NBA Starting 5 (GPP): Friday, January 13th
The Starting 5 Series will provide Grinders a quick look at the day’s top positional plays, analyzed through the lens of our Daily Research Tools.
What’s up, everyone? Welcome back to another edition of the NBA GPP Starting 5. It’s awesome to have NFL winding down as well so that we can start to focus on one sport. I’ve never been great at juggling both sports, so I usually shift most of my time to NBA.
After my recent success, we finally had a down week. Last week was one of my poorest Starting 5 articles, as I only got a few of my five correct. Being the person that I am, that is just not good enough. This week I will try to get back on track and see if I can hit that golden five for five.
As usual these picks are tournament only, unless stated otherwise. Today we have a nice nine-game slate, so let’s take a look.
Point Guard: Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves – $6,100 on DraftKings
Ricky Rubio has been playing some better basketball as of late, and I see that continuing today. His minutes have been as consistent as any DFS player could ask for. The injury to Zach LaVine is worth keeping an eye on, as if he’s out it really bumps Rubio up in my book. If LaVine does play, I still am fine using Rubio in tournaments with his recent level of play. The Minnesota fans have been booing him after every shot he takes lately. Maybe that has finally gotten under his skin, but what do they expect? We all know he can’t shoot, so cut him some slack.
Tonight the Timberwolves will host the Oklahoma City Thunder, who we all love targeting opposing point guards against. This will be a faster paced game, and with it being in Minnesota, it will most likely stay close. Rubio’s recent assist totals have been huge, as he has over 30 assists in his last two games. What really stands out in this matchup is his potential for a healthy amount of steals against a turnover-prone Westbrook.
Shooting Guard: C.J. McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers – $7,900
The Trail Blazers have been starting to play some better basketball, mostly thanks to C.J. McCollum. Lillard can not seem to figure it out lately and most teams have chosen to double team him off screens, like the Cavaliers did the other night. Lillard has no problem passing the ball off to McCollum and letting him do his thing. With Lillard back, McCollum has still taken almost 20 shots in each game. His ownership will continue to stay low with the fear of Lillard taking away usage, but Stotts runs the offense smartly and keeps one of them on the floor at all times.
C.J. draws a matchup against Orlando, who have been middle of the road against guards. The reason I used the term guards and not shooting guards is because McCollum runs most of the offense when Lillard is off the floor. Although Evan Turner may bring the ball up here and there, McCollum will be the usage leader when Dame sits. McCollum grades as one of my favorite tournament plays on the slate.
Small Forward: Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz – $7,000
Gordon Hayward is having an All-Star type season and hopefully can find a way on the All-Star team, though in a star-studded Western Conference it will not be easy. Right now, we are getting Hayward at a discount, as he is should be priced over $8,000 in my opinion (granted he does not have that immense upside we are all looking for). Hayward’s last matchup against the Cavaliers was a good one, and that is what I expect him to play like on most nights. He had almost 50 fantasy points and shot 10-for-12 from the field, but that right there is one of his biggest problems. He is not selfish enough, averaging around 13 shots a game.
The Jazz will take on the Detroit Pistons, who have been very good against the small forward position. That matchup does not scare me too much though, given Hayward is virtually matchup proof at this point. He has finally found his three-point shot in the past couple games, shooting over 50% in his last four games.
Power Forward: Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks – $7,600
The one thing that always scares me with Paul Millsap is his age slowly starting to creep up on him, but he still has game. In four of his last six games he has broken 40 fantasy points, and in one of those mathcups he dropped one over 50. We all know his upside and that Atlanta relies on him in bigger situations. He also has a nice usage rate at right around 25.
Tonight Millsap and the Hawks take on the Celtics, who have been pretty poor against the power forward position. This game has an average total, but Vegas does see this game staying close. Millsap is in a sneaky spot here with the matchup being in his favor, and Atlanta will rely on him in this matchup. He will most likely go underowned due to his latest performance, in which he had one of his worst shooting games of the season, but his peripheral stats saved his outing. Now, if he knocks down his shot like he usually does, he’ll pay off very nicely tonight.
Center: Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz – $6,500
If you have read my articles before, this pick should come at no surprise. I do not recommend stacking this game (despite me picking my second Utah player), Rudy Gobert is a center that gets it done night in and night out. Let’s throw in a salary that we have not seen him at in a while, and I will be buying low on him here. These Utah players are a little underpriced due to their typical slow pace, so I like a few of these guys as nice one-offs in my tournament lineups.
The Jazz get a matchup with the Detroit Pistons, who have been middle of the road against centers. Drummond is not as good of a defender as everyone believes he is, and he has allowed some big games to centers on the season. This will be the third game in four nights for the Pistons, so Gobert should have his way on the glass against a tired team. I will buy low on him while I can.