We’ve got a five-game NBA slate this evening that skews towards the West, as seven of the 10 teams participating call the Western Conference home. That means late tip-off times and even later swaps for all you people building lineups. As always, keep your head on a swivel and make sure to be following the news closely.
Let’s break it all down position-by-position.
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POINT GUARD
Stud
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat, $11,100 - This is an interesting spot for Doncic. The All-Star hasn’t been quite as effective through the opening two weeks of the season as he was in 2020-21, and he’ll draw the worst possible matchup, as the Heat have the NBA’s lowest defensive rating (95.1). Still, if you remove the blowout loss to Denver where Doncic only logged 26 minutes, the former lottery pick is averaging 50.3 DKFP per contest. Doncic has also posted a massive 34.5% usage rate with Kristaps Porzingis ($7,800; back) off the court. I’d assume he’s primed for another huge performance so long as Dallas is able to keep this game close.
Value
Kevin Porter, Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers, $6,200 - It’s been an erratic start to the season for Porter, as the guard currently leads all qualified players with a massive 30.9% turnover rate. Still, that’s a reflection of how often Porter has the ball in his hands, which should be a good thing in tonight’s matchup with the Lakers. If nothing else, this should be a contest played at an impressive pace, as Houston and Los Angeles are the only two teams in the NBA averaging over 103.0 possessions per 48 minutes in 2021-22. If Porter can log over 30 minutes — like he’s done in four of his last five starts — he should have little issue reaching value in such an uptempo environment.
SHOOTING GUARD
Stud
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, New Orleans Pelicans at Phoenix Suns, $6,700 - You’ll have to wait and see how the Pelicans’ injury report reads prior to tip, but as it stands now, both Brandon Ingram ($8,200; hip) and Devonte’ Graham ($6,400; adductor) are questionable to play against the Suns. That’s roughly 48 points per game possibly sitting on the bench. That’s New Orleans’ top two players in terms of usage rate in jeopardy of missing the action on Tuesday. It’s only an 18-minute sample, but Alexander-Walker sports a 28.2% usage rate with his two teammates off the court so far in 2021-22. He’d be asked to do a lot if either of Ingram or Graham is eventually ruled out.
Value
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons vs. Milwaukee Bucks, $3,600 - It wasn’t exactly a memorable debut for Cunningham this past weekend, but the first-overall pick did showcase his diverse skill-set against the Magic, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out a pair of assists in 19 minutes of run. Unfortunately, Cunningham was 1-for-8 from the field and 0-for-5 from long distance. I’d anticipate the rookie’s shot regressing to the mean on Tuesday, while a couple extra minutes could be on the horizon, as well. At this price tag, it doesn’t take much to be viable.
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SMALL FORWARD
Stud
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings at Utah Jazz, $7,400 - This is another poor matchup — the Jazz own the Western Conference’s lowest defensive rating (98.3) — but Barnes has simply been performing above this salary all season long. Not only is the veteran averaging a double-double for the season with 23.3 points and 10.3 rebounds, but he’s shooting a blistering 45.5% from three-point range. Plus, even when his efficiency begins to fade, Barnes can simply volume his way to fantasy viability. Coming into Tuesday, Barnes is leading all qualified players in the West at 37.3 minutes per contest.
Value
Josh Hart, New Orleans Pelicans at Phoenix Suns, $4,900 - After struggling with a lingering injury to begin the season, Hart appears to back at full-strength. The forward logged 30 minutes in the Pelicans’ loss to the Knicks on Saturday, registering 16 points, eight rebounds and 29.5 DKFP. Obviously, the absence of the aforementioned Ingram had much to do with Hart’s opportunity, but if either of Ingram or Graham is missing this evening, Hart will remain an enticing asset with a price tag below $5K.
POWER FORWARD
Stud
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets, $9,700 - Davis has the potential to be a lynchpin on this slate, though there is still much to be learned about the Lakers’ circumstances for this contest against the Rockets. Will LeBron James ($10,200; ankle) play through a questionable designation? Will Davis once again start at center for Los Angeles, as he did the last time these two teams met? In any case, Davis is averaging 1.33 DKFP per minute played so far this season and that figure jumps to 1.44 DKFP when James is off the court. In an uptempo setting, Davis is certainly a name to keep an eye on.
Value
Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks at Detroit Pistons, $3,100 - It’s weird to assume that an Antetokounmpo brother not named “Giannis” will be the chalk on tonight’s slate, but I just don’t see a scenario where you’re fading Thanasis. Everyone is injured or unavailable for the Bucks, which left Giannis’ older sibling to play over 32 minutes and take 15 field goal attempts in Sunday’s loss to the Jazz. Heck, even Bobby Portis ($4,400) still appears to be on a minutes limit. Someone just has to soak up these opportunities.
CENTER
Stud
Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans Pelicans at Phoenix Suns, $8,500 - While most of the Pelicans’ roster has their viability left up to the fate of the injury Gods, Valanciunas is a solid play regardless of how everything else turns out. That’s the beauty of averaging 19.4 points per game, sitting fifth in the league in total rebounding rate (21.4%) and producing 1.32 DKFP per minute. Well, I guess I should say that Valanciunas’ fate isn’t totally up to specifically New Orleans’ injury woes, because if Deandre Ayton ($6,800; leg) ends up missing tonight’s contest, the Suns will have no one with the size to battle Valanciunas in the paint. He would absolutely feast.
Value
JaVale McGee, Phoenix Suns vs. New Orleans Pelicans, $3,400 - Finding value at the center position on tonight’s slate is simply going to be a waiting game. Does the aforementioned Ayton sit? How about Bam Adebayo ($7,500; knee) against the Mavericks? For his part, McGee is averaging 1.19 DKFP per minute played in 2021-22, so if his number is called, he’s a candidate to go off at 7x or 8x value — maybe even more.
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