Starting 5 - DvP: Wednesday, April 1st
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.
Happy April Fool’s Day everyone! Today we’ll keep things serious, and use DvP statistics to see if we can uncover some high-upside plays on a big tournament Wednesday.
POINT GUARD – Greivis Vasquez vs. Timberwolves ($4,000 on FanDuel)
Minnesota – 44.04 FPPG allowed to opposing point guards for the season
Admittedly, Vasquez has not been good of late. However, the opportunity is still there as Kyle Lowry is without a timetable for a return. Vasquez should continue to play 30+ minutes per game, and he draws a very favorable matchup against Minnesota this evening. The Wolves rank second from the bottom in the league in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing point guards for the year, which makes them a solid team to target point guards against. Look for Vasquez to bounce back in this one, and his $4,000 price tag on FanDuel is way too cheap to ignore in this matchup.
SHOOTING GUARD – DeMar DeRozan vs. Timberwolves ($8,000 on FanDuel)
Minnesota – 40.77 FPPG allowed to opposing shooting guards over the last three weeks
Since Kyle Lowry is out and Greivis Vasquez is struggling, obviously somebody has to be picking up the slack for the Raptors. That has been DeMar DeRozan. He was absolutely brilliant in the last game, almost single-handedly keeping the Raptors in the game against Houston.
He should once again be the focal point of the Toronto offense with Lowry out, and expect him to have a very solid game against Minnesota here. It’s pick on Minnesota day! The Wolves have been awful at defending opposing shooting guards over the past three weeks, as Lorenzo Brown and Zach LaVine have really struggled on the perimeter. It’s bad news when Kevin Martin would be considered a defensive upgrade.
SMALL FORWARD – Kawhi Leonard vs. Magic ($8,200 on FanDuel)
Orlando – 47.05 FPPG allowed to opposing small forwards over the last three weeks
The Spurs are hitting their stride at the right time, and it’s all because of Leonard. The small forward is simply playing out of his mind right now, and the Spurs are rolling as a result. There is a bit of a worry about rest here, as the Spurs are on a back-to-back and have a fairly easy date with Orlando this evening. Leonard usually isn’t at risk in these circumstances, as the veterans are the ones who are typically rested. If Leonard is active, he should be a prime option this evening against the Magic. Check out this DvP chart – the Magic are allowing almost 7 fantasy points more per game to opposing small forwards than any other team in the league over the past three weeks!
POWER FORWARD – Trevor Booker vs. Nuggets ($4,000 on FanDuel) or Derrick Favors ($7,700 on FanDuel)
Denver – 45.21 FPPG allowed to opposing power forwards for the season
Whoever gets the nod at power forward for the Jazz tonight will make a solid daily fantasy play. It would be nice to see Booker get another chance, because his price is super cheap and he was very good on Monday.
Denver ranks very poorly against power forwards and centers alike, so this is a chance to pounce as the frontcourt is where Utah is strongest. Keep an eye on today’s news for confirmation on Derrick Favors’ status, and react in your lineup building accordingly.
CENTER – Rudy Gobert vs. Nuggets ($8,700 on FanDuel)
Denver – 50.82 FPPG allowed to opposing centers over the last three weeks
Instead of just picking on Minnesota today, I’ll be an equal opportunity daily fantasy player and pick on Denver as well. It’s Rudy Gobert against the Nuggets, take two! Gobert put up a pedestrian by his standards 14 and 14 line against the Nuggets last week when these teams played. A similar if not better line can be expected in the rematch, with Derrick Favors uncertain to play and Utah lacking depth up front. Gobert is a rebounding machine, and Denver is very poor at containing opposing centers, too. Fire him up as a top-tier center this evening.