NBA Daily Punts: December 6, 2013
When I start building my lineups, I like to look for a few low salary options that should have no trouble exceeding value. On most days, there will be a few injuries that open up opportunities for players who don’t typically see big minutes. A change in a teams rotation or a particular match-up can also be the cause of a value play emerging. As we all know, NBA injury news continues to pour in as the day moves along and is not usually made official until close to tip-off, so be sure to sign up for our NBA alerts and check out the RotoGrinders Twitter Feed leading up to roster lock.
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
Tony Wroten – With Michael Carter-Williams on the shelf tonight, Wroten might be the most obvious value play of the night, and for good reason. Wroten was very productive as the starting point guard earlier in the season when MCW was hurt, and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue tonight. He’s a fun player to watch and he can contribute in a lot of different categories, so even if his shots not falling he should still meet value. Charlotte has been tough against point guards this season, but I’m still not sure I really buy that yet. Wroten is as close to a must-play as there is on every site besides StarStreet, where he’s appropriately priced.
Patrick Beverley – Beverley has been seeing big minutes with Jeremy Lin out, and he should continue that tonight since he should be the guy shadowing Curry all game. The match-up is good and GS/HOU features the highest over/under of the night, so you’ll want to have a player or two from this game. If you’re not comfortable paying up for Curry, Beverley should be able to pay off his FD and DK salaries.
Also receiving consideration: Reggie Jackson (Westbrook is a GTD, so target Jackson if he sits), Mo Williams, Greivis Vasquez (GPP play), *Kyle Korver
Forwards
Jason Smith – Since Anthony Davis has been out of action, Smith has been playing extended minutes and has been productive with them so far. He’s played at least 36 minutes in both of his starts, but one of them did come in a triple-OT game. While the Thunder are a pretty good defensive team overall, they have struggled against Centers, so keep playing Smith on the sites which have not yet adjusted his price. He’s not a GPP winning type of player, but he has a nice floor in cash games for his price.
Al-Farouq Aminu – He’s been very impressive over the past two games, and he’s still priced at just 4300 at Fanduel and 4500 at DraftKings. Aminu has been picking up a lot of the rebounding slack left by The Brow, and was just four points shy of a 20 PT/20 REB game. He’s also a good bet for a few steals when he’s playing big minutes, which he should be as long as he can produce the way he has this week. He will be a popular play on the two sites listed above, but that doesn’t mean you should stay away, because Aminu has enormous upside at those prices.
Jeffrey Taylor – With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist out for 4-6 weeks, Jeffrey Taylor will start at SF for the Bobcats. Whenever a team is playing the Sixers, it automatically puts most if not all of the starting lineup in play. Philly plays a very fast paced game and gives up a ton of points, not to mention they also turn the ball over quite a bit (18.1 per game, second to last in the NBA. Only Houston is worse.) Taylor should be able to pay off his price on DK, FD and DD, but beware, he’s always capable of posting a dud.
Also receiving consideration: Harrison Barnes, Khris Middleton, Brandon Bass, Iman Shumpert, DeMarre Carroll
Centers
Enes Kanter – He lost his spot in the starting five earlier in the year, but with his replacement Marvin Williams out again tonight, Kanter will draw the start. He put up 20 and 10 on Wednesday as the starter against a tough Indiana front-court, so it’s possible he has a similar type of game tonight against the Trail Blazers. Kanter’s price has dropped significantly since the start of the season, so he’s in play across the industry, but his price on Fanduel might be the most appealing (4900).
Timofey Mozgov – I know his name is probably being cursed by half of the DFS community after his dud on Wednesday, but I think he comes back tonight with a better performance. It’s tough to tell when Brian Shaw will give Mozgov big minutes, but it seems to come when he’s facing off with offensive-minded Centers. Jared Sullinger is certainly undersized as a Center, but he does have a pretty nice offensive game and he’s been taking more shots lately. Mozgov is more of a GPP play because Shaw could just leave Hickson in to defend a smaller front-court, but only time will tell what the Nuggets decide to do. If you want to gamble at the C spot, Mozgov has big-time upside.
Also receiving consideration: Andrew Bynum, Jonas Valanciunas