Hello all! My name is Jason and I’m going to be writing the Friday DraftKings column throughout the season. I’m going to offer a couple of suggestions at each position, aiming for one or two high-floor selections for cash game lineups, as well as a lower-owned option with upside for tournaments. My name is jbiggsy on DraftKings, so if anyone wants to play low-stakes head-to-heads for fun, hit me up on there.
We have a nice ten-game slate tonight in our first Friday of the NBA season. There is limited data available this early in the season as we continue to learn about rotations and allotment of minutes for various players, but there are high-priced and value options at every position, so let’s dive right in.
Guards
Kemba Walker (CHA): $7,800 vs. ATL
As I’ve learned in previous seasons, we’ve got to be really selective about when we play Kemba. He definitely isn’t an every-game consideration like some guards, because he doesn’t play particularly well on the road, and the slower pace of the Hornets depresses his ceiling. That being said, Kemba is in a good spot here against Atlanta. Two things lead us to this conclusion: 1.) Based on last year’s data, we love playing Kemba at home (not so much on the road), and 2.) We LOVE playing guards against Dennis Schroeder, who barely tries on defense. This game isn’t going to be played at a break-neck pace, but I still like Kemba here for a solid floor and a pretty nice ceiling.
CJ McCollum (POR): $7,200 @ IND
McCollum was suspended for the Blazers first game, so this will be his season debut. He’s in a good spot here in a pace-up game (225.5 over/under) against a bad defensive team. As much as I like Damien Lillard as a player, I’m going to shy away from him and his higher price tonight in favor of McCollum, who I think is a solid cash play and acceptable for tournaments as well, since I think his ceiling is 50+ DK points tonight.
Jordan Clarkson (LAL): $4,400 @ PHO
Clarkson played well last night in 22 minutes off the bench, and I would expect 22-25 minutes for him again tonight as the Lakers continue to toy with their rotations. Clarkson should have no problem hitting value against an awful defensive team in Phoenix, in a pace-up game (218.5 over/under) that should stay close. The best thing here is that Clarkson only needs to score 20-22 DK points to hit value, and that should be no problem tonight. He definitely has the potential for 30+ DK points as well, which would just be gravy.
Forwards
LeBron James (CLE): $10,500 @ MIL
No surprise here, and the price is high, but if I’m starting my team is a solid player with a high floor and basically no ceiling, I’m going with LeBron. This is a pace-up game with a 220.5 over/under, and without Kyrie this year, LeBron is going to have the ball in his hands even more. He’s going to create for teammates and he’s going to score as much as he wants. He’s a triple-double threat each and every night, and if this game stays close (I assume it will), I love LeBron tonight.
Thaddeus Young (IND): $5,800 vs. POR
I love Thad for cash. I’ll probably harp on this all year, unless something changes with his spot in the rotation, which I don’t expect. He’s going to play 32-35 minutes tonight in a game with a sky-high 225.5 over/under against Portland. He’s a double-double threat every night and I’m really comfortable with his floor (~29-30 DK points), which meets his price tag, and there’s always the possibility of a 40+ DK game for Thad.
TJ Warren (PHO): $5,000 vs. LAL
Warren played 27 minutes on Wednesday night, but I assume he would have played more if the game hadn’t been a complete, embarrassing blowout for the Suns. Phoenix is going to be bad this year, really bad, but someone has to get minutes and numbers on this team. Warren can score in a variety of ways, and he can rack up rebounds as well. I’m expecting him to play around 30 minutes tonight in a pace-up game against the Lakers, and I like him in this spot to easily exceed his $5k price tag. If Phoenix stays competitive in this game, which I expect them to, Warren could be a beast.
Centers
DeMarcus Cousins (NOR): $10,400 vs. GSW
The question we’re going to be asking all year is whether we should roster Cousins or Anthony Davis, or both, or, for the sake of covering all our bases, neither. I’m not sure there’s going to be an obvious answer at any point, but there is especially no good answer this early in the season. I’m fine with both tonight in a high-paced game (220.5 over/under) against Golden State. If I had to pick, I’m taking Cousins tonight because I’m more comfortable with his floor, and I’m more confident that he’s not going to sustain a mid-game injury (I’m not so confident in the Brow in this respect). A slight bump for both players if Draymond Green is out as well (he was upgraded to Probable and it looks like he will play), since he is by far the best defensive player on the Warriors.
Nikola Vucevic (ORL): $7,600 @ BKN
Vooch is an excellent high mid-range option tonight at a loaded center position. Brooklyn is a terrible defensive team and this is going to be a high-paced game (224 over/under). I love Vooch for tournaments because he’s got a decent floor and a sky-high ceiling given his price. I could easily see him going for 40+ DK points tonight, which exceeds value at his price tag. He’s got 50 DK point upside as well, which is what we need to be competitive in tournaments. As I mentioned, center is a loaded position tonight, so even though Vooch seems like an obvious choice, I expect the ownership to be fairly spread out at center.
Jason Biggins is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @biggsportsfan
