Each day, we'll provide you with the players to target in your daily leagues, from high-priced stars to solid mid-priced values to cheaper, riskier players with upside.
In general, you want to use safer options in your cash games and rely on some riskier, high-upside options in your bigger tournaments. If you can average six points per $1,000 of salary, you'll typically end up with at least some cash in your pocket.
At this early point in the season, we are still feeling our way with rotations. Teams are figuring out their strengths and weaknesses and trying to optimize their talent in the best ways possible. For that reason, I’m prioritizing past performance, minutes, usage and Vegas totals, while playing it a little more safely as the season starts.
Point guard
High-priced stars
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder ($13,000 FD, $12,200 DK) vs. LAL
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors ($8,000 FD, $8,900 DK) @ PHO
No one enjoys a higher usage rate than Westbrook (42.9 percent) and he’s been nothing but fantasy gold so far this season. The sites are testing the market on him, as he sees a $1K price hike on FanDuel, while Curry gets a $1K discount. Both Westbrook and Curry get fantastic matchups, but the question is can we get the 40 point, 12 assist game from Curry at this price today? With Westbrook needing about 75 fantasy points to reach the minimum value threshold you want, and Curry needing only about 48, I’m probably saving with Curry today. That said, there is enough value to fit Westbrook and feel pretty good about it.
Solid values
Deron Williams, Dallas Mavericks ($6,200 FD, $5,700 DK) @ HOU
Eric Bledsoe, Phoenix Suns ($7,400 FD, $7,000 DK) vs. OKC
Williams is in a great position today, facing a Houston team that turns the ball over at a high rate in what should be a very high-scoring game (the first one, Friday night, was a Rockets 108-98 victory). He’s averaging 37 minutes per game so far and, though he struggled Friday, should turn in a better performance today. Bledsoe is the steadier player of the two, because he contributes reliably across several categories. Though the Suns are huge underdogs, the total on this game is 224, and from the looks of the first couple games, the Warriors are not playing strong defense.
Shooting guard
High-priced stars
James Harden, Houston Rockets ($11,200 FD, $11,300 DK) vs. DAL
Harden, as a point guard, is leading the league in assists per game with 12.5 so far. You’ll see that this is one of my favorite games to target today, and Harden is by far it’s best feature. Harden currently enjoys the league’s fifth-highest usage rate, something I don’t expect to change with a bigger sample. He’s also leading the league in turnovers per game, but his 30 PPG and peripheral stats mitigate that negative.
Solid value
Trevor Booker, Phoenix Suns ($6,100 FD, $6,200 DK) vs. GS
I can’t put Klay Thompson here, because I really do think this is a game Curry dominates, but he is coming off a nice bounce-back effort. No, the SG I want here is his opponent, Booker. Booker is showing the same kind of consistent, high-floor effort he did last year when forced into a bigger role for the Suns. Now he’s earned the starting job and is averaging 36 MPG and about 25 PPG.
Cheap with upside
Wesley Matthews, Dallas Mavericks ($5,000 FD, $4,900 DK) @ HOU
The game total, the high minutes (38.5) and high volume shooting that Matthews has shown so far scream upside. If he can shoot better than 23 percent (he can; for his career, he is a 43 percent shooter from the field), Matthews could easily be putting up 40 fantasy point games.
Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets ($5,300 FD, $5,400 DK) vs. DAL
Ditto most of what I said about Matthews for Gordon in terms of the game total and high minutes, but Gordon is already more in the solid category. His price is low for a guy who I feel is a very safe play for 30 fantasy points tonight. He’s shooting 45 percent and adding in enough peripherals to make me happy.
Small forward
High-priced stars
Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors ($9,700 FD, $9,900 DK) @ PHO
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs ($8,700 FD, $9,000 DK) @ MIA
The lineups I’ve made so far feature Durant over Leonard, but that is largely due to the matchup, not a statement on Leonard as a player. The Spurs-Heat game has a total of only 195 points per Vegas, and while Leonard is featured heavily on both sides of the ball, I think his upside is capped in a slower-paced game. Durant, on the other hand, should take full advantage of a young and fast Suns team.
Solid values
Harrison Barnes, Dallas Mavericks ($5,400 FD, $6,100 DK) @ HOU
Trevor Ariza, Houston Rockets ($5,500 FD, $5,600 DK) vs. DAL
Solid is the word at SF today. Both Barnes and Ariza hit value Friday night when these teams met, and Barnes is an excellent value on FanDuel in particular. He’s playing 37 MPG and shooting 57 percent from the field. I think one way to go is with two solid wings and stars at PG, SG, and PF in cash games.
Cheap with upside
T.J. Warren, Phoenix Suns ($5,000 FD, $5,000 DK) vs. GS
James Ennis, Memphis Grizzlies ($4,100 FD, $4,300 DK) vs. WAS
If you want to go with Durant, pair him with one of these bargain players at SF. Warren is enjoying 38.3 minutes per game and averaging 22 points and 2.2 steals a game. He’s also a capable rebounding option for the Suns, with five and six in their first two games. Ennis is more the picture of consistency so far, with 15.5 points and 5 rebound per game. Expect high ownership of Ennis in what Vegas likes to be a moderately high-scoring, but very close, game in Memphis tonight.
Power forward
Solid values
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors ($8,400 FD, $7,500 DK) @ PHO
LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs ($7,600 FD, $7,100 DK) @ MIA
Given that I like Curry and Durant so much tonight, Green is not fitting into my lineups. He should put up a well-rounded stat line tonight and his price is right, so I have no qualms if you can afford him. As Aldridge has dropped off in production after a blazing hot start against the Warriors, his ownership may follow suit. I think he could be a really nice tournament play tonight, but I won’t own him in my main lineups.
Cheap with upside
David Lee, San Antonio Spurs ($4,100 FD, $3,200 DK) @ MIA
JaMychal Green, Memphis Grizzlies ($5,000 FD, $4,700 DK) vs. WAS
Green is the safer play here but also less of a value. His effectiveness in the starting lineup allows the Grizzlies to use Zach Randolph off the bench, a role he’s been dominating. Green is getting about 30 minutes a game and could get his first double-double tonight after flirting with 11/8 in both games so far. Lee is the punt play that allows you to fit the stars in tonight. I don’t trust him at all, but he could meet value in his 15-16 minutes off the bench against Miami’s second unit, if you need to save here so you can spend elsewhere in tournaments.
Center
High-priced stars
Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat ($8,300 FD, $8,000 DK) vs. SA
With a big double-double in both of the first two games and that really being his floor, even against the Spurs, you probably can’t go wrong with Whiteside, but I’m not going out of my way to lock him in.
Solid values
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons ($7,900 FD, $7,900 DK) vs. MIL
Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies ($7,200 FD, $5,600 DK) vs. WAS
To me, tonight is a good night to spend less at center. Both Drummond (double-double machine) and Gasol, who has been a model of consistency so far, offer a good combination of high floor and some upside. Both get decent matchups, and while Drummond can be a foul risk, the chance for 20 rebounds is worth it. Gasol is really a tempting play only on DraftKings, while Drummond is the better value on FanDuel.
Cheap with upside
Steven Adams, Oklahoma City Thunder ($4,700 FD, $5,800 DK) vs. LAL
Adams on FanDuel is hard to get away from at this price. He’s played 37.6 MPG, 2.0 SPG, 12.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG. Added to the appeal is his matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, which is a recipe for upside.
Dewayne Dedmon, San Antonio Spurs ($4,100 FD, $3,300 DK) @ MIA
Dedmon has been outplaying Pau Gasol so far this season off the bench. With less than 20 MPG, Dedmon has been a solid source of rebounds and blocks so far. The Spurs' backups and usage in general are hard to predict, but if he continues to see this kind of playing time at these prices, Dedmon could shore up your lineup for next to nothing salary-wise.