Starting 5: DvP - Sunday, February 8th
Hello Grinders!!
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 Defense vs Position tool. Using FanDuel numbers, I’ll sort by the last three weeks to see which teams are currently struggling to guard each position.
Point Guard: Derrick Rose (CHI) at Orlando
Derrick Rose is eventually going to put up another huge game, and tonight might be the night. The Magic have been playing at breakneck speed in recent weeks and are worst in the league versus the point guard position. The Bulls starters didn’t need to play the fourth quarter last night against New Orleans, so they should be fresh for this matchup against the Magic.
Vegas expects Orlando to be able to keep it close at home, and with a solid O/U of 203, there should be plenty of fantasy points to go around.
Shooting Guard: Eric Bledsoe (PHO) at Sacramento
The Suns guards are tournament-only plays for me at this point in the season, with Eric Bledsoe being the best of the trio. Tonight he gets a matchup versus the reeling Kings. Darren Collison might sit out again, so Bledsoe should feast on Ramon Sessions and Ben McLemore tonight.
Bledsoe has a similar ceiling as James Harden for $2,400 cheaper. He will be in a lot of my tournament lineups tonight.
Small Forward: Kevin Durant (OKC) vs. L.A. Clippers
If you’re playing the all-day slate, Kevin Durant at under 11K on FanDuel should be in all of your lineups. LeBron has a great matchup, but the blowout factor limits his upside. Durant on the other hand should be in a tight game against the Clippers, who have really struggled to defend the wing this season.
If this game is anything like last season’s Western Conference semi-finals, Durant should be in line for 50-plus fantasy points.
Power Forward: Zach Randolph (MEM) vs. Atlanta
The Hawks are surprisingly allowing the second-most fantasy points to power forwards over the last three weeks. This puts Zach Randolph in play for me in tournaments.
Randolph should be under-owned, after finally putting up dud of a game last time out and with a perceived bad matchup versus the Hawks up tonight. Randolph, however, is averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds over his last eight home games.
Center: Gorgui Dieng (MIN) at Detroit
Andre Drummond is an athletic freak, but it’s pretty clear that he can’t defend the position. Nikola Pekovic might sit today, and if does, Gorgui Dieng becomes one of the top center plays for me tonight. Dieng has 40-fantasy-point upside in this matchup for only $6,700 on FanDuel.
Monitor this situation closely and get Dieng in your lineups if Pekovic does sit. If he plays, you could pivot to Joakim Noah at a similar $7,100 price, but I will probably pay up for DeMarcus Cousins or Nikola Vucevic.
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.