It's here. It's finally here. Opening night of the 2022-23 NBA season. That can only mean one thing: fantasy basketball is back! This off-season was one for the books with crazy trades, big free agent signings, and even teammates Superman punching each other. But, with all that behind us...there are two games tonight...and we're here to break them down for you. With that being said, here are some plays we especially like tonight.
PHILADELPHIA 76ers vs. BOSTON CELTICS
(BOS -3 | o/u 216)
The defending Eastern conference champions will host the 76ers tonight for the first game of this NBA season. Both of these teams were bottom ten last season in pace, so you could expect a lower scoring game.
G: Tyrese Maxey (DK: $5,000; FD: $6,500)
While Maxey is priced a little higher on FanDuel, he has a little more value on DraftKings at a price of $5,000. Maxey is coming off a hot preseason looking ready to take another leap in year 3. He should have a favorable matchup tonight with Marcus Smart primarily focused on stopping James Harden. This leaves Derrick White, who is not known as the best defender, with the job of guarding Maxey.
G: James Harden (DK: $8,900; FD: $8,900)
Just because Marcus Smart will be covering Harden tonight doesn't mean it will be an off-night for The Beard. James Harden has a positive track record against Smart in his career with averages of 29.1 PPG, 7.4 APG, 5.9 RPG, and 3.8 3PM in 14 games played. We expect James Harden to have a bounce-back season which means he should come out firing on all cylinders opening night. At the end of the day, we've seen what Harden is capable of.
G: Malcolm Brogdon (DK: $4,900; FD: $6,200)
The price of Malcolm Brogdon, primarily on DraftKings, is almost disrespectful. Brogdon has been a career starter and should see similar minutes/duties as the newest sixth man for the Celtics. In the one game Brogdon played against the Sixers last season, he put up a triple-double of 13/10/10. Now, I'm not saying he'll do that tonight, but there's a lot of value here with Brogdon.
G: Derrick White (DK: $4,100; FD: $4,400)
Incredible value for Derrick White tonight. He will be slotted in as the starting SG for the Celtics tonight and will see a favorable matchup against one of either Maxey or Harden. He is too cheap to not look at tonight with averages of 15.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 5.5 APG as a starter for the Celtics last season. There's just too much potential value here to avoid.
C: Joel Embiid (DK: $9,900; FD: $10,700)
Is there much needed to be said about Joel Embiid? We're talking about the MVP runner-up last season. The 2021-22 NBA scoring champ. He seems to be at full health and will face a depleted Celtics frontcourt with the loss of Robert Williams III. Embiid is a walking double-double, possibly triple-double, against the smaller, aging Al Horford. Expect a massive opening night game for Embiid.
PHI vs. BOS Value Boom or Bust Plays
- G: De'Anthony Melton (DK: $4,200; FD: $4,200)
- F/C: P.J. Tucker (DK: $3,700; FD: $4,100)
- C: Montrezl Harrell (DK: $4,600; FD: $4,300)
LOS ANGELES LAKERS vs. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
(GSW -7 | o/u 225)
The defending NBA champions will host the disappointing Lakers tonight after an interesting offseason to say the least. For Golden State, this is a pace-up spot as the Lakers were 4th in pace last year, but there are some concerns after Steve Kerr's comments about his starters not playing over 30 minutes tonight.
G: Klay Thompson (DK: $6,500; FD: $6,800)
While the concerns are there regarding Golden State's starters minutes tonight, we expect a lot of shots from Klay Thompson. In 2 out of 3 games against LA last year, Klay put up 30+ points and 5+ 3PM. He was also attempting over 20 FGs for those games. We expect Klay to look for his shot early in hopes of a hot start.
G: Kendrick Nunn (DK: $3,000; FD: $4,300)
Coming off a successful preseason and seemingly back to full health, Kendrick Nunn should be a big factor for LA this season, especially with the early loss of Dennis Schroder. The price for Nunn, specifically on DraftKings, is insanely low. Minimum price for a guy who will most likely see 20+ minutes? Way too cheap to pass up on.
F/C: Anthony Davis (DK: $8,500; FD: $10,100)
It seems like the salaries on DraftKings might be broken for these superstars tonight. I know there are concerns and question marks when it comes to AD, but when he's healthy? The man is a machine. AD played the Warriors twice last season with one of those games ending with over 55 fantasy points on DK and FD, so for the pricing tonight, especially on DK, if he comes anywhere close to 55 fantasy points, it is worth the money.
F: LeBron James (DK: $9,200; FD: $10,800)
LeBron James. LeBron dominated the Warriors last season. In 3 games against GSW, he put up over 57 fantasy points in each including one, in March, where he ended the night with 77.5 fantasy points on DK and 71.5 on FD. $9,200 on DK is a steal for LeBron. This is The King we're talking about. Do we need to say more?
LAL vs. GSW Value Boom or Bust Plays
- F: Jonathan Kuminga (DK: $4,200; FD: $4,000)
- C: Damian Jones (DK: $3,500; FD: $4,500)
- G: Donte DiVincenzo (DK: $4,400; FD: $4,100)
- G/F: Moses Moody (DK: $3,000; FD: $3,600)
3 in the Key's Lock of the Night
- James Harden o8.5 assists (Underdog Fantasy)
> Since joining the Sixers, Harden has established himself back as an elite playmaker. I expect Harden to find his teammates tonight, especially with the addition of PJ Tucker, who is a more capable shooter, over Matisse Thybulle.
That's it for the night. Only two games for opening night. These are the players that we are looking at the most tonight for our lineups and we hope they can help you bring home some money! Thank you for reading our very first fantasy article. There are many more to come!
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