It’s been days since I last had my last value picks so there’s no point on recapping what transpired five days ago. What I would like to start with are my thoughts on Joel Embiid and the Sixers, with their All-Star center apparently injuring his right shoulder.
Nobody wants this to happen but when it does, fantasy owners need to capitalize. With Ben Simmons still nursing a bad back, more responsibilities fall on the shoulder of Al Horford and Tobias Harris. Horford and Harris will be extremely cheap options for DFS (with the capacity to produce elite numbers) while Shake Milton and Josh Richardson figure to be in the mix. Richardson’s body of work in the past makes a bit more trustworthy although Milton can still contribute with the right matchups.
Other Sixers that could be good streaming options depending on matchups are Furkan Korkmaz, Alec Burks, and Matisse Thybulle.
Continuing on, here are my value picks for Friday’s four-game slate:
The Studs
C.J. McCollum has been a pillar of production for the Damian Lillard-less Blazers and that’s why I will lean on him to keep it rolling vs Indiana. Boston was a pretty good defensive team and McCollum handed them 28-10-4 plus three steals. Indiana has a ton of matchups that they can throw at him but with a ton of usage rate coming his way, McCollum will find numbers across the board.
The one little problem with McCollum is that he just $9,000 at DK (a fair $38 at Yahoo). That means you have to partner him with a stud on the cheaper end of the spectrum or balance things out with two guys in the low-to-mid 6,000-dollar range.
True to what I said, Philly will be playing a back-to-back so Tobias Harris should be on that lineup especially at DraftKings, where he is priced at $7,500. That’s a perfect pair to CJ’s top-dollar salary.
Some Awesome Value
While there is concern whether Al Horford may once become a DFS pillar, added responsibility will make sure of that. He had 10-5-5 plus three steals against Cleveland, the game where Embiid went down and played only eight minutes. Horford may become the focal point of the offense with Simmons and Embiid still on the shelf. And at $5,200 at DK and $19 at Yahoo, WE HAVE TO TAKE THAT CHANCE!
Another big man that has been playing awesome ball lately is Steven Adams, who is averaging 18.7 points, 13.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 2.7 steals per game over the past three. With Horford priced as he is, I think you can accommodate Adams’ salary ($6,800 at DK, $27 at Yahoo) without compromising quality elsewhere.
The Bargains
The Lakers have already ruled out LeBron James vs the Warriors so I’m thinking of giving one spot to a Laker ballhandler or a scorer. That makes Alex Caruso or Rajon Rondo nice options but with James’ 26 points off the table, I’d have to say I’m leaning heavily towards Kyle Kuzma. That’s an easy call to make since he’s worth just $3,900 at DraftKings.
The previously mentioned Milton stepped up with 20 points (plus extras) for the Sixers and while I would consider him, I may also be going for Kent Bazemore, who’s averaging 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 2.0 triples in 27.0 minutes over his last three games. At only 13 bucks at Yahoo and $4,700 at DK, he’ll be a nice wing guy to get with a clearly defined role in Luke Walton’s system.
Featured Image: Photo by Leon Halip/ Getty Images
