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NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks 1/15/18

by John Ferrucci 0 Comments

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks 1/15/18


BRING in 2018 with code "NEWYEAR40" at checkout for 40% off Seasonal Package
BRING in 2018 with code “NEWYEAR40” at checkout for 40% off Seasonal Package

 

POINT GUARDS:

Chris Paul ($10,800 FD/$10,300 DK) – 

Aside from the immense production CP3 has provided as the primary source of offense while Harden is sidelined, Paul has a rather interesting matchup in this small four game main slate. He will be seeing some familiar faces Monday night in his reunion with his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers. I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as a “revenge game”, but CP will definitely want to make a statement with his play. This matchup is set to be with high tempo as both teams rank in the top 11 in the league in pace of play, which could benefit Paul greatly. He may be a perfect play to pay up for.

De’Aaron Fox ($6,300 FD/$4,900 DK) – 

With the recent blow to Frank Mason, Fox has picked up some extra minutes running the point for this Sacramento team. He has logged 30 or more minutes in five of the six games since Mason’s absence, averaging 29.4 FanDuel PPG in that span. His matchup with OKC isn’t very favorable in any means, but at a reduced price and almost guaranteed 30+ minutes in a small slate like this one, he seems to be worth the risk.

SHOOTING GUARDS:

Lou Williams ($9,100 FD/$8,900 DK) – 

Lou Will has been one of the biggest beneficiaries to the Clipper’s injury epidemic as he is consuming much bigger usage rates and more minutes. His opponent Monday, the Houston Rockets, rank 18th in defending shooting guards giving Lou a bit of an advantage. He is averaging 48 FanDuel PPG over his last three contests as he still remains under $10,000, giving him a massive value recently. He won’t stuff the stat sheet in many categories besides points, but has been efficient enough to obliterate the point column along with a steal or two. (Had 4 in his last game.)

Donovan Mitchell ($7,400 FD/$7,100 DK) – 

One of the more consistent plays in this slate, both production and salary wise consists of Donovan Mitchell. The rookie has scored 30 or more FanDuel points in 7 straight games. At a low 7K range salary Mitchell is a great plug in play to compliment your superstars with a fairly cheap price tag and upside. He is capable of 40+ point nights in just about any slate which gives him that hidden upside when taking him.

SMALL FORWARDS:

 

Kevin Durant ($10,700 FD/$9,800 DK) – 

There’s always a bit of attention drawn in when the Warriors and Cavaliers meet which is a matchup Kevin Durant has some serious upside in. The last time these teams met KD provided 54.9 FanDuel points on a 25 point and 5 block performance. This game features a massive 231 projected total as the Cavs hold one of the leagues worst defenses. With both teams having decent pace, expect a lot of offense to be on display in this one in which Kevin Durant leads the pack. (Hopefully)

Gerald Green ($4,600 FD/$5,300 DK) – 

Gerald Green will always be my favorite SF play during this Harden-less Rockets era. Green remains to be extremely cheap, and reliable. His increase of minutes adds more value to his play as it’s not easy turning down a player listed at $4,600 who you know will be seeing minutes in the high 20’s or low 30’s. That goes especially for this matchup as the Clippers rank 27th in the league in defending small forwards. You’ll need a few cheap options in your lineup tonight, and you should start with Gerald Green.

POWER FORWARDS:

Draymond Green ($8,200 FD/$7,700 DK) – 

Another day, another thin PF slate. Green appears to have the best matchup of night among the PF’s in the main slate as he squares off with the already mentioned Cavaliers. At around 8K Draymond has an opportunity to do some damage. Green has been stuffing the stat sheet lately, generating at least 7  assists in five of his last six games. He also added double digit scoring to four of those six games as well. In addition to points and assists, in those same six games he has grabbed double digit rebounds in four of them. Against Cleveland’s poor defense, Green has no reason not to exceed value and collect digits in every category.

Montrezl Harrell ($5,400 D/$4,600 DK) – 

Harrell has been a spark off the Clippers bench recently, averaging 29.4 FanDuel PPG over his last three games. Scoring has not been a problem off the bench for the big man, as he has easily put up double digits in those three games while averaging roughly 24 minutes of playing time. His matchup is a little tough, but shouldn’t worry you. If Harrell can maintain his recent production and maybe obtain a steal and block or two, he will be a lot more than you expected when constructing your lineup.

CENTERS:

Clint Capela ($7,800 FD/$7,200 DK) – 

Similar to the PF position, Center isn’t very attractive either. Capela shows a lot of upside tonight especially with his small bump in usage he’s already obtained through Harden’s court vacancy. Capela has posted a double-double in four of his last five games, with the one lone game consisting of him falling one single rebound short. His matchup is mediocre Monday night but as mentioned he will get some extra touches as a result of the Rocket’s leading source of offense is injured.

Kevin Love ($7,000 FD/$7,600 DK) –

For a player like Kevin Love, both price tags are too cheap. Love has proved this season just how effective he can be on any given night. He must be excited to play GSW again, as the last time they met Love scorched them for 31 points and 18 rebounds. The Warriors rank a fair 16th in the league in defending centers, giving Love a little bit of upside to work with. One thing remarkable about Love this season is that he is producing these healthy numbers on a shortage of minutes, however, since GSW plays small most of the time, Love may see more minutes to assert a center’s presence on the court.

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/4/17

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/4/17

Just a little note before we get going. This is by far one of the ugliest slates you will see all season long, so don’t expect crazy scores like last night. I would say a solid cash game goal is 4-5x here. Let’s jump into the top plays at each position.

Point Guard


Stephen Curry
FD $9,200 DK $9,500

There’s 5 games on the slate, but 1 is at 3:30, so that cuts us down to 4 for the main slate. I’ll be the first to say I’m not a big fan of how the NBA is scheduling this season, but we have to deal with what we’re given. There’s still spots to strategize on slates like this and the edge is still present. It just takes a little more work to get to. Curry was on the last short slate and performed, putting up 44 fantasy points against the Spurs. It’s what he’s been doing all year long. With the shots being spread around a ton, Curry hasn’t been over 60 FP. However, he’s been a lot more consistent than last season and his price is still down. On a slate with just about 0 good PG’s, Stephen Curry is close to a must. The Nuggets don’t play much defense and while this will likely be a blowout, he’ll get more numbers in 3 quarters than any other PG.

Dennis Smith Jr.
FD $5,600 DK $5,100

The best thing working for Dennis Smith Jr. on most nights is that he’s a great player. The situation, however, is not. He’s the PG of one of the slowest teams in the WCF. Still, with just 4 games on the slate and PG being very thin, he’s in play here. When given the 25-30 minutes, you can almost guarantee 25-30 fantasy points will follow. The Timberwolves are worse against PG’s than any other position, allowing 48 FPPG (7th worst). Smith is still fairly priced on both sites and this game should remain relatively close. With some real studs on the T-Wolves defense, the offense may get tunneled toward Smith and Nowitzki (the two spots T-Wolves struggle against).

Shooting Guard

Klay Thompson
FD $6,900 DK $7,000

The only position more disappointing than PG is SG. Or maybe it’s SF. The point is they are all pretty horrible and it’s a bit tough to fish out plays. The only real clear option at SG is Klay Thompson, who like Stephen Curry, has been very consistent. He’s been under 27 fantasy points just 1 time all season long and typically sits around 35. The Nuggets are a stellar match-up as they love to run the floor and give up a ton of 3’s. Things could change this year, so take this lightly, but the Nuggets allowed the 2nd most 3’s per possession in 2016. If the Warriors splash brothers start hot, they could have some big nights. We know Klay will have 3 or 4 huge games this year, and this could certainly be one. He’ll probably be 80% owned, but we just deal with it on this slate.

Will Barton
FD $5,200 DK $5,500

If you have all the funds, sure, you can play both Wiggins and Thompson. The floor is nice, but you’re going to have to find value that isn’t there at other position. Instead, you can go down to Will Barton and get some exposure on the other side of this game. With the Warriors being such a high-scoring team, you have to figure the Nuggets will let Barton out there for 35+ minutes as he is a great scorer and can match the pace that the Warriors play at. He’s been around 30 fantasy points in the games he starts, but is still inconsistent as Will Barton will always be. Klay Thompson is a good defender, but the Warriors allow the 9th most FP to SG’s because of the PACE(103.7) they play at.  Against the Warriors, I have a hard time believing he doesn’t get to at least 25. On this slate, that’s perfect.

Small Forward

SHANGHAI, CHINA – OCTOBER 05: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves in action during the game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors as part of 2017 NBA Global Games China at Mercedes-Benz Arena on October 8, 2017 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Zhong Zhi/Getty Images)

Jimmy Butler
FD $8,300 DK $7,500

Yes, you can play Kevin Durant here. If you have the funds, he’s the top play. I just don’t need to keep telling you that about all of the Warriors. Let’s touch on the Timberwolves, instead. Jimmy Butler is better than Andrew Wiggins and he’s making it pretty clear. He hasn’t gone for the 70 he went for a couple times in Chicago, but he’s getting huge minutes and laying extremely well. The consistency we expected with Thibs is already here and Butler will soon be the leader of this franchise. His price is too low and I personally like Butler over Durant in terms of point per $. If you can afford both, great, but if not, you’re going to have to decide what position is worth more to you. For me, Butler is a guy I’ll have a lot of.

David Nwaba
FD $4,600 DK $3,900

Small forward is right up there with PG and SG as positions that have some pretty ugly value. The guys at SF you can lean on is David Nwaba. Nwaba was in our lives for a few games in L.A. last year, but never materialized into a real DFS asset. This year, the Bulls just keep churning out random 6’4 SG/SF. Kris Dunn, Nwaba, Holiday, Valentine, and LaVine are all young perimeter players that can be succefull. Nwaba is getting around 25-30 minutes per game and he should see the upper end against a Pelicans team they will play big against. Nwaba is actually a very versatile offensive player, so don’t expect a guy that will sit in the corner all game. Value is a lock on a slate that has none. All you need is about 20.

Power Forward

Anthony Davis
FD $11,800 DK $11,200

Supposedly, Alvin Gentry is one of the 30 best human beings at coaching basketball in this world. I think I can find 30 better in my town. My neighborhood, maybe. He’s the worst coach in basketball and it isn’t close. Opposed from having some of the best assistants in the league that carry him, Gentry does 0 things. His big contribution is minute distribution. And like the genius he is, he’s figured out a way to play Anthony Davis for 40 minutes a game after injuring his knee. He’s also figured out a way to let both he and Cousins be on the bench for 2-3 mins a game, even though they’re both close to 40 by the time it ends. It takes a real genius to let that happen. Whatever. Until he gets worn down and injured again, we have to keep playing Anthony Davis. This match-up against the Bulls is as good as ever, with Lauri Markkanen at PF. He will have his way once again and likely finish around the 50-60 fantasy point mark. If salary wasn’t a thing, Davis is the top play of the day.

Dirk Nowitzki
FD $5,100 DK $4,600

Dirk turns 63 years-old today, so let’s get a little celebratory DFS roster going. Its only possible because of how ugly this slate is and how friendly the price on Dirk happens to be. He’s having a better year than the past 2, at least in terms of consistency in both minutes and production. It looks like Dirk is super healthy at this point and playing out the end of his career like we all hoped. He’s been over 20 fantasy points in all but 2 of the 9 games, and were in touch match-ups. He sees the T-Wolves tonight, who are nothing to worry about against bigs. Nowitzki is a lock for another 20 tonight with a ceiling barely over 30.

Center

Nikola Jokic
FD $9,500 DK $8,500

For future reference, maybe there’s a bias here I am not aware of. As a Cowboys and Cubs fan, I think I can objectively say I have 0 bias. If anything, I roster guys against the Cubs way more than I should. Why the hell do you care? Because Nikola Jokic is my favorite player and I feel like I roster him on every slate (I do). However, he’s objectively the way to go at center in tournaments. Sure, Boogie Cousins and KAT are both safer. Their games are guaranteed to stay close and they will get minutes. With Jokic, however, I see this is a boom or bust game. If it happens to stay close, he could legitimately get to 80 FP. Sure, think I’m crazy, but he averaged 1.96 FP per minute against the Warriors in 2016. He loves the pace and is able to break down any defense with his league-best passing efficiency. Jokic is a guy I’ll be taking a stand on tonight, so if you find a lineup of mine without him, Oklahoma probably lost and the beer put me to sleep.

Robin Lopez
FD $6,100 DK $5,400

The only reason Robin Lopez is somewhat tolerable this year is because the Bulls have nobody to lean on. When they have 2 or 3 of these guys (Holiday, Dunn, LaVine, etc.) step up as solidified scorers, RoLo will go back to 15-20 FP in 35 minutes. For now, he’s getting a bunch of shots and is needed for size. Especially against this Pelicans team. You can count on 35-40 minutes out of Lopez as long as he doesn’t fall into early foul trouble. The price is fair and with a lot of different ways to pay up on the slate, you may need some value at center. Personally, Nikola Jokic is the only guy I’m owning, so that tells you where I’m at here.

 

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/3/17

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/3/17

Point Guard

John Wall
FD $9,900 DK $9,700

There’s an argument to be made for both John Wall and Russell Westbrook. On FanDuel, where Westbrook is barely more expensive, I’ll have plenty of exposure to both. On DraftKings, Wall is $2k cheaper and a better play in cash games. He hasn’t had one of his huge 60 fantasy point games yet, but it’s coming. He gets match-up tonight against the Cavs, who barely have a PG. Derrick Rose is back, but he may be one of the worst defenders at any position in basketball. I’d expect the Cavs to make a switch pretty soon after Wall burns him every play. It doesn’t help when Kevin Love is the guy on the help-side. The Cavs are allowing 46 FPPG to PG’s and I look for Wall to push that number up tonight. This is a game I’m all over and we’ll get to another couple guys later.

Lonzo Ball
FD $7,500 DK $7,300

He disappointed about 50% of DFS’ers yesterday, so maybe his ownership will stay down against the Nets. I highly doubt it. He only played 27 minutes, so he’s ready to go on the back to back. The match-up couldn’t be better, facing off against D’Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie. They are both pretty horrible defenders and Ball will be able to get inside on both. The Nets allow the most peripherals in the league and it feeds into Lonzo’s game perfectly. His price is still fair on both sites and as long as he keeps getting the minutes, he’ll put up 30-40 fantasy points in most games. This is a top 2 or 3 match-up possible.

Shooting Guard

D’Angelo Russell
FD $7,500 DK $7,900

D’Angelo Russell plays the Lakers for the first time tonight and the Nets players have already been quoted saying they expect him to “attack” and be “extremely aggressive”. While Russell is both of those on most nights, you have to be foolish to think it doesn’t make an impact tonight. he obviously has some problems with the Lakers organization and he is going to have a big game. Maybe if the Lakers had someone to slow him down I would get the fade, but they don’t. He can get to the hole or get open on every single one of these defenders, including Brandon Ingram. Which won’t happen unless Russell is at 40+ real-life points. His price is too low for the role he plays on the high-pace team and I’ll continue targeting him in match-ups much worse than this. If you don’t play Russ tonight, never play him.

Donovan Mitchell
FD $4,400 DK $3,800

Donovan Mitchell has played exceptionally well and his price is yet to react. Especially on DraftKings at just $3,800. Mitchell saw a season-high 34 minutes against the Blazers and responded with 37 fantasy points. There’s been the talk of him getting the start here, but even if not, he won’t see under 30 minutes. The Raptors fit his style of play well and he is a similar body style to DeMar DeRozan. They’ll likely match-up for a decent amount of this game until Joe Ingles is sent to lock him down in the 4th. The Raptors are nothing special on defense, allowing the 11th most FP’s to both PG’s and SG’s. Mitchell is an extremely safe value play tonight at a position without a whole lot of opportunity cost. Compared to other positions, at least.

Small Forward

LeBron James
FD $10,600 DK $10,600

LeBron is having a phenomenal start to the season. Even if the Cavs are “struggling” or whatever people want to portray after 7 games, it doesn’t matter AT ALL. It seems like people do the same thing every year and then laugh about how stupid they were when they thought the Cavs were bad. And then they do the same thing next year. As long as you’re getting this LeBron James, the Cavs will be the team facing the Warriors or Thunder in the championship. James has been over 50 fantasy points in 5 of the 7 games to start the season and sees his best match-up yet. The Wizards play fast (103.3 PACE) and love fastbreaks, which is where LBJ obviously excels. He averaged 62 FP against the Wizards in 2016 and I’d expect a similar number tonight. With these rumors out there as well, he will want to shut them up on national TV. LeBron is a guy I have in 100% of lineups and that will not change.

Brandon Ingram
FD $5,900 DK $6,100

Ingram is going to keep producing and until his price matches, we have to keep playing him. Hen ow sees the best possible match-up he can against the fast-paced Brooklyn Nets. We’ve already touched on D’Angelo Russell and Lonzo Ball from this game, so it’s one you’re going to want exposure to. Especially with the latest news on Larry Nance. Ingram will get about 35 minutes tonight and I think you pencil in a 30 fantasy point floor. That’s extremely difficult to find at $6k. The Nets will have enough on their hands with Ball and Lopez, but I’m sure will try to put RHJ on Ingram at some point. He’s a great defender, but Ingram will still get his peripherals. He’s a safe option that helps you pay up elsewhere.

Power Forward

Kyle Kuzma
FD $4,700 DK $4,700

This is probably the easiest play on the slate. Kyle Kuzma is already getting 25-30 minutes a game and now Larry Nance has broken his thumb. Go ahead and lock Kuzma in there for 30-35 minutes against a putrid Nets squad. That’s all that really needs to be said. They play at an incredibly fast-pace and this is a game we already have a lot of interest in. Do yourself a favor and lock Kuzma into your cash games. The only possible way he doesn’t hit value is an early injury or some crazy Drummond-esqe foul trouble. Assuming no other pivotal Lakers news breaks, Kyle Kuzma is the easiest guy to press the lock button on the entire slate.

Ben Simmons
FD $9,400 DK $9,100

We’ll touch on the two Sixers studs here. Starting with Ben Simmons, he’s been insane. I think most people were expecting a slow start that eventually led to this, but 50 FP a game from the start is quite telling of what his eventual upside is. He now sees a match-up against a Pacers squad that loves to run. Simmons will have no quarrels, as that’s where he makes his dough. He isn’t a big scorer, so is heavily dependant on how many possessions there are. The more possessions, the more boards/assists/steals etc. available. This bout between the 6’ers and Pacers is going to be one of the higher scoring games on the schedule and you’re going to need exposure. If you’re looking to stack, you can look at Oladpio on the Pacers side.

Center

Joel Embiid
FD $9,300 DK $8,300

I get that he’s expensive and won’t play over 34 minutes, but we have to accept that it truly doesn’t matter. He can literally put up 70 fantasy points in 30 minutes of court time. He gets a match-up against the Pacers where he will be an extreme mismatch. With Myles Turner doubtful, it’ll have to be Domantas Sabonis on Embiid. We all know how that will end up. We just touched on why Simmons is a great play and Embiid is the same blueprint. The Pacers like to run and it ups the possessions for these guys to accumulate numbers. There’s plenty of different ways to go at center, but Embiid is undoubtedly one of the best.

Marcin Gortat
FD $5,900 DK $5,900

The Cavs have been horrible against the pick and roll since Kevin Love joined the team. It’s not going to change tonight. The bread and butter of this offense is the John Wall/Marcin Gortat pick and roll with a backside off-ball screen for John Wall. It’s effective as any play in basketball and the Cavs have had plenty of trouble stopping it. Love is a great rebounder and scorer, but he can’t cover anyone in the paint. Expect another double-double out of the ever-consistent Marcin Gortat.

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/1/17

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/1/17

Point Guard

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

John Wall
FD $9,700 DK $9,500

The theme of the day is going to be the few games that have incredibly high over/unders. This affair between the Suns and Wizards leads the bunch at 226 with the Wizards favored by 10. Both the Wizards and Suns have played at a 103+ PACE, which would have made them the fastest team in the league in 2016. Those numbers should end up going down, but it doesn’t take away from how quickly both of these teams play. You also have Eric Bledsoe out indefinitely for the Suns, which leaves Mike James and Tyler Ulis to cover John Wall. Yeah, good luck with that Phoenix. Wall has yet to have a huge game, but this could very well be it. The Suns have allowed 58 FPPG to PG’s which is 4 higher than the 2nd worst team. Wall is easily my favorite play at PG and my 2nd favorite superstar on the slate. He is going to be in every single one of my lineups unless some news breaks that significantly changes things. He has a 45 fantasy point floor with an 80 ceiling.

Jarrett Jack
FD $5,200 DK $4,700

He’s still getting the start and the price is yet to rise too high, so let’s not jump off because he’s no longer the shiny new toy. If you can count Jarrett Jack in for 25-30 minutes against the Rockets, I’ll take it every time. For fantasy, Jack is great. He’s not only unafraid to shoot, but he gets involved on the boards and in the passing lanes. At his price, he gets to value without doing much scoring. When he ends up getting hot and going for 20 real-life points, we’ll see a solid upside game. For now, he’ll be a perfect cash game savings option at a position that isn’t as deep as usual. Unless some more PG news comes out that gives a cheaper option 30 minutes, Jack is the guy to own.

Shooting Guard

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Tim Hardaway Jr.
FD $5,200 DK $5,400

We’ll stay on the Knicks side of the court and look at Tim Hardaway Jr., who’s had quite a weird year. Opposed from having one of his coldest streaks ever, he went berserk against the Cavs with 55 fantasy points. He then followed it up with a more normal THJ game, at 30 fantasy points. You can expect him to be around there for the most part with an occasional 45+ explosion when he gets hot from behind the arc. The Knicks don’t really have anyone they need to feed besides Porzingis, so the shots go to Hardaway. He’s shot just 4 times less than Kristaps per game and 3 more than any other player. It looks like his cold streak is long gone, so don’t expect any 2-for-13 games out of Hardaway for at least 2 weeks. He’ll match-up with James Harden and Eric Gordon at the 2, who are a lot more worries about offense than Hardaway. Expect another 25-30 fantasy points with the upside for a lot more if the game stays close. This is another 210+ total with a close spread, so Vegas thinks it stays close and high-scoring.

Devin Booker
FD $7,200 DK $7,800

With Eric Bledsoe out indefinitely, it’ll take a lot more than $7,500 to make me fade Devin Booker in this match-up. While Bradley Beal can play defense, Devin Booker can play better offense. He can play the type of offense that is literally unstoppable. Think hot Damian Lillard or Kemba Walker. He’s put up 45 fantasy points in B2B games with one of them against an even better defender in C.J. McCollum. Booker gives you a 35 point floor with a ceiling we really don’t know of. The guy was 30 away from breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s record last year, so I’m a bit afraid to throw a ceiling on his fantasy points. If he gets hot, he may be a necessity to win a tournament. For me, this game is my top priority and Booker is an elite option. Playing devil’s advocate, the Suns played last night and Booker is a jump shooter. Maybe he goes out and stinks, giving the Wizards a large early lead. If you want to fade, I don’t hate it, but it’s not the side of the coin I’ll be on.

Small Forward

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

LeBron James
FD $10,400 DK $10,400

Small forward is going to be a spot I look to pay up at. LeBron James is right up there with John Wall and Anthony Davis as my favorite superstars of the night. The Cavs haven’t been playing well, and while we all know it’s the same thing that happens every year, Lebron has to prove it. Why? I don’t know. People are stupid. Anyways, this is certainly the match-up to do it. The Pacers don’t even really have an SF, so they’ll throw Bojan Bogdanovic and Lance Stephenson at LeBron. Opposed to blowing hot air into his ear, they won’t do much. LeBron has played 37+ minutes in all but 2 of 7 games so far, so the whole age thing isn’t what’s going on. He’s going to get 55 fantasy points tonight if the game stays remotely close. If it stays close down to the wire and LBJ is needed for the last 10 minutes, a 70 burger here wouldn’t surprise me. It’s nowhere near a guarantee, but this seems like a perfect recipe for a LeBron game.

Jimmy Butler
FD $7,900 DK $7,100

We’ve somehow ignored the game with the 2nd highest projected total on the slate. At 224 and the NO -3, Vegas expects the game to be just as high scoring at WAS/PHO, but a lot closer. There are plenty of options to choose from in this game and Butler is my favorite option on the T-Wolves. He originally got his “Jimmy Minutes” nickname from Thibs, which went to Jimmy Bucks after he was treated like a human with non-metal knees and elbows. He’s now back to seeing 40 minutes each game with the big doofus at the helm. It’s at least good for us, though, as you can guarantee production. This defense is nothing to be scared of and Butler will likely see E’Twaun Moore and Dante Cunningham for most of the game. Lock him in as one of the safest cash game plays on the board at under $8k.

Power Forward

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Anthony Davis
FD $11,800 DK $11,200

Our 3rd and final superstar of the night is the most expensive of the bunch. Some people have taken the stand that rostering AD at all is a bad idea because of his injury history. To those people, please keep depositing. You’re the reason people are still able to make money in DFS. For the rest of us logical beings, Anthony Davis has a phenomenal match-up with the Timberwolves. Karl-Anthony Towns and DeMarcus Cousins will be battling at the 5, which should leave Gorgui Dieng and Taj Gibson on Davis. I’m sure Davis and KAT will match-up at some point because they have a long history, but Davis has dominated him in the past anyway. He’s put up 61 fantasy points in B2B games and looks to be fully healthy. As long as he’s a full go, he’s on my radar as a 60 fantasy point monster. if you have the funds to spend at PF, don’t go looking to switch your lineup around because the guy gets hurt in 1% of the games he starts.

Otto Porter
FD $7,300 DK $7,100

We’re touching on this game between the Suns and Wizards a lot because it holds the slate’s highest expected total at 226. It’s also expected to stay relatively close, giving the starters a full allotment of minutes. Here we have Otto Porter, who’s played most of his career as a role player. He’s now a pivotal piece of a contending lineup. He is a close 3rd option and a guy that is no longer going to randomly play 20 minutes. You can lock him in for 30+ with Markieff Morris out and the Wizards needing a backup 4 as well as a starting 3. The match-up with the Suns couldn’t be any better, as they’ve allowed the most FP to PF’s on the season. Marquese Chriss is quite the shot blocker, but he isn’t strong and can’t contend with Porter on the outside. Porter has been one of the more consistent players this early in the season and while his price has risen, it’s rightful. This is the best match-up as a team the Wizards have had and I love the 3 stars in both cash games and tournaments.

If you’re searching for value, Olynyk and James Johnson have a lot of upside if Hassan Whiteside misses another game.

Center

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Kevin Love
FD $7,700 DK $7,500

You’ll rarely see a Cavs game with a 219 over/under. They’re on the slower side of things and have a relatively solid defense. However, the Pacers are on the absolute opposite side of that. They’re the 3rd fastest team in the NBA and don’t play much defense at all. Myles Turner has already been confirmed out, so that’ll leave Domantas Sabonis and Al Jefferson on Love. He should be able to shoot over both, as well as out-rebound. He has a huge individual mismatch, let alone the pace that these guys will be playing at. LeBron is looking for Love more than he ever has before and it’s turned in quite the consistency. Through 7 games, Love has 6 double-doubles. In that 1 “bad” game, he had 9 rebounds. Yep, Love is the real deal this year and you can count on him when healthy in all formats. His price is still too low for me and I’ll continue targeting him in these types of games.

Dewayne Dedmon
FD $5,100 DK $4,500

I know it’s scary, but if you need to pay down at center, you could do much worse. The 76ers and Joel Embiid require a lot of size, which will put Dedmon on the floor for at least 28-30 minutes. the only game he hasn’t seen big minutes in recently was against the Bucks, who don’t require any size to be dealt with. Dedmon has average just over 1 FP per minute, giving him a good shot at 25-30 here. You also have to add in that the Hawks are playing way pace-up and they stink against centers. Dedmon isn’t the sexiest option out there, but he’ll get you at least 20, which won’t kill you at this price. I prefer Kevin Love quite considerably, but the salary god does too.






NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 10/27/17

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 10/27/17

Point Guard

John Wall
John Wall and the Wizards will head to Golden State to face off with the Warriors tonight. With a 230 over/under, Vegas expects points to be scored. We haven’t seen much of classic John Wall yet this season, but we all know it’s coming and coming very soon. This match-up with the Warriors will give him the opportunity to run as much as he wants and do it against a subpar defender in Stephen Curry. If the Wizards are able to keep this relatively close, it’ll probably end up as the most productive game stack on the board. The Warriors and Wizards both play very fast and small, so it’ll be exciting to see how rotation and minute-distribution goes. We know Wall will see 35 minutes if it stays close and give you at least 45 FP with upside for 70.

Spencer Dinwiddie
With D’Angelo Russell looking all but out, Spencer Dinwiddie will slide in there once again and give the Nets 30 minutes at a minimum. He saw 31 against the Cavs last time out and put up 38 fantasy points, even though the match-up was horrible. This one against the Knicks is far better as Dinwiddie matches up well with Sessions and the Knicks’ backup PG’s. Dinwiddie isn’t some horrible stand in the corner guy either. He will control the ball when in the game and do a great job at it. He’s an easy cash game and tournament play for me once we learn Russell is confirmed out. Point Guard is likely the deepest position on the slate. Make sure you get it right.

Shooting Guard

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks - Tim Hardaway Jr. - New York Knicks

Tim Hardaway Jr.
9-for-37. Hardaway Jr. is a very good scorer that is going through a really bad cold streak. We’ll see it snap any night now and when it does, expect a big night. Hardaway is a guy who put up 30 fantasy points almost every night last year for about a month. He now faces off with the Nets, which is the best possible match-up for an SG. They allowed 61 FP to them per game in 2016 and have started this campaign on a not so good note. The Nets love to play fast and it forces the other team to match, resulting in an excess of possessions and peripherals to go around. Hardaway Jr. is too cheap on both sites and I’ll have 100% exposure. I don’t see many ways around him missing value against the Nets. Even if he has a bad shooting night, he should get there with peripherals. If he has a good shooting night, it’s gravy.

Jeremy Lamb
Shooting guard isn’t the greatest, but these 2 guys I’m touching on are fairly priced and give you some real safety at a position that lacks it. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist back, Lamb has still played productive minutes. He now faces off with James Harden and the Rockets. Lamb should be out there at least 32-35 minutes as I suppose he will draw the initial Harden match-up. Fortunately, Harden isn’t nearly as good at defense as he is on offense. Lamb should be able to get in the paint with ease and make things happen. He’s a guy who can rebound extremely well (16 career-high) when he puts his mind towards it, so you never really know what Jeremy Lamb you’ll see. We do know he’ll be out there for 32+ minutes against a fast-paced team that likes to give up points.

Small Forward

Golden State Warriors - Kevin Durant - Lineuplab.com

 

Kevin Durant
Durant is the first superstar we’ll touch on and I prefer him over KD/Harden because of the discount and similar projection. Durant has been dominant this season and has clearly surpassed Stephen Curry as the number 1 option on offense. This is kind of KD’s team, or at least on offense. He touches the ball nearly every possession and it’s worked, sitting over 50 FP in each. He now gets a very friendly match-up with the Wizards, who he’s always dominated. Kelly Oubre and Otto Porter and solid defenders on most nights, but don’t have the length or skill to stick with Durant. He averaged 61 FP against them last year and will look to put up another masterpiece. I have a lot of exposure to this game as I think it stays pretty close all the way throughout, giving all the starters 4 quarters of full playing time.

Wilson Chandler
After Kevin Durant, small forward is ugly. Not as ugly as PF, but you don’t get too many solid choices. You do have Wilson Chandler, who’s been absolutely pitiful to start the year. Like Tim Hardaway Jr., Wilson Chander is a solidified scorer that is simply going on a cold streak. We all know he’ll be putting up 20 real-life points on mist night and should be around $6.5 to $7K. The match-up with the Hawks isn’t anything special, as they’ve allowed the 9th most FP to SF since the start of 2016. Chandler is still going to see 30 minutes in this offense and he will not stop shooting. He never has. He knows more than anyone that this is variance and his shots will start going through in no time. Don’t be afraid to jump on a guy early in the season because of a couple bad games. It happens.

Power Forward

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks - Frank Kaminsky - Charlotte Hornets - Lineup Lab

Kristaps Porzingis
At the weakest position of the night, you have 1 very easy choice. With the Nets being fantasy gold mines, Kristaps Porzingis is a guy I want all of. He was pitiful last time out against the Celtics, but that game got away early and he didn’t ever get into a groove. He was over 45 FP in each of the other 2 games and it looks like he’s turned a corner without Melo. The offense runs squarely through him and I’m not sure who plans on stopping him here. The Nets have Trevor Booker and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Booker can battle inside, but he’ll have a lot of trouble with the length. RHJ just isn’t a PF and will have trouble with every face of POrzingis’ game. That’s what happens when you’re a 2017 PF taking on a real one. Porzingis is my favorite player on the slate and I will do everything I can to get as much ownership as possible. This is a guy who should put up 50 fantasy points without much problem if the game stays close. He’s also much cheaper than the studs and lets you pay up in an extra spot or two.

Frank Kaminsky
Cody Zeller has already been ruled out for this game, so you can lock into Frank the Tank Kaminsky for another 28-35. I personally never though Kaminsky would be good in the NBA, but I was plain wrong. He has done a good job of transition his game slowly. He probably would have flopped if thrown into the fire like a lot of guys are initially. Instead, he let himself develop and slowly grow into the solidified power forward that he is today. He has a scoring presence from any spot on the floor and is noticeable smart when out there. He does a great job of spacing the floor and communicating with guards as to PNR and GNG’s. He sees a solid match-up against a Rockets team without a real PF. Ryan Anderson does his best, but he’s a shooter. He isn’t going to do very well banging with Kaminsky back to the basket. They also have Luc Mbah a Moute, who’s a great defender, but also an SF playing big. Kaminsky is cheap enough on both sites for all contests and with PF weak, I’ll have a ton.

Center

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks - Nikola Jokic - Lineuplab.com

Jakob Poeltl
If Jonas Valunciunas is out, we now know who to target. After years of atrocious Raptors backup bigs, we may have found someone. Jakon Poeltl came out of college as a stud. He’s the best player to play for the Utah Utes in a long time and turned that team into a contender. With that being said, his style of play was always very nice for the NBA. Now that he has been given the opportunity with Jonas Valunciunas out, he’s taken advantage. In the last 3 games, he’s seen 16, 25, and 26 minutes. He’s been over 30 fantasy points in every single one of those. We now see Jonas Valunciunas and Nogueira out, which should let Poeltl get over that 30-minute mark. If he does against the Lakers, it’s not crazy to expect 35 fantasy points. The price is too cheap and POeltl will be a big help for paying up elsewhere.

Nikola Jokic
If you feel the need to pay up at center, Nikola Jokic is a great way to go. He’s still too cheap on both sites and I’ll keep playing him until he’s priced appropriately. Tonight, he sees a nice match-up with the Hawks pitiful interior. Dewayne Dedmon has absolutely no chance of slowing down Jokic, and they don’t have anyone else big enough. I guess that just means Jokic will have a huge advantage in the paint at all times tonight. He will also be able to get as many wide open looks from the outside as he could want. The Hawks simply can’t match-up with the size and savvy of the Joker. You can pencil him in for 40 fantasy points and look for 75 point upside, as he showed plenty in 2016. The Hawks have no shot at stopping him, so if this game stays close, I’ll probably wish I had more exposure here.






NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 10/23/17

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 10/23/17


NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks - Click here to Subscribe

Point Guard

John Wall
FD $10,300 DK $10,100

John Wall is a quality play in 90% of the games he plays. Because the ball is in his hands so much, he is very safe, regardless of matchup. However, when he runs into a team like the Nuggets, who play at a top 6 pace, things can get interesting. Vegas currently has this game with a 223 over/under and 3 spread. That’s ideal. Jamal Murray and Emmanuel Mudiay will split time at PG and try to figure out how to slow Wall. They shouldn’t have much success, as long as the game stays close and Wall gets the minutes. They won’t be able to switch either, because Bradley Beal has no problem dipping 40 with a small PG on him. I don’t see a way around 50 fantasy points and the upside in tournaments is close to 80. Wall is one of the top NBA orchestrators and you will very rarely see him against a fast-paced, Western Conference team. This should be a game you pay a lot of attention to, and John Wall is by far the best player in it. Don’t get cute with some of the expected PG value.

George Hill
FD $5,600 DK $5,100

This affair between the Kings and Nuggets isn’t expected to be as high scoring as the Wizards game, but a 211 total isn’t far off. It’s a difference of 5 points for each team. Here we have George Hill at just way too cheap. He was rested in the 2nd half of a B2B 2 nights ago, so should be fully rested and ready to go another 35. He’ll match up with Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker, who are both quality defenders, but have given up the 24th most fantasy points to guards. How? Pace. The Suns play super fast and no matter how good of a 1-on-1 defender you are, you can’t stop a fast break or transition bucket very often when you’re shooting with 15-20 seconds left on the shot clock and forcing the big men to labor back into the play. George Hill is a very good PG and one that should certainly be more expensive. The match-up is absolutely perfect and I see no reason to go elsewhere in this price range.

Shooting Guard

Dion Waiters
FD $6,400 DK $5,600

It’s fair to say that Dion Waiters is a matured player. It’s not fair to say, however, that he’s completely different. He still chucks the ball as much as you possibly can and we saw It just 2 nights ago with 16 shots against the Pacers. He finished the night with 32 FP on 50% shooting. Waiters can and will get hot, and when he does, there will be some 40 FP performances. Hassan Whiteside is expected to miss his 2nd straight game as well, so there are some shots to be taken that aren’t usually there. Waiters always comes with a great amount of risk, but I’m not sure he can get any safer than tonight. Waiters will be one of the guys I’m way overboard on, but it’s Dion Waiters and I know all too well what can happen.

Jeremy Lamb
FD $5,500 DK $5,700

After a worrisome 28 minutes out of Lamb in the opener, he backed it up with 38 in his last contest. That’s what we expected out of a guy who routinely filled in with those types of minutes in 2016. With Batum and Kidd-Gilchrist still out, they’ll need Alan to step up on the wing once again. This Bucks team is pretty bad on defense and as long as Lamb doesn’t somehow end up on Giannis, he will blister value. This is a guy who was at 1.3 FP/ min last season, so don’t let 2 games of mediocrity worry you. He’s primarily a scorer, but averaged close to 5 boards a game over the last 3 months of 2016. Shooting guard is ugly and Lamb gives you an option with some real safety and upside. It’s tough to find both under his price.

Small Forward

Harrison Barnes
FD $6,100 DK $5,600

Getting back to a bit of safety, we’ll set our sights on Harrison Barnes. Barnes and the Mavs will face the Warriors, who come in after a loss as look to prove themselves. If the Warriors want any chance of keeping the contest close, they’ll need Harrison Barnes to have a career night. Either way, the ball will run through him on most possessions. Even if the Warriors do blowout the Mavs, I think you can expect 32 minutes and 30 fantasy points out of Barnes. The Warriors play at a top 5 pace compared to the Mavs’ bottom 5, so they’ll be playing way quicker than usual. With that, comes more possessions and more opportunities to gather fantasy points. Barnes is going to get you 1 FP/minute as long as he’s on the court. He’s cheap enough on both sites where I’m comfortable in even cash games. If the Warriors obliterate the Mavs, he should still keep you afloat. That can’t be said for most of the SF in this price range. Let’s touch on a guy who’s a bit more risky with some upside.

T.J. Warren
FD $5,600 DK $5,300

T.J. Warren had a typical game against the Lakers. He then garnered almost 40% ownership against a Clippers team that stepped on the Suns throat. He’s a guy who needs the game to stay close, as he will just sit in the corner if not. When getting involved, Warren looks like an all-star. He can shoot, penetrate, and has the brains to break a defense down and hit an open shooter. He’s also a big reason that the Suns play so fast. Behind LeBron and Durant, Warren moved the most of any SF in 2016, showing his urge to space the floor and create. The Kings don’t really have a real solid SF, so Warren will have an advantage over whatever small or big they throw at him. This game is very nice from a fantasy perspective and it’ll be very intriguing to see how things turn out. Warren, in particular, is an excellent option in all formats where his price is still low.

Chandler Parsons is definitely an insane flier, but I like the idea of it. He’s dirt cheap, making 24 million dollars this year, and should start to see closer to 20 minutes per game. He’s facing his former team and should want to shoot when in there. He’s a VERY good player, so if he sees those minutes, he’ll bash value. I don’t know if I’ll pull the trigger, but it’s interesting.

Power Forward

James Johnson and Kelly Olynyk
FD $5,900 – $5,200 DK $6,300 – $5,800

Power Forward is one of my favorite positions of the night and these 2 guys have to do with it. With Hassan Whiteside presumably out 1 more game (keep an eye out), Johnson and Olynyk will see big minutes. The Heat played small last game and were allowed to, which won’t happen against the Hawks. They don’t have great big guys, but they are 7 foot and if you have James Johnson on them, it won’t end well. Olynyk should get close to 30 minutes at the C and another 10 or 20 at PF. Johnson will see most of his at PF with a few point forward minutes when Dragic/Waiters is out. He’s a do it all player who has no problem getting on the floor for a loose ball. He always makes sure he gets involved 1 way or another, which is comforting from a DFS perspective. There is nothing worse than rostering a guy who loves sitting in the corner. It’s a big reason why I’ll have a tough time playing Kyle Anderson. He’s a strong value, but the guy stinks. He’s not very good at basketball, compared to his compadres. Johnson and Olynyk should both demolish value if given the expected minutes. Don’t get cute here.

LaMarcus Aldridge
FD $8,800 DK $8,500

If paying up at PF, I think most will go Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’s undoubtedly a great play that could go for 75 FP on any night. However, with his recent boost in production has come with a price rise. Now, Giannis will need to get you at least 60. That’s tough and not going to happen. He will still have his usual 45 FP games where he spreads it around and struggles from the field. I’m willing to bet it happens against the pace-down Hornets on the road. Don’t let me take you off of Giannis, because I’ll have exposure in tournaments, but he’s simply not safe at this crazy price tag. If he had 5 fewer shots fall in last game, the entire narrative would have been different here. Instead, I look towards LaMarcus Aldridge. The Spurs have been running the offense through LMA with Kawhi Leonard on the pine with an injury. It’s resulted in 46 and 52 fantasy points. When LMA is touching the ball like this, he’s as an elite of a big man as you’ll find. If you’re an NBA fan, you know this. He can put up 40 real-life points and the 10 rebounds is a lock against the Raptors weak interior. He’s going to cost you a pretty penny, but not nearly as much as Giannis and you can still get 40 FP rather easily.

Center

Joel Embiid
FD $8,500 DK $8,200

It looks like the 76ers are getting a bit more liberal with Embiid and his minutes and instead just allowing him to sit out when sore. I like the idea a lot more than throwing a superstar on the court for 16 minutes and then leaving the team to dry when the playmaker suddenly disappears for 70% of the game. It’s tough to get in a groove that way. Instead, he’s getting close to 30 minutes when he plays and backing it up with production, as everyone expected. He faces a Pistons team that has no shot at staying with him. I don’t know if Van Gundy will try to stick with Drummond, but he shouldn’t. Joel Embiid is just going to take him to the perimeter and demolish/break both of his ankles. Drummond can pave his way in the paint, but there’s no shot he contests a single jumper. If Embiid is feeling it, he will have a huge game. The Pistons have ranked in the bottom 1/3 against Centers for 4 years now and unless Drummond dramatically improved in the offseason, I see no changes.

Nerlens Noel
FD $5,000 DK $5,200

Being clear, this is a GPP only play. DO NOT play Nerlens Noel in a cash game unless just about every single Maverick is injured. He could see 8 minutes tonight and I wouldn’t be all that surprised. However, if the Mavs want to match-up with the Warriors, Noel is a way they can do it. He’s a big man that can run the floor and won’t get tired from the Warriors tireless attack. He’s a fantastic fantasy player as well, averaging well over 1.4 FP per minute when on the floor. It’s not too tough to figure out with him. Except it is. When the minutes are there, so is the production. We have just to get in the mind of a coach who doesn’t have much of an idea of what’s going on. On the off chance that Noel sees the floor for an extended period of time, he could win you a tournament. He has legitimate 50 fantasy point upside every time he sees 30 minutes.