Which players should you build around and which players should you fade in DFS as we tip off Monday's NBA action? Our experts have the answers.
Today's panel includes ESPN Fantasy's Joe Kaiser, Kyle Soppe and Eric Karabell, plus DFS expert Renee Miller.
Players to build around
Joe Kaiser -- Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
As bad as things already are in Phoenix three games into the season, one of the few reliable and consistent areas for the Suns is the play of Booker. Now in his third NBA season, Booker is a proven scorer (22.1 PPG last season) who is off to a cold start shooting, but he is also putting up career highs in rebounds (6.7 RPG), assists (4.0 APG) and steals (1.3 SPG). It remains to be seen how this will translate with a new coach, but Booker is priced below $7,000 on both DraftKings and FanDuel and is a terrific value, considering the matchup against the Kings, who may have to rely on Garrett Temple over Buddy Hield and Vince Carter in order to try and slow down the Suns' top scorer.
Eric Karabell -- Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs
Any starting point guard tends to be worth a look when the price is this reasonable, and Murray has averaged more than 30 DK points in his two games. He's hitting his shots, probably because he's not attempting 3-pointers, but is scoring, rebounding and getting steals. That should continue.
Kyle Soppe -- Willie Cauley-Stein, Sacramento Kings
His price has hardly moved over the last week, and while I'm OK with not overreacting to early season numbers ... he has the Suns tonight. Phoenix can't stop a nose bleed these days (0-3 with a minus-92 point differential and a fired head coach), so I will gladly take the Kings' leader in usage rate at a price point that lands him in the Kelly Olynyk tier. Cauley-Stein has two double-doubles in the early going this season, continuing his strong post-DeMarcus Cousins trade production (30.9 minutes, 12.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks-plus-steals per game in the second half of last season). Sacramento's frontcourt lacks depth, and Vegas has the Suns favored (for the second time this season!), so the usage should be high and thus elevate his floor. There are plenty of games tonight, but this is the right place to start him in both your tournament and cash game lineups.
Renee Miller -- Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
Beal has not only been a red-hot scorer to start the season, he has kicked his defense up a notch with four blocks and three steals in two games. Denver is the best fantasy matchup for guards so far this season, continuing a trend from last year. This game has the highest Vegas total of the eight being played tonight, making Beal the perfect high-floor/high-ceiling play for all formats.
Players to fade
Joe Kaiser -- James Harden, Houston Rockets
While Harden is one of the game's best players when it comes to producing daily fantasy points, he is averaging only 50 per game on DraftKings and 47 per game on FanDuel through the Rockets' first three games -- even with Chris Paul out of the lineup for the last two. That's still good production, but the value isn't there when you have to pay more than $11,000 in salary for Harden, as is the case on both sites tonight. It'd be one thing if the matchup was enticing and a breakout game looked probable, but Memphis' high energy and tough defense dampen those expectations. This isn't the night to pay up for The Beard.
Eric Karabell -- DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
There is nothing wrong with the player in general, but a road contest in San Antonio against a tough defensive team with defensive-minded guards doesn't seem like such a great opportunity to pile on points. Plus, DeRozan was dealing with an illness over the weekend. Look elsewhere.
Kyle Soppe -- LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs
I very much understand the excitement around the veteran in the early going. I mean, the man has accounted for more than 27 percent of San Antonio's points and he has double-doubled in both games -- but I'm selling now. His price is up 16.4 percent on DraftKings from opening night, and while the Raptors will be without Jonas Valanciunas, I'm having a hard time seeing Aldridge hitting value in this spot. Toronto was a top-10 defense last season in terms of efficiency and is off to a good start this season (second best), a defensive mentality that has me thinking this price point leaves little room for upside ... that, and I don't see Aldridge shooting better than 46 percent on deep 2-pointers for very long.
Renee Miller -- James Harden, Houston Rockets
Harden hasn't met value yet in his three games, which is a bit of a mystery, given that he should be basically back to where he was last year fantasy-wise with Paul on the bench. I don't think his path to 55-plus fantasy points gets easier tonight. Despite its wishes otherwise, Memphis still looks like a slow-paced and defensive-minded team to me. With Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Warriors, John Wall and Beal -- just to name a few -- to pay for tonight, Harden is out for me.
