NBA Pulse: Friday, March 6

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

Honestly, I'm surprised at the amount of buzz George Hill is receiving. Sure, he's a quality play, but I'm not sure he's THE play in a very deep PG position.

As mentioned in today's podcast, Mo Williams price has increased, but it hasn't fully accounted for his new high-usage role. Continue to target him with confidence.

Mike Conley has a great matchup with the Lakers, which is generating some conversation. I'm hesitant to click him in with so many other PG's with higher upside.

Isaiah Thomas is one of those high upside options. Quite honestly, I'm very happy that his buzz is at a reasonably low level. He has an extremely high usage rate in Boston, and Avery Bradley's absence only helps his cause. I'll take him over similarly priced guys like Conley and Deron Williams.

One under the radar pick that hasn't been mentioned: Reggie Jackson. Some of this is dependent on Patrick Beverley's status. If Beverley and his hounding defensive skills miss this game, RJax becomes one of the best per dollar picks.

SHOOTING GUARD

Apparently everyone and their dog is going to have Victor Oladipo tonight. Include me (and my dog) in that crowd, as a great price, matchup, and positional scarcity makes him the best “per dollar" pick of the position. I wouldn't recommend fading him in cash games, and he also possesses upside suited for tournaments. It's probably best to eat the chalk here.

James Harden has a favorable matchup with Detroit, but his salary is cumbersome. Oladipo is the upside pick of SG's, so keep that in mind. If he bombs for some reason, and Harden does his thing: it creates a nice edge in tournaments.

Jason Richardson. No. Just no. I'm not chasing the points here, especially considering an inflated price point. Plus, Utah ranks 1^st in defensive efficiency since the All-Star break.

Lou Williams is strictly a tournament play with Kyle Lowry back in the lineup; nothing more than a risk/reward prayer.

Instead of Lou, I'd rather go with Rodney Stuckey as a cheap SG. Surprisingly, he's not getting any attention out of the Indiana backcourt (while his teammate is labeled a “top pick").

Another player not getting any attention is Monta Ellis. He's a risky cash game pick, but a decent pairing with Oladipo for a non-prohibitive salary.

SMALL FORWARD

Kawhi Leonard profiles as a near-consensus pick at the position. He's a quality play in a good matchup; however, the blowout factor looms. Sure, he was able to hit value in a blowout last game, but I'm not sure if that sentiment will carry over. He's a quality pick, but not a lineup fixture.

Instead, I'd go with Rudy Gay for cash games, as he's playing an Orlando team that ranks dead last vs SF's, in a projected tight, high scoring game (SAC -1, 202 o/u).

LeBron James is always a good play, especially in a super-competitive matchup like tonight. However, I'd rather pay up for Harden/Davis/Cousins.

Richard Jefferson is nothing but a minimum salary filler if you need to clear some cap space. He's seeing 30+ minutes per game, and there aren't many cheap SF's to otherwise consider. I don't have a problem with him.

POWER FORWARD

Normally, it's fairly easy to fade Anthony Davis after a monster performance (due to the colossal price point), but I'm not sure we have that luxury tonight. The matchup vs Boston is exceptional, and the Pels are playing at home, where Davis has much higher splits.

Nikola Mirotic is a lock on FanDuel. He's a good, but not great play with a higher salary on DraftKings. Be sure to weigh your options before blindly clicking him in over there.

I'm not sold on Kenneth Faried tonight. I'll buy into the fact that he's performing better due to the coaching change, but a tough matchup at San Antonio (with the blowout factor) is not an appropriate time to deploy him. Tournament only in my opinion.

Terrence Jones is a quality pick if he's able to play (questionable). If he's out, Donatas Motiejunas gains consideration at a cheap price point.

Nobody is talking about Draymond Green, who has high upside and a discounted salary on DraftKings. Food for thought.

CENTER

I'm with the public on this one; I really like Rudy Gobert. The price tag has risen, but it still doesn't offset the increased production. The matchup couldn't be much better vs Philadelphia.

DeMarcus Cousins is especially cheap on DraftKings, which is where you should target him.

Andre Drummond is nothing more than a tournament play in my opinion. As the rest of the Center position is ho-hum, we can see why Gobert is receiving a lot of buzz.