This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Point Guard
Kirk Hinrich ($2,000)
The safe play is to pay up and go with both Kyrie Irving ($10,000) and Derrick Rose ($8,100). However, if you are looking for a punt play at the position there are only two options. FanDuel has dropped the minimum price to $2,000 for the playoffs and that's exactly where Hinrich is priced. He's not a flashy player and his upside is extremely limited. That being said, he only needs 8-to-12 fantasy points to make his value and he's done that in both of his last two games (10.7 and 8.5). To put that in a raw perspective, Irving would need around 50 fantasy points to be Hinrich's equivalent when you consider he's 5X more expensive.
Jason Terry ($3,000)
Terry is the other punt option and has a higher ceiling than Hinrich, though he's priced 50 percent higher. Terry has scored at least 10 fantasy points in over 10 games and will likely be the highest owned point guard. His price allows you to load up at the other positions and how much value he makes will be predicated by whether or not his three-point shot is falling. Food for thought in GPPs: pair Terry with Hinrich and load up at the other positions?
Shooting Guard
Austin Rivers ($3,600)
Rivers mainly depends on the availability of Chris Paul but there are a few factors working in his favor. First, after gaining a Game 1 win in Houston, head coach Doc Rivers may err on the side of caution and give Paul another game of rest even if he's considered a game-time decision. Second, even if Paul plays, he's unlikely to see his full complement of minutes, leading to more playing time for Rivers. Considering his price, it'll only take around 15 fantasy points for him to reach value, making him almost a must-play in cash games.
Iman Shumpert ($5,100)
Interestingly, both Shumpert and Jamal Crawford check in for identical prices Wednesday. Both are coming off big games but Shumpert is the one who should see more playing time. He's coming off games of 38 and 41 minutes, while Crawford hasn't played more than 32 in a very long time. Crawford is another player who gets a boost in value if Chris Paul is out, as he'll become more of a ball handler and have a higher usage rate. However, Shumpert has shown the ability to fill the stat sheet outside of scoring, and if both struggle shooting the ball it'll be Shumpert with a significantly better fantasy game. Just remember, his value will likely take a hit once J.R. Smith returns from his suspension.
Small Forward
Mike Dunleavy ($4,200)
The seemingly forgotten Bull, Dunleavy somehow makes his way to 20-plus fantasy points on a nightly basis and always seems to fly under the radar. Throwing out a -1 dud, he's scored at least 21 fantasy points in six out of seven games and been a great value. His ability to collect around nine rebounds and assists combined sets his floor at a great level considering the price tag.
Matt Barnes ($4,300)
Barnes has elevated his game of late by finding his shooting touch, leading to some nice fantasy outputs. He's scored 20 and 17 points in both of his last two games and parlayed those stats into 40.5 and 32.5 fantasy points, respectively. It makes a lot of sense to pair Barnes or Dunleavy up with Lebron James, or even go with both to punt the position. Trevor Ariza ($6,200) had a nice Game 1 but has been wildly inconsistent in the playoffs and has lost offensive opportunities with Dwight Howard completely healthy.
Power Forward
Terrence Jones ($4,000)
Jones' price has dropped drastically and the Rockets haven't needed his inside presence with Dwight Howard logging heavy minutes once again. Still, Jones has some nice upside and has scored at least 18 fantasy points in three of his last four games. The price is what's attractive here, and if Howard gets into any kind of early foul trouble, Jones could see a significant uptick in minutes.
Tristan Thompson ($5,300)
Taj Gibson ($4,000) caught my eye but the Bulls are going to give Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah plenty of minutes, plus Nikola Mirotic could see some time as well. Enter Thompson, who only has 25.2 fantasy points over his last two games combined. However, that number should be largely ignored, as his 37 minutes played last game is the more important stat. Without Kevin Love (shoulder), Cleveland is going to need some height on the inside and Thompson remains one of the best rebounders in the league on the offensive end.
Center
Joakim Noah ($5,500)
Noah was a huge disappointment in Game 1, failing to score a point in 29 minutes. It's worth noting that he was dealing with an illness and should be feeling much better 48 hours after his scoreless game. The good note here is that his price dropped as a result of the bad game, making it a perfect time to use him. Timofey Mozgov doesn't have the mobility to stick with him and Noah remains one of the best passing centers in the league. If you're not going to pay up for DeAndre Jordan or Dwight Howard, Noah is the obvious choice to use.
