This article is part of our FantasyAces NBA series.
Fantasy Aces has a number of great contests this weekend, with plenty of value opportunities to help fit in the top-tier players.
Guards:
Jarrett Jack at BOS ($4,800): The Nets have been a bad team this season, but it's by no means the fault of their point guard. Jack took over the point guard duties this season with the departure of Deron Williams, and he has been fantastic as the primary ball-handler, averaging 14.7 points, 7.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds in over 33 minutes per game. This price seems ridiculously low for Jack, considering players like Williams, Marcus Thornton, Kevin Martin and Ty Lawson are all in the same range. The recent form of Jack is impressive as well, as he has over 40 fantasy points in three of his last four games.
Emmanuel Mudiay vs. PHX ($4,700): The Nuggets get to face a Suns team plays at an extremely fast pace, which is the perfect situation for Mudiay. The floor should be open all night for Mudiay to record double-digit points and possibly double-digit assists. He also regularly play at least 30 minutes and should fall into fantasy production with all the ball-handling he does, even if he doesn't shoot well. He has yet to score below 16 fantasy points this season and has gotten close to 40 a couple of times. The stat stuffing nature of Mudiay is what makes him so enticing for fantasy purposes.
Arron Afflalo at OKC ($4,000): This will be Afflalo's fifth game of the season after he missed the first few weeks due to a hamstring injury. He played just 18 minutes in his debut, but he's played an average of 30 minutes per since debut. This was one of the Knicks big offseason acquisitions and they expect him to play huge minutes. Over his last three, Afflalo is averaging 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Those aren't mind-blowing numbers, but they are very solid for a $4,000 player. On Friday, he gets to face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder in what should be a high-scoring game. The Thunder currently rank as one of the worst defenses in the NBA and turn the ball over the second-most of any team in the league. The Knicks will lean on Afflalo to play big minutes and try to defend Russell Westbrook. That should put him in line for some blocks and steals against the turnover-prone Westbrook, while providing solid numbers in the other counting categories.
Forwards:
Danilo Gallinari vs. PHX ($4,950): The positive factors for Mudiay apply to Gallinari, but the Italian is simply a better player. Gallinari has been fantastic this season as the focal point of the Denver offense and he's put in some spectacular performances. In 12 games this season, he is averaging 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 combined blocks and steals per game. Gallinari is a bit inconsistent, but he has some fantastic games mixed in with some average performances. In fact, he's had five games with at least seven rebounds and six games with at least 20 points. What's most encouraging is that he averages 13 shots and six free-throw attempts per game. That's some great volume and it's not every day you see a player with that many opportunities cost below $5,000 on Fantasy Aces.
Nicolas Batum vs. PHI ($5,300): Batum has been fantastic of late and has one of the best matchups in basketball. In Philly's last game, they allowed Paul George to tally 34 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals in just three quarters. Batum is not on George's level, but they play similarly. Both of them stuff the stat sheets out of the small forward position and both of them are the catalysts to their respective offenses. This matchup against the Sixers is about as good as any in the NBA and it's the perfect recipe for Batum to put in a great line. If you take out one dud performance against the Knicks on Tuesday, Batum is averaging 26.5 points, five rebounds, four assists and one steal per game over his last four.
Andrew Wiggins vs. DET ($4,850): Wiggins might be the best value on the board. He got off to a slow start this season but has been brilliant since. Over his last seven games, Wiggins is averaging 26.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 combined blocks and steals per game. That's about 35 fantasy points per game, which is a ridiculous return for $4,850. The best part of that recent run is that he is back to playing a ton of minutes and taking a ton of shots, as he is averaging nearly 20 shots per game in just under 38 minutes in that seven-game stretch. This matchup is by no means a scary one and that should also add to Wiggins' value. He generally plays shooting guard and the Pistons ranks 24th in fantasy points allowed to shooting guards this season.
Center:
Thaddeus Young at BOS ($4,600): Young is not really a center, but let's take advantage of it here on Fantasy Aces with their conservative player positioning. Young has been especially good of late, averaging 19.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game over his last six. It's clear the Nets are making Young one of the centerpieces of their offense and that's exemplified by the fact that he's averaging over 15 shots per game in that six-game stretch. He gets to face off against a small frontcourt in Boston on Friday and that's the ideal situation for a player like Young. The price is the key though, as $4,600 is an absolute steal. Players like Marvin Williams, Robert Covington and Chandler Parsons are in the same price range and that's downright disrespectful to a player of Young's ability. It's clear Fantasy Aces is slow to adjust to Young's strong play and that's the time to bounce on him before his price inevitably rises.
Marc Gasol vs. HOU ($5,600): Gasol is priced outside the top-10 centers and that should never happen. He has been playing well of late, averaging about 34 fantasy points per game over his last six. Dwight Howard will be guarding him here and that's a great matchup for Gasol. Howard is the type of center who likes to hang around the basket, as he struggles covering players who prefer to play away from the basket. That's just the type of center Gasol is and that should open up some scoring and assisting opportunities. The Rockets are also notorious at taking a lot of shots and committing a ton of turnovers, which should benefit Gasol as well.
