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NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/6/17

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 11/6/17

Point Guard

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Kyrie Irving
FD $9,500 DK $8,800

Kyrie hasn’t been the same player he was in Cleveland. He’s been a lot more consistent and in tune with his game, compared to last season when he would constantly sit from 30-65 fantasy points. This season, you can count on 40 with the hopes of 50-60. Against Dennis Schroder, you have a pretty good chance. The Hawks have been in the bottom 5 since the start of 2016 and top 8 the year before. Non-coincidentally, last year is when Schroder got the starting gig. Vegas has this game at a 208 total and a close spread, so go ahead and target anyone you want from this game. With just 3 games on the slate, most are going to come from the Suns and Nets. However, if you do want to get a little crazy, game stacking here isn’t a horrible idea. If it does stay close, having 2 or 3 of the studs could pay off in tournaments. In cash games, Irving is one of the best 1-offs of the entire night. You will not find a cash game lineup of mine without him.

Mike James
FD $5,800 DK $5,300

There’s an old saying in DFS that minutes = production. It’s not a perfect science (Tony Snell), but we’re seeing a perfect example out of it here with Mike James. James isn’t special. Sorry to the Mike James fans, but he’s no different than a lot of different placeholder young backups PG’s. He’s just getting a lot of minutes in a fast-paced offense. We saw Tyler Ulis average over 30 FP in the same offense and now he’s on the bench. The truth is that Devin Booker is a big help as well, as he dictates the best defender and most attention. James gets an ideal match-up against a Nets team that loves to run and gun. James is a lock for 25 with the upside for 40 with minutes.

Shooting Guard

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Devin Booker
FD $8,200 DK $8,400

Now for my favorite play on the night. I know it’s a very obvious choice, but I’m not going to be crazy just to be crazy. Vegas currently has this game at a 237 total with just a -1 spread, so that should give you a good idea of what’s going on here. You will not see an O/U higher than that all year. These 2 teams are playing at the fastest in all of basketball and the Nets are playing faster than anyone has played since the 2013 76’ers. An average PACE is 100. The Suns are at 105 and the Nets are at 109. The two fastest in all of the league. Devin Booker is going to go insane and I will have him in every single lineup I create. With 0 exceptions. The Nets have nobody to cover him and I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see 40 real-life points with 60 FP. I guess you can fade Booker in hopes they only focus on shutting him down, but go ahead and grab my H2H’s if that’s your plan.

D’Angelo Russell
FD $8,000 DK $8,200

We’ll stay right in the same game and look at the best option on the Nets. Devin Booker, who we just talked about, is at a 30% rate since Bledsoe went out. That’s very high. However, we have D’Angelo Russell sitting here with a 33%. That’s just bonkers for a team who hasn’t even run into injury problems yet. The ball is touching his hand son every play and he’s touching it last or 2nd to last (assist) in nearly half. The Suns are one of the only teams that are willing to runs with the Nets, so he’ll have about 10 extra possessions tonight. That may not seem so valuable, but it’s worth as much as an at-bat in baseball would be for a superstar. I think this game turns out being a shootout between Booker and Russell. They’re my 2 highest owned plays on the entire slate and I’m not even comfortable recommending anyone else. This is not a normal high total game. I want to make that clear. 240 total points is CRAZY.

Small Forward

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Kevin Durant
FD $10,500 DK $10,100

Durant is the only guy over $10k tonight, and there is a good amount of value. Therefore, if you’re not playing Durant, you’re likely in the minority and going quite contrarian. I don’t hate the move necessarily, but I don’t think anyone besides Booker has similar upside. Durant is a lock for 45 fantasy points in this match-up and his upside is right around 65. We haven’t seen it yet this year, but he’ll do it more than a few times. The Heat doesn’t have anyone to throw on him, so it’ll be Josh Richardson and Wayne Ellington who will try their best. James Johnson has the best chance, but he’s going to need to be on Draymond. Durant is a mismatch for most teams, but especially the Heat. This game has a great chance of blowing out, but Durant should still get his in 3 quarters. There isn’t anywhere else to spend up, so if you have the funds, this is your guy.

Josh Richardson
FD $4,800 DK $4,800
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We’ll stay right here in Golden State and take a look at Josh Richardson. You definitely can play T.J. Warren here as well, but I think we’ve touched on the Suns enough. Richardson is another tremendous value option at just $4800 on both sites, where he needs you about 20-25 for value. Richardson is too good of a player to be at this price and 25 FP to him is not much of a challenge if he sees the minutes. Especially against a fast-paced Warriors team. He has typically just been a scorer, but his ability to stuff the stat sheet so far has been nothing short of impressive. Richardson is also likely blowout-proof, so you can count on the 28+ minutes either way. You can bump him up for a guaranteed 34+ if Waiters does sit again. I doubt it, though.

Power Forward

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Marcus Morris
FD $4,000 DK $4,000

Marcus Morris is still heavily limited, so I’ll be clear in saying this is a cash game play. I might have some exposure in tournaments just to help me pay up elsewhere, but there’s no upside here. Morris isn’t going to see over 25 minutes no matter what, so his FP cap is around 30. He’s returning from injury and while it may go slow, he saw 23 minutes last game, so he’s pretty healthy. The match-up with the Hawks bench is fantastic and he should have no problem doing damage for the short time he’s on the floor. He will see John Collins and Luke Babbitt on defense, so scoring shouldn’t be the issue. At just $4k, you don’t need much at all. Morris is a great value play that you can chalk in for 20-25 fantasy points at an atrocious position.

Rondae-Hollis Jefferson
FD $6,700 DK $5,900

We’ll get right back to the Nets with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. At a position without much depth, he gives you a locked in 20 fantasy points with legitimate upside at 40. He has been great on the season, stuffing the stat sheet over and over. This match-up with the Suns couldn’t be any better unless he got traded to the Suns and played against the Nets. RHJ relies on speed, so the Suns 2nd highest PACE in the NBA is important. He’s all over the court against teams like the Hawks, so I can’t imagine how active he’ll be where it’s encouraged form both sides to run. His price is way too cheap (especially DK) and value is close to a lock. He’s a mainstay in my cash games without much opportunity cost at the position.

Center

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Al Horford
FD $7,500 DK $7,200

Center is pretty ugly and Al Horford is clearly my favorite at the position. You obviously have plenty of upside there with Hassan Whiteside, but I’m not sure he’ll be able to keep up with the pace after just returning from injury a few games ago. Horford has a great match-up with the Hawks interior that includes Dewayne Dedmon and John Collins. Neither have a shot at stopping Al Horford. Especially Dedmon, who might just fall down if he has to go to the 3-point line. The Celtics have made it clear that Horford is the number 2 option and he’s been impressively consistent all year. Against his former team in the Hawks, expect at least 30 fantasy points with the potential for way more. If this game does stay close, it could be a nice one for fantasy. We’re paying a lot of attention to the Suns/Nets and rightfully so, but don’t ignore this one.

Tyson Chandler / Alex Len
FD $4,900 – $4,500 DK $4,100 – $4,600

Full disclosure, Al Horford is my guy. I have 4 other Suns, so Len and Chandler won’t fit for me. With that being said, I truly do like them as value options. The Nets are just atrocious at everything and these are both guys who do produce when on the floor. Especially against teams that don’t contest their rebounds. If you need the value, I say go with the guy who’s cheaper on your site. I think Len fits the style of game a bit better, but there’s no doubt that Chandler could put together a double-double in 20 or so minutes. The Nets stink, so just make sure you remember that when putting your lineup together.






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

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

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

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 10/31/17

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 10/31/17

Point Guard

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

George Hill
FD $4,400 DK $4,300

Happy Halloween! We finish off October with a very interesting 4-game slate, packed full of options. We’ll start at PG, where we look to save. You could obviously go with Westbrook, and he can get you 70. I would just rather have Giannis and both prices are high. I don’t need to tell you that Russell Westbrook has upside and can single-handedly win you a tournament. If you look at your lineup and have the ability to move up to him at PG, don’t hesitate. I won’t either. However, on initial looks, PG is a spot to pay down. George Hill rested on Sunday against the Wizards and will right back in the starting lineup here against the Pacers, his old team. Hill has been over 30 minutes in most games, but still sits at a ridiculously low $4.3K. Hill is a very good PG that has been priced over $6K for many years at this point. He’s obviously struggled a bit to start the season, but he should get things going against a Pacers team that loves to run. Hill is simply way too cheap for the player he is and the minutes he’s getting. He only needs you about 25 in cash, so I’ll have 100% in all formats.

Spencer Dinwiddie
FD $5,300 DK $5,100

It’s pretty crazy that we’re actually going up in price here to Spencer Dinwiddie. D’Angelo Russell is back, but Dinwiddie proved himself enough to remain in the mix no matter what. He put up 42 fantasy points in just 29 minutes of work against the Nuggets, so he can play ball. You have Dinwiddie getting half of his minutes at PG and the other half at SG. It lets him get his assists and points up. Looking at his box score, he’s a guy who can fill the stat sheet well for a little guy. He’s obviously a lot better than the benchwarmer the Nets have treated him like since being on the team. He gives the Nets a huge spark when on the floor and they’ll need it in a fast-paced game with the Suns. It’s the best game to target on this slate and we start it off early with Dinwiddie. He has to see the minutes after last game and his price is still too cheap on both sites. Feel free to pay up at PG tonight, but I won’t be.

Shooting Guard

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Devin Booker
FD $7,200 DK $7,900

Eric Bledsoe has yet to get traded, but I still don’t think he ever sees the court again with the Phoenix Suns. He requested a trade on Twitter and the owner has already said he’s played his last game, so it’s just a matter of time at this point. That leaves Devin Booker as the clear-cut leader of the offense. He’s done quite a good job, putting up 30+ fantasy points in all but one game. He now gets his best match-up f the year against the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are running just as much as last year and we know how much it impacted DFS. They ended up ranking bottom 5 against every single position, including 2nd to SG’s at 59.1 FPPG. Booker is typically risky, but with Bledsoe out, he’s going to at least hit a few. I’d consider him a lot safer than he was last year, and certainly has more upside (consistently. I know he scored around 80 real points last year). The Nets will toss D’Angelo Russell and Caris LeVert at Booker, who will both struggle. Booker is one of the best young players in the league and should average close to 30 points on a nightly basis. This match-up with the Nets is an elite one and I’m all over it.

Bogdan (not Bojan) Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield
FD $4,500 – $4,000 DK $4,300 – $4,400

Here are 2 solid punt options from the Kings. These 2 guys will split around 65 minutes, which is fine. At the price(s), you really don’t need much more than 25 fantasy points. Against a team that runs as much as anyone, it shouldn’t be tough for either of these guys to rack up the FP. Bogdanovic is a better player than Hield and he can be argued as a cash game play. He’s the focal point of the offense when out there and has no problem shooting 15+ times. He’s only a rookie, but at 25 years, old, not really. He looks like a real NBA talent that will stick around for some time. You then get Buddy Hield, who’s hit or miss. If his shot is on, count him for 30 FP. if his shot is off, you can see 10 without a surprise. He’s a great tournament option, but nothing more for me.

Small Forward

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Giannis Antetokounmpo
FD $12,600 DK $12,500

This is the guy I’ll be paying up for as much as I possibly can. First things first, small forward is horrible. If you make me pick 2 other guys and I have to leave Giannis sitting there, it’s hard for me to believe that’s optimal. We can always see a flukey bad game out of anyone, but it looks like Giannis may have taken the DFS LeBron role. That role is a match-up proof monster that will put up 50 points against any team. It’s also the guy who can turn it up for 80 when necessary. This match-up with the Thunder is going to be a very fun game to watch with Westbrook and Antetokounmpo battling back and forth. I’d assume Giannis will be covered by Paul George, who’s a good defender, but I don’t care. It’s pace up for the Bucks and nobody is better in the open court than ABC. I’ll have him everywhere tonight and am more than willing to sit on this limb.

T.J. Warren
FD $5,100 DK $5,200

T.J.Warren is going to be in the $7Ks before Christmas. I promise you that. Without Eric Bledsoe, he’ll be putting up 30+ fantasy points on a daily basis. The only problem is the minutes. Last season, he would see close to 38 per night. This year, he hasn’t been over 27 minutes since game 2. That is certainly worrisome. However, this is the best match-up the Suns have seen all season long and Warren has put up some nice numbers over the last 2 games. He’ll see a combo of Allen Crabbe and Caris LeVert on defense, who are both young and pretty average defenders. Warren is a lot better than them and I think he enforces his role as the number 2 option on the offense with Bledsoe in the permanent timeout chair. Warren is cheap and even if he does get less than 35 minutes, he can get to value rather easily. Small forward stinks and on the case Warren does see 35+ (very possible), he can get to 45 fantasy points without trouble.

Power Forward

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks
Tobias Harris
FD $6,400 DK $6,700

Tobias is getting a lot of hype around him for some reason, but he’s the same player as he was last year. He’s been a very good small forward since Orlando and has turned a corner in Detroit. He has a decent jump shot, but relies on the inside game to make it work. You’ll see him work the paint and elbows in the first quarter until Drummond and RJax are out. He’ll then start isolating and posting up against the backup PF. Stan Van Gundy does a good job of getting him minutes on the floor with guys that don’t need the ball. It allows Harris to do whatever he wants for about 10-12 of his 35 minutes. He also has a pretty phenomenal match-up with the Lakers, who’ve allowed the 7th most FPPG to PF’s since the start of 2016. Harris isn’t too expensive yet and I have no problem relying on him as a cash game or tournament option.

Skal Labissiere
FD $4,900 DK $4,600

This is contingent on Zach Randolph riding the pine. He’s currently questionable with a left foot injury and at his age, I don’t think he’ll get pushed back too fast. As long as he is ruled out, Skal Labissiere is going to be one of the top point per $ plays on the entire slate. He’s one of those guys that doesn’t always see big minutes but constantly produces when given opportunity. Think James Johnson or Cole Aldrich. The only difference with Skal is that he’s extremely young and going to be a very good player at some point. For now, he’s cheap and full of upside. The match-up against Thaddeus Young is nothing to worry about, so it just comes down to Zbo and whether he plays or not. If Randolph is confirmed out before final lock, Skal Labissiere will be in 100% of my lineups.

Center

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Andre Drummond
FD $9,200 DK $8,200

We ignored the Pistons guards simply because of better options, but we love the bigs. Andre Drummond is a monster. Just watch him play or look at his box scores. Either works quite well in proving my point. In past years, when he would get into foul trouble, it would be the end of tournament hopes for whoever owned him. Now, Van Gundy just throws him in there for 18 minutes in the 2nd half and lets him get 15 points and 15 rebounds with 0 issues. When Drummond stays out of foul trouble, he’s just a lock for 45 fantasy points. He is getting bigger minutes this season and is looking like a much smarter and more developed center. He’s actually using his brain this year instead f going off of whatever crazy instincts he had in there before. The fouls should come down considerably and they don’t worry me much about this game. Brook Lopez can draw fouls, but he’s going to try and hit from deep on an immobile Drummond. I don’t see any reason why a guy that can shoot 3’s will go bang in the paint with one of the largest and strongest people on earth. The price is still fair on Drummond and he should have 20 rebounds easily if he avoids foul trouble. That’s a crazy claim, I know, but have you ever seen Brook Lopez battle for more than 1 tough rebound a game? Probably not.

Willie Cauley-Stein
FD $5,300 DK $5,400

WCS is playing a lot different than last season. He was a boom or bust type of player that we would only unleash when key players were injured. Now, he’s a middle of the road center getting 26 solid minutes a night. Against the fast-paced Pacers, you have to love it. The upside on WCS is well-noted and will continue to be until he shrinks and isn’t able to dunk/jump over every single player on the court. The Pacers will likely be without Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis, so I’m not sure what they plan to do with Cauley-Stein. His price is yet to rise and as long as he’s sitting under $6k, I have no issues with him in cash games. He gets involved on both sides of the court and will very rarely bust. Especially in a match-up like this. If you’re unable to pay up for Drummond in a lot of spots (hand raised), WCS is an option I get behind 100%. We only have 4 games on the slate, so don’t worry about being slightly overweight on a game or two. Just hope it stays close and pray for overtime.






NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 10/25/17

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 10/25/17


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Point Guard

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks - Russell Westbrook - Oklahoma City Thunder - Lineuplab -

Russell Westbrook
FD $10,800 DK $11,400

If you’re looking at Westbrook and trying to decide if he’s in the same spot as last year, you’re in the same boat as the rest of us. Personally, I don’t think his stats will be AS crazy, but I do think he’s still underpriced at this number. I look for Westbrook to put up around 60 FP on most nights. Tonight, he draws an elite match-up with the fast-paced Pacers. They have Darren Collison at point guard, who’s all but a great defender. Westbrook will blow by him with ease and look at an interior full of guys like Domantas Sabonis, T.J. Leaf, and Al Jefferson. He should have his way in every facet of the game tonight and when you consider that the Pacers prefer to run, it’s gravy. Westbrook is an elite play in all formats, but be cognizant that he is expensive and you’ll be sacrificing later in spots you may not want to. My other favorite top PG is John Wall, who’s just a bit cheaper and facing a similar Lakers squad. Don’t be afraid of these high-end PG’s tonight. At least one of them is going to go nuts.

Tyler Johnson
FD $4,200 DK $4,300

We enter the day with Hassan Whiteside out while Dion Waiters and Goran Dragic remain questionable. Tyler Johnson has been seeing big minutes with these guys in, so he’d be forced to get close to 40 if they both miss. This is a guy who just signed a $50 million dollar deal with the Heat a year ago, so he’s going to get worked into the game plan as much as anyone. This isn’t a punt play where you have to worry about the guy seeing the court. Anyway these injuries end up, Johnson will see between 30-40 minutes. The Spurs are still a good defensive team, but not nearly to the same degree as when Kawhi is on the floor. Johnson is a pure minutes and price play. The match-up isn’t great, but it’s doable.

Shooting Guard

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks - Avery Bradley - Detroit Pistons - Lineuplab.com

Avery Bradley
FD $5,300 DK $5,000

Stan Van Gundy has “taken fault” for the Pistons early struggles. Uh ya, I think so, Stan. When you pick up one of the best perimeter defenders in the league that can also shoot the 3 and rebound, you don’t play him 20 minutes for no reason. Avery Bradley should NEVER see less than 34 minutes if the Pistons goal is to win. But no, he will let Stanley Johnson accumulate 0 fantasy points in 40 minutes for who knows what reason. Sorry for the rant, but let’s hope it works. Bradley finally saw normal minutes last game and stunk. Sweet. Now his price is low and people will be off of him. The best of both worlds. If you think Bradley is just bad now, pick up my h2h’s. He sees a match-up with the T-Wolves where his defense will be very necessary. If Van Gundy finds a way to leave Bradley off the court against Wiggins and Butler, I give up on Stan the man for good. If Bradley sees the floor like normal, pencil in 6x value at $5k with the upside for much more.

Bradley Beal
FD $8,000 DK $7,300

Bradley Beal is one of the guys in the NBA that is truly fun to watch. He doesn’t flop. He doesn’t exaggerate or whimper over screens and throw his hands in 84 directions. He plays solid basketball on both sides of the floor. He was a top 4 3-point shooter in 2016 to combo with the Wizards effectiveness against opposing SG’s. Beal is one of the best SG’s in the game and sees a phenomenal match-up with the fast-pace Lake show. Beal has been over 40 in 2 of his first 3 contests and sees his best match-up yet. With a 231 over/under, Beal will demolish value as long as he sees 4 quarters of action. Vegas doesn’t expect it to be much of a blowout, so you can’t fade for that reason when these guys are projected so high. Shooting guard has some options, but Beal won’t be popular and has a great shot at putting up 45 in the late night hammer. 

Small Forward

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks - Los Angeles Lakers - Brandon Ingram - Lineuplab

Brandon Ingram
FD $5,100 DK $5,200

Brandon Ingram joins Bradley Beal as one of the guys in the NBA that’s fun to watch. The only problem is you never know if he’s going to be in the game. The Lakers rotations are always weird, but it looks like Walton is focused on getting Ingram over 28, at least. He is an FP per minute monster when on the floor and gives you some solid savings from similar guys a bit higher. The Wizards play just as fast as the Lakers, if not faster, and Kelly Oubre Jr. is no shutdown defender. This is also the same game we just touched on with the 231 over/under, so there’s never anything wrong with stacking that total. Ingram gives you a good amount of safety with an unknown ceiling. Expect this guy to have a couple games this year that blow people away. From the looks of my teams right now, let’s hope that’s tonight.

Paul George
FD $8,700 DK $8,000

I’d be careful to call this a “grudge match” or anything of the sort, but put yourself in his situation. For Paul George, this is one of the most important games of the season. For everyone else, it’s a game against a crappy Eastern Conference team in October. For that reason, look for George to get it working early and often. The Pacers don’t really have an SF, so they’ll toss a combo of Bogan Bogdanovich and Lance Stephenson at him.  Good luck. Paul George is also still in his prime, so let’s not look at him as such a clear cut 2nd option. He’s definitely a cut behind Russ, but most 2nd options aren’t putting up 50 FP a night. Play George if you have the salary and get the 40-60 safe fantasy points. 

Power Forward

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks - Draymond Green - Golden State Warriors - Lineuplab

Draymond Green
FD $7,800 DK $7,200

Draymond has yet to have a big game, which I love. Unless the narrative is that he’s now a bad basketball player, there is no argument as to why he’s a bad play. He’s facing a Raptors interior that will likely be without Jonas Valunciunas. That leaves a bunch of young PF’s and C’s with no experience to face off against Draymond Green, who is lethal from any spot on the court. He has the ability to go for 60 FP by stuffing the stat sheet, as long as the game stays close. He can also have an average Draymond game with 20 points, 8 board, 8 assists and a solid 50 fantasy points. This match-up with the Raptors won’t stand out to the public with more eye-catching games like Hou-Phi and Was-Lal. I’m not sure who they plan to put on Green, but they will definitely struggle. He’s a match-up problem for every team, but they should struggle to a much different degree. I guess Serge Ibaka will do his best as he has a pretty good defensive reputation, but it’s not for facing guys like Draymond. He is good against back to the basket PF’s. Not guys who do everything from everywhere. I hate Draymond Green as much as the next guy, but have to admit when the guy is in a good spot. I’ll have exposure to him over Simmons in a lot of tournaments. The % owned difference will be hilarious.

James Johnson and Kelly Olynyk
FD $6,500 – $5,500 DK $6,100 – $5,600

This, like Tyler Johnson, is a pure opportunity play. With Hassan Whiteside already ruled out, the Heat will be forced into some size against the Spurs. This will give both Kelly Olynyk and James Johnson around 30-35 minutes. They are both well over 1 FP/minute so far this year and it’s pretty consistent with 2016. Olynyk is a bit risky by nature(3-point shooter), but the opportunity will be there against guys like Pau Gasol and LMA. As for me, I’ll have exposure to both. I’m not a big fan of the 195 over/under, but as long as it keeps the crowds away, it’s fine. The Spurs play slow and so do the Heat, but these guys are just too cheap and seeing extended minutes at good positions. LMA and Gasol are also bad defenders, so it’s not like old Spurs team. The only real worry is the snail pace without Kawhi. Both Johnson and Olynyk are in play across the board. Keep out for news on who I’ll start against a bigger Spurs squad.

Center

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks - Rudy Gobert - Utah Jazz - Lineuplab

Rudy Gobert
FD $8,500 DK $7,500

The Suns play fast, and while that doesn’t help most centers this size, Gobert is amazing in it. He loves running the floor as it results in an abundance of blocks, putbacks, and transition dunks. The Jazz don’t typically run very much, so they see a huge uptick in production and projection when they do. He’ll individually face off with Tyson Chandler and Alex Len, who are both pretty good defenders. The thing is it doesn’t really matter. Gobert doesn’t score 1-on-1. He gets his numbers from everyone else screwing up. He’s a bit too cheap on both sites and it could cause him to gain some ownership, but there are a lot of good options at center, so maybe not.

Steven Adams
FD $6,900 DK $5,800

It looks like Myles Turner will be out once again and it opens the door up for Steven Adams. Adams has 40 fantasy points in 2 of his last 3 games and sees his best match-up yet. The Pacers, who play very fast, are also missing the only big guy that can guard anyone. Domantas Sabonis will have no chance at banging with Adams and you can pencil in the double-double right now. We’ve touched on a few of these Thunder guys and it has a lot to do with pace. The Pacers are extremely fast and have no problem shooting with 16 on the shot clock. They also give up a ton of FP to everyone besides the SG position. Take advantage of the high total and opportunity here.






NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 10/20/17

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 10/20/17


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Point Guard

Eric Bledsoe
FD $7,500 DK $7,400

Bledsoe saw just 29 minutes in the opening contest, in what was a blowout at halftime against the Blazers. He has always been a guy that plays big minutes and I think it’s fair to expect around 35 on a daily basis. This style of game fits into Bledsoe’s hands perfectly, as the Lakers love to run and push the ball up the court. We didn’t see it much last night, but some of that can be attributed to PatBev giving them a nightmare. This game currently sits at a 220 total with the Suns favored by just 3, so it’ll be high scoring and close. Exactly what you’re looking for out of a game stack. The price is fair and he’s pretty safe, considering he fills up the box in every which way. He thrives in the open floor and should have no problem getting there often against a Lakers team that ranked 3rd worst in 2016 against transition baskets. Bledsoe isn’t a lock, but he’s as close as you’ll get at the position.

D’Angelo Russell
FD $8,000 DK $7,300

Jeremy Lin has already been ruled out for the year. Thoughts go out to him, but at least we got it over quickly. It’s surely a lot less stressful than him being questionable EVERY DAY for the entire season. like we dealt with for much with for much of 2016. With Lin gone at PG, D’Angelo Russell will slide over and let Caris LeVert and Sean Kilpatrick handle the 2. Russell gave us a taste of what to expect from him in game 1, shooting 22 times and putting up 42 fantasy points against some quality defenders in Indy. I know both of these guys are a bit expensive, but they are both in spots where the ceiling and floor is just too high for the respective price. Russell could very well be a $9K player very soon. It sounds crazy, but it’ll happen if he’s over 20 shots on a nightly basis. He did it just 6 times in 2016. The Magic play fast and don’t care too much about defense. Russell is a prime option for all formats.

Shooting Guard

Jaylen Brown
FD $6,200 DK $5,500

Until the price goes way up or the Celtics are facing a defensive juggernaut, Jaylen Brown will remain a safe cash game play. He’s the number 2 option behind Kyrie and has shot 34 times over the first 2 contests. The Celtics now see the 76ers, who will be one of the teams we target a lot this year. With the addition of Fultz and Simmons, they should want to run as much as possible. Brown derives a lot of his value from being able to get into the open court and make things happen. That shouldn’t be an issue here, as neither TLC or J.J. Redick have the speed or athleticism to stick with Jaylen. It may be tough to the pay the $6K tag for a guy who was just at $4k, but he’s worth close to 7 or 8. Expect him to once again see 30+ minutes against a lackluster defense that is fine running.

Andrew Wiggins
FD $6,800 DK $6,300

We still don’t really know how Jimmy Butler will cut into Wiggins and Towns, but I think it’s safe to assume that it won’t be much. Butler is a superstar, but he doesn’t need the ball in his hands a ton. He posted a 25% usage last season in Chicago and will likely end up with a similar one here. You also add in the fact that all these starters will see close to 40 minutes on most nights, and the safety is there. People generally see the “Utah” under the opponent and completely ignore. While they are a good team defense, they have Rodney Hood and Donovan Mitchell at the 2. Both of which are inexperienced and not known, at all, for their defense. Ignles will be on Butler, which could funnel some more production towards Wiggins on the perimeter. He’s not as safe as Jaylen is Point per $, but he’s close. He will also be just 5 or 10% owned, at most.

Small Forward

Harrison Barnes
FD $6,300 DK $5,700

We’ve been looking at a few of the more expensive options at PG and SG, so let’s look for a way to save here at SF. Harrison Barnes is the leader of the Mavs on offense and he’s going to be one of the more consistent SF’s we can lean on at such a solid price. He can handle 35+ minutes every night and had no problem shooting close to 20 times a game in 2016. The Kings have a gaping hole at SF with Rudy Gay out, so they’ll look to Justin Jackson and Buddy Hield to deal with Barnes on defense. Barnes doesn’t have the upside to put up 50 fantasy points, but you can lock him in there for 25 with the upside for 45. At this price, you can’t ask for more.

Evan Fournier
FD $5,600 DK $5,400

Evan Fournier left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouth after last season, including mine. It seemed like countless times that I rostered him and he just goofed around for 300 minutes and ended with nothing worthy of note. That didn’t look to be the guy I was watching the other night. While it can be tough to base decisions on things like the eye test, it’s really not with a guy like Fournier. He looked like he wanted to be there and was initiating a lot of the effective offense. He now heads up with the fast-paced Nets, who haven’t played defense in 2 years. This game is sitting at a 223 over/under with the Magic favored by 2. Get some exposure on both sides of the ball. Fournier is cheap enough where you really don’t have to consider him a “pay-up”, but has the upside to give you 50 in a tournament.

Power Forward

Anthony Davis
FD $10,900 DK $10,600

With Draymond Green doubtful as I type this, I’m going to assume he is out. Even if he is in, you can take all of what I’m about to say and just minimize it a little bit. Davis is unstoppable. Cousins is unstoppable. When you try to stop them with whatever combo of Zaza, Javale, David West and Jordan Bell, things may get ugly. With that being said, the same can be said for the Pelicans in regard to Kevin Durant/Klay Thompson. I think this one just turns into an absolutely shootout and stacking the entire game is a terrific idea. If it blows out, none of them make value. If it stays close, I think it does because of the back-and-forth nature. We aren’t going to see either of these teams grind out defense here. Davis saw 40 minutes last game, which is a terrific sign for a guy that is often on a minutes limit. If he’s seeing those types of minutes this early, it’s fair to assume we’re playing with a fully healthy Anthony Davis. A fully healthy Anthony Davis is something you won’t come across often, and when you do, you take advantage. Personally, you will catch me with 100% Anthony Davis if Draymond is out. I’d prefer to watch him abuse the backups and for me to benefit instead of grimace every time he slams it over anyone’s head in hopes I won’t be passed by the crowd. AD might end up being popular, which is when I’ll pivot over to Cousins. All in all, this game is a gold mine and you should get exposure from both sides.

Jae Crowder
FD $5,300 DK $4,700

This is just a simple case of a guy being a bit mispriced to start the season. It’s not too bad, but Crowder will put up numbers in this offense if he’s going to play 30+ minutes. He’s a lot better of an offensive player than many of the guys who have played the same role with LeBron in the near past. He will get as many open 3’s in the corner as he could ever want and could have some huge games if he gets hot. He’s also good at penetrating and scooping up peripherals on defense, which can’t be said for the usual LeBron corner guy. It’s also comforting to know Crowder will be out there when it matters. He is a good defender and helps make up for the atrocious Rose and Love (If you want to laugh, watch these 2 try to defend a PNR). I feel like they should have a coach out there grabbing their hips and throwing them into the proper defensive position. It’s just brutal. Getting back on topic, Crowder is going to be an integral part of this offense from the get and isn’t priced like it just yet. The Bucks play small and he’ll have no problem getting an excess of minutes at the 4 and maybe a few at the 5 when Thon Maker is out there. He isn’t going to go crazy but penciling in 25 at this price is a blessing in cash games.

Center

Nikola Vucevic
FD $8,400 DK $7,600

There are a lot of different ways you can go at center if you’re paying up, so take your choice. We’ll run with Nikola Vucevic here, who sees and up-paced affair with the Brooklyn Nets. He got dismantled by Hassan Whiteside in the first game, but did answer back with a solid 19-13-2-2 line. TheNets lost Brook Lopez in the offseason and will turn to Timofey Mozgov at center. I don’t know how they plan on making that work, but they are the Nets, so maybe they just don’t care. Bucevic will embarrass Mozgov for however many minutes the Nets can lie to themselves for. Trevor Booker and Rondae Hollies-Jefferson man the 4 and are way too undersized to mess with Vuc. To me, it looks like a severe match-up problem. Unless the Nets have a focus on taking away Vucevic from the start (no shot), he should have a big game. His price is still fair and will likely see a small bump if he continues seeing heavy minutes. Aaron Gordon is also questionable now, so Vuc could be leaned on even more down low than already expected.

Marcin Gortat
FD $6,100 DK $5,600

Now for what may be the most cut and dry option of them all, let’s take a look at Marcin Gortat facing off with the monster that is Andre Drummond. Gortat will need to be out there to match the size of Drummond, which Ian Mahinmi just can’t offer. Gortat is locked into a double-double and you can safely project him for 34+ minutes. For years now, Gortat has been getting a ton of minutes to start the year until eventually getting a nagging injury that keeps them down. Drummond is a huge center, but his defense is nothing to be worried about. The Pistons were 3rd worst against centers in 2016 and I can’t see a guy with Gortat’s skill set just flopping. Wall leans on Gortat to space the floor and he does it perfectly, knowing exactly how Wall likes to play. Gortat is the safest option at center for the price and I’ll have a ton of exposure in cash games.






NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 10/19/17

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 10/19/17


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Point Guard

Russell Westbrook
FD $11,800 – DK $11,000

Look, if you’re playing on this slate, it’s going to take some real guts to fade Russell Westbrook. No matter how you slice it, he’s the top raw option at any position in any format. While he may seem expensive, if you played NBA DFS last year, you know this is nothing. He did lose Victor Oladipo and Enes Kanter, but gained 2 great players in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. They may warrant a few more shots than the guys did last year, but this team belongs to Westbrook and the ball will be in his hands as much as he wants. This match-up with the Knicks couldn’t be better. Ramon Sessions will cover him. Yes, let that sink in. Of course, the Knicks will try to remedy that with Justin Holiday and double-teams, but we all know by now that it doesn’t work. Westbrook is a guy I’ll have 100% exposure to, bar none.

Jerian Grant
FD $6,600 – DK $5,300

Point guard is typically a position where you have to pick between 5 or 6 elite options. That’s just not the case tonight. Kyle Lowry is the 2nd safest guy, but I’m trying to include some cheaper options and I’m a bigger fan of DeRozan, who we’ll get to. The Bulls are an ultimate cluster$%%@ right now and they will need more than a few guys to step up and fill the hole that Mirotic and Portis will leave. Grant won’t see any impact minutes-wise, but he’ll be looked at to lead this young offense. He showed plenty of times last year that he was able, going over 30 FD points 7 times in his last 25 games. Kyle Lowry is known as a good defender, but he’s really not. The Raptors ranked 23rd against point guards in 2016 and while Grant is far from a typical PG, his size should give Lowry some issues. I’m not expecting a huge game out of Grant, but he can fill the stat sheet in plenty of ways and will be in there for over 30 minutes against an average defensive team.

Shooting Guard

DeMar DeRozan
FD $8,800 – DK $8,300

With just 3 games on the slate, you probably want to have either Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan. Chances are at least one of them will have a superb game against the inept opponent. Before going any further, go ahead and look at the Bulls projected lineup. It is like a spring training lineup in baseball or something. I’m not sure I can remember seeing anything as bad in recent past in any sport. Justin Holiday will cover DeRozan and he’s just too small, as well as not good enough. It’s no offense to Holiday, who’s young with a ton of potential, but DeMar DeRozan is a premier NBA scorer. He can put up 40 points on any given night and will probably put up 50 a time or two before the season concludes. There aren’t too many +EV ways to pay up tonight, so you probably want some exposure to the Toronto DD.

Jordan Clarkson
FD $4,700 – DK $4,300

You have a lot of different ways to go at SG, but you’ll have to pay down in a couple spots here and Jordan Clarkson might be my favorite way to do it. With Kentavious Caldwell-Pope suspended, he will be in line to play at least 30 minutes, with some at the 1 and some at the 2. Julius Randle is also questionable, so he could end up seeing a huge uptick in usage as well. Clarkson is an extremely good guard who is underpriced on both sites. He gets the ball in his hands when on the court and if his floaters are hitting, value will come in the 1st half. The Clippers will toss Austin Rivers and Lou Williams at Jordan Clarkson, so he won’t have a hard time getting to the paint. Clarkson is nowhere near a must, but I don’t see the reasoning behind his price.

Small Forward

Paul George
FD $8,600 – DK $6,100

We have no real idea how Paul George will mesh with Russell Westbrook and the Thunder, but I’m willing to take a guess. If you’ve been watching Paul George since he came into the league, you should know that he won’t be causing any problems. There were plenty of times in Indy when a guy like Jeff Teague, Roy Hibbert, or Lance Stephenson would get hot and George would have no problem taking a backseat. He would then hop back into the driver’s seat the next night and put up 30 real-life points. In this Thunder system, I suspect he turns into quite Robin to Westbrook’s Batman. His price is way too low on DraftKings and he’s a near must in cash games. On FanDuel, I love him, but it’s not a must by any means.

Paul Zipser
FD $4,800 – DK $4,200

Hey, calm down. I know Paul Zipser isn’t a guy you wanted to roster until the end of the year when we’re scratching and clawing for value. But I don’t think this is like most years. We usually don’t have a teammate breaking another one’s face and sending him to the hospital with facial fractures. These unforeseen circumstances have led to Nikola Mirotic being out for 6 weeks and Portis suspended for 8 games. It leaves a bunch of minutes for not too many guys. Paul Zipser is locked into 36+ minutes and it’s the reason he’s in play. He will sit in the corner for most of the game, occasionally takin charge and driving to the hoop for a goofy layup. With minutes, come production, and that’s the hope here with Zipser at his depressed price tag.

Power Forward

Lauri Markkanen
FD $6,500 DK $5,600

We’ll stay here with the mess that is the entire Bulls organization. With Mirotic and Portis out, we have RoLo, Felicio, and Markkanen at the 4 and 5. Felicio physically can’t play more than 20-24 minutes, so that leaves about 75 for Lopez and Markkanen (maybe a few from Zipser). Markkanen is technically a rookie, but he’s been playing pro ball in Europe for 6 years and should be able to transition a bit better than guys coming from college. Markkanen is a very good basketball player and he can fill the stat sheet in many different ways. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him well over $8,000 on both sites come next month. This match-up with the Raptors isn’t great, but like I’ve said, minutes = production.

Blake Griffin
FD $9,500 DK $9,600

This year is going to be very telling for the outlook and legacy of Blake Griffin. The last time he was without Chris Paul for an extended period of time, he was consistently one of the top 5 NBA players on a nightly basis. His production was tempered with CP3 back, but that’s not the case anymore. This offense will run through Griffin and he will be given the opportunity to do as much damage as possible. Expect plenty of face-up and PnR opportunities for Griffin from the first possession on. He will also have some games where he distributes and sees close to 10 assists, which could very well come against the Lakers. All in all, I think Griffin has the opportunity to have a huge night and I’ll be doing my best to get him in all my contests. With the current value, I have been able to fit both Westbrook and Griffin without any worries.

Center

Brook Lopez
FD $7,400 DK $6,500

For me, it’s a toss-up between Brook Lopez and DeAndre Jordan for the top high-priced center. They both couldn’t care less about defense, but produce fantasy points in very different ways. Jordan will rely on rebounding and putbacks, while Lopez will get the ball with 15 seconds left on the shot clock and go to work, both post-up and face-up. I suspect Jordan may have some trouble covering Lopez and it could put him into some foul trouble. I doubt Lopez gets into foul trouble as he would much rather just back up. Whichever way you decide to go is fine, but Lopez is probably a bit riskier with a higher ceiling. If you don’t have Griffin and are looking for safety, play Jordan.

Steven Adams
FD $6,300 FD $5,700

If you don’t want to pay up for either Lopez or Jordan, Steven Adams is a quality pivot at $2k cheaper. The Thunder face off with the Knicks, who offer up Enes Kanter and Willy Hernangomez at the 5. If you pay attention to the NBA, you know they are both embarrassingly bad at defense. I expect we will be targeting centers against the Knicks all season long. Adams isn’t a scorer, but he can score with his back to the basket when guys like Westbrook and George are pulling all of the attention away from the paint. Adams has a double-double before the game starts and it just depends on whether the game stays close enough for him to play 35 minutes.






NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 10/18/17

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 10/18/17


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Point Guard

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Damian Lillard
FD $8,800 – DK $10,400

Welcome to the first real NBA slate of the 2017-18 season! With 11 games on the docket, we have plenty of options at each position, contrary to last night. We also have a pretty soft NBA at this point, so there are a few questionable and outs already at each position. In this circumstance, C.J. McCollum has been suspended a game for leaving the bench early in the preseason. Seems like a silly suspension, but hey, let’s use it to our advantage. This game has a 220 over/under, sitting at the 2nd highest of the night. McCollum and Lillard are the only 2 real ballhandlers on this team with Crabbe gone, so we’ll see Lillard pick up the slack like he did last season when McCollum was out. In McCollum’s absence, Lillard held a 35% usage rate, jumping from 28%. That’s a huge difference in basketball. He averaged 30 real-life points as well and sees a high-pace match-up with the run and gun Suns. Lillard is a top option at any position on this slate.

Patty Mills & DeJounte Murray
FD $4,300, $3,800 – DK $4,700 $4,100

The Spurs are starting the season without Kawhi Leonard, so there’s an immediate space to be filled in many different capacities. Tony Parker is also out for 4-6 weeks, so Murray and Mills should split time at PG, as well as a few minutes each at SG. The Timberwolves played at the 11th fastest pace last year and ranked 17th against point guards. They’re a very solid defensive team. Mills and Murray are both extremely cheap around the industry and do produce when on the court. I prefer Mills, but just slightly.

Shooting Guard

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

D’Angelo Russell
FD $6,600 – DK $6,600

D’Angelo Russell is now a member of the Nets, and it looks like he’ll technically be playing shooting guard. With that being said, him and Link should bring the ball up about equally. Russell is simply a far better scorer and playmaker than Lin. We now look at a game between the Pacers and Nets with a 218 over/under and very close spread. Victor Oladipo is an average defender and the pace here should play right into Russell’s style of play. His price is fair and his ownership should be rather high.

Malik Monk
FD $3,800 – DK $3,700

Nicolas Batum is, once again, out for an extended length of time with an injury. Jeremy Lamb should be the main benefactor, but Malik Monk has seen over 30 minutes a few times in the preseason and has exploded given the opportunity. I don’t expect a ton of minutes out of Monk, but 26-30 seems about right. This game will be rather slow, but Monk will be covered by a combo of Reggie Jackson and Stanley Johnson. I would expect Bradley to man Kemba or Lamb when the opportunity arises. Monk is extremely cheap and this should be a prime example of minutes = production.

Small Forward

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Jimmy Butler
FD $8,700 – DK $8,100

Jimmy Butler is back to his stomping grounds with Tom Thibodeau. This is the guy who gave Butler his “Jimmy Minutes” nickname in the first place. Thibs loves running his starters into the ground and it was why Towns and Wiggins ranked in the top 10 for minutes played and fantasy points scored. We’ll now get Jimmy Butler seeing upwards of 38-40 minutes a night and the production should flow like never before. He gets a friendly match-up with the Spurs tonight, as Kawhi is out and Kyle Anderson is in. Butler should score at will on him and this game will likely stay close throughout. Butler is one of the safer plays on the slate and that phrase will be repeated all season long.

Jaylen Brown & Jayson Tatum
FD $3,700, $3,500 – DK $3,900, $4,100

We saw Gordon Hayward suffer a brutal injury midway through the first quarter last night. There are a million words that should be said before we look at the fantasy implications, but let’s cut to the chase. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum should both see over 30 minutes per night and take plenty of shots(12 & 23 last night) to sustain cash game value until the sites bump their prices. Tatum and Brown are both near locks in my cash games tonight and it’s because of the guaranteed minutes and production. Even this early in the season, it seems like we’re being forced into some strong value. As of note, Brown is the better player and he will have the ball in his hands more often. That could also change quickly if Tatum progresses as expected.

Power Forward

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Giannis Antetokounmpo
FD $10,200 – DK $10,300

You’re going to want to pay up for a guy or two with the value on this slate, and Giannis is as good as you’ll find. He’s the biggest match-up problem in basketball and there’s no question as to why. A 7 foot 2 frame, 7 foot 6 wingspan, and elite ballhandling skills are just some of the reasons. Go ahead and throw in a good shooting game and one of the brighter minds around and you see why teams should be so scared. This Boston team should win a lot of games this year, but they’ll have to score. With the absence of Gordon Hayward and the departure of Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder, they will struggle defensively. Kyrie, Horford, and Tatum are all subpar defenders and will rely on the likes of Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris. As for tonight, I’m guessing Jaylen Brown covers Giannis. He doesn’t match-up well because nobody does. Expect a big game out of Giannis.

Ben Simmons
FD $5,600 – DK $7,100

We just touched on a hybrid player in Giannis Antetokounmpo and now move to the guy who hopes to the best player in basketball in a few years. He is a hybrid in every sense on the word. That feels weird to say, but he was the number 1 pick just 2 years ago after being hyped as the next LeBron James since 8th grade. He enters this season with some tempered expectations because of the last season, which may help. He’s going to have the ball in his hands a ton and has proven in the preseason that he can be as diverse of a player as we thought. This match-up with the fast-pace Wizards is juicy, as I suspect Simmons will derive a lot of his value in the fastbreak game. Markieff Morris is out, so they’ll be forced to use some smaller guys on Simmons like Kelly Oubre and Otto Porter. He’s definitely a bit risky because of the team and injury past, but I feel safe with him in all formats. He’s a bit too cheap across the industry.

Center

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks

Andre Drummond
FD $8,000 – DK $7,600

Maybe I’m just reaching or looking for something to grasp onto, but Drummond is a guy I look to have an insane 2017 season. In the offseason, he got a surgery done to open his nasal passage, and supposedly, it has turned him into a different player. It doesn’t look to be fake news, either. He played 36 minutes in his last preseason game and threw up a stat line that we don’t typically see out of him (17 points, 22 rebounds, 7 assists). We may be running into an Andre Drummond that’s ready to play 35 minutes per game, which will put him in the pricing range of Boogie and Towns very soon. He also has a match-up with Dwight Howard, so I don’t think either team will turn to the “hack-a” strategy. Dwight Howard is a very fun guy to watch, but he’s not too worried about stopping centers at this point. He steps up for blocks far too often and leaves the block unattended. Drummond is a lock for a double-double and has 20/20 upside every time he takes the court.

Willie Cauley-Stein
FD $4,700 – DK $5,900

In cash games, at this price, you’re better off with Marcin Gortat. He’s a safe bet for 32 minutes and 25 fantasy points. If you’re looking for some fun in tournaments, look towards Willie Cauley-Stein. He’s the backup PF and C, so he’s figuring to see around 24-28 minutes on a regular basis. If you played NBA DFS last year, you know how valuable he can be in that amount of time. He put up nearly 1 FP per minute last season and is still working into the player he is at just 23. This match-up with the Rockets will be up and down and I look for Cauley-Stein to run himself into 30 fantasy points. We may also see one of the starting interior big men get into foul trouble with Harden, which could push WCS minutes over the projected 26.