NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 10/27/17
Point Guard
John Wall
John Wall and the Wizards will head to Golden State to face off with the Warriors tonight. With a 230 over/under, Vegas expects points to be scored. We haven’t seen much of classic John Wall yet this season, but we all know it’s coming and coming very soon. This match-up with the Warriors will give him the opportunity to run as much as he wants and do it against a subpar defender in Stephen Curry. If the Wizards are able to keep this relatively close, it’ll probably end up as the most productive game stack on the board. The Warriors and Wizards both play very fast and small, so it’ll be exciting to see how rotation and minute-distribution goes. We know Wall will see 35 minutes if it stays close and give you at least 45 FP with upside for 70.
Spencer Dinwiddie
With D’Angelo Russell looking all but out, Spencer Dinwiddie will slide in there once again and give the Nets 30 minutes at a minimum. He saw 31 against the Cavs last time out and put up 38 fantasy points, even though the match-up was horrible. This one against the Knicks is far better as Dinwiddie matches up well with Sessions and the Knicks’ backup PG’s. Dinwiddie isn’t some horrible stand in the corner guy either. He will control the ball when in the game and do a great job at it. He’s an easy cash game and tournament play for me once we learn Russell is confirmed out. Point Guard is likely the deepest position on the slate. Make sure you get it right.
Shooting Guard
Tim Hardaway Jr.
9-for-37. Hardaway Jr. is a very good scorer that is going through a really bad cold streak. We’ll see it snap any night now and when it does, expect a big night. Hardaway is a guy who put up 30 fantasy points almost every night last year for about a month. He now faces off with the Nets, which is the best possible match-up for an SG. They allowed 61 FP to them per game in 2016 and have started this campaign on a not so good note. The Nets love to play fast and it forces the other team to match, resulting in an excess of possessions and peripherals to go around. Hardaway Jr. is too cheap on both sites and I’ll have 100% exposure. I don’t see many ways around him missing value against the Nets. Even if he has a bad shooting night, he should get there with peripherals. If he has a good shooting night, it’s gravy.
Jeremy Lamb
Shooting guard isn’t the greatest, but these 2 guys I’m touching on are fairly priced and give you some real safety at a position that lacks it. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist back, Lamb has still played productive minutes. He now faces off with James Harden and the Rockets. Lamb should be out there at least 32-35 minutes as I suppose he will draw the initial Harden match-up. Fortunately, Harden isn’t nearly as good at defense as he is on offense. Lamb should be able to get in the paint with ease and make things happen. He’s a guy who can rebound extremely well (16 career-high) when he puts his mind towards it, so you never really know what Jeremy Lamb you’ll see. We do know he’ll be out there for 32+ minutes against a fast-paced team that likes to give up points.
Small Forward
Kevin Durant
Durant is the first superstar we’ll touch on and I prefer him over KD/Harden because of the discount and similar projection. Durant has been dominant this season and has clearly surpassed Stephen Curry as the number 1 option on offense. This is kind of KD’s team, or at least on offense. He touches the ball nearly every possession and it’s worked, sitting over 50 FP in each. He now gets a very friendly match-up with the Wizards, who he’s always dominated. Kelly Oubre and Otto Porter and solid defenders on most nights, but don’t have the length or skill to stick with Durant. He averaged 61 FP against them last year and will look to put up another masterpiece. I have a lot of exposure to this game as I think it stays pretty close all the way throughout, giving all the starters 4 quarters of full playing time.
Wilson Chandler
After Kevin Durant, small forward is ugly. Not as ugly as PF, but you don’t get too many solid choices. You do have Wilson Chandler, who’s been absolutely pitiful to start the year. Like Tim Hardaway Jr., Wilson Chander is a solidified scorer that is simply going on a cold streak. We all know he’ll be putting up 20 real-life points on mist night and should be around $6.5 to $7K. The match-up with the Hawks isn’t anything special, as they’ve allowed the 9th most FP to SF since the start of 2016. Chandler is still going to see 30 minutes in this offense and he will not stop shooting. He never has. He knows more than anyone that this is variance and his shots will start going through in no time. Don’t be afraid to jump on a guy early in the season because of a couple bad games. It happens.
Power Forward
Kristaps Porzingis
At the weakest position of the night, you have 1 very easy choice. With the Nets being fantasy gold mines, Kristaps Porzingis is a guy I want all of. He was pitiful last time out against the Celtics, but that game got away early and he didn’t ever get into a groove. He was over 45 FP in each of the other 2 games and it looks like he’s turned a corner without Melo. The offense runs squarely through him and I’m not sure who plans on stopping him here. The Nets have Trevor Booker and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Booker can battle inside, but he’ll have a lot of trouble with the length. RHJ just isn’t a PF and will have trouble with every face of POrzingis’ game. That’s what happens when you’re a 2017 PF taking on a real one. Porzingis is my favorite player on the slate and I will do everything I can to get as much ownership as possible. This is a guy who should put up 50 fantasy points without much problem if the game stays close. He’s also much cheaper than the studs and lets you pay up in an extra spot or two.
Frank Kaminsky
Cody Zeller has already been ruled out for this game, so you can lock into Frank the Tank Kaminsky for another 28-35. I personally never though Kaminsky would be good in the NBA, but I was plain wrong. He has done a good job of transition his game slowly. He probably would have flopped if thrown into the fire like a lot of guys are initially. Instead, he let himself develop and slowly grow into the solidified power forward that he is today. He has a scoring presence from any spot on the floor and is noticeable smart when out there. He does a great job of spacing the floor and communicating with guards as to PNR and GNG’s. He sees a solid match-up against a Rockets team without a real PF. Ryan Anderson does his best, but he’s a shooter. He isn’t going to do very well banging with Kaminsky back to the basket. They also have Luc Mbah a Moute, who’s a great defender, but also an SF playing big. Kaminsky is cheap enough on both sites for all contests and with PF weak, I’ll have a ton.
Center
Jakob Poeltl
If Jonas Valunciunas is out, we now know who to target. After years of atrocious Raptors backup bigs, we may have found someone. Jakon Poeltl came out of college as a stud. He’s the best player to play for the Utah Utes in a long time and turned that team into a contender. With that being said, his style of play was always very nice for the NBA. Now that he has been given the opportunity with Jonas Valunciunas out, he’s taken advantage. In the last 3 games, he’s seen 16, 25, and 26 minutes. He’s been over 30 fantasy points in every single one of those. We now see Jonas Valunciunas and Nogueira out, which should let Poeltl get over that 30-minute mark. If he does against the Lakers, it’s not crazy to expect 35 fantasy points. The price is too cheap and POeltl will be a big help for paying up elsewhere.
Nikola Jokic
If you feel the need to pay up at center, Nikola Jokic is a great way to go. He’s still too cheap on both sites and I’ll keep playing him until he’s priced appropriately. Tonight, he sees a nice match-up with the Hawks pitiful interior. Dewayne Dedmon has absolutely no chance of slowing down Jokic, and they don’t have anyone else big enough. I guess that just means Jokic will have a huge advantage in the paint at all times tonight. He will also be able to get as many wide open looks from the outside as he could want. The Hawks simply can’t match-up with the size and savvy of the Joker. You can pencil him in for 40 fantasy points and look for 75 point upside, as he showed plenty in 2016. The Hawks have no shot at stopping him, so if this game stays close, I’ll probably wish I had more exposure here.