NBA Starting 5: Saturday, November 26th
The Starting 5 Series will provide Grinders with a quick look at the day’s top positional plays, analyzed through the lens of our Daily Research Tools.
Today, we’ll take a closer look at the Ceiling and Consistency tool. I’ll sort by the last three weeks to see what players are performing well in relation to their FanDuel salary.
The Ceiling and Consistency tool shows you how often each player has hit their value based on that day’s salary. The percentage columns (%3x, %4x, etc) show the percentage of the time that particular player has hit that value multiplier. For example, if a player has a salary of $5,000, the %3x column will show the percentage of games in which he has scored at least 15 fantasy points ($5,000 divided by 1000, then multiplied by 3).
Point Guard: Tyler Johnson
Johnson has gone for 7x in two straight games. If Dragic sits again tonight, Johnson is in line for heavy minutes and usage. Johnson’s usage rate has been 28 percent with Dragic out over the last two games. Johnson has been attack mode on offense, as shown by his 16 free throw attempts in the last two, as well. He’s a fun player to watch fly around the court. If Dragic plays then Johnson would only be a tournament option, but he’s a cash game lock if Dragic misses his third straight game.
Shooting Guard: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
KCP has put up at least 30 FanDuel points in three straight games. The Thunder have done a solid job at defending the shooting guard position this season, but the price is still too cheap on KCP based on his current volume. He is averaging 21 points per game with nine total threes made over his last three games. Tonight’s game is one of the faster-paced games on the slate, so the shot attempts should be there for KCP. He took 17 shots in the matchup versus the Thunder two weeks ago. Given his recent hot streak, I like him to exceed value on his $5100 price tag.
Small Forward: James Johnson
This pick hinges slightly on the availability of Winslow. Johnson would only be a tournament flyer if Winslow plays tonight. The Neck Tat has been playing around 30 minutes a game in Winslow’s absence and has been putting up solid fantasy performances. He’s gone for at least 6x his FanDuel salary in four of the last five games. Johnson isn’t scoring dependent either because of his ability to rack up blocks and steals. Just keep an eye on the Winslow’s status before locking Johnson into your lineups.
Power Forward: Frank Kaminsky
It’s Frank The Tank time. Marvin Williams went down with an injury last night, and Kaminsky ended up playing 40 minutes in the Hornets OT loss. If Marvin is out, we can expect Kaminsky to play in the low 30’s minutes range again tonight. Kaminsky has been playing well recently, too. He is averaging 31 minutes per game over his last four and he’s scored at least 13 points in each game during that span. Throw in the fact that he posts solid rebounding and assists numbers, and you’ve got a great play for tonights slate. He’s going to be chalky if Williams is out, but he’s in play in all formats.
Center: Cody Zeller
I wrote up Zeller last week, and he ended up getting scratched. He actually missed three games and made his return last night against the Knicks in the first game of their home and home matchup. He played 23 minutes and put up 24 FanDuel points. I would expect Zeller’s minutes to push closer to the 30-minute mark tonight given the uncertainty of Williams. Minus his 14-minute dud performance against Cleveland, Zeller has scored in double figures in every game he has played in this month. There are several stud centers available tonight, so paying down for Zeller could be the way to differentiate yourself from the pack.
Hopefully this information helps you with your roster construction today and leads you to a nice score. As always, feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me on Twitter, @Socky21.