NBA Daily Punts: January 10, 2014
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 ($9500) or DraftKings ($4500). I’ll typically make a note of which site a particular player is best suited for.
Guards
Darren Collison – His price has come up on most sites, but he’s still sitting at just $4,700 on DraftKings, which basically puts him in must-play territory. Collison is in a dream match-up with the Laker back-court and based on volume alone, he’ll have no trouble paying off his DK price tag tonight. His floor is probably somewhere around 25 FP’s, but even that wouldn’t be so bad for a player of his price. There’s really no reason not to have him on your DK rosters tonight, even with a bevy of options at the PG spot (and Collison lacking SG elibility) to choose from. Even if you’re rostering two other PG-only eligible players (guys like Brandon Jennings, Isaiah Thomas and MCW come to mind), find a way to fit Collison into your UTIL spot.
Brian Roberts – Jrue Holiday is now out indefinitely, which opens up opportunity for a few other guys to step up. Brian Roberts will get his crack at the starting PG job tonight, and he’s priced near the minimum on just about every site. Based on opportunity alone, he’ll exceed value tonight and has played well previously as a starter. He’s minimum priced on FanDuel and DraftKings, and sits at just $5,553 on DraftStreet. While it might make sense to fade him on a site like FanDuel with limited roster flexibility, rostering him on DraftStreet and DraftKings opens up so much cap space that it’s impossible for me to stay away. Tyreke Evans also gets a very nice boost in value with Holiday on the shelf.
Gerald Green – This play is particularly for King of the Court since Green is still underpriced at just $5100 on FanDuel. He won’t be highly owned with the New Orleans guards undoubtedly being popular plays tonight, and after a poor performance on Wednesday, Green should bounce back with a nice game against Memphis. The match-up isn’t ideal, but the Grizzlies are missing Tony Allen and with Eric Bledsoe out for the near future, Green will see a heavy dose of minutes tonight. He needs to get hot from the field to have a big night, but with his ability to rack up blocks and steals his ceiling is fairly high for his $5,100 price tag.
Also receiving consideration: Alec Burks (if Hayward sits, Burks would be a very nice option tonight), Avery Bradley, Joe Johnson, Shaun Livingston
Forwards
Tobias Harris – With Nikola Vucevic still out of action, guys like Harris and Glen Davis need to step up to make up for what they are missing in the paint. He hasn’t been very impressive since his return from an injury a few weeks ago (although he has cracked the 30 FP mark a few times), but Harris is bound to break out sometime with the major minutes he has been playing. He’s pretty much a lock to play 35 minutes as long as the game is relatively close, and the 206 O/U is a bit higher then we’re used to seeing when the Magic take the court. Harris will return value for $5,500 on FanDuel and $9,585 on DraftStreet with upside to do much more.
Al-Farouq Aminu – Evans and Roberts benefit most from Holiday’s injury, but Aminu should also take on some extra playing time and responsibility. He’s posted some monster stat lines with extended minutes (although most of that came with Brow out of action), and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see him top the 30 minute mark tonight. If he gets there, I highly doubt he doesn’t return value for just $4,400 on FanDuel and $9,079 on DraftStreet. His FD price is my favorite, and he’s probably the best SF punt for King of the Court tonight.
Also receiving consideration: James Johnson, Vince Carter, Wes Johnson, Jae Crowder
Centers
Pero Antic – There aren’t any overly appealing options if you want to go cheap at the center spot, but Antic is probably the safest of the bunch. He’s been playing well in Al Horford absence and he really stretches the defense with his strong play on the perimeter. Antic can hit the 3-ball and he’ll grab a handful of boards, but he’s a guy that can get into foul trouble quickly. The Hawks will need his size to help defend Dwight Howard tonight, so as long as he can avoid foul trouble (crossing my fingers), he should return value for just $3,700 on FanDuel.
Jason Smith – A lot of Pelicans are finding their way onto this list, which is the cause of two major injuries to Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday. Smith is returning from an injury of his own, but he’s seen over 20 minutes in both games since returning. He’s clearly had to shake off some rust, but with Anderson on the shelf, Smith will be needed to take some of the pressure off The Brow in the post. The only place I’d consider Smith is for $3,200 on DraftKings, and even there I wouldn’t expect more then 25 FP’s.