This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The wait is finally over. The NBA is back. We've been given a two-game slate on Tuesday's Opening Night with some high-powered matchups. The 76ers are traveling to face the Celtics in a game that's expected to be much slower-paced (O/U 209) than the late game, which sees the Thunder travel to face the Warriors (O/U 221.5). The most-notable questionable player on the slate is Steven Adams (back). If he's sidelined, Nerlens Noel ($4,000) will be the easiest way to get value into your lineup.
We shouldn't go any further before discussing Fanduel's new scoring wrinkle. This year, only the top eight scores in your lineup will be counted towards your final total. Your lowest score will be dropped. This is largely an effort to curb late injury news past lineup lock, and it's an understandable solution to the issue. Strategically, it gives fantasy owners more leeway to insert a risky, low-to-minimum-priced player into their lineup. If his score ends up being zeroed, the extra money you've spent on the other eight players should give you a higher ceiling. On the off-chance he exceeds expectations, he could replace the score of a higher-priced player in your lineup who drastically underperformed.
Without further delay, let's dive into my tentative lineup. As always, this is subject to change.
Point Guard
Stephen Curry ($9,600)
I don't trust Dennis Schroder's ability to guard Curry. Generally, I avoid deploying Warriors players in my lineup. Golden State's embarrassment of riches caps each individually player's upside (this might be an issue with the Celtics this year as well). But with an over/under drastically higher than the BOS/PHI game and Paul George doing his best to smother Kevin Durant, I think Curry could thrive on opening night.
Terry Rozier ($4,100)
This is a risk. Rozier needs about 20 fantasy points to pay off at this price, and my guess is that he'll play somewhere between 16-24 minutes. On the 38 occasions he saw minutes in that range last year, he averaged 18.5 fantasy points (8.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.8 turnovers, 0.1 blocks). Rozier has great upside as a defender at a low price, which is always a smart risk to take when steals and blocks are worth a healthy 3.0 fantasy points apiece.
Shooting Guard
Dennis Schroder ($6,100)
My guess is that Schroder's price would have been higher had Russell Westbrook (knee) been ruled out sooner. Schroder and Paul George are the Thunder's only dynamic sources of offense, especially if Adams is sidelined. I'm about to put stock in the preseason, so you can ignore the next sentence if that makes you uncomfortable. Schroder had a 30.4 percent usage rate in the preseason, averaging 15.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds (30.2 fantasy points) across 24.4 minutes. I trust him to hit at least 30 fantasy points in this fast-paced matchup against Golden State.
Andre Iguodala ($4,300)
Shaun Livingston (foot) is questionable. My guess is that the Warriors will give him the night off because what reason do they have to throw him out there? His absence would set up Iguodala for reserve point guard duties. That would put Iguodala, who is already a threat to put up multiple steals and blocks, in a great position to rack up assists. He needs about 20 fantasy points to hit value. Draymond Green being limited with a knee injury also opens up the door for Iguodala to see the court for a solid amount of time.
Small Forward
Paul George ($9,000)
As mentioned with Schroder, Westbrook being sidelined makes George one of the only suitable ball handlers on the Thunder. He averaged 41.5 fantasy points against the Warriors last season, which includes an anomalous performance where he scored five points on 1-of-14 shooting. George netting 50-plus fantasy points in this scenario isn't out of the question, and may not have this type of value again during the season once Westbrook returns.
Robert Covington ($6,500)
I have to admit I'm not crazy about this pick, but the small forward position on Fanduel is awfully thin Tuesday and Covington represents the cheapest player with legitimate upside (sorry Abdel Nader). Covington is a volume three-point shooter who can rack up steals and boards at a respectable rate. If he doesn't hit his threes or grab steals, you will be out of luck. If he does both, 40-plus fantasy points are within range.
Power Forward
Amir Johnson ($3,500)
Mike Muscala (ankle) is out, making Johnson the only legitimate backup center on the 76ers. That, plus Fanduel's new "drop the worst score in your lineup" rule gives reason to play Johnson. He saw 15.8 minutes per game last year, which seems representative of what he'll garner Tuesday. In that time, he averaged 4.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and a combined 1.2 steals/blocks (15.3 fantasy points). In the 76ers' final 15 regular-season games last year, Johnson put up 20-plus fantasy points in under 20 minutes on four occasions. The potential for a quality game is undoubtedly there.
Dario Saric ($6,400)
Saric is one of the main sources of offense off the bench for Philly, and he can rack up fantasy points in a variety of ways. With Wilson Chandler (hamstring) out, I'd be surprised if Saric doesn't crack 30 minutes Tuesday. When seeing between 30-34 minutes last year, he averaged 29.0 fantasy points. That's not exactly ideal at $6,400, but he is no stranger to big games. He posted 20-plus points on 19 occasions last season, 10-plus rebounds 15 times, and over five assists on nine instances. If you're looking to save money here, I think Jerami Grant ($4,700) is a viable option. He should at least split time with Patrick Patterson ($3,500) -- also not a bad option given the price -- at power forward, and Grant has tremendous upside as a defender.
Center
Joel Embiid ($10,400)
Again, if Adams is out, it's tough not to recommend Noel here. We know what Embiid brings to the table. He has some of the highest upside in the league and is entering this year coming off his first healthy offseason as a professional. Boston is a great defensive team and Embiid has admittedly struggled in the past against the Celtics, but I'm not confident we'll see Embiid at a price this low very often throughout the year. I'm taking the value while it's available.
