Hoops Habit
Fansided

FanDuel NBA: Best Buys For Oct. 31

By Michael Yaffe

Oct 21, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) in the second half of a game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 110-105. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 21, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) in the second half of a game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 110-105. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
October 27, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the basketball against New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson (33, right) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Pelicans 111-95. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
It didn’t matter who stepped in front of Curry in the home opener. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Elite Options ($10,001+)

Many FanDuel lineups will be based around Golden State’s Stephen Curry ($10,400). Despite the possibility of fatigue and the fact that the team is playing on the road, Curry’s recent 40-point outburst against the same team the other night will probably weigh more heavily in everyone’s mind.

Given the dilapidated state of the Pelicans’ backcourt, it would be difficult to fade him this time.

As discussed above, the Sacramento Kings’ Cousins ($10,900) is another viable option in this category. While the L.A. Clippers are probably the better team, they seem content to allow Boogie to get his while stifling his supporting cast. You probably can’t go wrong either way, but resist the temptation to add both to the same lineup if you can.

Solid Buys ($7,501 – $10,000)

While the Indiana-Utah tilt is not anticipated to be a high scoring affair, that will never be the case for the Jazz’s games so the best time to deploy their big men is when they have an apparent size advantage, which they will on Saturday.

As a result 7’2″ Rudy Gobert ($8,100) should be good for scoring, rebounds and probably another multi-block game against the new-look Pacers, which would justify his cost.

On the other side of the court, Paul George ($8,500) figures to slide over to small forward again against an imposing Jazz frontcourt.

That tactic worked out reasonably well against the Memphis Grizzlies the other night, as George continued his fast start to the season with 18 points, eight boards and five assists against what probably would have been a more difficult assignment had he lined up at the 4 spot.

Going up against the Jazz’s Gordon Hayward looks a lot better on paper than PG-13 taking on Derrick Favors for the night.

In addition to Curry, the point guard position offers an embarrassment of riches on this slate, starting with the Washington Wizards’ John Wall ($9,600) taking on a New York Knicks squad with a backcourt rotation that intimidates no one, especially as long as newcomer Arron Afflalo continues to sit.

In four games last season, Wall averaged 14.8 points, 11.0 assists and 2.0 steals against the sad-sack Knicks, who may be improved up front but opposing point guards should still be fair game against them this season.

The Portland Trail Blazers have eased some initial concerns that they are just a one-man team, so point guard Damian Lillard ($9,100) merits consideration against a Phoenix Suns team that was outplayed in their home opener against the Dallas Mavericks.

Although the back end of a home-and-home contest can be more of a grudge match, Lillard should get enough touches in both contests to be productive on the second night.

Someone from this category on the L.A. Clippers will probably go off against the Kings but your guess is as good as mine as to whether it will be Chris Paul ($9,400) or Blake Griffin ($10,000) this time.

Griffin’s hot start has inflated his price, but with DeAndre Jordan continuing to gobble rebounds you have to wonder at what point the world’s most famous Kia jumper is no longer worth the risk.

Meanwhile, CP3, who was outstanding against the Kings in the first meeting with 42.5 FanDuel points, had his night cut short against the Dallas Mavericks as the game got out of hand early.

So while the argument exists for a Clippers mini-stack, there are clearly some risks that might steer you towards some of the other top options that you would need to eschew to fit the two Clips into your lineup.

Next: Steady Contributors/Bargain Basement