NBA Preseason: Thursday, October 6th
Welcome back to another edition of NBA Preseason DFS. Hope everyone was able to have a strong Wednesday night and we can keep it rolling tonight. One thing I do want to point out is that there is a fine line between tinkering and upgrading your roster. Last night, I purposefully left my G position undecided going into the Clippers and Raptors game. Once I got there, I didn’t stick to Chris Paul. I clicked him in and then clicked him out. Went with DeMar DeRozan playing in front of family and friends since I already had Blake Griffin locked in and expected lower ownership on DeRozan. Kyle Lowry got ruled out after lock and that’s the reason Paul was able to take advantage. Good thing it’s only preseason because it’s not the end of the world and that lineup with Paul would have scored 234.5 on DraftKings. I still escaped with a score of 218.75 and I am pumped to attack this six-game slate. I reviewed my article and saw that all the plays were there to take down the GPP. With that in mind, I’ve got plenty to write so let’s dive into it.
Once again noting that I will update the minutes and injury situations as I come across them but this 6-game slate might make it tough if multiple things come in at once. I retweet all my sources so you can follow me on Twitter for up to the second news. I’ll try my best to get back to all of you and really appreciate everyone that’s followed me on Twitter. The overwhelmingly positive response to my article was more than I could have imagined and I want to personally thank you all for that. Let’s continue to build great lineups and show that RotoGrinders is the best community in DFS.
I’ll continue using the format of Green, Yellow, and Red. Green is a strong play and I would consider them solid cash games plays or high ceiling GPP plays. I’m reserving the Yellow for players that are more or less just GPP options. Players in the Yellow section can have as much upside as the players in Green but just likely have a lower floor. Red is for guys that have been ruled out. I’m not going to spend time going over every single player so if you have something I missed feel free to leave it in the comments section or hit me on twitter C_Hira24.
Washington at Philadelphia
Washington
Confirmed Starters: Trey Burke, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter, Markieff Morris, Marcin Gortat
Green: Trey Burke
Yellow: Markieff Morris, Kelly Oubre, Tomas Satoransky
Red: John Wall, Marcus Thornton
Update Beal will see a minutes increase tonight. Expect for Kelly Oubre to not see as many minutes.
Analysis: Trey Burke started for John Wall on Tuesday against the Heat and should start again tonight against the Sixers. Trey Burke led the team in shot attempts (13) and played a healthy 29 minutes. Burke deserves consideration again tonight against a team that is dealing with PG issues. The Wizards were getting crushed but made a game of it late due heroics of Kelly Oubre. Oubre got a chance to shine in extended garbage time with Bradley Beal also restricted to about 15 minutes. Beal should stay in that range and is not on my radar unless we see a report that he’ll get more minutes. We might have to go back to the well on Oubre if Beal is limited. Otto Porter only played about 17 minutes and should also not see over 20-22 minutes on Thursday. Markieff Morris was able to make an impact (11 pts, 4 rebs, 3 ast) in 27 minutes and could once again log that many minutes. I just don’t see him as mandatory with other PFs in better spots. Tomas Satoransky played a shade over 31 minutes but keep in mind that the game was pretty much over by half. Satoransky had 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal to go along with his 8 points and is listed as a minimum priced SF on FanDuel and as a $4.3K PG on DraftKings. Pretty odd but he deserves some consideration simply due to the fact they are playing the 76ers and they could use this game to build his confidence some more.
Philadelphia
Confirmed Starters: TJ McConnell, Gerald Henderson, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Joel Embiid
Green: TJ McConnell
Yellow: Dario Saric, Robert Covington,
Red: Jerryd Bayless, Cat Barber, Nik Stauskas, Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel
Update: The Sixers rolled out the projected starting five and have officially ruled out Nerlens Noel. That might be good for the value of Saric.
Analysis: TJ McConnell led the team in minutes (24) and shot attempts (11) on Tuesday. Since Nik Stauskas did not practice on Wednesday and is out tonight, it’s possible that we’ll see McConnell play about 24+ minutes again. Sergio Rodriguez and Brandon Paul are the other ball-handling guards on the roster and should see some run on Thursday as well. Rodriguez played 22 minutes against the Celtics and led the team with 6 assists but also had 4 turnovers. Paul played about 13 minutes and had 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting. I don’t think that is sustainable but he did also contribute 4 rebounds and 2 steals. I’ve seen a lot of people chasing bench guys but this one carries way too much risk for me to stomach. He’s known as a scorer and is fighting for a roster spot so he does have incentive to play well. Dario Saric and Robert Covington stood out as the other starters that were able to make an impact against the Celtics. Covington took ALL, repeat ALL 7 of his attempts from behind the arc. I don’t like that ratio if he’s going to hit less 30% of them but Otto Porter was someone I remember targeting against last season. RoCo played 23 minutes and also grabbed 7 rebounds and had 2 steals. I considered having him at Green but chose Yellow because there are a bunch of SFs I’d rather have than him. Saric played 18 minutes and is likely not going to play over 20 minutes. I don’t mind him but he is only playing in his second game in the NBA and saw his price jump to $5.1K on DraftKings and but is still min priced on FanDuel. On DraftKings, if I was forced to have only 1 PF in my lineup, I’d rank Thad Young ($6.1K) and Zach Randolph ($5.1K) ahead of him. Joel Embiid is still restricted to 12 minutes tonight.
Chicago at Indiana
Chicago
Confirmed Starters: Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Mirotic, Robin Lopez
Green:
Yellow: Rajon Rondo, Jimmy Butler, Doug McDermott
Red: Denzel Valentine
Analysis: Jimmy Butler is expected to a minutes increase and should play into the 2nd half of Thursday’s game. I’m not opposed to using Butler, just don’t like his matchup if he has to play against Paul George. With Dwyane Wade expected to be limited but will play a little bit in the 2nd half. Butler could slide back over to SG and have Doug McDermott at SF once Wade sits. Butler is the most expensive SG on the slate so it will depend on your roster construction if you can afford him. McDermott played 25 minutes off the bench and tied Jimmy Butler with 13 points on Monday to lead the team. McDermott has seen his salary increase to $4.9K on DK but is still a min priced SF on FanDuel. Still, SF is nice and deep tonight so I would only consider him if you’re forced to save or as a 2nd SF. Nikola Mirotic will be starting instead of Taj Gibson but I’m not looking in his direction. Like I mentioned with Saric, I have other PFs ranked higher than Mirotic. Gibson going to the bench not only hurts his value but also knocks out the value of Bobby Portis. Rajon Rondo deserves consideration but his lack of scoring concerns me. He does pick up a bunch of other stats and can get 3 steals easily in a game so he’ll be a decent sleeper option with his salary in the mid-range.
Indiana
Confirmed Starters: Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, Paul George, Thaddeus Young, Kevin Seraphin
Green: Thaddeus Young, Jeff Teague
Yellow: Paul George, Monta Ellis
Red: Myles Turner, Jeremy Evans, Aaron Brooks, CJ Miles
Update: Aaron Brooks is also out again tonight. Joe Young played decent the other night as the backup guard. Not a ton of upside but will be low-owned.
*Update #2: CJ Miles has been ruled out. Expect Glenn Robinson III to see more minutes
Analysis: The Pacers want to be an uptempo team this season and it showed in their last game. I saw a quote that Paul George said this team could put up 115 points on a regular basis and if that’s the case this season there will be more plays on this team outside of PG13 on a consistent basis, unlike last season. My favorite play is Thad Young because Nikola Mirotic has never tried to play defense and is only worried about chucking. It does concern me that he only played 18 minutes but he did put up a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebs, 1 assist, and 1 block. I think he’ll get to play about 20-22 minutes tonight. Kevin Seraphin is starting with Myles Turner ruled out due to a concussion. Turner will be a solid play soon, he is just working to understand Nate McMillan’s offense. Jeff Teague played 25 minutes and missed all 5 of his three-point attempts. I like him a lot because Rajon Rondo is turnover prone and is focused on playing passing lanes instead of locking his man down. Teague led the team with 14 shot attempts and is likely hungry to prove he’s ready to lead a team that has championship aspirations. Al Jefferson led them in scoring on Tuesday I’ll have to pass on Big Al in this one with Taj Gibson coming off the bench for the Bulls. Jimmy Butler is an elite defender and will likely stick on Paul George any time he’s out there. I think this is an another game where he is just an ancillary piece instead of the focal point.
Detroit at Brooklyn
Detroit
Confirmed Starters: Ish Smith, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marcus Morris, Tobias Harris, Andre Drummond
Green: Ish Smith, Stanley Johnson
Yellow: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tobias Harris, Andre Drummond, Boban Marjanović
Red: Reggie Jackson
Analysis: Reggie Jackson is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a knee injury. Simple, PLAY ISH SMITH. I think he’ll be chalky but don’t make the mistake of getting cute here. They are playing a revamped Nets team that is expected to roll out Jeremy Lin at PG. I also like Stanley Johnson because he’s been having a solid camp and finished last season strongly. Marcus Morris missed practice on Wednesday due to tendinitis but it’s not considered a major injury. I think he’ll probably start but Stanley Johnson has elite upside here against the Nets. Andre Drummond played heavy minutes last preseason and could a healthy amount of minutes against Brook Lopez tonight. With Ish Smith out there throwing Drummond alley-oops, I like him but not sure if I want to stack so many Pistons on one squad. Boban. YES! BOBAN is on the Pistons now and I saw a quote that said Stan Van Gundy thinks Boban is unstoppable inside. I don’t know if I’m ready to fire him up just yet but this is a great spot against the Nets, I’ll decide after playing around with roster construction. He deserves consideration simply because this is preseason and we’ve all dreamt of the time where we could get Boban for 18-20 minutes. They do still have Aaron Baynes so I don’t know if we’ll get more than 12 minutes out of Boban but man, Boban is definitely getting more playing time this season than he did on the Spurs and that is EXCITING NEWS! KCP is on the clock for a contract extension and will likely show out this preseason proving that he is a franchise cornerstone. The Pistons starters are expected to play 24-30 minutes tonight. How many Pistons can we actually play though in preseason?
Brooklyn
Confirmed Starters: Jeremy Lin, Randy Foye, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, , Trevor Booker, Brook Lopez
Green: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Yellow: Bojan Bogdanovic, Brook Lopez
Red:
Update: Randy Foye is starting at SG.
Analysis: New Nets Coach Kenny Atkinson said, “He’s been outstanding. I’ve got to get him to stop sometimes.” When speaking about Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. I’m really considering firing him up in preseason even though I know his jumper is broken. Just have not yet played with roster construction since I have been writing this. Linsanity is back in town and should be hungry to prove he is a starting caliber PG in this league with the only team in the league that believed he was. With so many other PG options, I’ll wait for a smaller slate where I don’t have as many higher upside plays available. Brook Lopez deserves some consideration because he will be the focal point of this team but I like Al Horford more than BroLo tonight. The Pistons have length at every position and I don’t see the Nets having a chance but you can go dig for some bench guys since I’m moving on to the next game.
Boston at Charlotte
Boston
Confirmed Starters: Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson, Al Horford
Green: Al Horford, Terry Rozier
Yellow: Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown
Red:
Analysis: I’m slightly concerned that Horford only played 15 minutes against the Sixers on Tuesday but it was the 76ers we’re talking about. I think he gets 18-20 minutes tonight and makes a fool of Roy Hibbert. Horford is looking like he’s my favorite center of the day because I’ll already have a bunch of Pistons outside of Drummond. I saw that Celtics Coach Brad Stevens said that Marcus Smart is the 6th starter and will be getting starter minutes this season. Smart is dealing with an ankle injury and missed shootaround so I don’t know if they will push him too much tonight. Stevens has also been gushing about Terry Rozier and proved it by giving him over 25 minutes on Tuesday. With Smart limited and Rozier having led the C’s in shot attempts in their previous game, I’m going back to the well here. Third overall pick Jaylen Brown looked aggressive in his 20 minutes and will be someone to consider if Crowder is held out for any reason.
Charlotte
Confirmed Starters: Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marvin Williams, Roy Hibbert
Green:
Yellow: Marvin Williams
Red:
Update: Kemba Walker will play the first 8-10 minutes of the game. Please don’t put him in your lineups.
Analysis: Frank the TANK led the Hornets in shot attempts on Monday against the Mavericks. Kemba Walker did not play in that game so I believe Frank the tank won’t lead in FGA again. Walker looks eager and ready to come back and lead this team to the playoffs again. He’ll be carrying a huge offensive burden all season but I’m not ready to fire him up until he proves he’s worked the rust off. Roy Hibbert BEASTED — ok, he didn’t beast, but almost got a double-double in 22 minutes on Monday. I think Horford stretches him out of the paint forcing the Hornets to counter with Spencer Hawes. Marvin Williams had 10 shot attempts, the most for the starting unit but missed all four his three-point attempts. I remember targeting PFs against the Celtics last season but only view him as yellow because he did play 23 minutes on Monday.
Atlanta at Memphis
Atlanta
Projected Starters: Dennis Schroder, Kyle Korver, Kent Bazemore, Mike Scott, Dwight Howard
Green: Tim Hardaway, Kent Bazemore
Yellow: Mike Muscala
Red: Paul Millsap, Tiago Splitter, Jarrett Jack, Mike Scott
Update: Mike Scott has been ruled out. Millsap, Splitter and Jack were expected. Mike Muscala is expected to get a bunch of run. I’m moving him into yellow
Analysis The Hawks got rid of Jeff Teague and Al Horford over the offseason and replaced them with hometown hero Dwight Howard and last year’s sixth man off their bench Dennis Schroder. I still think Memphis is a good defensive team so I don’t have much interest in them. This will be the Hawks first preseason game so there might be some rust. Paul Millsap had a minor knee procedure done over the offseason so I’ll pass until I see he’s actually back and how he meshes with Howard. Millsap is an elite fantasy asset so we’ll fire him up soon enough. The Hawks were talking very highly of Tim Hardaway and at $4.2K on DraftKings and $4K on FanDuel, I feel comfortable rolling him out there. I don’t think they push Kyle Korver too much in preseason and allow for Hardaway to grow because they’ll need his offense a ton this season with the second unit. The Grizzlies started James Ennis at SF on Monday and with Tony Allen out, I like Kent Bazemore who is only $4.3K on FanDuel.
Memphis
Confirmed Starters: Wade Baldwin, DJ Stephens, James Ennis, JaMychal Green, Marc Gasol
Green:
Yellow: James Ennis, Brandan Wright, Zach Randolph, Andrew Harrison
Red: Chandler Parsons
Update: Mike Conley and Troy Daniels are not in the starting lineup
Analysis: I want to play Zach Randolph so bad today. He’s been told he’s going to be the 6th man all season and I feel like he comes out and proves that he just wants to play and dominates Mike Scott or Mike Muscala. My only concern is that he only got 10 minutes on Monday and will likely be saved for the regular season. Brandon Wright played 20 minutes and is a viable option on DraftKings with his salary barely at $4.2K. He’s a little bit more expensive on FanDuel at $4.4K and does not have a ton of upside but in preseason we’ll be happy with a fantasy point per minute. Wade Baldwin led them in scoring on Monday on 5 for 5 shooting and that’s impossible to continue. Former National Champion at Kentucky, Andrew Harrison played 19 minutes and had 11 points and 6 assists against the Mavs. He’s a fearless player and I might get him in if I’m dying for a punt play but I just like Tim Hardaway much more than him today. James Ennis was solid as the starting SF but just does not carry immense upside.
Sacramento at Golden State
Sacramento
Projected Starters: Darren Collison, Arron Afflalo, Rudy Gay, Willie Cauley-Stein, DeMarcus Cousins
Green:
Yellow: Ty Lawson, Garrett Temple
Red:
Analysis: If the Warriors can blow the Clippers out imagine what they’ll do to the Kings who lost by 19 to the Lakers on Tuesday. Cousins only played 15 minutes and Kosta Koufos was the other starting big. I think they move Willie Cauley-Stein into the starting lineup to defend an active Draymond Green. Lawson played 22 minutes on Tuesday and will likely be eager to prove he can start with Darren Collison suspended for the first eight games of the season. He only took 4 shot attempts which is concerning while Garrett Temple and Ben McLemore took 10. I’m not a fan of these guys but they could all play 22+ minutes in the late game of the night.
Golden State
Projected Starters: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Zaza Pachulia
Green: Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Patrick McCaw
Yellow:
Red:
Analysis: Be ready for another Warriors blowout. My gut is telling me this is a Steph Curry game. Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant dominated on Tuesday and have slightly tougher matchups tonight against the Kings. Arron Afflalo and Rudy Gay can bother these guys a little bit with their length. I’m not saying to fade them because I think Steve Kerr wants his starters to really mesh before the season starts. Their ceiling is just capped because they play the lowly Kings. You can look at Patrick McCaw again since everyone will be off him after he busted in the blowout win against the Clippers. David West was also solid in 15 minutes but I don’t think you need to force him into the lineup tonight. One thing to note is that the Warriors are not playing at Oracle tonight so the crowd will likely be a little bit more tame.
Thanks for reading and good luck out there tonight! There won’t be an article on Friday since there is only a two-game slate but feel free to reach out to me on Twitter.