Hi there! I’m Glen but I go by Blande and you can find me on twitter as @DfsBlande . I’m a contributor and coach over here at the DFS Army. If you are not yet a member, use the link here and promo code “BLANDE” to get 10% off your subscription. This article is likely to get “locked up” for our VIPs at some point.
I’ll start this off today by saying I love everyone on the 76ers tonight. They are all in excellent positions and could all go off. The only downside is that this game might be over by the middle of the third quarter. I can see Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid getting their 50 burgers by the end of the 3rd and resting the entire 4th quarter. Either way, guys like Markelle Fultz, Dario Saric, and Robert Covington are in play. With that said, I’ll avoid listing 76ers in the positional breakdowns. Salary in the breakdown is Fanduel/Draftkings.
Point Guards
John Wall (9700/8500): Wall began the season on the front foot and looks to continue this trend tonight. The last time Wall faced the Raptors was during the 2016-2017 season. In both home games then, Wall average 59.8 FD fantasy points. This is a good spot for him, especially at home where Wall enjoys playing. He makes for an excellent play in all formats.
Chris Paul (8800/8800): Paul gets a golden matchup here tonight against the Lakers and Rondo. Attacking Rondo has been a staple of our fantasy strategy for a long time, and given how fast pace the Lakers play at, Paul should have a fantastic day.
Kyrie Irving (7800/7300): Kyrie Irving is too cheap for this matchup. Irving has started the season slowly, but even so, his price is too low for a player of his caliber on the biggest stage of them all: Madison Square Gardens! This is one of the few times this season you’ll see Kyrie priced below 8k on both sites. Take advantage of it while you can.
Fred Vanvleet (4500/4500): Our sixth man in this position is Fred Vanvleet. With Kawhi Leonard out tonight, the Raptors will need all the scoring help they can get. Enter Vanvleet who can put up points quickly and who should be getting 30+ minutes tonight. He makes for an excellent all format play.
Shooting Guards
Gary Harris (6200/5900): Gary Harris gets the Devin Booker matchup and at home in the high altitude to boot. Yes, please! I want as much of that as I can get. Booker’s defense is nothing to write home about, and Gary Harris is locked into 30+ minutes a night in his starters role in this lineup. He makes for an excellent all format play.
Devin Booker (8700/8300): Booker is the key to the Suns’ offense. The Suns go as Booker goes. The matchup against Gary Harris is a favorable one for Booker as well, and with Canaan being covered by Jamal Murray, Booker will be called on to handle quite a bit of distribution duties. Both the ceiling and floor are high for Booker here tonight.
Rodney McGruder (3500/4400): Just plug McGruder in on FD and move on. The guy is starting and averaging 32 minutes a game, and is min priced. That is insane! DK has finally priced him up a little bit more, but even then, it is not high enough for the favorable matchup he has against Jeremy Lamb and the Hornets. I’ll be using quite a lot of McGruder in my lineups today.
Small Forwards
LeBron James (11700/10700): This is a tough spot for the King, but you don’t get to wear the crown if a tough spot is all it takes to slow you down. LBJ is more than capable of going off in this matchup. PJ Tucker will be the point person in a rotation pushed out to guard LBJ tonight. Given the caliber of the game, you can expect LBJ to suit up for the task. He’s playable in all formats, although his price means you’ll have to make tough decisions elsewhere.
Trevor Ariza (6400/5500): Ariza settled in nicely in Phoenix, with a fine opening night performance. Behind Devin Booker, he’s the next scoring option for the Suns team. His matchup tonight against Will Barton is one he can exploit both offensively and defensively. Ariza is also known for playing a lot of minutes, so look to him to have a nice night.
Josh Richardson (7100/6800): As long as injuries continue forcing Josh Richardson to play 38 minutes a game, I’ll keep playing him. It is that simple. Richardson is a good player and combined with the high minutes total and high usage, he makes for an excellent fantasy option night in and night out.
Nicholas Batum (7200/5600): On the opposite side of Richardson is Batum. Richardson just gave up 40 FD fantasy points to Otto Porter Jr., and Nicholas Batum is a similar caliber type of player. The Hornets need Batum’s scoring, and this matchup is just what Batum needs to put up a huge game. He has 40-50 points upside here and makes for excellent value of DK.
Power Forwards
Bobby Portis (5900/6300): Portis was excellent in his first game of the season, continuing where he left off last season. He’ll look to keep it going today in what can only be described as a favorable matchup against Blake Griffin. Portis remains a bargain on both sites for what he brings to the table in a Bulls team short on scoring talent, but he is even more of one on DK. He’s playable in all formats tonight and will be chalky!
LaMarcus Aldridge (9100/8100): Aldridge is the undisputed leader of this Spurs team, with the entire offense revolving around him. He will be at the top of the fantasy leaderboards throughout this season. He’s accurately priced for what he brings to the table and makes for an excellent all format play. He’s a nice pivot too from some of the top priced studs on the slate.
Serge Ibaka (5700/5400): With Leonard out, Serge Ibaka will be called on to carry some of the load. The matchup is favorable for him and will only get better if we get news Dwight Howard won’t suit up tonight. This will mean Ibaka can spend a lot of time at both the 4 and the 5. Ibaka should easily play 35+ minutes tonight if the game is close. He’s extremely cheap on both sites and makes for an excellent GPP play.
PJ Tucker (4700/4300): Tucker has had some success in the past in this matchup against LeBron. His ability to also hit the corner three makes him a nice value play in this matchup. Tucker’s main responsibility here tonight will be to defend LBJ and stretch the floor on offense. If he’s three is falling, he could have a big game. If his shot is off, then it could be an average day for him. As a result, he is relegated to GPPs and much better suited for FD where you drop your lowest scoring player.
Centers
Al Horford (6800/6400): Horford is my favorite center on the board tonight. He’s cheap and gets an excellent matchup against Enes Kanter. Kanter just gave up 40 fantasy points to Jarrett Allen, I’m sure Al Horford can eclipse that total. The price and Horford’s production drives his value today. Load up on him on both sites.
Nikola Jokic (9800/9500): At the end of the night, it won’t surprise me to see Jokic as the top center in terms of pure fantasy points. He’s at home, in a matchup against the DeAndre Ayton. Ayton is going to be a great player in this league, but right now, he just doesn’t have what it takes to stop Nikola Jokic. And this is no knock-on Ayton, few people in the league have what it takes to slow down Jokic. I expect a huge game out of him tonight. He makes for an excellent GPP play.
Myles Turner (6300/5700): Turner gets the favorable matchup against Jarrett Allen, who has been allowing opposing bigs to have their way on the boards (15 rebounds per game allowed to opposing centers). Turner is cheap enough on both sites that you can use him in GPPs as a low-owned cheap pivot.
Jarrett Allen (6800/5900): Speaking of Jarrett Allen, he has been very effective for the Nets to start the season. Averaging 39 fantasy points a game against the Pistons and the Knicks. The matchup against Myles Turner is one he can definitely exploit to put up another 40-points game tonight. He makes for a nice GPP play on both sites.
That’s it for this article. I’ll have notes, later on, containing more picks and insights on our Forums. Make sure to join us at the DFS Army for more content, coverage, and coaching!
