Point Guard
Donald Sloan (DK $4400, FD $4300, 16.0 USG) – I think the right way to go about roster construction today is to start with the middle tier options at PG. I love guys like Derrick Rose, Emmanuel Mudiay, George Hill, Ricky Rubio and Kyrie Irving. All in great spots and reasonably priced so I personally wouldn’t go all the way down to someone like Sloan. But then you look at Westbrook against Phoenix and start foaming at the mouth, trying to figure out ways to fit him in. If you choose to go that route, then Sloan is a cheaper option to pair him up with. But there’s a reason he’s priced this cheap. You never know if he gets pulled within 4 minutes or plays a majority of the game. I’m sure there will be people out there who rostered him against Philly on Saturday with the same rationale we have here today. Great matchup, playing over 30 minutes a bit as of late and so on. Then he plays only 22 minutes and barely hits 3 X’s value. So yeah, likely the cheapest guy I’d even consider because of the matchup against DEN (gives up 7th most FP’s to PG’s) but not one I could confidently recommend.
Shooting Guard
Jamal Crawford (DK $4900, FD $4800, 24.2 USG) – I’ve been on Jamal for the last 2 games and still don’t understand why he continues to be underpriced. Even in a tougher matchup yesterday against the Heat and playing a terrible game, he still scored 24.8 DKPTS. That’s back to back games now playing 34 and 35 minutes (both games with Rivers out) and averaging 31.1 DKPTS over his last 4. With the injury to Austin Rivers, Jamal has benefitted most on the team and now Los Angeles gets to face the Sixers in a game where the Clippers are expected score over 107 points. I think you can also take a look at Evan Fournier if Tobias Harris were to miss tonight’s game as well. He started yesterday against this same Hawks team and played 43 minutes, scoring 32.8 DKPTS.
Small Forward
Matt Barnes (DK $4900, FD $5200, 16.8 USG) – Returning from a hamstring injury, Barnes has jumped right back into the Grizzlies rotation averaging 34.8 DKPTS over his last two games. The game against the Mavericks did go into OT but the fact that he was able to play 36 minutes is encouraging. But before the injury, Barnes’ minutes have been too inconsistent to trust, which is one of the reasons his price has come down a bit. Also one of the reasons I’m likely to pay up at the position tonight. Much like point guard, SF is a position that has some better middle tier options to consider. Guys like Bazemore, MKG, Joe Johnson, Stanley Johnson and especially Batum all have attractive matchups you’re going to want to exploit. I’m usually a guy that prefers a stars and scrubs lineup but today’s slate is forcing me to go for a more balanced approach.
Power Forward
Brandon Bass (DK $3800, FD $3600, 13.8 USG) – Maybe I should just cut and paste this whole column together because there isn’t one value priced PF I feel comfortable with on this entire slate so I’ll throw some ish at the wall and hope it sticks. Great writing, right?! Hey, I’m just being honest with y’all. The only reason Bass is even mentioned here is because he’s averaged 26 minutes over his last 3 and with Roy Hibbert questionable and Larry Nance Jr.out, those minutes should continue to be there. What he does with those minutes is the worry because the production hasn’t been there. Just do yourself a favor and pay up for the position.
Center
Enes Kanter (DK $4900, FD $5200, 23.1 USG) – Three things are going in Kanter’s favor for this matchup against the Suns. 1) The Suns play at a pace (5th highest) that suits his style. 2) Adams isn’t needed as much when guarding a guy with limited offensive ability like Tyson Chandler. 3) Likely blowout concern means even more run for Kanter, who has been quite the bum slayer this year. If you love this matchup like I do for OKC, but worried about that blowout, Kanter is a perfect way to get some exposure here. To top it all off, Kanter has been playing very well as of late, averaging 31.78 DKPTS over his last 5 games.
Featured Image Credit: By Chris Green (Chrisg21090 at en.wikipedia) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
