What did we learn from the first night of the regular season? The Warriors are still great and the Pistons aren’t bad. After an impressive road win over the Hawks, Detroit is one of four teams to open with a back-to-back.
An interesting battle at C between Andre Drummond $8200 and Rudy Gobert $7300 doesn’t prevent Derrick Favors $7200 and Gordon Hayward $7400 from leading the Jazz to a road victory. I’m also bullish on Alec Burks $4900 and Rodney Hood $3900 this year.
Off a rough opening night, the wounded Pelicans and Anthony Davis $10400 might have their hands full in Portland, where Damian Lillard $8900 will be a one-man team on many evenings. C.J. McCollum $4800 and Meyers Leonard $4500 are also tempting at those prices.
The Cavaliers must travel to Memphis after a tough loss in Chicago while the Bulls visit Brooklyn. I might make exceptions but try to avoid Eastern conference games. In fantasy as well as reality, the West is the best.
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Clippers at Kings could be ridiculously high-scoring but the key players don’t come cheap. Chris Paul $9400 and DeAndre Jordan $7500 might pay their way and J.J. Redick $5000 can get hot.
This will be the first time a fully healthy Thunder core of Kevin Durant $9800, Russell Westbrook $9900 and Serge Ibaka $6400 have played together in quite a while. With a new coach and a deeper bench, they will run a lot of teams out of the gym.
Nuggets at Rockets is another potential track meet. James Harden $10100 and Trevor Ariza $5800 should lead the way for Houston, with Clint Capela $3000 a very live bargain. Dwight Howard (suspension) and Donatas Motiejunas (back) are out, while Terrence Jones $6200 might not be 100% after missing a week with a concussion; he did return for the last preseason game.
Under a new coach with no superstars, Denver is a fantastic source of DFS bargains. Kenneth Faried $6600 is their highest-salaried player, Danilo Gallinari $5800 is the #1 option, and Joffrey Lauvergne $3000 is the starting center. Gary Harris $3000 had a great camp to emerge as the best SG. Rookie Emanuel Mudiay $5700 will run a wide-open attack all year.
We told you there would be great prices on players whose roles have changed. Shane Larkin $3000 is the temporary starting PG for the Nets. Not even making the Short List tonight, Derrick Williams $3000 was outstanding all preseason.
In a 14-game slate with an enormous player pool, there are millions of possible lineups, thousands of which could work. Trying not to overthink the puzzle, I’ve simply faded the East, plugged in Harden and three others from my preferred game, along with three Blazers and the Durant kid.
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| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Damian Lillard $8900 | Kyle Lowry $7800 | Shane Larkin $3000 |
| SG | James Harden $10100 | C.J. McCollum $4800 | Gary Harris $3000 |
| SF | Kevin Durant $9800 | Trevor Ariza $5800 | Rodney Hood $3900 |
| PF | Anthony Davis $10400 | Derrick Favors $7200 | Clint Capela $3000 |
| C | Marc Gasol $8300 | Meyers Leonard $4500 | Joffrey Lauvergne $3000 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.