Daily News:

There is a fair amount of injury news that we need to be concerned with today.  The most important, of course, is that Russell Westbrook will be out for OKC for quite awhile.  Reggie Jackson stands to benefit the most, but he stated earlier today that he didn’t think he’d be ready to go.  When players themselves are doubtful about their chances to suit up, you can be very confident that they will be sitting out.  Perry Jones was the beneficiary of all of the injuries last game, but I’m not sold on him and I think chasing is a mistake.  Sebastian Telfair will start at point guard, and should see all the minutes he can handle.  Facing an up-tempo Nuggets team that isn’t strong defensively,  I think Telfair is in line for a solid game, and can safely be deployed tonight.  With OKC having so many injuries, someone else will step up tonight, but it’s difficult to know who that will be.  I don’t mind exposure to some of the other players in GPP lineups, but I’d avoid them in cash games.

Other potential injury-affected players include Derrick Rose, David Lee, and Courtney Lee.  David Lee has been confirmed out, so Draymond Green will get another start at power forward.  He’s a fine option tonight, especially considering how dreadful the SF position is.  He’s a bit pricey, but I don’t mind the play.  Derrick Rose’s status is still up in the air.  If he sits, Aaron Brooks stands to benefit the most.  He’s played very well in limited minutes, and would be a guy I would put in all of my lineups if he draws the start.  Courtney Lee suffered a mild concussion during last night’s game.  The most likely scenario is the rest of the starters see a few more shots.  I wouldn’t touch whoever starts for him.

That’s it for news.  Now, on to the plays!

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Point Guard

D.J. Augustin ( $4,700 )  – Augustin played 33 minutes against Minnesota, while Brandon Jennings played 16 and sat the entire fourth quarter.  That tells you all you need to know about what head coach Stan Van Gundy thinks about the point guard situation.  Augustin will continue to play big minutes, and his price has yet to catch up to his production level.  He’s played extremely well, and I expect that to continue tonight.   Keep plugging him into your lineups while he’s underpriced.

Norris Cole ( $4,600 ) – Cole looked very good in his debut as the starting point guard for the Miami Heat.  While the assists left something to be desired, he did score 23 points on 15 shots.  A matchup with Philly is a great opportunity to keep that level of production going.  Philly is bleed points to opposing point guards early in the season.  When you have a cheap starting point guard with this good of a matchup, it’s simply not smart to fade him.

Shooting Guard

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ( $4,200 ) – Pope is another player that is simply underpriced for his expected level of production.  He played 41 minutes in a close game with Minnesota, and should continue to see heavy minutes as the Pistons simply have no depth at the position.  He’s taken 32 shots over the the first two games, along with pulling down a total of 13 rebounds.  He has a nice floor relative to his cheap price, and if he manages to get hot shooting the basketball, he could easily post a score in the 30-35 point range.

Eric Bledsoe ( $7,200 ) – Bledsoe still just feels underpriced to me.  His ability to contribute points, rebounds, assists, and steals gives him an incredibly high ceiling.  I expect this game to be fairly high-scoring and close, so Bledsoe should play somewhere in the neighborhood of 38 minutes.  The offense runs through him, but the two most important factors for me are his price and the weakness of the shooting guard position in general.  If you’re not interested in the KCP value route, the only other good option is Bledsoe.

Small Forward

Draymond Green ( $5,700 ) – Small forward is, for lack of a better word, terrible tonight.  There simply aren’t many options I feel comfortable rostering.  Green will draw the start at power forward tonight against the Lakers.  That alone makes him an intriguing fantasy play.  He even played some center when the Warriors decided to run out a small lineup.  Much of Green’s fantasy points come from defensive stats, which can limit his upside.  However, considering how weak small forward is, and given 25-30 fantasy points is a very reasonable expectation of Green’s production tonight, he’s a safe play that you can lock in if you don’t want to run the risk of some of the other players tanking your lineup.

Tobias Harris ( $5,800 ) – Like Green, I’m not completely in love with this play, but sometimes you have to take what you’re given.  We’re not being given any slam dunk must plays at small forward, so we have to accept the fact that we’re probably just going to get lower than expected overall production from the position.  Harris is locked into a big role with the Magic, and should continue to see heavy usage.  The Raptors are a strong defensive team, so limit your expectations here.  However, volume matters too, and, like Green, I think something in the neighborhood of 25-30 fantasy points is a reasonable expectation.

Power Forward

Anthony Davis ( $10,800 ) – Honestly, he’s underpriced at $10,800.  He has nearly 80 point upside, and nobody in the league can even hope to slow him down.  Facing a front court of Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler, I like Davis’s chances to put up another monster line in what should be a faster-paced, close game with Dallas.  You should be forcing him into your lineups.  There is plenty of value out there that fitting him in shouldn’t present a problem.

Kenneth Faried ( $7,700 ) – Faried dominated the Pistons in Denver’s opener, and now gets to feast on a weak OKC team.  In the second half of last season, something clicked with Faried and he consistently put up monster totals in both scoring and rebounding.  He has broken out, and until his price catches up with the fact that he has nearly 50 point upside, he needs to be given serious consideration each and every night.  Power forward is where you need to spend tonight  Take advantage of the value options at the guard positions, and lock these two elite plays into your lineups.

Center

Chris Bosh ( $8,700 ) – While the majority of players expected Wade to be the main beneficiary of the loss of LeBron James ( myself included ), it was Chris Bosh who took control of Miami’s season opener.  He’s committed himself to becoming a better rebounder, and the 15 he pulled down against Washington proves that he’s serious.  Tonight’s matchup with the Sixers is simply too good to pass up.  Forget about the old Chris Bosh that took a back seat to LeBron and Wade.  Circumstances have changed, and he’s a different player.  He needs to be in your lineups tonight in this terrific matchup.

Andrew Bogut ( $5,000 ) – From what I’ve read, Steve Kerr’s offense will feature Bogut more than Mark Jackson’s.  At only $5,000, Bogut is a fine value option against an under-sized Lakers team.  He should have no trouble rebounding, blocking shots, and scoring when called upon.  He played only 18 minutes last game because he was suffering from a migraine.  He still managed to score nearly 1 fantasy point per minute.  The Lakers present an easy matchup for him, and I think he can safely reach 25-30 fantasy points tonight.

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