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John Ferrucci

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks 12/16/17

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks 12/16/17

Saturday Night’s NBA Main slate presents us an eight game mosh-pit with some interesting match-ups. Some of which provide some value plays given the injury epidemic going on recently.


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POINT GUARDS:

Russell Westbrook ($11,100 FD/$11,500 DK) – 

If you’re going to pay up for somebody on FanDuel Westbrook may be the foundation to your lineup. He is cheaper on FD than The Greak Freak, LeBron and Harden. He is still very worth it on DK as the triple-double machine is coming off of a triple-overtime game where he stuffed the stat sheet of 27-18-15. He now plays the next night at Madison Square Garden, where he may just put on a show. Westbrooks opponents, the Knicks, rank 25th in defending the position. He logged 52 minutes during last night’s win, however, he should be more than fine. It’s time for the Russ show for my lineup.

Jeff Teague ($6,400 FD/$6,500/DK) –

Jeff Teague has a great match-up Saturday against struggling Phoenix Suns, who rank 28th in defending point guards this season as they allow on average 50.52 FPTS per game. Teague has not been so valuable on DFS lately, but he hasn’t had too big of a workload either with the way teammates Jimmy Butler and Karl Anthony-Towns have been playing lately. Regardless, this matchup offers Teague an ideal game to breakout to his old form.

SHOOTING GUARDS:

Donovan Mitchell ($7,800 FD/$6,900 DK) –

Donovan Mitchell is one of the most underrated rookies that has emerged in the league this year. Mitchell is slowly and steadily raising eyebrows and sparking a ROTY conversation. A bit pricey on FanDuel, Mitchell has pretty good upside in this contest, as he opposes the defense-weak Cavaliers. He has also been incredibly consistent in fantasy value. With blows to Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert in Friday night’s game, Mitchell would be reintroduced to a heavier workload if one, or both of those are sidelined.

CJ McCollum ($7,100 FD/$6,800 DK) – 

McCollum has some serious upside in this slate. McCollum has scored 20+ points in four straight games averaging 33 FanDuel PPG in those contests. He appears likely to make it five in a row as he matches up with the Phoenix Suns, the 30th ranked team in defending shooting guards. His price is very fair and adds value to his projections, given his consistency as of lately. McCollum is a little more flexible on DraftKings as he is also eligible for point guard.

SMALL FORWARDS:

Jimmy Butler ($9,700 FD/$9,000 DK) –

Not many people have been hotter than Jimmy Butler lately. Holding one of the best SF match-ups of the night, Butler enters Saturday with a stretch in which out of the last 7 games, he has logged an average of 41 minutes and has scored an average of 27 points per game. One beneficial factor about Butler’s match-up against the Suns is that Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau hasn’t had much trust in his second unit lately, as his starters have been seeing serious minutes regardless of score. This helps the case for obtaining Butler as a potential blowout won’t damage his minutes too much. Butler is listed as SF on FanDuel, but SG on DraftKings.

Harrison Barnes ($6,700 FD/$6,500 DK) – 

It seems as if regardless of how consistent Barnes is for the DFS community, he will never have the respect he deserves.

 

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks 11/25/17

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks 11/25/17

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

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POINT GUARDS:

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

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

 

SHOOTING GUARDS:

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

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

 

SMALL FORWARD:

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

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

 

POWER FORWARD:

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

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

 

CENTER:

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

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

 

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks 11/21/17

NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks 11/21/17

Tuesday’s slate (11/21) on DraftKings is mixed in with the three 7pm EST games on Wednesday (11/22). This slate is a little tricky, as there isn’t many low value picks available that are guaranteed minutes. You may need to saturate a portion of your salary on a superstar such as LeBron or The Greek Freak. Another approach would be attempting to create an overall solid lineup, without the plays that cost $9,000+. Let’s avoid the obvious and run through the plays that aren’t your everyday superstar.

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NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks 11/21/17

Allen Crabbe ($4,600) – Allen Crabbe has been ELECTRIC from downtown in his last 3 games, shooting 52% from the arch. He has averaged 32.6 FPTS per game in his last 3 games, all coming against top 10 defensive rating teams. (GS, Utah & Boston) He will now play the Cavaliers, ranked 30th in defensive rating, on Wednesday and will only run up your salary a mere $4,600. I’m locked in on Crabbe in this slate.

Lonzo Ball? ($7,400) – Yes, that’s a question mark. This is a risky one. Lonzo Ball has been beyond inconsistent, either flirting with a triple double, or absolutely tanking your lineup by performing so poor he gets sat in the 4th quarter. Coming off a triple double last game, Lonzo clashes Tuesday night against the 3-11 Chicago bulls team at home where he is coming in with some confidence and a huge sigh of relief with frequent bashing and talks about him being a “bust” 17 games into his rookie season floating about. This play is more of a heat check. He isn’t a huge scorer, only averaging only 8.9 PPG, but this kid can stuff that stat sheet when he’s doing his thing, accompanied by 7.1 APG & RPG. His DraftKings price has increased $400 since his last performance, making him a wild factor in this slate. With this track record, he may in fact be owned by few regardless of his last outing. Taking him would be very dependent on how the rest of your lineup stacks up salary wise.

Jordan Clarkson ($5,200) – If you decide to fade Lonzo, Clarkson may be your next best bet. With Simmons listed at $9,800 and Wall coming off a recent injury listed at $8,700 the PG options for this slate seem thin, and I don’t see any reason to pass up a PG play against this poor Chicago team. Clarkson is averaging roughly 35 FPTS when logging 25 or more minutes this season, giving him some decent value at only $5,200, but by taking him you may be relying on Lonzo having a bad game. The difference between taking Lonzo or Clarkson is all dependent on a few things: Preference, Lonzo’s play, and your salary build throughout the rest of your lineup as stated under Lonzo’s breakdown. Taking both may be an option, although I don’t see the two combining for a great deal of points. May need to either choose one, or fade both if you aren’t confident.

Dwight Howard ($6,700) – In this slate, a $6,700 blow to your salary may blemish the bankroll, but as of recently Dwight Howard seems very worth it. Coming off a 25-20 performance Monday night, Howard has racked up a double-double in back to back games, while going 11-9 the game before those two. At $6,700 Howard might be the play at Center if you are fading Kevin Love at risk of a Cavaliers blowout against the Nets, and simply cannot afford Joel Embiid. Howard is looking very effective as of late, but we don’t know how long that’ll last as the once dominant big is slightly losing his touch as he furthers his NBA career. If you need a cheaper option at Center, Brook Lopez may be your guy to save $700 salary as he has a date with his brother Robin on Tuesday night.

 

Alternative plays (Salary price low to high):
Denzel Valentine ($5,300)
Kris Dunn ($5,600)
Brandon Ingram ($6,200)
Spencer Dinwiddie ($6,300)
CJ McCollum ($7,300)
& Bradley Beal ($7,700)