It has only been three days of NBA basketball, but we didn’t need long to witness one of the greatest fantasy performances of all time. In a losing effort to the Nuggets, Anthony Davis scored 95.7 fantasy points on Fanduel, exceeding every performance put forth by an NBA player last year (including his own 89 FP effort). Here, we examine some players who have an opportunity to stand out among the rest this weekend.

High Flyers (9000+):

Kevin Durant (9,300): There are several options at the small forward position in this price range, which include the likes of LeBron James and Paul George, but Kevin Durant is the one most likely to exceed his value. Durant will most likely have a combination of Solomon Hill, Lance Stephenson, and Dante Cunningham; not exactly defensive stalwarts. This is in contrast to DeMarre Carroll and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, whom James and George will have countering them, respectively. I suspect the urgency to score will be great after what can be described as an embarrassing loss to open the season. The battle between Draymond Green and Anthony Davis along with the Pelicans’ poor FG percentage will see Durant corralling more than his fair share of misses. Anthony Davis will attempt to keep the game within striking distance, so I suspect Durant will see around 32-35 minutes, enough to squeak out at least four times value.

James Harden (11,300): With 14 assists before halftime against the Lakers, it looked like James Harden was well on his way to racking up 70 fantasy points. He didn’t quite get there, but his 64.1 FP was a herculean effort and easily exceeded five times value. Look for a similar result tonight against the Mavericks, but with more points and less assists. Even with rangier players such as James Ennis and Justin Anderson guarding him, expect Harden to make it to the free throw line his fair share, especially in what should be a tightly contested affair.

Ahead of the Pack (7000-8900):

Hassan Whiteside (8,500): Until his price tag begins to exceed 9,000 (which I believe it will shortly) look for Whiteside to dominate the boards against an aging Roy Hibbert with offensive rebounds and a flurry of put backs. Whiteside will likely be able to use his status as an elite help defender to secure four times value without breaking a sweat.

Kevin Love (7,100): Love’s confidence is at a high after a performance such as the one he had in the Cavs’ opener. Expect more of the same against smaller competition in either rookie Pascal Siakam or Patrick Patterson. With Kyrie Irving matching up against bulldog Kyle Lowry, expect Love to get opportunities on the perimeter to show off his shooting touch. After Tuesday, 7,100 seems like a steal.

Bang for your Buck (5000-6900):

Goran Dragic (6,800): At this price, Goran Dragic is almost a lock to hit four times his value at just over 27 FP. For those who remember, Dragic played exceptionally well for the Heat down the stretch last year in the playoffs against the Hornets, turning in several performances over 40 FP. With Dwyane Wade gone, expect more from the Heat guard in terms of decision making and overall fantasy production, especially with a team that can now play at his pace. Do not be surprised to see Dragic hit 40 FP tonight against Kemba Walker.

Jeff Teague (6,300): This is an absolute steal – Teague should have no problem hitting five times value in tonight’s game against the Nets. The Nets’ lack of depth, along with a matchup against Jeremy Lin bodes well for Teague. Look for a strong fantasy performance again exceeding 35 FP just as he did against the Mavericks.

Nicolas Batum (6,200): Batum’s ability to stuff the stat sheet should be in full effect tonight, being guarded by the offense oriented Dion Waiters. Justise Winslow will most likely be defending either Marvin Williams or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and with Josh Richardson sidelined, there is little to stop Batum from achieving a stat line somewhere around 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. This pick, along with Jeff Teague, is a safe bet.

Jonas Valanciunas (6,000): He is operating at the same level of production as he was at the end of last year, which bodes well for fantasy owners interested in picking up Valanciunas for the economical price of 6,000. While he likely won’t match his opening performance, he does hold a noticeable size advantage against Tristan Thompson and will get more than his fair share of field goal attempts.

Joe Johnson (5,600): While his price crept up after a phenomenal opening night performance, I would be inclined to start ‘Iso Joe’ until Gordon Hayward’s return. He will get a plethora of opportunities, especially as the game begins to dwindle.

Serge Ibaka (5,500). Ibaka’s weak performance against the Heat ensured that his price stayed down at an owner-friendly rate of 5,500. Five times value places him at 27.5 FP, of which he is more than capable of against either the smaller Marcus Morris or Tobias Harris.

Bottom of the Barrel (3500-4900):

Steven Adams (4,800): There’s not much to say here; Steven Adams is going to get his fair share of points, rebounds, bumps, and bruises. The seven-foot Kiwi is more than capable of earning five times value tonight, against a Suns team that wants to push the pace and register a high number of field goals. With three more-than-capable perimeter defends who should induce misses, Adams will have his share of opportunities to crash the boards.

Tyler Johnson (4600) and Dion Waiters (4500): Both will play significant minutes and will benefit from playing at Goran Dragic’s pace. Waiters is capable of hitting a wide variety of shots on a team that plays at a heightened pace. When Dragic is on the bench, Johnson will become the primary decision maker, and if their last game is any indication, these two are both ready to step into their new roles. While Nicolas Batum may prove troublesome on defense to start, the Hornets’ lack of depth will bode well for these two 6’4” guards.

Bojan Bogdanovic (4,200): The sharpshooter from Croatia will have ample opportunities to hoist shots up all season long on a Brooklyn team which is severely lacking firepower. Bogdanovic outsizes almost everyone at his position and will have the green light to reign down shot attempts from distance.

Marco Belinelli (3,500): As the backup shooting guard to Nic Batum, Belinelli will find himself seeing anywhere from 20-25 minutes every night to do damage. Against the interior defense of the Heat, Charlotte will look to exploit the perimeter using Belinelli’s spot up shooting. His playing time will come almost exclusively against Dion Waiters, Tyler Johnson, and Dragic, all of whom he is capable of getting a shot off against. At 3,500, he only needs to make up for 17.5 FP to make him a value pickup.

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