Detroit Pistons: The best Piston in fantasy won’t be Cade Cunningham

The Detroit Pistons will have several players who will be valuable in fantasy basketball, including rookie Cade Cunningham.

Cunningham figures to put up big numbers for Detroit as a guy who will have high usage on a young team in the early stages of its restoration.

There is a lot to like about Cunningham whether you are playing daily fantasy matchups or in a long-term league where players have to be drafted.

But there are some compelling reasons why he won’t be the best of the Detroit Pistons in fantasy and why another guy may be your best bet either in the short or long term.

Detroit Pistons: Jerami Grant and Cade Cunningham in fantasy

Cade Cunningham has superstar potential and also the potential to fill a stat sheet, as he is going to score, dish assists and grab rebounds.

He’ll probably have a lot of turnovers as he learns the position, so if your league penalizes turnovers, that is something to consider.

Even though I think Cade could put up all-around numbers, fantasy is all about getting value for money, whether you are drafting a team or picking a daily lineup. You need to find low-cost guys who contribute to maximize your lineups, which is why Jerami Grant might be a better choice than Cade Cunningham.

If you are drafting a team, Grant isn’t going to go early, so you can grab him in one of the later rounds and get a contributor who won’t be on every manager’s radar.

If you are playing daily fantasy, Cunningham will likely be more expensive than Grant right away due to being the number one pick and having a lot of hype going into the season.

It might take him some time before he gets comfortable and starts putting up numbers, so Jerami Grant may be a better option, especially early in the season, as he will be cheaper and will hit the ground running.

Cunningham will undoubtedly take some shots from Grant, but I think Grant will pick up an extra assist or two per game dishing it to Cade and will benefit rebounding the ball as well when he is not asked to carry the entire load on offense.

Grant’s points may go down slightly but his rebounds and assists should make up for it. That and his lower cost should make him a better play than Cade Cunningham, especially early on.