skill set. Williams is seeing big minutes for the Bobcats out of the starting lineup. He led the team with 38 minutes played and seems to have the trust of his coach. I expect him to score a little more and his 10 rebounds in the opener were a nice point producer.
Centers:
Steven Adams $3900
Joffrey Lauvergne $4200
Festus Ezeli $3100
I am a big fan of Festus Ezeli. He is athletic and the forgotten man in GS with all the perimeter scorers. This game has a huge total and he will have to bang with Dwight Howard but he should see big minutes with Bogut out and Howard on the floor. Adams and Lauvergne are both starting and should see 30 minutes tonight. They are not focal points of the offense but contribute in rebounds, steals, and blocks. I would go Ezeli if you are looking to save at center.
Twitter handle @shppirate12
Featured Image Credit: Keith Allison/Flickr CC.2.0
