Welcome back to another edition of the NBA Value Index. This will be our first full week back since the All-Star Break.
We’ve had a trade deadline come and go since the break, and there’s still a feeling out process for some of these new players on their new teams.
Slowly, we are seeing minutes rise, usage rise, and how these teams’ new offenses and defenses operate. We can see that New Orleans wants everything to go through Brow and Boogie, Lou Williams and Eric Gordon might actually be able to co-exist on Houston’s second unit, and Nerlens Noel should soon be the starting center in Dallas.
With us returning for a full week of content, this is the perfect opportunity to start your 7-day free trial of our premium subscription. Hopefully you will take advantage of this opportunity and continue to be a subscriber.
Now that the housekeeping has been taken care of, let’s get to some picks, shall we?
Remember, today is a premium day for the Index, so you will get two picks for free, but must become a member to view the remaining picks. Good luck to you moving forward!
Center
Nerlens Noel – Dallas Mavericks – vs. Miami Heat – $5,300
Analysis: Noel came off the bench in his last outing, but played nearly 30 minutes anyway. Rick Carlisle has said that Nerlens should soon enter the starting lineup. This trade was huge for the Mavericks, and while I know they want to get that 8th seed playoff spot, I think it’s more important for them to keep Nerlens fresh and not push his minutes moving forward. He is coming off of a major injury after all. But for right now, I think the Mavs want to unleash him, and if they do get eliminated from playoff contention, I could see Nerlens playing less minutes down the stretch. Tonight I can see Noel entering the starting lineup, and if he doesn’t, I might like him even more getting some high usage on the second unit against a second unit. This price is ridiculously low for Noel who should push for 30 minutes every night as long as the Mavs will let him. The Heat are one of the most generous teams in fantasy points allowed to centers, thanks to the regression of Hassan Whiteside. I feel this game won’t be heavily targeted at any other position, but Noel might be the chalk at center, for good reason.
Point Guard
Isaiah Thomas – Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks – $8,700
Analysis: I don’t know if I have really ever gotten Isaiah Thomas right this year, but I feel he is one of the safer PG options on the board tonight. We shouldn’t see Avery Bradley return tonight, meaning Thomas is going to continue to run the offense through him. Atlanta and Dennis Schroder have been dreadful against opposing point guards all season long, allowing 55.8 FPPG, the second most by teams on tonight’s 7-game slate. It’s hard not to worry about a blowout with the way Atlanta has played in its past three contests (all blowouts), but this game has the makings of a stackable game with tons of fantasy production and the reduced price for Thomas provides a much safer floor with 60-point upside.
