This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The first Saturday of the NBA season looks to be one filled with teams bombing away at the scoreboard, with four of the six games on the slate with a point total exceeding 200. Today's picks features a list of strong top-tier talent to roster along with a few bargain options. Here's a look at today's value plays.
Point Guard
Damian Lillard, POR ($9,100): After losing LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez, the decks have been completely cleared for Lillard to get all the shots he wants this season in Portland, making him my dark horse candidate for the scoring title. Lillard should benefit from a Phoenix defensive backcourt that allowed the second most FanDuel points to opposing point guards last season. He has one of the highest floors of any point guard in the slate, as evidenced by his 24 points and six assists on a 7-for-20 shooting performance Fridayagainst Phoenix. Lillard should bounce back and is a solid cash game and GPP option.
Shooting Guard
Eric Bledsoe, PHX ($7,100): It should be no surprise that Bledsoe's nickname is "Mini-LeBron," as he's one of the few shooting guards in the league that is a legitimate triple-double threat any time he steps on the court. Bledsoe rebounded nicely from a lackluster 13-point season opener with 22 points, three assists and two steals Friday against Portland.
C.J. McCollum, POR ($6,000): McCollum also finds himself in the land of opportunity with Lillard as a primary scoring weapon for the Blazers this season. The third-year guard showed just how explosive he can be, going for 37 points and six rebounds in Portland's season opener. While his most valuable fantasy asset is his outside shooting, he's also an underrated defender who averaged over two steals per game in four years at Lehigh. At $6,000 on FanDuel, he's simply too cheap to ignore and will continue be a staple of my cash game and GPP lineups.
Small Forward
Rudy Gay, SAC ($7,900): The Kings-Clippers game has the best total on the board at 214 points. Gay is the best option to get exposure to this game at a reasonable price point. The Clippers are currently rolling a small forward rotation of Lance Stephenson, Paul Pierce and Wesley Johnson, none of whom present a strong defensive threat for Gay's skill set. Sacramento looked like a different team on Friday, boosted by Willie Cauley-Stein's defensive presence and his ability to help the offensive move quickly. That brand of run-and-gun fits Gay's skill set perfectly, making him an easy GPP play Saturday.
Power Forward
Markieff Morris, PHX ($5,800): The price tag on Morris provides a nice value option for a stretch four that who could end up leading the Suns in scoring on any given night. As I've mentioned before on the Rotowire DFS podcast, the Blazers aren't just bad, they could be the worst team in the league. Morris isn't often a double-double threat, but he came close on Friday and will get another shot to do damage against Portland on the road Saturday. Morris has one of the safest floors for his price range.
Kris Humphries, WAS ($4,400): It took a full year, but the Wizards finally figured out that Humphries plays the the type of blue collar basketball in the paint that suits the starting unit much better than Nene Hilario. Humphries would have no trouble averaging a double-double if Washington found a way to get him 30 minutes on a consistent basis. With his price tag this close to minimum salary, eight points along with eight rebounds with any combo of two assists, steals or blocks provides you the 5x-point production that we're looking for.
Center
DeMarcus Cousins, SAC ($10,900): Let's not mess around here at the center position. Any time you have the opportunity to roster the best center in the game with the top point total on the slate, you probably should do it. DFS owners should be drooling at the fact that Cousins has added three-point range, going 4-for-5 from downtown in their season opener against the Clippers. Add in the fact that DeAndre Jordan is one of the most overrated defensive centers in DFS, ranking in the bottom eight in fantasy points allowed to opposing centers last season, and you have your anchor play for Saturday.
