NBA Daily Punts: January 17th, 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
Norris Cole – This one is pretty simple; if Chalmers sits, Cole would see extended minutes against the Sixers, who we all know are not interested in any type of defense. While Cole hasn’t had too many notable performances in the time that Super Mario has been out, the Sixers rank dead last at defending the point guard position on the season, and sit just one spot higher over the last two weeks. This game will probably turn into a blow-out if the Heat come in with any motivation, but expect the starters to be some of tonight’s most popular plays. Cole is still under-priced on FanDuel ($3600), DraftKings ($3600) and DraftDay ($7450). If Chalmers does end up playing, Cole can probably be avoided and Chalmers would be very much in play for $3500 on DraftKings.
Gerald Green – Hopefully you guys had a piece of Green on Wednesday night, when he absolutely torched the Lakers for 28 points and 7 boards. He’ll get to follow that up with a match-up against the Mavericks, who haven’t been too strong at defending the perimeter and have an undersized SG in Monta Ellis that Green should be able to have his way with. The height advantage is a nice plus, and with Green sitting at just $5400 on FanDuel, he’s still got some monster upside. Green had 22 points on 6 of 10 shooting the last time these teams faced off, and that was with Eric Bledsoe still in the lineup.
Manu Ginobili – While I’m typically wary of playing Manu due to his playing time restrictions (he almost never plays over 30 minutes a night), he’s hard to resist on DraftKings for just $4200. Manu has started the last two games, and although his stat lines have been relatively disappointing, he’d get a nice boost if Tony Parker is limited at all. Parker is expected to play through his injured leg, but don’t put it past Pop to hold him out even in a big game. The total of this one is at 213 at the time of this writing, so you’ll probably want some exposure to it. I’d expect somewhere between 25-28 minutes for Ginobili tonight, which should be plenty for him to meet value on DK.
Also receiving consideration: D.J. Augustine, Courtney Lee, Jerryd Bayless, J.J. Redick, Randy Foye, Kirk Hinrich
Forwards
Jared Sullinger – After a huge performance on Wednesday night, Sullinger gets another opportunity for a big game against the very weak Lakers interior. He’s been dealing with a hand injury which was affecting his playing time (along with the emergence of Kris Humphries), but he looks to be getting back into form. For as bad as the Sixers are against point guards (okay, pretty much every position), the Lakers are even worse against power forwards, ranking dead last against the position on the season (and over the last 15 days, where they’ve allowed almost 55 FPPG to PF’s) by a fairly wide margin. Sully is in play everywhere, but his price is really appealing on FanDuel ($5400), DraftStreet ($11,189), DraftDay ($11,200), and FantasyFeud ($83,400).
Wesley Johnson – With Nick Young suspended for tonight’s game, Johnson, Meeks and Marshall should all see huge minutes tonight. They’ve all been playing a ton lately anyway, but there will also be a nice number of shots available as a result of Swaggy P’s absence. I’d expect most of those perimeter shots to shift over to Johnson and Meeks, so it’s becoming hard for me to stay away from Wes due to his affordable price across the industry. $4400 on FanDuel and $54,000 on FantasyFeud stick out to me the most, but he’s in play everywhere. Boston has been pretty good against SF’s on the season, but they rank 28th against the position over the past 15 days.
James Johnson – Even with Marc Gasol back in action, Johnson has continued producing and posted a monster game on Wednesday, in which in blocked six shots. As you can see from his last box score (and the previous few weeks in general), he’s got big-time potential for blocks/steals even when he’s not playing 30+ minutes. People around the NBA have always been excited about Johnson’s athleticism and upside, but he hasn’t flashed it consistently throughout his career, but it’s looking like he’s figuring things out now. He’s carved out a nice role for himself off the bench and is still under-priced on sites like FanDuel ($4100) and DraftKings ($4300). Due to his boom-or-bust ability, he’s better used as a GPP play, but it’s hard to argue with him in cash games for the price on FD and DK.
Also receiving consideration: Kris Humphries, Shawn Marion, Richard Jefferson, Jason Thompson, Iman Shumpert (as a GPP play on DraftStreet), James Anderson
Centers
Andrea Bargnani – His eligibility differs across sites (he’s PF eligible on FanDuel for just $4900), but I’m listing him with the centers because there aren’t many cheap options I like at this position outside of the Knicks roster. With both Amare Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin out of action tonight, Mike Woodson is going to need big minutes out of his healthy post players, and the match-up is actually a pretty good one. It’s almost impossible to imagine Bargnani defending Blake Griffin (or out-rebounding DeAndre Jordan) with any type of success, but the Knicks really don’t have any other options. They could go small and play Melo at the PF spot, but I doubt Woodson wants to risk foul trouble for Melo and it would be wise to let him focus on his production on the offensive end (like he typically does anyway).
Tyson Chandler – Chandler is the other beneficiary of the Martin/Stoudemire injuries. He’s dealing with an illness and was feeling the effects of it last night, but there really isn’t another option for the Knicks to turn to in hopes of matching up with the Clippers big-men. While he’s never been much of a threat on the offensive end (outside of posting phenomenal FG% totals), Chandler has always been a stout defender and should be able to succeed on the glass against Los Angeles. The Clippers have defended the center position poorly this year, ranking 27th against the position this season and 23rd over the last 15 days. Chandler is a nice option if you want to punt the center spot for just $4600 on FanDuel, $4400 on DraftKings, $7950 on DraftDay and $6800 on StarStreet.