RADIO
Welcome back to another NBA season! All throughout the 2014-15 campaign, RotoBaller will be giving you the top DFS plays at guard, forward and center as well as a couple of value picks. Keep in mind, fantasy basketball is a fickle game when it comes to injured players, so be sure to check all lineups prior to tip-off.
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Top Overall DFS Value Picks (Worth Paying For)
Russell Westbrook (OKC, PG) - $10,000
![By Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA (Russell Westbrook) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.rotoballer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NBA-Fantasy-Basketball-Advice-Analysis-Russell-Westbrook.png)
By now, everyone knows that Kevin Durant will miss approximately the first six weeks of the season. That should result in huge production for Westbrook. Last year, the star point guard put up just short of 40 fantasy points per game.
With Durant, Reggie Jackson and Anthony Morrow all out due to injury, Westbrook should shoulder a vast majority of the offensive load for the Thunder. He will certainly turn the ball over a fair amount, but a 40-point performance is not out of the question. Despite being one of the highest priced players on the board, expect Westbrook to be very highly owned in all formats.
Gordon Hayward (UTA, SF) - $6,700
For a big night of games, forward is fairly weak tonight. Some of the top options have tough match-ups or are simply injured. Hayward comes in somewhat underpriced and should have a ton of upside. Last year, he struggled from the floor (41.3 percent) but still put up 16.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Those numbers should increase this year with his new contract in hand and less pressure to perform.
Tonight, Hayward gets a great match-up against a Houston team that loves to run, gives up a ton of points and is going to be on the second game of a back-to-back. New Jazz coach Quin Snyder has stated that the team will shoot far more threes this year, so Hayward could be the top forward on the board tonight at a discounted price.
Andre Drummond (DET, C) - $8,700
Drummond had a monster season last year in Detroit, putting up 13.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. Those numbers could go up even more in 2014-15 under new coach Stan Van Gundy; who turned a similar player, Dwight Howard, into an absolute star in Orlando.
In leagues that do not penalize a player for missed free throws, Drummond has virtually no downside. He is a near lock for a double-double as well as a few blocks and steals every time out. Tonight's opposition is a Nuggets team that will have no one, outside of possibly JaVale McGee, up front that can match Drummond's size and athleticism.
Best DFS Value Picks (Sleepers)
Chris Copeland (IND, SF) - $3,500
The great thing about fantasy sports is that it makes match-ups like the Pacers versus the Sixers interesting. What could very well be a contest between two of the worst teams in the NBA does have some fantasy goodness. With the Pacers missing George Hill, C.J. Watson, Paul George, and David West, Copeland appears to be the likely starter at small forward and could be the team's leading scorer.
Indiana is normally a team to avoid in DFS, but a game against the Sixers is promising. Philadelphia is openly trying to lose and likely to have rookies or second-year men starting at four of five positions. For the minimum salary, you are not going to find another player to match Copeland's potential minutes and shot attempts.
Tony Wroten (PHI, PG) - $5,500
Speaking of the Sixers, they start the season sans 2013-14 Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams. However, in terms of fantasy, Wroten was nearly the per-minute player that MCW was last season.
Wroten will shoot an absurd amount of awful shots and turn the ball over at a high rate, but he is an all-around fantasy contributor. He posted one triple-double last year and came close in several other instances. With defensive aces Hill, George and Lance Stephenson gone from the Pacers' lineup, Wroten should be able to have his way against opposing point guard Donald Sloan.
