Point Guard
D.J. Augustin (DK $3800, FD $4000, 22.1 USG)
This is the matchup of the night for fantasy purposes. It’s the highest over/under (214) with a decent spread (DEN -7.5), so a game stack is in play. One of the cheapest ways to get exposure here is Augustin. He’s played 20 min or more in 4 straight games and plays more when opposing teams send out smaller backcourts, which is what PHO likes to do. Over his last 4, he’s seen his USG% climb up to 23.9% and averaging 1.13 FPPM. And the cherry on top, this Suns team is bottom 5 in the league in DvP against PG’s and SG’s playing at the 4th fastest pace. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him reach 7X in this matchup. Since Gallinari went down, he’s hit value in every game but one, against a bigger Memphis backcourt.
Shooting Guard
Gary Harris (DK $5000, FD $5100, 16.2 USG)
I absolutely love this spot for Gary Harris. He is the anti-Will Barton. He has a capped ceiling but plays a ridiculous amount of minutes. He’s outplayed Barton in every game since Gallo went down except, except one against Dal where Will scored just 2.2 more DKPTS. He’s played 40 min or more in 3 out of his last 4 games. You read that correctly. What makes him a different player than the one he was earlier this season is the FGA’s. He attempted double-digit shot attempts in only 19 of the first 46 games of the season. He’s failed to do so just once over his last 12, averaging 12.33 FGA’s. He’s also averaging close to 5 3PA’s over that span, which bodes well against PHO, who allow the second most three pointers made a game to opponents. His price has come up a bit, which might scare off some people who used him earlier this season that feel he’s not worth the $5000. But trust me, he’s playing like a guy who should cost you a bit more.
Small Forward
Kent Bazemore (DK $5000, FD $4800, 20.1 USG)
I’m going to be spending up on Kawhi here because the talent is so thin at the bottom. The furthest I’d scroll down is Bazemore. Baze has actually been pretty solid since he broke out of his shooting slump against the Bulls back on Feb 26. Since then, he’s averaged 26.5 DKPTS a game, which is about what you’re wanting at his price. The Raptors have cooled off a bit at defending the position, as they’ve given up the 10th most fantasy points to opposing SF’s over their last 5 games. Overall though, it’s not typically a matchup I like targeting. The Raps play the second slowest pace in the league and 12th in DEF EFF. I think this slate is forcing our hand here to pay up for LeBron or Kawhi but if you’re desperate to save, Bazemore is a solid fill in.
Power Forward
Jason Thompson (DK $3200, FD $3600, 14.5 USG)
Attempting to shake things up because of the dead legs of Luis Scola, Jason Thompson was inserted into the starting lineup on Tuesday and played pretty well in 24 minutes against BKLN. He scored 23.8 DKPTS, which means he was giving us a fantasy point per minute. Now, he gets to go up against an ATL team that gives up the 7th most rebounds in the league, 4th most offensive. Be warned though, that just because he’s starting, doesn’t mean he’s gonna start seeing minutes in the 30’s. He’s still going to be splitting time with Patterson and Scola but if he can stay near the 25 min mark, he should have no problem reaching value in his new starting role and near the bare minimum price. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a double-double and somewhere near 7X value.
Center
Tim Duncan (DK $4400, FD $5300, 17.7 USG)
Just look at that price on DK. I mean, that’s just ridiculously low and something I’m considering taking advantage of. The question for everyone tonight will be whether to Jokic or to Len but if you wanna be contrarian for tourneys, Duncan is in a perfect spot to succeed against the Bulls. I’d expect him to play because of just having a rest day, so I wouldn’t worry too much about getting Pop’d. He’s averaging 28.02 DKPTS over his last 5 games and only in 25.4 minutes. Now the Bulls come into town, giving up the 5th most fantasy points to opposing centers. Chicago gives up the most offensive rebounds in the league, so I could see him racking up easy points on put-backs, on the ghost of Pau’s defense. Yeah, that price tag on DK needs to be exploited fast. DK rarely makes these kinds of mistakes but Duncan has not been a popular play, hence why he keeps getting priced down.
Featured Image Credit: By photo taken by flickr user ReneS (flickr) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
