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Easy Breezy: Chalk Stack
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics have been playing at an average pace, but they get a matchup against the New York Knicks, who have been pushing the pace this season. New York has also struggled defensively early this season, which was expected. The matchup adds a bit of upside to the Boston players, who are far too cheap on this slate. The Celtics are -5.5 point favorites in a game set at 217.5 points, and they feature an implied team total of 111.5 points.
Jayson Tatum has been a major focal point of the Boston offense, as he boasts a team-high 28.4% usage rating thus far. He has seen 22 shot attempts in each of his first 2 games. In those contests, he is averaging 23.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.5 steals (46.1 DK points) in 36.1 minutes per game. Tatum’s price tag has yet to adjust to his role in the offense, as he has easily exceed value in each of his first two games, and his price tag dropped from last night.
Jaylen Brown saw only 21 minutes in his first game of the season, struggling with fouls. He saw his normal role last night, though, scoring 25 points with 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks (46.75 DK points) in 38 minutes. Brown’s usage rating is expected to sit around 22%, and he’s far too cheap for someone who could see 35+ minutes on a nightly basis. Similarly to Tatum, Brown’s price dropped from his last game, and he could be one of the highest owned players on the slate.
Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward, and Robert Williams can all be considered here, but I’m recommending Grant Williams. Enes Kanter, Daniel Theis, and Tacko Fall have all been ruled out tonight. Williams saw 22 minutes last night after playing only 7 minutes in his first NBA game. He’s an NBA ready player, though, and he scored 20.25 DK points in that time. Williams is an extremely versatile player, and he’s a relatively safe option for his low price tag.
Important Odds: Vegas Stack
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans are two teams that love pushing the pace. Both teams focus on offense significantly more than they do defense, and this game could feature the highest total on the entire slate. Houston is currently a -12 point favorite in a game set at 237 points, and they boast the highest implied team total on this slate at 124.5 points.
Russell Westbrook proved that he can find plenty of success with his new team, as he posted a team-high 29.8% usage rating in his first game. He turned 33 minutes into 24 points with 16 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, and 2 steals (62 DK points). Westbrook continues to flash triple-double potential, and he could benefit from the pace the Rockets play at. Keep in mind, Westbrook isn’t going to dominate on a nightly basis as he did before, but his price tag is far too low for his talent level.
James Harden only saw a 28.8% usage rating against the Milwaukee Bucks, but that didn’t particularly hurt his fantasy production. He’s absurdly priced, as he scored 19 points with 7 rebounds, 14 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal (51.25 DK points), while shooting only 2-13 from the field and 1-8 from beyond the arc. At some point this season, Westbrook and Harden will be too expensive to simply use, but their price tags are far too low at the moment.
P.J. Tucker doesn’t boast an elite usage rating, but he will see plenty of minutes and comes with a low price tag. In his only game this season, Tucker saw 38 minutes, scoring 17 points with 7 rebounds and 1 steal (29.25 DK points). He’ll continue to get open looks with defenses focusing heavily on Westbrook and Harden. Tucker isn’t going to break the slate by any means, but his cheap price tag makes him a solid option in this stack.
Wildcard GPP: Low Owned Stack
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are a team that may be looking to play at a fastest pace in 2019 than we’re used to them playing at. They get a great matchup against the Washington Wizards, who love pushing the pace in games, and will likely feature one of the worst defenses in the NBA this season. The Spurs are -11.5 point favorites in a game set at 218 points, giving them an implied team total of 114.8 points.
Dejounte Murray is only playing limited minutes as he recovers from injury, but he posted a 25.6% usage rating in his first game of the season. In that game, he needed only 24 minutes to score 18 points with 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals (41.5 DK points). Murray comes with tremendous upside because of his ability to score in multiple categories, but his unknown minutes also make him a risky option.
DeMar DeRozan was surprisingly timid on the court in the season opener, taking only 10 shots in 32 minutes. He scored 13 points with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block (24 DK points) in that game. DeRozan also only saw a 23.6% usage rating. He is going to be a much larger part of the offense moving forward, and he will likely feature lower ownership after struggling in his first game.
LaMarcus Aldridge is in a similar situation as DeRozan, although he was significantly more efficient. Aldridge only saw a 24.3% usage rating against the New York Knicks. He turned 15 shot attempts into 22 points with 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks (36 DK points). Aldridge is still cheap for his upside, and he makes a great tournament option on this slate.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Derrick Rose
Rose has looked outstanding in his new bench role for the Detroit Pistons. Through only 2 games, he’s averaging 22.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists (32.3 DK points) in 25.6 minutes per game. While the sample size is small, Rose’s usage rating sits at 33.1% this season.
Rose gets a tough matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, who feature one of the best defenses in the NBA. With that being said, he spends quite a bit of time against backups. His price tag has yet to adjust to his new role, and this may be the last time we get him this cheap. He may be best suited for tournaments, but he can be considered in cash games if you’re in a bind.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Richaun Holmes
Holmes was expected to see an uptick in minutes because of the injury to Marvin Bagley. That didn’t happen last night, as he struggled with fouls in 17 minutes of action. With that being said, Holmes totaled 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks (21 DK points) in those minutes. He averaged 1.09 DK points per minute last season, and he could see 20+ minutes if he can stay out of foul trouble tonight.
Holmes gets a tough matchup against the Utah Jazz, who feature a stingy defense. That may not matter with his price tag, though. Holmes will feature significantly lower ownership than he saw last night. He’s in a nearly identical spot, though, although this is quite as juicy of a matchup. Still, he has tremendous upside for his price tag, and he makes a solid salary relief option on this slate.
Follow Justin Bales on Twitter (@BalesSJustin)
