NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/30/17

NBA Daily Fantasy

by Mike Barner on November 30, 20170 Comments

*Mike Barner*

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/30/17

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POINT GUARDS

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Eric Bledsoe, MIL at POR
FanDuel = $7,500
DraftKings = $6,800

Bledsoe has played well since being traded to the Bucks as he’s averaging 15.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.1 three-pointers per game with his new squad. Now the second best offensive weapon on the team, he’s posting a 27.9% usage rate. His numbers are going to continue to get better as he gets accustomed to his new teammates and he’s already showing signs of that as he has averaged 23.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists over his last three games. On a night with only five games on the schedule, Bledsoe presents an excellent option for your entry.

Jamal Murray, DEN vs. CHI
FanDuel = $5,100
DraftKings = $5,000

Murray doesn’t provide much outside of scoring, but he has managed to average 13.9 points and 1.2 three-pointers in only 27 minutes per game. He still has a significant role in the offense as his 24.4% usage rate is the highest on the team. Thursday’s matchup against the Bulls is favorable for Murray as the Bulls struggle to defend point guards. They have been especially poor of late, allowing an average of 23.6 points per game to opposing starting point guards over their last three contests. At this price, Murray can provide value.

SHOOTING GUARDS

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Lou Williams, LAC vs. UTA
FanDuel = $8,000
DraftKings = $7,300

The Clippers are absolutely decimated by injuries and will be without Blake Griffin, Patrick Beverley, Danilo Gallinari and Milos Teodosic on Thursday. When you think about how much offense the Clippers were counting on from Griffin and Gallinari, that’s a lot of scoring to make up for. Enter Williams as he is never afraid to shoot the rock. He is currently averaging a career-high 13.7 shot attempts per game to go along with a 27.8% usage rate. Expect him to lead the Clippers offense Thursday, giving him value even at this expensive price.

Gary Harris, DEN vs. CHI
FanDuel = $6,100
DraftKings = $5,600

One thing you get with Harris is consistent playing time as he has played at least 30 minutes in all but three games this season, one of which he played 29 minutes. He’s not going to give you much in the way of rebounds or assists, but he makes up for it by averaging 1.8 steals to go along with 14.3 points per game. He has actually had at least three steals in three of his last four games. With plenty of minutes and shots on tap for Thursday’s matchup against a bad Bulls defense, consider adding Harris into your lineup.

SMALL FORWARDS

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at POR
FanDuel = $11,800
DraftKings = $11,100

Not much needs to be said to make a case to start Giannis on Thursday. His 33.5% usage rate is fifth-best in the NBA, which is even better when you take into consideration he leads the league with 37 minutes per game. He also crushed the Trail Blazers earlier this season when he scored 44 points to go along with eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. He and LeBron James are the two best options at small forward for the evening, but I’d lean towards Giannis as this game should be more competitive than the Cavaliers taking on a bad Atlanta Hawks team.

Juan Hernangomez, DEN vs. CHI
FanDuel = $4,000
DraftKings = $3,700

While the Nuggets aren’t as injury-riddled as the Clippers, they are dealing with problems of their own with Paul Millsap out for three months and Wilson Chandler already ruled out for this game with a back injury. Chandler missed the Nuggets last game Tuesday, leading to a start for Hernangomez. He came through with seven points, 10 rebounds and one block in 28 minutes, marking his best game of the season. With the expectation that he will see increased minutes again Thursday, he could provide significant value at this cheap price.

POWER FORWARDS

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Derrick Favors, UTA at LAC
FanDuel = $7,400
DraftKings = $6,600

Favors is in the midst of his best stretch this season as he is averaging 19.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks over his last five games. With so little depth behind him up front due to Rudy Gobert’s injury, he is going to continue to see extended playing time. This should be a fun matchup against DeAndre Jordan, one of the few quality big men still healthy on the Clippers. With Jordan likely to get heavy minutes, the Jazz will need Favors to come through again. Without a lot of great options at power forward for your entry, Favors provides one of the safer bets to produce.

Marcus Morris, BOS vs. PHI
FanDuel = $4,600
DraftKings = $4,700

Morris has taken a big step backward in terms of playing time as his 24 minutes per game is his lowest average since the 2013-14 season. With the talent Boston has up front, that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The good news is that he has done more with less as his 23.9% usage rate is the highest of his career. With Joel Embiid resting for the Sixers Thursday, they could use some smaller-than-usual lineup combinations. The Sixers play at the fourth-fastest pace (104.8) in the NBA already, so this could be one of the more uptempo games you see the Celtics play. Take a chance on Morris to have a big game based on his opponent and his reasonable price.

CENTERS

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. CHI
FanDuel = $9,500
DraftKings = $9,100

With Embiid resting Thursday, Jokic becomes the center with the highest upside. While his scoring is slightly down, his overall numbers are even better than last year as he’s averaging 15.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 three-pointers per game. One of the best passing centers in the league, his ability to contribute in multiple categories gives him the potential to provide massive production any given night. With a matchup against the Bulls on the slate, this could be one of those evenings when Jokic leads you to some money in DFS.

DeAndre Jordan, LAC vs. UTA
FanDuel = $7,400
DraftKings = $7,100

With Jordan approaching last-man-standing status in the Clippers frontcourt, he could put up some big numbers going forward. His scoring is down at 10.0 points per game, but he may get a few extra shot attempts with Griffin now on the sidelines. Always a valuable contributor on the glass, he should get all the minutes he can handle Thursday. If you can’t pay up for Jokic, Jordan can provide value at a more budget-friendly price.

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pickem Strategy Advice Week 13

by Chris Durell on November 30, 20170 Comments

*Chris Durell*

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pickem Strategy Advice Week 13

For a limited time use code “NLA5017” to receive the rest of the NFL season for 50% off!

Tier 1

As it does every week, the first tier presents some very tough decisions. DeAndre Hopkins leads the way with 21.3 DraftKings points per game this season while averaging a crazy 11.4 targets per game, trailing only Antonio Brown in that category. Despite losing his star quarterback, Hopkins is also just one of four wideouts with 1,000 or more yards this season and since Watson went down in week 8 has gained 75 or more yards in all four games with 100 or more twice. Hopkins also gets the best matchup of the three wideouts facing a Titans team that ranks 24th in DVOA vs. pass and 26th in DK points per game allowed to the position. Sticking with the wideouts, the other target monster in this tier has been Adam Thielen who is tied for fourth with 9.7 per game and is one of those four wideouts with 1,000 or more receiving yards this season. The only issue for the Thielen and the Vikings passing attack is the Falcons defense that has allowed the eighth-fewest passing yards per game(207.9) and DK points per game to allowed to wideouts. Brandin Cooks has only seen double-digit targets once this season but has been coming on strong recently with 74 or more yards in three straight games and has scored a touchdown in back to back games. Cooks also gets a tough matchup this week vs. the Bills defense that has held opponents under 200 yards passing in three of their last four games and rank 11thin DVOA vs. the pass overall but the good news is that Cooks has the GOAT, Tom Brady, throwing him passes. Next up, we have Leonard Fournette who has shown us signs of dominance with four 100+ yard games this season and signs of being shut down as he has been held under 50 yards three including twice in the last three weeks. This week he should most definitely be on your radar as the Jags are at home vs. a Colts team that has been decent vs. the run ranked 11th in DVOA but has allowed the seventh-most DK points per game to running backs thanks to 572 yards allowed through the air(4th worst).

Top Targets in this Tier – Leonard Fournette, Brandin Cooks

Tier 2

I am going to start with the tight ends here in the second tier. We have two elite options in Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce but they are in completely different situations. Gronk is coming off a big week where he caught five of his eight targets for 82 yards and scored two touchdowns while Kelce was a product of a struggling Chiefs offense as he caught three of four targets for just 39 yards last week. They both get decent matchups vs. teams allowing 11 or more DK points per game to the position but Kelce gets the slight edge as the Jets have been worse overall ranking 21st in DVOA vs. the pass while the Bills rank 11th. Ownership will definitely lean towards Gronk here because of last week’s numbers and while a player’s past performance vs. a team is somewhat irrelevant as players and systems change over the years, this stat is just amazing to look at (via @evansilva).

Rob Gronkowski, who is from Buffalo, has played 6 career games @ BUF. His stat lines:

5/109/1
7/113/1
7/94/0
5/104/1
7/109/2
4/54/2

— Evan Silva (@evansilva) November 27, 2017

After the tight ends, we have running back LeSean Mccoy who has a nice matchup vs. the Patriots who have allowed 115.1 rush yards per game and rank 29th in DVOA vs. the rush. The game script isn’t exactly in his favor as the Bills are 7.5 point dogs but and even worse, McCoy’s targets have been going down lately with five or less in four straight games including two weeks where he saw just one target. Despite leading all players in this tier with 17.2 DK points per week, he will likely be the lowest owned and makes a contrarian option. Wideout Mike Evans has been a target monster all season, with or without Jameis Winston, and has received double-digits in four of his last five games. He has tallied 75 or more yards receiving in five of his 10 games this season but has failed to break the 100-yard mark to this point. The good news is that quarterback Jameis Winston has resumed throwing and could make the start this week vs. the Packers who have allowed the eighth-most passing yards per game, rank 22nd in DVOA vs. the pass, and have allowed the second-most DK points per game to wideouts.

Top Targets in this Tier – Rob Gronkowski, Mike Evans

Tier 3

I was all over Kareem Hunt last week in a great bounce-back spot and he continued to disappoint fantasy owners with 11 carries for 17 yards. That makes six straight weeks without a 100-yard game and eight straight games without a touchdown. While the matchup seems decent facing the Jets who are allowing the seventh-most rushing yards per game(120.4) it isn’t the greatest from a fantasy perspective as they rank 8th overall in DK points per game allowed to running backs as they have done well limiting the touchdowns. Tevin Coleman has been excellent lately with touchdowns in five straight games but will not only see his backfield partner, Devonta Freeman, back on the field this week but will also face a tough Vikings defense that has allowed the least DraftKings points per game to running backs. Jordan Howard might see some lower than normal ownership this week after a brutal game against the Eagles where he rushed for just six yards, albeit the Bears were trailing the entire game. He gets an elite matchup against the 49ers who have given up the third-most rushing yards per game(129.5) and rank dead last in DK points per game allowed to running backs.

If you are looking to go the wide receiver route in this tier, there are two excellent options in Davante Adams and Robbie Anderson. Anderson has been incredibly consistent with at least one touchdown in five straight games and double-digit DraftKings points in six straight games. He faces a Chiefs defense that has fallen off big time this season(Eric Berry effect) and has allowed the fifth-most passing yards per game(245.6) and have allowed the most DraftKings points per game to wideouts. Ever since Aaron Rodgers went down in Green Bay, Davante Adams has emerged as backup quarterback Brett Hundley’s favorite option as he leads the team in that time with 52 targets, three touchdowns, and three straight games with 80 or more yards. He gts an even better matchup than Anderson facing the Bucs who have allowed a league-high 284.6 passing yards per game and the most DraftKings points per game allowed to wideouts.

Top Targets in this Tier – Jordan Howard, Robby Anderson

Tier 4

First of all, let’s touch on Matt Stafford who had his ankle rolled up on during the Thanksgiving game vs. the Vikings. He returned to the game but looked in pain but said this week it is feeling better. He will most likely play this week but gets the worst matchup of this group facing a Ravens team that has allowed the second-fewest passing yards per game(189.9) and also the second-fewest DraftKings points per game. Best to fade Stafford and the Lions this week. The next toughest matchup in this group is Matt Ryan who is coming off his third 300+ yard game of the season but will face a Vikings defense that has allowed the 11th fewest passing yards per game(214.9) and sixth-fewest DraftKings points per game allowed to the quarterback position.On the other side of the ball, we have one of the biggest surprises of the season in Case Keenum who has gotten better each week and has thrown for 280+ yards in four straight games with nine touchdowns. He also gets a tougher matchup on the road this week facing the Falcons defense that has allowed the eighth-fewest passing yards per game(207.9). Despite leading this tier in DraftKings points per game, Alex Smith is likely to be a contrarian play this week after struggling big time lately after an MVP-type start to the season. Over his last four games, he has averaged just 223.5 passing yards per game and thrown for just four touchdowns. The matchup is average as he faces a Jets team ranked in the middle of the pack in passing yards per game and 19th in DraftKings points per game. The positive for Smith is that he has two elite options in Travis Kelce and Tyreke Hill so I could definitely see a bounce back game here. Next up is Josh McCown coming off his biggest game of the year where he threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns and makes a terrific stack with Robby Anderson in the previous tier. The quarterback with the best matchup in this group is Marcus Mariota who faces a Texans defense that allows 243 passing yards per game(24th) and ranks dead last in DraftKings points per game allowed to the position. The issue with Mariota is that he has only topped 300 yards twice this season and he has also only thrown for multiple touchdowns twice.

Top Targets in this Tier – Josh McCown, Alex Smith

Tier 5

Let’s address the Tampa Bay quarterback situation right off the top. It will be Jameis Winston making his return to action this week after sitting out three straight games with a shoulder injury. This is definitely an upgrade for Mike Evans in the first tier and a great matchup as the Packers defense has allowed the eighth-most passing yards per game(244.1) and don’t have one cornerback ranked inside the Top 80 on the PFF rankings. It won’t be a safe option stacking Winston and Evans but the upside is through the roof. If you are not playing Winston in this tier the options are pretty thin and even riskier. Blake Bortles get a great matchup vs. the Colts who have allowed the third-most passing yards per game(266.3) but the Jags are big favorites and most likely won’t need Bortles to do much. Then we got Tyrod Taylor who lacks overall upside averaging just 184 passing yards per game but he does give us added value with his legs as he ranks third in rushing among quarterbacks with 302 yards and three touchdowns. The thing I like the most here is that Bills are underdogs and will need Taylor to likely throw or run a little bit more this week to keep up with Tom Brady and the Pats. Brett Hundley is also in a pretty nice spot this week in a tight spread at home vs. the Bucs and is coming off his best game since taking over for the injured Aaron Rodgers. He put up 245 yards and three touchdowns vs. a tough Steelers defense and now gets a prime matchup vs. a Bucs defense that has allowed a league-high 284.6 passing yards per game and the sixth-most DraftKings points per game to the position. Finally, we have Jimmy Garoppolo making his first start of the season and it will be tough to tell what we are going to get. He made a final drive appearance last week and completed both of his passes with a touchdown in garbage time but now goes on the road to Chicago to face a defense ranked eighth overall in DraftKings points per game to quarterbacks.

Top Targets in this Tier – Jameis Winston, Brett Hundley

Tier 6

From a PPR perspective, I love what Carlos Hyde brings to the table this season as he trails only Christian McCaffrey and Le’Veon Bell in targets with 73 on the season(6.6 per game). This is great news for quarterback Jimmy G making his first start of the season. Hyde has also rushed the ball pretty well this season despite the lack of total yards(game script issues as 49ers are not a good team) as he is averaging 4.1 yards per attempt and while he also shown us his upside with two multi-touchdown games. Marvin Jones gets a tough matchup vs. a Ravens defense that ranks third in DraftKings points allowed to wideouts but he has been dealing with tough matchup pretty well this season and is coming off a huge Thanksgiving game vs. the Vikings Xavier Rhodes as he totaled 109 yards and two touchdowns. He has scored at least one touchdown in three of his last four games(five total). I prefer him over his teammate Golden Tate. Tyreke Hill has been a product of a struggling Chiefs offense and I thought last week he was going to breakout but he was unable to do much with his 11 targets as he caught seven of them for just 41 yards. I am going back to the well again this week with Hill as he gets another good matchup vs. the Jets who rank 21st in DraftKings points per game allowed to wideouts. Stefon Diggs has been average this season as he has somewhat taken a backseat to Adam Thielen who has been getting the better matchups out of the slot and has become Case Keenum’s favorite target. Lamar Miller has somewhat disappointed this season, from a rushing standpoint, averaging 3.7 yards per carry with three touchdowns but has made up his value receiving with another three touchdowns and has tallied double-digit DraftKings points in all but two games. The issue this week is that he is dealing with a knee inury and was absent from Wednesday’s practice. Stay tuned for the Texans late-week injury status report.

Top Targets in this Tier – Carlos Hyde, Marvin Jones Jr, Tyreke Hill

Tier 7

There is a lot to like about Jarvis Landry in this tier as he not only sits third overall in targets per game(10.6) but has scored a touchdown in six of his last eight games. The matchup is a big downgrade this week vs. the Broncos who rank fourth in DraftKings points per game allowed to wideouts but looking at DVOA they rank outside the top half of the league in 19th. I think the matchup helps keep him a bit lower owned than he should be this week. Mohamed Sanu is coming off a pretty big game last week as he not only caught eight of his nine targets for 64 yards but he also completed a 51-yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones. I don’t see the trickery happening this week but I do like the matchup as Julio Jones will be shadowed by Xavier Rhodes with help over the top leaving Sanu to go up against Terrance Newman for most of his snaps. Next up, we got Rex Burkhead who was out-carried 15-12 by Dion Lewis while Lewis also gained 112 yards to Burkhead’s 50 but it was Burkhead getting the scores, one on the ground and one through the air. The risk is there with both Pats running backs but they also have upside and should be low owned because of it. My suggestion would be to build multiple lineups with your favorite plays in other tiers and split the backs in this tier into a couple lineups.

Top Targets in this Tier – Jarvis Landry, Mohamed Sanu, Dion Lewis

Tier 8

Demaryius Thomas has been getting his share of targets this season(8.8 per game) and leads the team but will be hard to trust with the carousel of quarterbacks in Denver. The matchup is a tough one to read as the Dolphins corners rank poorly on PFF’s rankings and have allowed 11 touchdowns to wideouts this season(11th most) but they also have allowed the 11th fewest DK points per game as they have done a good job limiting the overall yardage. I think it has a lot to do with teams running the ball on them regularly. After last week’s stink by Thomas, I think he could go low-owned this week. All aboard! Jerick McKinnon sits second in average DK points per game this season in this tier but has been trending down lately with Latavius Murray averaging over four yards per attempt in three straight games while also adding four touchdowns. His teammate, tight end Kyle Rudolph, has been playing well lately catching 20 of his 25 targets over the past four games with three touchdowns and has recorded double-digit DK points in three of those four games. The issue this week is the tough matchup as he is likely to see a ton of coverage from Keanu Neal who ranks as one of the top safeties/linebackers who takes on tight ends in coverage. DeMarco Murray is a huge risk splitting time with Derrick Henry and has failed to break 20 yards rushing in three of his last four games despite getting the goal line carries and three scores. I will be avoiding this week. The other play I am looking at in this tier is Kenyan Drake despite the tough matchup as he is likely to get a heavy workload with Damian Williams likely out with a shoulder injury.

Top Targets in this Tier – Demaryius Thomas, Kenyan Drake

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions leading up to Sunday morning lineup lock, be sure to hit me up on Twitter(@Jager_Bombs9). Good luck everyone!

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/29/17

NBA Daily Fantasy

by Mike Barner on November 29, 20170 Comments

*Mike Barner*

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/29/17

Use Code “LLNBA17” at checkout for 20% off Seasonal Package

POINT GUARDS

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Russell Westbrook, OKC at ORL
FanDuel = $11,000
DraftKings = $11,200

The Thunder are still working through the growing pains of their massive roster overhaul, resulting in Westbrook’s usage rate dropping from 41.7% last year to 32.6% this year. That’s still good enough for sixth-best in the NBA, but his scoring has dropped 10 points per game as a result. He’s playing like his old self of late, averaging 27.8 points, 12.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists over his last four games. Wednesday brings a great matchup against a Magic team that really struggles to defend opposing point guards. This is one of those games where you want to pay up to get Westbrook in your entry.

Tomas Satoransky, WAS at PHI
FanDuel =$3,500
DraftKings = $3,100

Tim Frazier has taken over the starting point guard job the last two games with John Wall injured but is averaging only 6.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in those games. Satoransky ended up playing 22 minutes Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to Frazier’s struggles and he came through with seven points, five rebounds, six assists and one steal. He may have earned himself more minutes again Wednesday. This should be an uptempo game as the Sixers play at the fourth-fastest pace (104.6) in the league, so take a chance on Satoransky in tournament play if you need a cheap point guard.

SHOOTING GUARDS

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Bradley Beal, WAS at PHI
FanDuel = $8,300
DraftKings = $8,100

A popular DFS play Tuesday due to Wall’s injury, Beal was a flop as he scored only eight points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field. He had scored at least 22 points in six straight games entering Tuesday, so don’t read too much into one bad shooting night. His 28.9% usage rate is tied for 16th best in the league, so he clearly will get plenty of opportunities to make up for it in this game. This could be a high-scoring contest, so get Beal back in your lineup.

Nicolas Batum, CHA at TOR
FanDuel = $5,800
DraftKings = $5,800

Batum hasn’t been able to find his groove since returning from injury as he’s only averaging 10.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He’s had a few extra days to rest as he hasn’t played since Saturday. Starting point guard Kemba Walker is listed as doubtful for this game with a should injury, which could mean Michael Carter-Williams would start in his place. He’s not a great passer, so expect Batum to be even more of a facilitator than normal. The price is right to take a chance that he has a breakout performance Wednesday.

SMALL FORWARDS

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Otto Porter Jr., WAS at PHI
FanDuel = $7,300
DraftKings = $6,700

Porter has been one of the main beneficiaries of Wall being out as he has scored at least 22 points in both games with Wall sidelined. He attempted at least 15 shots in both games, something he had done only three times previously this season. He’s also averaging career-highs in rebounds (7.3), steals (1.6) and three-pointers (2.0) per game this season, giving him excellent all-around value. The potential is here for Porter’s production to exceed his price point in this game.

Lance Stephenson, IND at HOU
FanDuel = $5,200
DraftKings = $4,300

Stephenson is only averaging 21 minutes per game this season, but he has played more than that in each of the last five games. He is playing at his best right now as he has at least 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists in both of his last two games. While one of those was a start in place of the since-returned Victor Oladipo, it was encouraging to see him still produce coming off the bench in his last game. Both the Pacers and Rockets play at a fast pace and the Rockets like to use a lot of small lineups, so Stephenson should get plenty of playing time and have value at this price.

POWER FORWARDS

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Tobias Harris, DET vs. PHO
FanDuel = $6,700
DraftKings = $6,500

Harris is currently having the best season of his career as he’s averaging 19.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and a whopping 2.9 three-pointers per game. He’s attempting a career-high 6.1 three-pointers per game and making them at a rate of 47.4%, which may be hard for him to sustain. Don’t worry about that Wednesday though against a Suns team that allows the fifth-highest three-point shooting percentage (37.7%) and the most points per game (115.1) in the league.

Larry Nance Jr., LAL vs. GS
FanDuel = $4,900
DraftKings = $5,400

The Lakers wasted no time in the first game for Nance in almost a month as he started and played 30 minutes Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers. He just missed a double-double (nine points and eight rebounds) and recorded four steals. Although he has only played in nine games this season, he has recorded at least two steals five times already. This should be an uptempo game with a lot of small lineups, so Nance could really thrive. He’s a good play on both sites, but I really like him on FanDuel based on his price there.

CENTERS

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Clint Capela, HOU vs. IND
FanDuel = $7,600
DraftKings = $7,400

Capela hasn’t played more than 29 minutes in each of his last six games, but he still managed to average 13.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks over those contests. With the Rockets playing so well, it’s encouraging that Capela can provide value even in games when he plays limited minutes due to the team having a big lead early. The Rockets have been successful playing small lineups and taking a lot of three’s in large part because of Capela’s ability to dominate the glass. He’s a great fit in this offense and should be in line for a big game against a Pacers team that struggles to defend the center position.

Steven Adams, OKC at ORL
FanDuel = $5,600
DraftKings = $5,500

Adams recorded only six points and three rebounds in 27 minutes Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks, but it wasn’t a great matchup as the Mavericks like to play small. Wednesday brings a much friendlier opponent in Nikola Vucevic and the Magic. Adams is averaging 31 minutes per game this season, so expect him to get more playing time and return to his productive self in this game.

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/28/17

NBA Daily Fantasy

by Austyn Varney on November 28, 20170 Comments

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/28/17

CYBER MONDAY special only use Code “CYBER30” at checkout for 30% off Seasonal Package

Point Guard

Tyus Jones
FD $5200 DK $4300

We’re going to be paying down at point guard tonight. Jeff Teague is currently on the downside of questionable, so we’ll assume he misses this game. If he does play, Tyus Jones can be ignored. With Teague on the sideline last game, Jones went nuts in 38 minutes with 51 fantasy points. He put up 34 the game before. This is a very good point guard who just happens to be a backup. When given the minutes, it’s quite clear that he’s worth $7k, at least. That match-up with Tim Frazier is great and the Wizards play at a solid PACE. If Teague misses this game, do yourself a favor and play Tyus Jones. You’re not chasing points.

Tim Frazier
FD $4900 DK $4100

We’ll stay in the same game with our other value PG. John Wall is going to miss about 2 weeks, so look for the Wizards to solidify Frazier as their temporary starting PG. He saw 28 minutes last game with Wall out, but I think it’s safe to assume 30-32. He is a good point guard and can stuff the stat sheet in a lot of different ways. Tyler Ulis is a far worse defender than Jeff Teague and the T-Wolves have already struggled against Pg’s (7th worst). Frazier is just a bit cheaper than Ulis and while he has nowhere near the upside, the floors are comparable. In cash games, these are 2 guys I’m all over. You’ll see why it’s necessary very soon.

Shooting Guard

Bradley Beal
FD $8300 DK $7900

The absence of John Wall is going to do a lot more than just give Tim Frazier some minutes. Beal is going to see his usage spike 5+% and will have the ball in his hands far more. This is usually how Beal ends up hurting his ankle, but he’ll likely get stretched for close to 38 minutes and end up shooting 22-27 times. It sounds incredulous, but Wall is the only guy that keeps Beal from shooting. With the keys to the offense, the upside here is limitless. The Timberwolves obviously have some very accredited defenders, but they stink against everyone, so I guess it doesn’t matter when you have Kat and Taj down low. Beal is an elite play in all formats.

Justin Holiday
FD $5500 DK $5500

Let’s venture outside of Minnesota. The Bulls will see a match-up with the Suns tonight that figures to be an extreme pace-up game. Devin Booker is also questionable, so we may be seeing some very weak defenders. Justin Holiday is nothing to write home about, but he’s a solid SG with scoring upside. He excels in faster-paced games and you can be sure this is one of them, considering the Suns play faster than anyone ever. You can count on 32-35 minutes of a streaky SG against a team that will do their best to leave him open. It just comes down to whether he can hit the shots. There’s a lot of different ways to go at SG, so nobody is a must, but Holiday is a solid mid-range option that won’t hurt you.

Small Forward

LeBron James
FD $12000 DK $11300

With Tyus Jones and Tim Frazier holding down the value fort at PG, we may be able to pull both of these guys off. Let’s start with LeBron. On a B2B, I usually wouldn’t like him, but I don’t think he is going to throw in the flag tonight. I know it’s been countless years, but this is his former team and it’s his first game against them with D-Wade. He only played 31 minutes against Philly last night, so he’s ready to play another 35-38 if it ends up staying close. I’m sure it’ll be James Johnson and Justise Winslow that try their hand at LBJ, but I think we know by now how much that matters. James is an elite play and can be locked in for 50 fantasy points. If it stays close throughout, there is no ceiling.

Giannis Antetokounmpo
FD $11800 DK $11200

If you’re talking about a ceiling, this is the guy who probably has the highest of which. Maybe this sounds crazy, but I bet he hits 100 FP by the end of the season. I’m by no means insinuating that’s tonight, but I guess it could be. The Kings are a solid match-up for Giannis, who excels in the open floor. I assume it’ll be Justin Jackson who gets the cover, but he’s by no means capable. He’s a below average defender at this point and heavily relies on his length. Ya, good luck with that against this guy. Giannis, like LeBron, is as consstent as could be. He’s a lock for 50 fantasy points, though I do think he ends up higher owned than LeBron. He’s slightly cheaper and LBJ did play yesterday. I’m about even on both, but lean LeBron BARELY.

Power Forward

Derrick Favors
FD $6900 DK $6300

Power forward is by far the ugliest position on the slate. Derrick Favors is the most expensive option. He’s not a bad one, but you know that’s when it’s ugly. He’s been pretty great with Gobert out, putting up 34+ on most nights with a rather frequent 40 burger. His price has risen, but not enough. This match-up with the Nuggets is great whether he plays PF or C. Jokic is by no means a rim protector and we know Kenneth Faried just wants to dunk. They’ve ranked 26th against PF/C for a reason. Favors is an uber-safe option at a position that lacks safety. There are other ways to pay down, but you might as well play Favors if you can afford it.

Bobby Portis
FD $4800 DK $5200

You can go with Markkanen here too, but I like Portis a little bit more and didn’t want to look at the 2 most expensive guys for the 2nd position in a row. Bobby Portis is a great DFS performer and has found a way to be consistent from the bench. Over the last 4 games, he’s seen around 24 minutes and 25 fantasy points in each. If he ever sees the 32+ minutes he should, his floor is closer to 30. Against the Suns, he should get in the game. He runs better than Markkanen on RoLo and matches up well with Bender/Chriss. Portis is a guy I’ll have a lot of exposure to and i’m hoping he stays under the radar.

Center

Nikola Jokic
FD $9300 DK $8700

With Rudy Gobert out, I’m all but scared to target centers against the Jazz. Especially a guy like Nikola Jokic who is smarter and better than 99% of centers in the league. This is a guy who would be in the NBA if he was a 6’3 guard. He’s just a very smart basketball player and doesn’t really care about being flashy. He’s consistently over 35 fantasy points, but bounces around after that. This match-up against the Jazz should stay close (-4) and I don’t see how Jokic doesn’t take advantage of a weakened interior. His price is fine and with so much value floating around, you can probably fit him in there. If you have to go down to Hassan Whiteside, don’t freak out. He’s cool too.

Robin Lopez
FD $5000 DK $4900

I will be paying up at center tonight (thx PG), but RoLo is a great savings option. He is a safe 25 minutes in a game that will be MUCH faster than the Bulls are used to. His size will also be necessary for the likes of Tyson Chandler and Alex Len. His price is down and he has no problem having a big game when given the opportunity. He gets shots in this offense and Kris Dunn has involved him a little more since getting entered into the starting lineup. He’s not exciting, but a fine way to pay down in cash games. He won’t be the guy that makes you lose. Good luck tonight!

NBA Fantasy Basketball Schedule Analysis for Week 7

NBA Daily Fantasy

by Mike Barner on November 27, 20170 Comments

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NBA Fantasy Basketball Schedule Analysis for Week 7

With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, the NBA gets back on track with a heavy schedule for Week 7. It’s important to know the intricacies of the schedule to gain an advantage over your opponent in a head-to-head league as starting your best players might not always give you the best chance to win. Here are the moves you want to consider for your team based on the week ahead.

Teams With The Most Games – 4 Games Each
Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs

There are 11 teams that all play four games each this week, giving their players added value. Fantasy studs like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Blake Griffin will be even more valuable with this advantage. If you aren’t lucky enough to have several players from these teams on your fantasy squad, consider adding the players below.

NBA Fantasy Basketball Schedule Analysis for Week 7

Kyle Anderson, San Antonio Spurs

Anderson has started all 19 games for the Spurs this season in place of the injured Kawhi Leonard. He’s averaging 28 minutes per game, resulting in career-high averages in points (9.1), rebounds (6.1), assists (3.1), steals (1.0) and blocks (0.9) per game. He can help you with percentages as well as he’s shooting 51.5% from the field and 78.6% from the charity stripe. There is still no timetable for Leonard’s return, leaving Anderson with a prominent role again this week. The Spurs play struggling teams this week in the Mavericks, Thunder, and the Grizzlies twice. Anderson’s still available in 62% of Yahoo! leagues and can provide value based on his all-around production.

Wesley Johnson, Los Angeles Clippers

Johnson has started at small forward each of the last nine games with Danilo Gallinari out due to injury. He’s stepped in to provide valuable production as he’s averaging 10.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.1 blocks and 2.1 three-pointers per game. Gallinari’s recovery has been slow and he could be out this entire week as well considering he hasn’t even returned to full practice yet. If you need three’s and defensive stats, Johnson is a great option for you who is still available in 81% of Yahoo! leagues.

Ish Smith, Detroit Pistons

Smith isn’t starting for the Pistons and he’s only averaging 20 minutes per game, so he doesn’t exactly jump off the page as a must-add this week. However, he normally produces even in limited minutes as he’s averaging 9.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He has the third-highest usage rate on the team (22.5%) behind Avery Bradley and Reggie Jackson, which has helped to give him value. Two of the Pistons four games this week come against teams in the top-four in the NBA in terms of pace of play in the Suns and Sixers, providing added opportunities for Smith to produce. He’s not going to get you many three’s or help much with defensive stats, but he’s a viable option if you need assists. He’s still available in 92% of Yahoo! leagues.

Teams With The Fewest Games – 2 Games Each
Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Toronto Raptors

Only three teams play two games this week, dealing a major blow to the fantasy value of their players. Consider benching the below players who would normally be in your starting lineup otherwise.

NBA Fantasy Basketball Schedule Analysis for Week 7

Serge Ibaka, Toronto Raptors

I’ll start off by saying I’m not a big fan of Ibaka in general. Once an elite shot blocker, his 1.3 blocks per game this season are the fewest since his rookie season. He’s also averaging only 11.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, both well below the prime of his career. While he helps you from behind the arc with his 1.5 three-pointers per game, that’s not as valuable as it once was with so many big men shooting three’s in today’s game. With only two games this week, it would be best to put Ibaka on your bench.

Nicolas Batum, Charlotte Hornets

Batum hasn’t played most of this season due to an elbow injury and has already missed one game since he returned with problems to the same elbow. He looked very rusty in his last game against the Spurs as he scored only five points while shooting 1-for-7 from the field. The Hornets two games this week come against the Heat and Raptors, two teams that are in the top-10 in the NBA in terms of fewest points allowed. With Batum struggling to find his groove again, I’d much rather start Anderson or Johnson over him this week.

Kent Bazemore, Atlanta Hawks

Bazemore is averaging a career-high 28 minutes per game on a rebuilding Hawks team that lacks depth. He has cashed in his extra minutes as he’s averaging 12.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.4 three-pointers per game. His 22.8% usage rate is second-highest on the team behind Dennis Schroder, so he clearly has a major role. The problem with using him this week is that outside of steals, he doesn’t really excel in any one category. Although he gets to play two bad defensive teams in the Cavaliers and Nets this week, he just can’t produce enough in two games to warrant starting him.

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/27/17

NBA Daily Fantasy

by Austyn Varney on November 27, 20170 Comments

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/27/17

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Point Guard

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks
Damian Lillard
FD $9000 DK $8800

Point guard is always an interesting position. It’s typically one of the higher scoring positions and one that you need to nail on the head. Tonight, by the time 7:00 hits, you’re going to have plenty of options. There are countless injuries on this slate and things are going to get weird. With that being said, there are some guys you can pay up for and Damian Lillard is my favorite. While he is known to be better at home, it’s not been the case this year. I think it has a lot to do with him stepping up as a superstar and entering his prime. He’s deadly everywhere. Tonight, he heads into Madison Square Garden to face off with the Knicks. We all know stars love playing in New York and the Knicks can’t cover point guards. Lillard is fairly priced on both sites and makes sense in both cash games and tournaments. With all the value on this slate, you should have no problem paying for Dame Dolla (Yes, his rap name and he has dropped an album).

T.J. McConnell
FD $5400 DK $4700

There’s going to be a whole lot you need to pay attention to on this slate. Ben Simmons is going to be one of them. If Simmons plays, he’s going to play a lot of minutes at point guard and a match-up with LeBron James. T.J. McConnell would be useless in that scenario. If Simmons is out, there are 30 minutes of PG and a bunch of ball-handling up for grabs. With Simmons out last game, McConnell saw 36 minutes and put up 54 fantasy points. We probably won’t see that for another season or so, but it proves his capability. If given the opportunity, he’s a guy you want exposure to in a game that should remain close. If Simmons is out, McConnell is an elite play in all formats.

Shooting Guard

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks
James Harden
FD $11800 DK $11800

With all the value on this slate, you can easily pay up for James Harden. While he’s nowhere near a must and there are other guys you can pay for on the slate, we know the upside Harden has. The blowout is a risk tonight, but if it stays remotely close, you can guarantee 55+ fantasy points out of the beard. If it’s a blowout, it’s because Harden went off, so he won’t see less than 40. His upside is in the 90’s against a Nets team that plays faster than anyone in the past 10 years (109 PACE). They don’t have any perimeter defender to slow him down and certainly don’t have any rim protection. If you have the funds, don’t run away from James Harden against the lowly Nets.

Klay Thompson
FD $7000 DK $7000

As we sit, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala are all questionable. Let’s say all 4 of those guys find a way to play. Thompson would be a normal low-end cash game play in a great match-up against the Kings. If 1 or 2 of them sit, he’s an elite play in all formats that will see an increase in usage and minutes. Now if 3 or 4 of those guys sit, play Klay Thompson. It should allow this game to stay close and we know the kings stink against guards. Thompson will be able to shoot 25+ times without worrying about it and will see a guaranteed 35+ minutes (if stays close). You’re going to have to wait for all the news to break, but could easily end up as one of the top plays on the slate.P.S, Klay Thompson destroys the Kings almost every time and was the team he put up 30+ in one quarter against.

Small Forward

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks
Omri Casspi
FD $4000 DK $3800

This is one of the value plays that could be a must. We just touched on this entire situation with Klay Thompson and there’s no reason to do it again. The Warriors have yet to stretch out Casspi for over 30 minutes, but they might not have a choice tonight if both Iggy and Durant are unavailable. In his recent games with 24-28 minutes, he’s been extremely productive with 1.2 FP per minute. He’ll also have a little personal edge around him facing the Kings team he’s been on for a few years. Near minimum-price, Casspi is a lock for value in both cash games and tournaments. Depending on the injury news, Casspi could very well be in 100% of my lineups.

Joe Harris
FD $4100 DK $3600

We do have 1 solidified piece of news. Allen Crabbe and D’Angelo Russell are both going to miss this game. They both missed yesterday and it results in Joe Harris picking up 36 minutes. It was a tough match-up with the Grizzlies, so who really cares how he produced. Tonight, he gets a far better match-up against a Rockets squad that loves to run. You can bank him in there for another 33+ fantasy points and count him in for 25+ fantasy points as well. He’ll be covered by James Harden and Trevor Ariza and neither will be paying much attention to his game. He can shoot 3’s well and will have plenty of them to shoot. He’s a phenomenal value option in all formats and will get the minutes whether the game blows out or not.

Power Forward

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks
Aaron Gordon
FD $7400 DK $7400

Tonight is going to have a whole bunch of stars and scrubs, which only makes sense. There’s a bunch of value and it forces people into that type of lineup. I will certainly fall victim to the same thing, but will make sure I have Aaron Gordon as a mid-priced option at power forward. The Pacers are the league’s worst team against power forwards and are the only ones to give up over 50+ fantasy points per game. Gordon is an absolute monster this season and he’s been very consistent for his price. Gordon has an ideal match-up tonight and he is a phenomenal play in both cash games and tournaments.

Michael Beasley
FD $4600 DK $3700

Kristaps Porzingis is currently questionable, so add his name to the list of many. If he plays, you can ignore this Michael Beasley play. If Porzingis misses, Beasley is an elite play in all formats. With Porzingis out last game, Beasley ended up with 36 minutes and 40 fantasy points. We know how much Michael Beasley loves to shoot and when Porzingis isn’t out there, he’s allowed to. There’s no way he misses value if he sees 30+ minutes. He is just far too involved in the offense. The Blazers are nothing to be scared of and 25-30 fantasy points is my expectation is ‘Staps is out. The upside for more is there, believe it or not.

Center

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks
Joel Embiid
FD $9700 DK $10000

Embiid is just a monster. On a per-minute basis, he may be the best DFS player we have. He’s just ow getting his full allotment of minutes and it’s been quite fun to watch. Tonight, the 76ers face off with the Cavs in what should be a very exciting game. Ben Simmons is questionable and Embiid may see more looks if he misses, but it doesn’t really matter. In a way, Simmons can help Embiid against an elite opponent that will keep it close. The Cavs don’t have any real centers, so it’ll be Kevin love doing his best. Good luck with that, Kevin. Embiid is going to dominate for as long as he’s in the game here and I could see a 60 FP performance without much trouble. 40 is the floor.

Jusuf Nurkic
FD $7,400 DK $6,800

I don’t think Nurkic will be very popular tonight, but that’s great for us. With Porzingis and Kanter both likely to miss, the Knicks don’t have much of any rim protection. Nurkic will have a huge advantage over the likes of Hernangomez, Beasley, and O’Quinn. Nurkic is a big part of the offense and he shouldn’t have any problem getting involved early. I guess Nurkic is just going to be an inconsistent player, because he has been since entering the league. For that reason, I’ll typically reserve him for tournaments. With all the value on this slate, I’ll be finding a way to pay up in cash games for Mr. Embiid. Either way you go is a solid option, but it might be a good idea to pay for the safety at this position. Good luck tonight!!!

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks 11/25/17

NBA Daily Fantasy

by John Ferrucci on November 25, 20170 Comments

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks 11/25/17

Saturday (11/25) offers a well rounded 10 game slate, in which features some interesting variables to take into consideration when constructing your potential game winning lineup.

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POINT GUARDS:

nba-daily-fantasy-lineup-picks-11-25-17

Kyle Lowry ($8,200 FD/$7,700 DK) – As of late, Kyle Lowry has been as productive as ever, with very little recognition. He has scored at least 50 FPTS in 4 of his last 5 games. (DraftKings scoring system) Saturday night he meets up with the Atlanta Hawks, ranked 24th in defensive rating and 14th against PG’s this season. Even after Kyle’s explosive performance last night, his DK salary price dropped $400, making him a very affordable PG in a slate where you will need your PG’s to do some justice. One concern with taking Lowry might be that he is playing back to back games, and logged 40 minutes last night. This shouldn’t be a huge concern as for the price he is listed, he could benefit your lineup severely.

T.J. McConnell ($4,700 FD/$4,000 DK) – If you need a cheap play at the point guard position that has the potential to get you exactly what you need then T.J. McConnell is your man for the night. With Ben Simmons out Saturday night against the struggling Magic, McConnell was listed as the official starter to replace the thriving rookie. This would evidently require Joel Embiid to carry a much heavier workload as his dynamic duo is sidelined, opening much more opportunity for McConnell to stuff the stat sheet. When McConnell was relied on to get the job done at certain points last season he produced very well, almost in a surprising fashion. The kid has huge upside to him when he is locked in, which anyone taking him would hope for tonight. In this slate, a starting $4K PG who’s usage will be increased seems much worth the little risk he brings.

SHOOTING GUARDS:

nba-daily-fantasy-lineup-picks-11-25-17

Bradley Beal ($7,600 FD/$7,400 DK) – Bradley Beal might be my favorite play at SG on this slate. John Wall has just been announced to miss approximately two weeks with a lingering injury, leaving it up to Beal to take over and try to keep this Wizards team from collapsing. The last two games John Wall has not started, Bradley Beal has provided 32.5 points per game. (43.9 DK points per game) It’s a very small sample size, however, it shows that Beal can be relied on and for this price i think he can benefit just about any lineup. He’ll have a little bit of a tough match up as he clashes with Portland, but somebody is going to have to score for this team tonight. I’m locked in on Beal for the slate.

Klay Thompson ($6,600 FD/$6,700 DK) – With very little value plays at SG this slate, your best bet is definitely to get a combination of affordable guards with massive upside. With Kevin Durant ruled out for a second consecutive game, the warriors will turn to the splash brothers to get things heated up on the offensive end. Last night Klay made use of only 26 minutes by pairing them up with 29 points and 4 rebounds. If the Warriors didn’t completely demoralize the Bulls, Klay would’ve easily had 40+ points. He was still able to use his 26 minutes to provide 40 FPTS, which for his price is a secret weapon. Klay has the second highest usage rating, alongside his splash brother Stephen Curry, when Durant is off the floor.

SMALL FORWARD:

Robert Covington ($6,800 FD/$6,200 DK) – Again, this slate consists of many star injuries, opening up usage for many players that bring upside. This is what you will need to orient your lineup around for the night. With Simmons off the court, Covington has been one of the primary players seeing their usage increase, and he’s been taking advantage. Covington averages roughly 40 DraftKings points per 36 minutes with Simmons off the court this year, and has a great match up against Orlando tonight. His price won’t damage the salary too much which makes him even more of a necessity in this slate.

Omri Casspi ($3,300 FD/$3,600 DK) – With Durant out, Casspi seems as if he will get the starting nod once again in the second game of this back to back span or the Warriors. In games where he has logged a minimum of 20 minutes, Casspi has provided an average of 26.3 DK points/game as well as 29.00 FD points/game. At a price in the 3,000 range, this is excellent value and under these conditions he might be a necessity for a value play tonight.

POWER FORWARD:

nba-daily-fantasy-lineup-picks-11-25-17

DeMarcus Cousins ($11,300 FD/$11,000 DK) – Saturday night’s Pelican game is set to be a high scoring, high paced event as they square off with the lethal Warriors. The last time these teams have met, Cousins absolutely punished them, stuffing the stat sheet with 35 points and 14 rebounds. The only concern, as usual is if the Pelicans can keep up with the Durant-less Warriors in order to get Cousins his usual minutes. He’s a bit pricy, but combined with a value play or two, you can really construct a solid lineup with Cousins taking control as your potential leading scorer. However, due to lineup regulation differences between FanDuel and DraftKings, Cousins can only be a Center for FanDuel lineups. For DraftKings, he is eligible at PF as well as Center.

John Collins ($6,800 FD/$5,200 DK) – Collins has been everything and more that the Hawks hoped he would be as he fills in for injured Luke Babbit and Mike Muscala. His ownership of recent has been through the roof, providing excellent value for most lineups. Babbit and Muscala are once again ruled out Saturday Night, opening room for this double-double machine to do his thing at home. His salary did increase on FanDuel, making him a little less of a value play. On DraftKings he still sits at a beneficial price, and could be a huge play for this slate.

CENTER:

nba-daily-fantasy-lineup-picks-11-25-17

Joel Embiid ($10,100 FD/$9,800 DK) – When you hear Ben Simmons is out and the Sixers will need more usage out of Joel Embiid, how could you not consider taking him? He has been absolutely explosive this season and is listed as probably for tonight’s matchup against the Magic, as he reportedly was dealing with an illness. I expect Embiid to be highly owned today, and for good reason. Mixing Him with McConnell and Covington could be a great stack today, as Embiid holds a massive 38.2 usage rate with Sommons off the court.

Marcin Gorat ($5,300 FD/$4,900 DK) – If you need a value play, Gortat may be your savior tonight. He is at a season-low in salary, sitting at just $4,900 on DraftKings. His minutes have been high lately, as he has recorded roughly 30 FPTS/game, posting double digit rebounds in four straight games along with a double-double in three of those four. Gortat has tremendous upside at little risk tonight, making him very valuable.

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/24/17

NBA Daily Fantasy

by Mike Barner on November 24, 20170 Comments

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NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/24/17

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POINT GUARDS

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Dennis Schroder, ATL vs. NY
FanDuel = $7,400
DraftKings = $6,600

There are only five players in the NBA averaging at least 19 points and seven assists per game. They are James Harden, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, John Wall and Schroder. That’s some pretty elite company that Schroder is running with. The Hawks have very little talent on their roster, leaving Schroder to produce the 14th best usage rate (29.4%) in the NBA. The Knicks really struggle to defend opposing point guards, so Schroder could be in line for a huge performance Friday.

Antonio Blakeney, CHI at GS
FanDuel = $3,000
DraftKings = $3,000

As I’ve noted many times, you have to take risks if you want to win in tournament play. The Bulls continue to struggle to score, so they have turned to Blakeney to provide some scoring punch off the bench of late. Over the last five games, he is averaging 10.2 points and 1.0 three-pointer in 20 minutes per contest. The Warriors play at the fifth-fastest pace (104.4) in the NBA and could make this one a laugher earlier, leading to a lot of garbage time. He will only cost you the minimum on both sites, so he could provide value.

SHOOTING GUARDS

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Tim Hardaway Jr., NY at ATL
FanDuel = $6,600
DraftKings = $6,600

Hardaway has not disappointed in what was expected to be his breakout campaign as he is averaging career-highs pretty much across the board. The Knicks are off to a surprising 10-7 start and a lot of that is because Hardaway and his 18.4 points per game have provided a great compliment to superstar Kristaps Porzingis. The Hawks are not a good defensive team as they are tied for the sixth-most points allowed per game (108.2) this season. This has the potential to be another great scoring night for Hardaway.

Dion Waiters, MIA at MIN
FanDuel = $5,500
DraftKings = $5,600

The Heat don’t have a ton of offensive firepower as they have scored the sixth-fewest points per game (100.5) in the league. Waiters has been one of their few bright spots, averaging 15.9 points per game. His 26.3% usage rate ranks 36th in the NBA, ahead of players including Paul George, C.J. McCollum, and Kevin Love. The Timberwolves have not played well defensively and have several excellent options offensively that the Heat will need to keep pace with, so Waiters could provide value at this price.

SMALL FORWARDS

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

LeBron James, CLE vs. CHA
FanDuel = $11,900
DraftKings = $11,200

James continues to get plenty of opportunities to produce as he is tied for the second-most minutes (37.7) per game this season. This has the potential to be an up-tempo contest as both the Cavaliers and the Hornets are in the top-12 in the NBA in terms of pace of play. It’s going to cost a pretty penny to get him into your entry, but his workload and rare skillset should make him worth it.

Courtney Lee, NY at ATL
FanDuel = $5,200
DraftKings = $4,600

Lee continues to see significant playing time as he is averaging 32 minutes per game in his second consecutive season with the Knicks. Not known as a potent offensive weapon, he is averaging 11.2 points per game, which is the fourth best on the team. He is also averaging career-highs in rebounds (4.1), assists (3.1), steals (1.5), and three-pointers (1.6) per game. With the Hawks defensive struggles already outlined earlier, Lee has the potential to outproduce his pricepoint Friday.

POWER FORWARDS

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Anthony Davis, NO at PHO
FanDuel = $11,300
DraftKings = $10,700

Davis and DeMarcus Cousins have thrived together in New Orleans as they are the only teammates in the league to average at least 25 points and 11 rebounds per game this season. Despite playing a bigger lineup than most teams, the Pelicans actually play at the seventh-fastest pace (102.3) in the NBA. The only concern you should really ever have with playing Davis in DFS is his injury history as you can’t afford to lose a player early in a game at this price. With how horrible the Suns are on defense, get Davis in your lineup and just cross your fingers that he stays healthy.

Bobby Portis, CHI at GS
FanDuel = $4,200
DraftKings = $5,200

Portis came back from suspension and was hot to start the season, averaging 19.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.0 three-pointers over his first three games. He has cooled off considerably since, averaging 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 0.8 three-pointers in his last five games. Even with his recent slump, I like him Friday as the Warriors play a lot of small lineups. I wouldn’t be surprised if Portis plays close to, if not more, minutes than Robin Lopez. At the pace the Warriors play, Portis could be in for a big performance considering his reasonable price.

CENTERS

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Hassan Whiteside, MIA at MIN
FanDuel = $8,800
DraftKings = $8,500

Let’s take a look at the last three performances by centers against the Timberwolves. Andre Drummond had 20 points, 16 rebounds, and two blocks Sunday, Dwight Howard had 25 points, 20 rebounds, and four blocks Monday, and Nikola Vucevic had 11 points, 14 rebounds, and one block Wednesday. While Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the best offensive centers in the game, he clearly still has a lot of improving to do on the defensive end of the floor. Expect Whiteside to demolish the Timberwolves in this game.

Steven Adams, OKC vs. DET
FanDuel = $6,200
DraftKings = $5,200

The Thunder have one of the weakest benches in the league as their starting five is averaging 79.9 points per game while their second unit is only averaging 23.6 points per game. They are especially thin at center, which has forced Adams to average a career-high 31 minutes per contest. With Friday bringing a matchup against Andre Drummond, Adams is going to be needed to log heavy minutes again in this game. If you want to save money at center, look no further.

NFL Thanksgiving Daily Fantasy Football 3-Game Slate 11/23/17

NFL Daily Fantasy Picks

by Cesar Becerra on November 23, 20170 Comments

NFL Thanksgiving Daily Fantasy Football 3-Game Slate 11/23/17

The classic Thanksgiving football tradition continues this season in week 12 of the NFL season. That means an extra slate for both Draftkings and Fanduel for degenerates such as myself and the several others reading this article. The slate features three games all that carry their fair share of fantasy goodness. Minnesota travels to Detroit in a pivotal divisional matchup. The Chargers face off against a Cowboys team both fighting for their playoff lives. The Giants look to shock the football world again by forcing another upset against their divisional foe Redskins. I’ll breakdown each game and identify the few plays that I will be targeting from each game.

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Minnesota Vikings (23.75) at Detroit Lions (20.75) o/u – 44.5

It’s worth noting that the Lions opened up as 1-point favorites at home against the Vikings who are coming off of a huge win against the LA Rams. THat line has since shifted in favor of the Vikings who are now 3-point road favorites after receiving 60% of the public bet.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings offense leaves a lot to be desired without the presence of Dalvin Cook and Sam Bradford. Nonetheless they’re 8-2 and leading the NFC north by 2 games. Their offensive production is largely carried by Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, and Kyle Rudolph. With those playmakers on his side, it doesn’t take much from Case Keenum to do other than force the ball to the talented trio. Keenum is a cheap way to get exposure to these offensive playmakers, while differentiating your lineup construction. Keenum is the second lowest priced QB on (Draftkings at $5,300 and Fanduel $7,500). His offensive weapons and favorable team total make him a superior play at the bottom of the barrel at the QB position over Eli Manning. The Lions rank 18th in aFPA to opposing QB so Keenum has a relatively strong chance of going 3x on Draftkings where he would only need about 17 points to reach value.

Adam Thielen (DK $7,600, FD $8,300) and Stefon Diggs (DK $6,300, FD $7,500) are perhaps the most talented receivers on this slate. Thielen has out produced Diggs since his return from injury and Thielen now has averaged the most targets per game in the NFL since week 6. The matchup also favors Thielen because he may be able to avoid having to face Darius Slay. Thielen runs the majority of his snaps from the slot, meaning he could avoid Slay on Thursday morning. Diggs always has the upside to explode for a 200-yard 2 TD game, but he will have his work cut out for him going up against Slay.

Kyle Rudolph (DK $4,100, FD $5,800) has at least seven targets and five receptions the last six games. The Lions are among the worst in aFPA to TE and Rudolph is receiving over 35% of red zone targets for the Vikings. Rudolph is a great cash and gpp play if you want to go heavy on the Vikings.

I’ll be staying away from the running backs on the Vikings. Latavius Murray (DK $4,900, FD $6,500) and Jerick McKinnon (DK $5,200, FD 6,200) split the carries almost 50-50 and don’t have much upside. Murray has been getting the bulk of the work but simply hasn’t been productive with it. While McKinnon has been involved in the passing game, but has yet to separate himself as the main back. Murray would be the better bet to score a TD on the slate, but McKinnon is the better option if you think this game could shootout or the Vikings would be trailing.

Detroit Lions

Matthew Stafford has thrown 10 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in his last five games. He’s exceeded his salary point expectation in each of those games and has shown that he is worth the price the Lions gave up this offseason. The issue is he’s going up against a stingy Vikings defense that is 11th in aFPA. Stafford is always a threat to have a big game because of the amount of volume he see (30+ attempts in 7 of his last 8 games).

The Lions receivers Golden Tate (DK $6,200, FD $7,300) and Marvin Jones (DK $5,700, FD $7,000) are also in a difficult spot against the 15th Vikings who are 15th in aFPA. They rank in the middle of the pack because of their dominant performances by Xavier Rhodes and lackluster performances by Terence Newman. In their first meeting back in week 4, Rhodes shadowed Marvin Jones practically all game and held him to only two catches. That figures to be the case this week which leads to more targets for Tate against Newman. Tate is a much better play on Draftkings with the PPR format.

Similar to the Vikings running back situation, I won’t be having much exposure to the Lions running backs. They have two very cheap running back options in Ameer Abdullah (DK $3,900, FD $ ) and Theo Riddick (DK $3,600, FD $5,600) but have a difficult matchup against the Vikings who rank number 2 in aFPA to running backs. Abdullah may get the more volume in the game but Riddick gets the majority of targets out of the backfield. Abdullah can be in consideration on Fanduel.

Los Angeles Charger (25) at Dallas Cowboys (22.5) over/under (47.5)

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers are coming off of a dominant performance against a Bills team that started a rookie quarterback and threw 5 interceptions. When you factor that in with a Cowboys offense that has been struggling, I expect their defense to be somewhat popular.

The offense last week was led by Keenan Allen (DK $7,300, FD $8,000) who had a monster game with 12 catches and 159 yards and two touchdowns. The biggest reason for his increase in production was the increase of routes run out of the slot. The Cowboys have struggled to cover receivers in general this season (25th aFPA) and have struggled with short catches. If the game plan stays to what it was last week, Allen should have a big game again. Because of Dallas’ ranking against receivers it’s fair to consider both Tyrell WIlliams (DK $3,400, FD $5,100) and Mike Williams (DK $3,100, FD $4,700) as punt plays. Mike is coming off of a season-high snap rate (55%) and had 8 targets last week, while Tyrell only received one target. We’ve seen Tyrell explode for 100-yard games already once this season so he’s a viable tournament option at this price.

Melvin Gordon (DK $7,600, FD $7,800) will be the unavoidable chalk of the week. He’s one of two running backs that figures to get the majority of the team’s carries and has the highest ceiling out of all the backs on the slate. A nice way to differentiate your lineup would be pairing him with Austin Ekeler (DK $4,200, FD $5,800) who has seen his role continue to increase the past two weeks. Ekeler has seen seven targets and 16 carries in the last two weeks and has turned that into over 40 DK points. People would likely fade the pairing both running backs on the same team, but with Sean Lee out for the Cowboys, that could open up the Chargers running game for both backs.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys offense has really struggled without Ezekiel Elliott and LT Tyron Smith. Fortunately they should be getting Smith back in this game which will help Dak Prescotts (DK $6,700, $8,900). Dak has failed to meet salary expectations the last two games and is coming off of a three interception game on national TV. Priced between Cousins and Stafford, he’s likely to be the lowest owned of the three and still provides a good deal of rushing upside. Dak has proven to be the Cowboys new goal line back so if the Cowboys are within the 5 yard line, that could lead to a rushing TD for Dak. Dak also has the luxury of playing in the game with the slates highest over/under. Dak is my favorite pivot off Cousins on this slate.

The Cowboy receivers don’t give a lot to be excited about but Dez Bryant (DK $6,400, FD $7,400) does provide some upside given his price range. He’s the fourth highest price receiver and has the largest percent of the team’s target share. The problem is that Bryant is going up against two pretty solid corners in Trevor Williams and Casey Hayward. The Cowboys wide receivers have tough matchups against the Chargers, especially if the Chargers pass rush can get to Dak. The recipe for success for the Cowboys might be to use Dak’s rushing ability and control the game with their running game. Bryant is viable for cash given the amount of targets he gets, but it’s difficult to see a breakout game with the matchup he has.

Speaking of the Cowboys rushing game, since Elliott’s suspension the run game hasn’t been very effective. Alfred Morris (DK $4,800, FD $6,100) and Rod Smith (DK $3,400, FD $5,300) will get the majority of the workload for Dallas. Morris has got 28 carries over the last two games, but Smith has gotten the majority of targets. The Chargers allow the third most fantasy points to opposing backfield so if the workload were to lean on one back they could have a big day. Depending on the game flow you expect, Morris could see upwards of 25 carries and Smith could get around 8-10 targets. The Cowboys have fell behind early the last two games and that has led to Smith getting over 54% of the snaps. They are 2.5 point underdogs so that very well could be the scenario this go around.

New York Giants (18.75) at Washington Redskins (26.25) over/under 45

New York Giants

The Giants have the slate lowest implied team total at less than 20 points. Last week they were able to pull off the upset against the Chiefs in an overtime win, but still failed to score a touchdown. This week they find themselves in a similar situation. Their biggest threat in Sterling Shepard has missed practice all week and is a good bet to be inactive for this game. This could funnel the production to Evan Engram (DK $6,100, FD $7,600). Engram leads the team with 44 targets and four touchdowns since Odell Beckham and Brandon Marshall went down for the season. That production should continue with Shepard out. Engram is the only play worth considering for this slate.

Washington Redskins

The team with the highest implied total (26.25) and the most stable offensive production.

Kirk Cousins (DK $7,100, FD $8,800) is the highest priced QB on the slate and will be the highest owner QB on the slate. He has the highest implied total and is playing at home, which bodes well for his owners. But there is cause for caution with Cousin missing two offensive linemen (Shawn Lauvao and Spencer Long) and also pass-catching running back Chris Thompson.

The benefit of rostering Cousins is that you can predict where his production will correlate. Jamison Crowder (DK $5,400, FD $6,300) and Josh Doctson (DK $4,700, FD $6,600) are the primary recipients of Cousins targets. Crowder is averaging over 9 targets per game in the last four and Doctson has emerged as the team’s deep threat after Terrelle Pryor has seen a limited role. Crowder is a viable cash game option given the amount of targets he receives. While Doctson is the darkhorse with the higher ceiling.

Samaje Perine (DK $5,000, FD $7,600) is the only running back outside of Melvin Gordon that is a lock to touch the ball more than 20 times. Perine is a home favorite and received over 70% of the carries last week. With Thompson out for the season, this is Perine’s backfield to control. Perine should get the bulk of the carries for the Redskins and will get a lot of opportunities if the Redskins can grab a lead early. The Giants rank 26th in aFPA to running backs.

Cash:

QB: Cousins, Prescott, Keenum

RB: Gordon, Perine, Murray, Morris

WR: Thielen, Bryant, Crowder, Tate

TE: Davis/Reed, Rudolph, Engram

DST: Redskins, Cowboys

GPP:

QB: Stafford

RB: Ekeler, McKinnon

WR: Doctson, Ty. Williams

TE: Henry

DST: Lions, Chargers

Fades:

QB: Rivers, Manning

RB: Abdullah, Riddick, Darkwa

WR: Diggs, Beasley, M. Jones, Lewis

TE: Ebron, Gates

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pickem Strategy Advice Week 12

by Chris Durell on November 23, 20170 Comments

*Chris Durell*

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pickem Strategy Advice Week 12

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Tier 1

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pickem Strategy Advice Week 12

We start off in the first tier with two running backs facing each other this weekend. Kareem Hunt sits second in the league in rushing yards(873) but has been in a downward spiral lately with five straight games without a 100+ yard game or a touchdown. He gets another elite matchup this week facing a Bills team that has allowed the eighth-most rushing yards per game(119.9), rank 31st in DVOA vs. the rush, and 31st in DraftKings points per game allowed to the position. On the other side of the ball, we have LeSean McCoy who sits eighth in league rushing yards(709) but has been inconsistent with four games under 50 yards and three games over 100 yards. The good news is he gets a terrific matchup vs. the Chiefs who have allowed the fourth-most rushing yards per game(129.2) and rank 32nd in DVOA vs. the rush. The one thing that scares me is that they rank ninth when looking at Draftkings points per game allowed to running backs and it has to do with their ability to limit the yards through the air. They have allowed a league-low 235 yards total and zero touchdowns.

Looking at the wide receivers, there are some glaring differences which should make the decision a bit easier this week. Julio Jones slightly leads the way in receiving yards(786 to 743) but has had a ton of trouble scoring with just one touchdown on the season. His injuries have also been a problem which have limited him to an average of 72% of the snaps compared to Green’s 87% on the season. Touchdowns are what pay the bills in fantasy and Green has scored one in two straight and six of his last eight games. The only issue is the individual matchup as Green will likely see a ton of Jason McCourty who is PFF’s 3rd ranked cornerback this season.

Top Targets in this Tier – Kareem Hunt, Julio Jones

Tier 2

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pickem Strategy Advice Week 12

Travis Kelce leads the second tier as he averages 17.5 DraftKings points for the season. He has collected seven or more receptions in three straight weeks, picked up 100+ yards in two of his last three games(four times this season), and has scored a touchdown in three of his last four games as well. The matchup gets a little tougher this week as the Bills rank 13th in DVOA vs. the pass and 15th in DraftKings points per game allowed to the tight end as they have limited them to just two touchdowns on the season. He is clearly Alex Smith’s top target in the passing game but I have a strong feeling the Chiefs will be feeding Kareem Hunt this week. For Tevin Coleman, it will come down to the status of Devonta Freeman who is still in the concussion protocol as of Tuesday. Coleman has filled in nicely and has now scored in three straight weeks. The Falcons are double-digit favorites vs. the Bucs so if Freeman is out, look for another high volume game from Coleman.

When it comes to the wide receivers, we get a couple target monsters in Jarvis Landry(10.8 per game) and Mike Evans(9.3 per game) who are both playing on the road. Of the two, it is Evans who gets the much tougher matchup vs. the Falcons secondary that has limited teams to 200.8 yards per game through the air(7th overall) and the sixth-fewest DraftKings points per game. Although he managed five catches for 92 yards last week with Ryan Fitzpatrick, it is still a downgrade from Jameis Winston in an already tough matchup. For Landry, the game script is right up his alley as the Dolphins are huge 17 point dogs which will force Jay Cutler to throw it a ton and although they have been better lately, the Pats still rank 29th in DVOA vs. the pass and 30th in DraftKings points per game allowed to wideouts.

Top Targets in this Tier – Tevin Coleman, Jarvis Landry

Tier 3

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pickem Strategy Advice Week 12

The biggest decision in this tier will be between the two Patriots as they get an elite matchup vs. the Dolphins who rank 31st in DVOA vs. the pass. Cooks will likely be the higher owned of the two, coming off a monster game where he caught six of nine targets for 149 yards and a touchdown, but gets the tougher matchup as Miami ranks 16th overall in DraftKings points per game to wideouts. I don’t think he is a fade, by any means, but I prefer Gronk as the Dolphins have allowed the fifth-most DraftKings points per game to wideouts and like I said, should be lower owned. T.Y. Hilton is a fade at this point as he has not only been inconsistent but his quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, is still in the concussion protocol. Christian McCaffrey is a great option this week as he has seen an increased role in the running game, especially in the red zone, and comes in with rushing touchdowns in back to back weeks. He also leads all running backs with an average of 7.9 targets per week which would also put him 17th when adding in wide receivers. This is a perfect scenario for DraftKings which is full PPR.

Top Targets in this Tier – Rob Gronkowski, Christian McCaffrey

Tier 4

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pickem Strategy Advice Week 12

First of all, I think we can avoid Zach Ertz this week after he made his return from a hamstring injury last week but appeared to not be a part of the game plan as he was targeted just five times, catching two of them for eight yards. It also doesn’t help his cause facing a Bears team that ranks ninth overall in DraftKings points per game allowed to the position giving up two touchdowns all season. His teammate Jay Ajayi doesn’t have much going for him either as the Bears rank 16th in DK points per game allowed to running backs and despite breaking off two long runs over his last two games has only seen 15 total carries since joining the Eagles. The issue is the team using all four running backs despite Ajayi being the most talented. The entire Chiefs offense let us down last week but on a positive note, Tyreke Hill caught all seven of his targets for 68 yards and gets a plus matchup vs. the Bills who have allowed the ninth-most passing yards per game(246.9) and rank 19th in DK points per game allowed to wideouts. Greg Olsen is set to return this week for the Panthers which could possibly cut into Devin Funchess’ targets but with Curtis Samuel out for the season, I am not too concerned at this point. He is also coming off his best game of the season where he recorded five receptions for a season-high 92 yards and his second multi-touchdown game. He faces a Jets team that ranks mid-pack when looking at passing yards allowed per game(229) but ranks 22nd in DVOA vs. the pass and 21st in DraftKings points allowed to wideouts.

Top Targets in this Tier – Devin Funchess, Tyreke Hill

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pickem Strategy Advice Week 12

Tier 5

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pickem Strategy Advice Week 12

The first tier of quarterbacks gives us four options with excellent matchups against teams who both rank outside the Top 20 in DVOA vs. the pass and DraftKings points allowed to the position. Matt Ryan and the Falcons are 10-point favorites at home to the Bucs who have allowed the second most passing yards per game(276.3) so if you are playing Julio in Tier 1, I think it makes sense to go with Matt Ryan here. I mentioned the tough matchup for A.J. Green in the first tier but to be a bit contrarian in your lineup you can pair him with Andy Dalton who is likely the lowest owned quarterback in this tier. Alex Smith leads all quarterbacks in this tier with an average of 21 DK points per game but is on an ugly stretch where he is averaging just 231.7 yards per game over his last three games and thrown for just three touchdowns. It also hurts Smith a bit considering Kareem Hunt and the run game get an elite matchup vs. the Bills 31st ranked rush defense. While Cam Newton didn’t reach the 300-yard passing mark in his last game before the Bye Week, he did have a monster game with four passing touchdowns and also rushed five times for 95 yards totaling 35.66 DraftKings points. The total falls below 40 this week which is a bit scary but the Jets have been much better vs. the run this season ranking 11th in DK points allowed to running backs while ranking outside the Top 20 in DK allowed to quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tight ends. Finally, we get Marcus Mariota who topped 20 DraftKings points for the first time last game with 306 yards passing with one touchdown and added a rushing touchdown as well. The Colts have been terrible against the pass this season allowing the third-most yards per game(274.5) but Mariota just hasn’t shown us the upside needed to win a tournament.

Top Targets in this Tier – Matt Ryan, Cam Newton

Tier 6

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pickem Strategy Advice Week 12

I will start with the running backs as one is leading the tier in fantasy points per game and the other is at the bottom. With his second 100-yard game in three weeks and fourth on the season, Jordan Howard now sits third in the league with 841 rush yards. The issue this week is the matchup as the Bears go on the road to face the 9-1 Eagles who have limited teams to a league-best 71 yards rushing per game and have allowed the third-fewest DraftKings points per game to running backs. As for DeMarco Murray, he has been leading the way in the timeshare with Derrick Henry but has received less than 15 carries in three straight games while not topping 50 yards once. The good news for Murray is that he gets a plus matchup vs. the Colts who rank 25th in DraftKings points per game to running backs.

Looking at the wideouts in this tier, I will start with the injury to Danny Amendola. He caught eight of his nine targets last week in Mexico but was limited in the second half and was also limited in practice all week leading up to this game. I will be fading him this week as he is nothing more than the third or fourth option in the pass game with the likes of Rob Gronkowski, Brandin Cooks, and the running backs in the mix. Alshon Jeffery has been coming on strong lately and has scored a touchdown in three straight games(four total) topping 15 DraftKings points in each. With Zach Ertz still possibly dealing with an injury, I think Jeffery can still hit value for us despite the tougher matchup vs. the Bears who have allowed the 12th fewest passing yards per game(213) and also rank 12th in DraftKings points per game to wideouts. They just have not faced a passing attack quite like the Eagles present with Carson Wentz. The other matchup I am targeting in this tier is Rishard Matthews, despite my lack of enthusiasm for Marcus Mariota’s ceiling. Matthews leads the Titans wideouts in targets this season and coming off a season where he led the team with nine touchdowns, he has heated up with one in two of his last three games and is coming off his best game of the season with 113 receiving yards.

Top Targets in this Tier – Alshon Jeffery, Rishard Matthews

Tier 7

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pickem Strategy Advice Week 12

Starting with some injury news, Devonta Freeman was once again absent from Falcons practice on Wednesday as he is still dealing with a concussion. Even if he gets in a limited practice near the end of the week and plays, I will be fading him and playing Tevin Coleman who I mentioned above.

Then we have two tight ends facing each other this week. Both defenses rank inside the Top 20 in DK points per game allowed to the position and with Jack Doyle possibly without his quarterback this week, I will be fading him. If you are planning on choosing one of these two I would suggest Delanie Walker. Despite not scoring a receiving touchdown in 2017, he has been targeted on the regular with nine or more in three of his last four games and has been a safe option with double-digit DK points in all four of those games.

For the wideouts, we get three secondary options on their respective teams. Kenny Still leads the way in this tier averaging 13.2 DK points per game but is the third option on the Dolphins behind Jarvis Landry and Devante Parker. He is definitely a boom or bust deep threat that has shown us the upside and is coming off his biggest game of the year where he caught seven of eight targets, including a 45-yard and 61-yard catch, for 180 yards and a touchdown. Mohamed Sanu has caught a touchdown in three of his last four games but isn’t getting the volume in the Falcons passing game with just three receptions in three straight games. Against a weak Bucs passing defense that could go up a little bit so if you are using Matt Ryan in Tier 5, Sanu makes a nice stacking option with touchdown upside.

Top Targets in this Tier – Mohamed Sanu, Delanie Walker

Tier 8

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pickem Strategy Advice Week 12

Although Duke Johnson is showing a questionable tag at the moment, he was removed from the Browns injury report and is good to go on Sunday. He continues to get out-carried by Isaiah Crowell but is a big factor in the passing game as he has picked up five or more targets in all but one game this season which is perfect for DraftKings and its full PPR point system. DeSean Jackson has been his deep-threat self this season with just one catch over 40 yards and combine that with the tough matchup vs. the Falcons and he is a full fade for me this week. Corey Coleman made his return to the Browns offense last week and made an immediate impact catching six of a team-high 11 targets for 80 yards. The Bengals have been tough on wideouts all year ranking fourth in DK points per game allowed but I still like him as a contrarian option as Duke Johnson should be the highest-owned option in this tier. Neither of the tight ends present a ton of upside but if you are choosing one, I prefer Austin Sefarian-Jenkins who has been a nice redzone target for the Jets as he has caught four of his six inside the 20-yard line for all three of his touchdowns. It is also noteworthy that Charles Clay may still be dealing with a knee injury as he has been limited at practice again this week and has been quiet in his two games since returning to the lineup. It doesn’t help that the Bills keep flip flopping with their quarterbacks.

Top Target in this Tier – Corey Coleman, Duke Johnson, Austin Sefarian-Jenkins

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions leading up to Sunday morning lineup lock, be sure to hit me up on Twitter(@Jager_Bombs9). Good luck everyone!

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/30/17

POINT GUARDS

Eric Bledsoe, MIL at POR FanDuel = $7,500 DraftKings = $6,800

Jamal Murray, DEN vs. CHI FanDuel = $5,100 DraftKings = $5,000

SHOOTING GUARDS

Lou Williams, LAC vs. UTA FanDuel = $8,000 DraftKings = $7,300

Gary Harris, DEN vs. CHI FanDuel = $6,100 DraftKings = $5,600

SMALL FORWARDS

Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at POR FanDuel = $11,800 DraftKings = $11,100

Juan Hernangomez, DEN vs. CHI FanDuel = $4,000 DraftKings = $3,700

POWER FORWARDS

Derrick Favors, UTA at LAC FanDuel = $7,400 DraftKings = $6,600

Marcus Morris, BOS vs. PHI FanDuel = $4,600 DraftKings = $4,700

CENTERS

Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. CHI FanDuel = $9,500 DraftKings = $9,100

DeAndre Jordan, LAC vs. UTA FanDuel = $7,400 DraftKings = $7,100

Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

Tier 4

Tier 6

Tier 7

Tier 8

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/29/17

POINT GUARDS

Russell Westbrook, OKC at ORL FanDuel = $11,000 DraftKings = $11,200

Tomas Satoransky, WAS at PHI FanDuel =$3,500 DraftKings = $3,100

SHOOTING GUARDS

Bradley Beal, WAS at PHI FanDuel = $8,300 DraftKings = $8,100

Nicolas Batum, CHA at TOR FanDuel = $5,800 DraftKings = $5,800

SMALL FORWARDS

Otto Porter Jr., WAS at PHI FanDuel = $7,300 DraftKings = $6,700

Lance Stephenson, IND at HOU FanDuel = $5,200 DraftKings = $4,300

POWER FORWARDS

Tobias Harris, DET vs. PHO FanDuel = $6,700 DraftKings = $6,500

Larry Nance Jr., LAL vs. GS FanDuel = $4,900 DraftKings = $5,400

CENTERS

Clint Capela, HOU vs. IND FanDuel = $7,600 DraftKings = $7,400

Steven Adams, OKC at ORL FanDuel = $5,600 DraftKings = $5,500

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/28/17

Point Guard

Shooting Guard

Small Forward

Power Forward

Center

NBA Fantasy Basketball Schedule Analysis for Week 7

Teams With The Most Games – 4 Games Each Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs

Kyle Anderson, San Antonio Spurs

Wesley Johnson, Los Angeles Clippers

Ish Smith, Detroit Pistons

Teams With The Fewest Games – 2 Games Each Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Toronto Raptors

Serge Ibaka, Toronto Raptors

Nicolas Batum, Charlotte Hornets

Kent Bazemore, Atlanta Hawks

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/27/17

Point Guard

Shooting Guard

Small Forward

Power Forward

Center

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks 11/25/17

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/24/17

POINT GUARDS

Dennis Schroder, ATL vs. NY FanDuel = $7,400 DraftKings = $6,600

Antonio Blakeney, CHI at GS FanDuel = $3,000 DraftKings = $3,000

SHOOTING GUARDS

Tim Hardaway Jr., NY at ATL FanDuel = $6,600 DraftKings = $6,600

Dion Waiters, MIA at MIN FanDuel = $5,500 DraftKings = $5,600

SMALL FORWARDS

LeBron James, CLE vs. CHA FanDuel = $11,900 DraftKings = $11,200

Courtney Lee, NY at ATL FanDuel = $5,200 DraftKings = $4,600

POWER FORWARDS

Anthony Davis, NO at PHO FanDuel = $11,300 DraftKings = $10,700

Bobby Portis, CHI at GS FanDuel = $4,200 DraftKings = $5,200

CENTERS

Hassan Whiteside, MIA at MIN FanDuel = $8,800 DraftKings = $8,500

Steven Adams, OKC vs. DET FanDuel = $6,200 DraftKings = $5,200

NFL Thanksgiving Daily Fantasy Football 3-Game Slate 11/23/17

Minnesota Vikings

Detroit Lions

Eric Bledsoe, MIL at POR
FanDuel = $7,500
DraftKings = $6,800

Jamal Murray, DEN vs. CHI
FanDuel = $5,100
DraftKings = $5,000

Lou Williams, LAC vs. UTA
FanDuel = $8,000
DraftKings = $7,300

Gary Harris, DEN vs. CHI
FanDuel = $6,100
DraftKings = $5,600

Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at POR
FanDuel = $11,800
DraftKings = $11,100

Juan Hernangomez, DEN vs. CHI
FanDuel = $4,000
DraftKings = $3,700

Derrick Favors, UTA at LAC
FanDuel = $7,400
DraftKings = $6,600

Marcus Morris, BOS vs. PHI
FanDuel = $4,600
DraftKings = $4,700

Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. CHI
FanDuel = $9,500
DraftKings = $9,100

DeAndre Jordan, LAC vs. UTA
FanDuel = $7,400
DraftKings = $7,100

Russell Westbrook, OKC at ORL
FanDuel = $11,000
DraftKings = $11,200

Tomas Satoransky, WAS at PHI
FanDuel =$3,500
DraftKings = $3,100

Bradley Beal, WAS at PHI
FanDuel = $8,300
DraftKings = $8,100

Nicolas Batum, CHA at TOR
FanDuel = $5,800
DraftKings = $5,800

Otto Porter Jr., WAS at PHI
FanDuel = $7,300
DraftKings = $6,700

Lance Stephenson, IND at HOU
FanDuel = $5,200
DraftKings = $4,300

Tobias Harris, DET vs. PHO
FanDuel = $6,700
DraftKings = $6,500

Larry Nance Jr., LAL vs. GS
FanDuel = $4,900
DraftKings = $5,400

Clint Capela, HOU vs. IND
FanDuel = $7,600
DraftKings = $7,400

Steven Adams, OKC at ORL
FanDuel = $5,600
DraftKings = $5,500

Teams With The Most Games – 4 Games Each
Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs

Teams With The Fewest Games – 2 Games Each
Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Toronto Raptors

Dennis Schroder, ATL vs. NY
FanDuel = $7,400
DraftKings = $6,600

Antonio Blakeney, CHI at GS
FanDuel = $3,000
DraftKings = $3,000

Tim Hardaway Jr., NY at ATL
FanDuel = $6,600
DraftKings = $6,600

Dion Waiters, MIA at MIN
FanDuel = $5,500
DraftKings = $5,600

LeBron James, CLE vs. CHA
FanDuel = $11,900
DraftKings = $11,200

Courtney Lee, NY at ATL
FanDuel = $5,200
DraftKings = $4,600

Anthony Davis, NO at PHO
FanDuel = $11,300
DraftKings = $10,700

Bobby Portis, CHI at GS
FanDuel = $4,200
DraftKings = $5,200

Hassan Whiteside, MIA at MIN
FanDuel = $8,800
DraftKings = $8,500

Steven Adams, OKC vs. DET
FanDuel = $6,200
DraftKings = $5,200