NBA Pulse: Wednesday, March 4

The NBA Pulse is constructed to give daily fantasy enthusiasts insight to the most popular picks in a game slate, assessing their viability along the way. In other words, this column is designed to gauge the daily fantasy world's opinion as a whole. We will then take it a step further, telling you when to “join the herd" and when to pivot elsewhere.

Buzz is calculated on a 1-10 scale by considering numerous daily fantasy media outlets picks and general conversation on forums/twitter.

POINT GUARD

Chris Paul is the talk of the town, and I'm having a really hard time finding a reason to fade him. His price isn't unbearably prohibitive (like Westbrook), and the game environment looks especially promising.

Mo Williams is a fantastic play on FanDuel, where his price tag has inexplicably dropped following three straight 40+ FP games. Lock him in there, but weigh your options everywhere else.

Ricky Rubio ranks third in the “PG buzz category", as people don't seem too concerned about the rising salary. He's still a good play (particularly on DraftKings), but I believe some of the profit potential has evaporated with the price increase.

Greivis Vasquez is the safe, cash game cheap PG play, while Jeremy Lin is the high upside gamble.

I'm not going after Russell Westbrook today, as the injury concern, blowout factor, and price is just too much for me.

George Hill is one of my favorite tournament options, but I would pivot elsewhere for cash games (blowout risk).

SHOOTING GUARD

Rodney Stuckey appears to be the flavor of the day, and I'm more likely to use him on FanDuel (great price, required to start two SG) than anywhere else. The matchup vs NYK is great, and he sometimes plays garbage time as well.

Dwyane Wade has a favorable price across the industry, making him an attractive pick in a nice matchup. However, the opportunity cost is reasonably high with other guys on this list like Victor Oladipo (would gain traction if Tobias Harris were ruled out), Lou Williams (much higher usage with Lowry out), and the aforementioned Rodney Stuckey all sitting at cheaper price points.

Note the small amount of attention that is James Harden receiving. You may have to get creative to work him in (and fade some popular guys), but he has the makings for a low ownership tournament play.

SMALL FORWARD

LeBron James is coming off back-to-back monster games (played only 3 quarters last night), and apparently grinders are buying into the hotstreak. Personally, I'm not looking towards LBJ, especially with quality value plays at the position. The high price point makes him easier to fade.

Danilo Gallinari is one of the more frequently mentioned names of the position. He's certainly not a bad play, especially on FanDuel ($5,200) where you are required to start two SF's. However, I'm not sure if I would lean towards him on other DFS platforms.

Andrew Wiggins is one of my favorite plays of the position, and in my opinion, the most legitimate “per dollar" pick on this list. The matchup vs Denver is prime (30^th vs SF in last 10), creating a safe floor coupled with a reasonably high ceiling.

Gordon Hayward has a great matchup, but the price is prohibitive. I'm blending him in certain spots, especially for tournaments. However, he's not a core guy like Wiggins.

Rounding out the rest of the list, Tobias Harris is the only player I'm really buying, and that's if he plays (currently listed as questionable). The others don't really excite me, as PJ Tucker is coming off an outlier performance (Markieff Morris ejected last game), Nicolas Batum's role changes on a game to game basis, and Kawhi Leonard is looking at a blowout possibility.

One person who hasn't gotten any attention is Khris Middleton, playing up in pace at Golden State. If Milwaukee can keep this one close, he has considerable profit potential while seeing heavy minutes.

POWER FORWARD

LaMarcus Aldridge has one of the better matchups of the day, and that isn't flying under the radar. He's generating the most buzz of any Power Forward, especially on DraftKings with a slightly discounted price point.

Kenneth Faried is usually a risky proposition, but people seem to be buying into a resurgence with Brian Shaw out of town. The price and matchup also line up, and like Aldridge, the salary is particularly favorable at DraftKings.

Derrick Favors is personally one of my favorite (no pun intended) value plays of the position. He has a great matchup in a projected tight game, and a non-prohibitive price tag. It's my opinion that he could come close to replicating Aldridge's production for a fraction of the cost; although the upside is considerably less. Favors makes for a very secure pick.

Serge Ibaka is generating a moderate amount of buzz, but I'm not sure if buying into an inflated price tag in this potential blowout is the way to go. I'd rather pivot elsewhere.

Frankly, I'm not sure what Tim Duncan is doing on this list. Does the matchup profile well? Yes, but that's about where it ends. His minutes are very limited, and there's substantial blowout potential in this spot. He's more of a tournament play than anything, but you won't find him in any of my lineups.

CENTER

Hassan Whiteside vs a weak Laker frontcourt is the matchup everyone is talking about. He's definitely a great pick in all formats. However, this creates a low ownership opportunity for the similarly priced Nikola Vucevic, who has just as good of a matchup on paper. Keep that in mind for large tournaments.

Alex Len is generating just as much buzz as the big dogs here, but I'm guessing most of that is due to scarcity at the sub $6k range at Center. It doesn't necessarily mean Len is going to have the same ownership % as Whiteside. He's a fine value selection with profit potential, but I'd be weary of foul trouble.

Rudy Gobert has a fantastic matchup with Boston. Some people may be apprehensive to pay his surging price point, but don't hesitate to click him in at a cheaper alternative to Whiteside.

DeMarcus Cousins is receiving a moderate amount of buzz, but playing a cross-country b2b at San Antonio doesn't line up necessarily well. I'm reserving him as a tournament gamble only.