Hello All! I’m not your regularly scheduled Top Play for the Day guy, but because the NBA schedule is a little wacky and starts on a Tuesday, I’m starting the season not on my normal day. Check in next week for Monday’s top DraftKings plays.Â
Let’s get to the ballin’ out.
Since it is the first day and we only have two games, your pickings are a bit slim and you’re going to have to hope that you swing for the fences with a low percent ownership on someone.
NBA DFS DraftKings Top Plays for October 16th
Point Guards
Top Play | Steph Curry $8,800
Why Steph here? Because he’s the best PG available. While Chris Paul might be a better ball handler, I don’t trust him meshing with the new teammates right out of the gate. Steph already can’t be guarded by anyone on the team, so pay up here for sure.
Value Pick | Derrick Rose $5,000
DRose is a shell of his former self. He can’t really move the same way he used to, he doesn’t pass the ball as well, and he for sure can’t cut to the basket and score at will. Sounds a lot like Dwayne Wade actually. Much like the start of the “Big 3” era in Miami, there’s some growing pains to be had in Cleveland. Rose is $200 cheaper than Wade, but you have at least some sort of games from last year to go on.
Other Options | Kyrie Irving $8,300 Marcus Smart $4,800
These two are the other options that I would consider for the two-game slate. Irving is almost guaranteed to be the ball handler in Beantown. Smart has a lot to live up to on the defensive end now because of the loss of Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder, which makes me think he won’t have as much heavy lifting to do on offense. With Curry only being $500 more, it’s not a decision in my mind to choose anyone over him.
Shooting Guards
Top Pick | Klay Thompson $6,200
Klay will get fed, period. Whether he gets you the counting stats besides points remains to be seen. But building a lineup and spending ten percent of your budget on James Harden at $10,000 seems a bit high for me. Once again it’s the growing pains narrative there. Thompson is a sure thing.
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Value Pick | Eric Gordon $4,600
Eric Gordon has the ability to steal you a tournament or head-to-head match in my mind. He has the ability to score 30 points on any given night for the Houston Rockets. This game with the Warriors isn’t going to be a defensive showcase which means someone’s going to have to pick up the scoring when Harden and or Paul leave the court. He’s the leader of the second team and at this price, he’s a steal.
Other Options | Jaylen Brown $3,700
He’s a starter for the Celtics but he might not be asked to do much offensively which is the risk here. If you decide on Harden at the huge price point you might want to think about rounding out your lineup at the generic guard spot with him.
Small Forwards
Top Pick | Kevin Durant $9,600
LeBron James is the most expensive player on the slate at $10,200 and I’m sure he wants to start the season off strong. He’s also getting older and wants to lighten the regular season load on himself this year. Kevin Durant at this price point is highway robbery and the value is staring you back in the face. There’s no issues with players meshing together with Golden State. Start with confidence.
Value Pick | P.J. Tucker $3,500
Another guy for when you go big time with the budget. Tucker won’t be asked to be the first, second, or third scoring option on this Houston team, but with Chris Paul and James Harden on the court, you’re going to get some open looks. Steals and rebounds could be in the mix for the veteran also.
Other Options | Gordon Hayward $6,700
An option if you want to balance out your costs. The floor on his performance is pretty high, it’s just that the ceiling in Boston might not be as high as when he was in Utah. Kyrie might cap his scoring numbers, but I would expect the same assist and rebound numbers from him in his new digs.
Power Forwards
Top Pick | Draymond Green $7,000
This price is ridiculous. Green has the ability to post a triple-double every night he goes out there. He might not be the sexiest member of the new “Big 4” out in Golden State but he gets the counting stats better than all of them. In a shootout type game, he might score double digits.
Value Pick | Draymond Green $7,000
Read above, and put him in your lineup, this price is actually dumb.
Other Options | Ryan Anderson $4,100 Kevin Love $7,800
If you really don’t want to use Draymond for whatever reason, Kevin Love is a tenured member of the Cavaliers. With Isaiah being out for an extended period of time and Kyrie gone, someone is going to have to pick up the scoring load for the Cavs. We might see a bit of a return to some prime TWolves Love this beginning part of the season and that should excite all of us.
CentersÂ
Top Pick | Al Horford $6,000
This price would have seemed amazing a couple years ago when he was on the Hawks, now Horford doesn’t have to shoulder the load of all the scoring on this team with the addition of Kyrie. Horford is basically Tim Duncan at this point in his career. High floor, low ceiling is what I want when I stack my lineup with other high priced guys.
Value Pick | Clint Capela $5,600
If you don’t want the safety and security of Horford, you could swing for the fences with Capela who is a vacuum cleaner on the boards for the Houston Rockets. The blocks are what really excites me as he started to put it together during the preseason. This could be a double-double machine with the ability for 2-4 blocks a game. For this price, you can’t pass on that.
Other Options | Tristan Thompson $3,900
He’s never going to lead the Cavs in scoring and he might not get you the double-double every night, he’s going to be out there with almost every lineup that the Cavs throw out. He’s that important for the team. So if you can’t spend up for the two guys above, Thompson could be a poor man’s Capela in the right lineup.
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