This article is part of our FantasyDraft NBA series.
Sunday's compact four-game slate has two elite options to pay up for and a host of intriguing mid-tier and affordable selections. Despite the abbreviated number of games, there are plenty of important choices to be made, so let's dive into a breakdown of where the best values lie:
GUARDS:
Premium Option
James Harden, HOU at IND ($20,300): Harden overcame a tough matchup versus the Grizzlies on Saturday to rack up 38 points, eight assists, four rebounds and one block, allowing him to eclipse 50 fantasy points for the sixth straight contest. He's actually tallied over 80 in two of those games and doesn't figure to have much trouble with the Pacers, who are surrendering 108.4 points per game and a 47.6 percent success rate from the field overall. Indiana has also allowed 46.9 fantasy points per game and the second highest shooting percentage to point guards (47.0), furthering Harden's already formidable case.
Mid-Tier
Victor Oladipo, IND vs. HOU ($15,900): Oladipo will likely be putting up plenty of shots in order to keep up with Harden, and he already checks into Sunday sporting a team-high 30.9 percent usage rate and averaging 1.17 fantasy points per minute. Oladipo is boasting career highs in shot attempts (17.6), scoring (23.0), shooting percentage (46.7) and three-point percentage (44.8), while the Rockets are allowing 51.3 fantasy points per game to two-guards over the last five, along with the fifth most made three-pointers (4.2) on the season.
Affordable
Wesley Matthews, DAL at OKC ($8,800): Matthews is always under consideration as a tournament play, especially at his current price. The veteran sharpshooter has crossed 30 fantasy points on four occasions already this season and has eclipsed the 20-mark in four additional contests as well. The Thunder have not been particularly effective at defending two-guards despite the presence of Andre Roberson, as they've allowed 50.7 fantasy points per game to the position over the last five, along with the fourth most made three-pointers (4.3) on the season.
FORWARDS/CENTERS:
Premium
Andre Drummond, DET vs. MIA ($15,800): Drummond has been virtually unstoppable on the glass recently, bringing down between 17 and 21 rebounds in five of his last seven games. More of the same could be in store Sunday, considering Drummond's track record against the Heat and Hassan Whiteside. He averaged 17.3 points, 16.8 rebounds, 1.0 block, 2.8 steals and 2.5 blocks across four games versus Miami last season, while the Heat check in allowing 39.4 fantasy points per game to centers and the tenth most points (16.7) per contest to the position as well.
Mid-Tier
Paul George, OKC vs. DAL ($14,500):Russell Westbrook has demonstrated a willingness to step back now that he has the likes of George on board to help out, and the latter demonstrated just how much explosive production that can result in during the Thunder's win over the Clippers on Friday. George went off for a season-high 70.25 fantasy points on the strength of a 42-point effort, providing a glimpse at the type of upside he'd flashed on occasion in Indiana. OKC was also notably missing Steven Adams (calf) in Friday's contest, and with the center quite possibly out again Sunday, it's worth noting that George sports a 24.4 percent usage rate and is averaging 1.30 fantasy points per minute with Adams off the floor. The positional matchup is also a solid one Sunday, as the Mavericks are allowing 42.2 fantasy points and the second highest rebounds (9.9) per contest to small forwards.
Affordable
Trevor Ariza, HOU at IND ($10,500): Ariza has been more consistent on the offensive end as of late, scoring in double digits in five of the last six while tallying between 24.25 and 31.25 fantasy points in those contests. While his shooting can often go cold at a moment's notice, he'll have a strong matchup in his favor Sunday. The Pacers check in allowing the third most fantasy points (48.8) to small forwards on the season, and are also surrendering bottom-10 figures in points (25.2), assists (4.9), blocks (1.5) and shooting percentage (48.0).
UTILITY:
Terry Rozier, BOS vs. TOR ($9,800): Rozier saw extended action Friday after Kyrie Irving exited the game against the Hornets with a facial injury, posting 33.75 fantasy points over 28 minutes. With Irving already ruled out for Sunday, Rozier makes for a prudent play at a price that doesn't reflect his current starting role. He's already demonstrated some decent upside this season coming off the bench, scoring between 22.00 and 38.25 fantasy points in seven other contests besides Friday's, with solid rebounding and assist totals in addition to his scoring. While a matchup against Kyle Lowry normally isn't conducive to very good fantasy returns, the Raptors have allowed the seventh most fantasy points (50.9) over the last five to point guards, along with the fourth most points (25.1) to the position on the season.
Bojan Bogdanovic, IND vs. HOU ($8,600): Bogdanovic can undoubtedly be a streaky shooter, but he's been able to deliver more often than not thus far this season. He posted a season-high 34.25 fantasy points against the Bulls on Friday and has also scored over 30 on three other occasions already. He's also shooting a career-high 52.0 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from three-point range and will take on a Houston squad that's allowed 52.7 fantasy points per game to small forwards over the last five, as well as the fifth most rebounds (9.5) and second most assists (5.1) to the position on the season.
