We’re already two nights into the new 2016-17 NBA season, with a total of nine NBA preseason games behind us – including two games showcasing overseas talent.
We’ve seen Victor Oladipo drop 34 points, Jimmer Fredette torch the Rockets and a slew of young guys make their case for roster spots and/or bigger roles going into the regular season.
That actually bleeds into the trouble of picking the best DFS NBA preseason team – the fact that the young guys play a good deal and it’s impossible to know what to expect from a minutes perspective. We usually get a good idea based on early inactives, while sometimes news leaks that certain players will sit or be limited.
But regular season daily fantasy basketball can be tough to stay on top of. Needless to say, preseason NBA DFS is not for the faint of heart – and while quite fun – we wouldn’t suggest throwing loads of cash at big GPPs.
That being said, we cashed personally both times DraftKings hosted daily fantasy basketball preseason leagues (Saturday and Monday), so if you put in the time and gauge which young talent is worth rolling the dice with, you can definitely win some money.
Let’s break down all six games for Tuesday night’s slate and see which way you’ll want to lean in DFS NBA games tonight:
This game would have been loads of fun had rookie #1 draft pick Ben Simmons not broken his foot. It should still be a good time, as Joel Embiid will make his Sixers debut after spending the last two seasons shelved with his own foot problems.
Exactly how much Embiid will play is anyone’s guess, and that narrative can be spun either way. The guy will obviously need work to shake off a ton of in-game rust, but the Sixers also probably don’t want to risk injury by playing him too much in a meaningless game. Because of that, he’ll be tempting but ultimately risky as a DFS NBA option.
Instead, we might look to rookie forward Dario Saric, who was strong at the Rio Olympics this summer and has been a highly touted overseas talent for a while now. He should see some solid run and his high level inside/outside game makes him an attractive play. Just keep in mind that he’s been dealing with some back tightness and it’s possible he sits this first game out.
Jerryd Bayless (wrist) is probably not playing tonight, so we can take a look at guys like T.J. McConnell and Sergio Rodriguez if we want to get cute. They’re not overly reliable talents, though, so fading Sixers point guards might be the way to go here.
Philly actually has a ton of fun talent coming off their bench, possibly putting guys like Nik Stauskas, Hollis Thompson, Gerald Henderson, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Jerami Grant in play. Nerlens Noel and Robert Covington will naturally be worth a look, too, especially with Embiid potentially limited and Jahlil Okafor (knee) ruled out.
The Sixers are a pretty deep team, surprisingly, but Bayless, Okafor and Simmons all being out opens things up considerably. You can consider a lot of these guys, but depending on final word, our favorite targets would be Saric, Embiid, Covey and Noel.
For Boston, you should see the usual suspects, while Al Horford makes his debut and rookie swingman Jaylen Brown will play in his first NBA game. It’s tough to say how much Boston’s starters will play, but we know Isaiah Thomas can score in bunches and Horford could get some nice touches in his first game as a Celtic.
The bench beyond Brown isn’t overly attractive, as Marcus Smart isn’t very efficient and James Young and R.J. Hunter haven’t even proven they’re NBA players yet. Terry Rozier is probably their other big bench guy to consider, provided we get a good idea of his run.
Kelly Olynyk (shoulder) and Gerald Green (hip) are both likely to sit this one out, so that does open the door to a little more run for a lot of the young guys.
Miami could be one of those teams that takes a longer look at their starting five tonight, seeing as Chris Bosh (blood clots) won’t be back and Dwyane Wade left for the Bulls.
This looks like a good spot to target young Miami players, as they’re pretty banged up at the moment with Josh Richardson (knee), Hassan Whiteside (knee) and Josh McRoberts (foot) all possibly out tonight.
Whiteside would be worth a cursory glance alongside Goran Dragic if he plays, seeing as he can grab rebounds and block shots at an alarming rate. If he’s out, we’ll probably see a lot of Derrick Williams at the four. Williams is already slated to start, so if any bigs are out, his value naturally increases:
Dion Waiters is not really the most efficient player, so in capped minutes we’ll be fading. Luke Babbitt and James Johnson could both see time at the three and four spot, opening the door to some extra run. This is a pretty messy situation overall, though, so we’re mostly going for Derrick Williams here, while mildly considering Tyler Johnson and maybe Whiteside if he does in fact start.
Washington could be a team on the rise this year, but they won’t enter tonight’s preseason opener at full strength, as star point guard John Wall (knee surgeries) is already ruled out. That puts freshly added Trey Burke in as the starting point guard, and thanks to his ever inefficient ways, we’re not overly excited about that.
Burke does have upside as a scoring point guard, though, and he’ll be joined in the starting five by Bradley Beal, Otto Porter, Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat. Head coach Scott Brooks has made it known that he probably won’t give his main five 20+ minutes, however, so all these guys could carry some risk:
Of that group, the most attractive are Gortat, Beal and maybe Burke. Burke is inefficient, but the Wiz really just have him and Tomas Satoransky. Satoransky has actually gotten rave reviews in camp, but we can’t trust his minutes or production yet.
That situation may be best avoided, but Gortat can rip down a double-double in 20 minutes or less and Beal (especially with no Wall) could easily hoist 10+ shots tonight and put up some solid numbers. Beal is pretty hit or miss, of course, so there is risk there, also.
The Wiz don’t have much fun bench fodder, with Kelly Oubre trying to compete for the starting SF gig and both Ian Mahinmi and Marcus Thornton banged up. We’re fading this side of this game for the most part, but Beal and Gortat are fairly tempting.
Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young and Al Jefferson all prepare to make their Pacers debuts tonight, which could naturally put all in play for some daily fantasy basketball exposure. Big Al is not safe, but he could see some run with Myles Turner (concussion) ruled out for tonight’s action.
Teague and Thad are much safer, but it’s unclear how much run the Indy starters will get. Monta Ellis and Paul George complete the likely starting five, and both should be on a minutes cap, as well.
Aaron Brooks and Jeremy Evans are both out tonight due to injury, which could give extra opportunity to the likes of Joseph Young, Rodney Stuckey, C.J. Miles and even Glenn Robinson III. These are guys that are tough to trust even when you know they’re playing 30+ minutes, however, so we’re not into taking steep dives like that.
Hopefully the Pacers will keep their main guys out longer in order to boost their chemistry. Logic certainly supports the notion. If not, this game may be best left avoided on the Pacers side.
New Orleans prepares for their second NBA preseason game of the 2016-17 season. Per reports, that still won’t mean big minutes from Anthony Davis, who logged just 11 minutes in game one. Stars like Jrue Holiday (personal) and Tyreke Evans (knee) remain out, too, so the Pellies could be a fun spot once again to target young talents that are trying to prove themselves.
The Brow is always attractive because he can do so much in a small period of time, of course, so if there are whispers of more playing time, we definitely see the worth.
Buddy Hield, Tim Frazier, E’Twaun Moore, Langston Galloway, Lance Stephenson and Terrence Jones all performed well in the first preseason game, though, and depending on minutes distribution, could be worth closer looks. Hield and Frazier lead the way as DFS targets, as both saw a ton of action in game one and are new to the team.
The Pellies will naturally want to see what Hield can do should he end up starting at shooting guard this year, while Frazier could end up as the team’s starting point guard if he proves himself enough. Jones actually paved the way in minutes in game one and if Brow is limited again, would be a hot target.
For the most part, we’re really only focusing on Hield, Jones and Frazier in this one.
New York’s new “super team” debuts tonight, with Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee and Joakim Noah all possibly slated to play in their first game as members of the Knicks.
Rose has some legal stuff going on that cloud things up a bit, while Noah has a hamstring issue that could potentially keep him out. The latest word is that Rose will play, but I don’t really trust his efficiency or run in his first game.
Needless to say, as exciting as this new team might be, their newest additions might be pretty risky. As far as the starting five goes, that may mean we can really only look at Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis.
Those two are in play even if they only play around 20 minutes, as Melo can score in bunches and Zinger can do it all. The other starters aren’t very appealing, while the bench is full of unproven talent. Ron Baker can shoot but might not even play, Guillermo Hernangomez and Mindaugas Kuzminskas are both talented rookies and Justin Holiday can ball a bit. That being said, run and upside could be limited here.
For the most part, it’s Melo/Zinger or fade here.
Houston is another team preparing for their second exhibition game of the year, having played China’s Shanghai Sharks on Sunday. James Harden and the key Rockets players actually played a ton, and if that’s to happen again, Harden will naturally be on everyone’s DFS radar. It’s hard to think he won’t, seeing as Patrick Beverley (knee) won’t play tonight and Harden is the team’s new starting point guard. Still, monitor the situation and act accordingly.
Should the starters get run like that again, we obviously need to seriously consider Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon and Trevor Ariza. Houston’s center position may be a bit dicey, with Nene Hilario and Clint Capela both likely splitting time as they battle for the starting spot.
Houston reserves are difficult to trust here, but guys like Gary Payton II, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Wiltjer and K.J. McDaniels are appealing if for some reason we get the tip off that they’ll get nice run.
For now, we’d probably roll with Harden or Anderson if we hear they’ll get good minutes again and fade the rest.
The Kings are a tough team to gauge, as Rudy Gay wants out, shooting guard has a logjam and Darren Collison is slated to miss the first 8 games of the year due to suspension.
That could force the Kings to give Ty Lawson and/or Jordan Farmar more run than usual tonight. How much Collison ends up playing is anyone’s guess.
At the two spot, Arron Afflalo is the likely starter, but he could get heated competition out of Ben McLemore and Garrett Temple. Youngsters Isaiah Cousins and Malachi Richardson are even interesting talents that could deserve a chance to prove themselves during preseason play.
DeMarcus Cousins owns all at center, so the big question will be if he plays, and how much. Boogie is always a man amongst boys and if he can get any kind of decent run against the Lakers, he’s a must-use guy. That’s not a stretch, either, since he’ll be playing a little differently in new head coach Dave Joerger’s offense. The hope for solid run could make Boogie the top player to own on the night.
Rudy Gay could also be in play given that logic, while bench guys like Skal Labissiere and Willie Cauley-Stein could also warrant consideration.
Just check up on the starting lineup and projected minutes. If Lawson starts he could be a fun try, while the main target above all others is obviously Boogie if he’s going to get some good run.
The Lakers have been a trash team the past few years, but there’s some serious optimism that slowly starts to change with rookie head coach Luke Walton in town. Walton teaches team concepts and flowing offense, but he also is just such a positive shift from Byron Scott.
D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle were held back in the worst way under Scott, and the hope is that changes immediately in the first preseason game. They could get very nice run in Walton’s new system, both to get used to starter minutes and to start perfecting the new offense.
Regardless, other Lakers like Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson, Lou Williams, Luol Deng, Timofey Mozgov and Yi Jianlian could all see solid run. None of those guys are nearly as appealing as DLo or Randle, admittedly.
The Clippers open up their NBA preseason schedule against the hated Warriors, where they’ll get their first look at Kevin Durant at the Oracle Arena. The matchup isn’t ideal, but it’s possible Doc Rivers sends his studs out there for a good amount of time so they can get a really good first test.
Even if the starters are capped at 20 minutes or so, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin could both be solid tries in a fast-paced game. Bench guys like Raymond Felton, Austin Rivers, Jamal Crawford, Wesley Johnson, Brandon Bass and Mo Speights could also all be worth a look, depending on how the minutes shake out.
Felton, Rivers and Crawford are the most attractive bench plays here, but if we’re touching the Clippers side of this game, we’re really only looking at CP3 and Griffin.
The Dubs are the third team tonight that enters their second exhibition game, and it stands to reason we’ll see more out of their key starters. That’s specifically probably true for Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, who both played fewer than 19 minutes.
Those two can fill it up even in a smaller window, but the same may not necessarily be said about Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Thompson doesn’t do a whole lot more than score and 20 minutes might not be enough to get what you’re looking for from Dray. Unless we know for sure the run these guys are getting, the only two Golden State starters we’d pay up for are Curry and KD.
For the bench, Patrick McCaw was a hit on Saturday and due to his active defense and solid scoring ability, he could remain so tonight. The Dubs also have Ian Clark, Davis West and JaVale McGee. Clark can score fairly well, West can score and grab boards and McGee can rebound and block shots.
Overall, we only want Curry or KD here and if we’re reaching, we’d go back to the well with McCaw.
Remember, preseason daily fantasy basketball – like most basketball – depends largely on minutes. The garbage idea that “all these guys are gonna play the same minutes” is a lazy assumption and you can’t roll with that. Instead, try to research who is most likely to play and for how long.
Rolling with starters without looking could be risky, as we’ve already seen. Make sure any starters you use are likely to get good run and then try to find some bench gems that make good sense.
Most of all, good luck tonight!
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