RADIO
We're rolling into December, and, as Coach Kidd put it, this is the time when "the vets really start playing." We've also now seen enough games to get a clearer picture of rotations, minutes, and Usage rates. With that in mind, it's important to monitor daily fantasy salaries as they still fluctuate on a regular basis for various reasons- understanding where the value lies and the pricier players to avoid is imperative to success.
Here are three players whose current salaries outweigh their production, and three others who have become too cheap to ignore.
Let's take a look.
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DFS Value Risers - Week 8
Ricky Rubio (PG, UTA)
I'm shocked we're seeing Rubio's price this low, considering it was more than $2,000 higher just a month ago. He has struggled a bit lately, but he averages 0.88 fantasy points per minute on the floor this season and he's very capable of getting hot and has a knack for racking up steals - which are extra valuable on FanDuel this season with the point increase. He's averaging 81 touches a game and has a true shooting percentage of 52%. He's never going to blow us away with his shooting, but those numbers combined with the steals and assists upside give him a 40+ point ceiling. He isn't cash game safe at the moment because of his minutes volatility, but he's absolutely worth a few tournament shares at this extremely depressed price point.
Myles Turner (C, IND)
If you're a Turner believer like myself, now is the time to jump on board because it's not likely we'll see him available at 7k for long. It's true that Turner's offensive role hasn't fully been defined yet in 2017-18, thanks to the introduction of Victor Oladipo to the team (who carries a pretty massive 29 Usage rate thus far) but the talent and 50+ point upside are there. When the game script calls for an increased role from the Indiana front court, we're going to see 50+ point games ease thanks to his ability to fill it up in the blocks + steals department (currently 2.9 a game) and grab more than seven rebounds per game. He;s got a safe enough floor for cash games and with the decreased price point and his 50+ ceiling, it would be wise to take a flier in tournaments as well.
Devin Booker (SG, PHX)
For the life of me, I can't understand the drop in Booker's price point, which has gone down more than $1,000 in the past month. He carries a massive Usage rate of 28 (which should honestly put any 7k player in consideration, nevermind a sharp-shooter like Booker who has teammates constantly trying to find him), has more than 60 touches per game (at 0.38 points per touch) and carries a consistency rating over 75%. In other words, he's hitting value most of the time he takes the floor and since the ball is constantly in his hands, the sky is the limit for his scoring potential. His team plays no defense, but this provides great game context as he and his teammates see more possessions than the NBA average. At this price point, he's a strong cash play and an excellent tournament one.
DFS Value Fallers - Week 8
Derrick Favors (PF, UTA)
The Derrick Favors era of late November was a fun time, but it's being put to rest now that Rudy Gobert is returning to the lineup. Favors was impressive in his absence, playing a power forward-center hybrid role and taking on more offensive responsibility - particularly looking impressive in the pick-and-roll. His price increase was warranted, based not only on the perceived larger role, but the high point totals he was pouring in. That said, we aren't going to see the high minutes and his Usage rate is going to drop drastically. Until his price comes down roughly two thousand dollars, he is best avoided in all formats.
Dario Saric (PF, PHI)
Saric plays a point-forward like role in this offense anytime Ben Simmons and one of Jeryd Bayless and/or TJ McConnell is injured, and as a result we see pretty high fantasy point totals from him. Thanks to a number of overlapping injuries to his aforementioned teammates, Saric was playing a larger role and doing a fine job of delivering great value to those who rostered him. Unfortunately for Saric-backers, the time to roster him with the comfort of knowing he would likely return value is over, thanks to the return of Bayless and Simmons getting rid of his flu symptoms. His minutes will likely decrease and at less than 0.2 points per touch and his touches seemingly decreasing now that he'll be relegated to his reserve role in the front court, it's best to avoid Saric in all formats moving forward.
Kenneth Faried (PF, DEN)
Faried was once a pretty reliable cash game piece, but those days are behind us. What he has been for the last few weeks, however, resembled his old self, but this was due entirely because of the injuries the Nuggets sustained to a few of their main frontcourt pieces, namely Paul Millsap, Wilson Chandler, and Nikola Jokic. The fact that it took that and the shaky play of a few other reserves for Faried to sniff 25+ minutes on the court is cause for concern enough to keep him away from your roster. His points per touch mark is pretty impressive, but for a player who is going to have his minutes decreased drastically and only sees 15-20 touches on a good day, keep The Animal away from your cash game and tournament lineup builds.
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