This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The 2015 NBA Playoffs start Saturday. No more resting star players and picking through the injury report to find great value plays here. The starters are going to see extra minutes and the rotations are going to be shortened. You really have to be careful taking some of the lower-priced bench players now. Unlike the regular season, there's no saving guys for tomorrow. Starters who played 30-to-35 minutes a few weeks ago are going to see more minutes every night going forward. Unless we get some injuries early on, you are going to have to pay up for guys you really like. Let's take a look at some of those stars who are still relatively cheap based on projected production.
Point Guard
Michael Carter-Williams ($7,400)
Carter-Williams is finally healthy after being traded mid-season from the cellar-dwelling Sixers. For the last two weeks of the season, he has scored at least 30 fantasy points in every game when he played at least 27 minutes. MCW can stuff a stat sheet with the best of them. As a point guard, he scores and picks up a lot of assists. He is also a very good rebounder and is solid stepping into the passing lanes and picking up a few steals on the defensive end. Derrick Rose is back, but he is still not 100 percent healthy, and Aaron Brooks is a liability on defense. Those are the guys who should be tasked with trying to slow MCW down. Carter-Williams should be in attack mode from the jump and is expected to play at least 30-to-35 minutes. There's a lot of point guards who can go for 40 fantasy points in the opening game, but none are as cheap or safe as Carter-Williams.
Shooting Guard
O.J. Mayo ($4,600)
Mayo is almost a must play tomorrow on this short slate. There's very few guys who have the safety and consistency to get at least 20-to-25 points at this price. It is going to be tough to fit in all the studs you really want if you pay up for the top options at every position, and Mayo provides the safe floor and salary relief you need to be able to pay up somewhere else. Mayo can contribute in every category, and while he is not a starter, he does get a lot of chances to play in the fourth quarter. When he is on the floor, he is the go-to scorer with the second unit. He should play about 25 minutes and get close to a fantasy point per minute while out there. He's not the guy who will get you 40-to-50 fantasy points, but at his salary he will allow you to pay up for a guy who can like James Harden or Anthony Davis. There's very few value guys that see big minutes with these tighter rotations, so Mayo is one of the few you must use if you want enough money elsewhere to afford the studs without limiting upside.
Small Forward
Al-Farouq Aminu ($4,500)
Aminu will be the guy who benefits the most from Chandler Parsons' injury. Parsons is still a game time call, so be careful to check on his status. Even if he does play though, I do not think he is anywhere near 100 percent, and Aminu has been getting the minutes in his absence, along with Richard Jefferson. Aminu is not a huge upside kind of guy. He's a safe 20+ points for $4,500 that allows you to pay up in other spots for some of the studs. Like Mayo, there's very few guys who are able to get you those safe points for cheap that are left playing, so use him for salary relief and pay up for a stud or two you like. I can not fault anyone who prefers Jefferson over Aminu, but I prefer the latter due to his rebounding and tenacity.
Power Forward
Nene Hilario ($4,300)
There is no way I build a line up tomorrow that does not include Hilario in it. At $4,300, he is priced like a guy who plays 20 minutes per game, which he did do often during the regular season. His ankle is close to 100 percent and if they want to win this series, he needs to be on the floor. At his price, you really only need about 21 fantasy points from him to make value and I expect him to play at least 25 minutes. He was being rested for the playoffs and only played over 20 minutes twice since March 29. Both times he surpassed 21 points and would have paid off his low salary. In a series where they need to control the boards and have an inside presence, I expect Hilario to not only play more minutes, but assert himself more on the offensive end than he has all season. He has double-double potential, and if he does get there, he will blow past value and also allow you to spend up for a stud like Anthony Davis to pair with him.
Center
Tyson Chandler ($6,000)
When Chandler gets minutes, Chandler produces. All season long he was played sparingly in games when they did not really need him, and he had some big minutes and big production when they did. Now that the playoffs are here, I would expect him to play at least 30 minutes per night. When he plays that many minutes, the rebounds, blocks and points follow. He averaged 29 minutes and 34 fantasy points over the course of his last four games. The veteran center has been here before and he knows what he needs to do. Dwight Howard is still not 100 percent healthy, and I think for the Mavericks to have a shot, they will need an inside presence. Chandler is the only one with the size and strength to contend with Howard and Terrence Jones down low, so he is the default option if the Mavericks hope to hang in the series. I think he has a safe 30-point floor with at least 30 minutes of playing time expected, which is the upside you need to win a tournament.
