NBA Daily Punts: December 2, 2013
While most of the DFS community will be focused on Monday Night Football, we still have a five-game slate in the NBA to break down. It’s always harder to find value when you’re choosing from just ten teams, but we all still need a few low-salary gems to allow us to pay up for a guy like John Wall tonight. There’s still some injury news that should break throughout the day, so check out the RG Twitter Feed closer to tip-off or sign up for our NBA alerts.
In order to be considered a “punt,” a player must meet Bargain Bin Baller status on either Fanduel (5500), Draftstreet (9000) or Draftkings (4500). I will typically make a note of which site a particular player is best suited for.
Guards
Patrick Beverley – He’s always been known more for his defense, but with Jeremy Lin out for the next few games Beverley could take on some more offensive responsibility. The key to his success is racking up hustle stats, and with Lin out he should tack on an extra assist or two. He’ll face off against a Jazz team that just got run over by Goran Dragic in back to back games, so it’s not as tough of a match-up as the early season DvP rankings indicate (the Utah guard rotation hasn’t been stable so far this season). Beverley seems to be locked in to 35 minutes a night for the foreseeable future and while he won’t go out and win you a GPP, he’s a good bet for 25 FP’s.
Tony Snell – I’ll preface this pick by saying the only places I would feel good about using Snell is on DraftKings for the bare minimum and on Fanduel for 3600. He’s played at least 35 minutes in the past two games as the starting SG for Tom Thibodeau and has scored at least 24 FP’s (DK scoring) in both starts. Snell can shoot the three ball which is always a nice bonus on DK, so as long as Snell is the starter again tonight he’s a nice option. He looks like he’s starting to get a little more comfortable in his rookie season and he has to play well if he hopes to stay in the rotation once Jimmy Butler returns. His 8K price tag at Draftstreet seems like somewhat of a stretch, but it could work out as long as he receives his full complement of minutes.
Also receiving consideration: Trey Burke (he’s slightly out of the BBB price range, but like his price at DK and DS), Manu Ginobili, E’Twaun Moore (as a GPP option, if Jameer Nelson is out), Kirk Hinrich
Forwards
DeMarre Carroll – Carroll is sort of like Patrick Beverley in that they both play a lot of minutes and rely on hustle stats for fantasy success. With Kyle Korver out again tonight, Carroll has even less competition for playing time and the Hawks will need him to step up if they have any chance of beating San Antonio. The 12-point spread kind of worries me because I can see this game being over after three quarters, but if the Hawks can keep this game manageable Carroll will see his usual 31-35 minutes and should contribute enough across the board to be worth taking on all three major sites tonight.
Omri Casspi or Francisco Garcia – This play hinges on the health of Chandler Parsons; if he sits, both players will see a bump in minutes and one of them would draw the start. Parsons missed shoot-around today, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rockets take it easy on him considering the opponent (the 3-15 Utah Jazz). It might be tough to get any news prior to 7PM roster lock since this game takes place on the west coast at 9PM, but stay up the news and hopefully something will break early. I’d probably lean more in favor of Garcia if both were guaranteed the same number of minutes, but if Parsons sits your best bet is to roll out whoever gets the start.
Also receiving consideration: Marvin Williams, Richard Jefferson, Taj Gibson
Centers
Jason Smith – While much of the DFS community will be excited about Ryan Anderson prospects following The Brow’s injury, Jason Smith will also pick up more minutes and responsibility for the Pelicans, both on offense and defense. He’s currently under-priced on basically every site, and he’ll be in almost all of my lineups tonight. The match-up with Chicago is far from ideal, but Smith should be locked into major minutes now and New Orleans doesn’t have much depth at the center/power forward spot without Davis. Don’t over think this one, just plug him in your LU’s and move on.
Joakim Noah – I’m aware that he does not meet BBB status on any site, but his price has drastically decreased from last season when he was playing like one of the best big men in the NBA, and it’s tougher to find value on a five-game night. Noah is now priced at just 11.8K on DS, and against a recently depleted New Orleans front-court, Noah could easily return value on that price tonight. Jason Smith and Ryan Anderson aren’t exactly world-class rebounders (or defenders), so Noah (and Boozer) should be able to control the paint in this one and I can see Noah posting a 30+ point fantasy performance tonight. New Orleans has had more trouble with quick guards and swingmen this year than they have with post-players, but this team is completely different without The Brow roaming around.