RADIO
It feels like a get-away-day in baseball. We have two slates for the NBA today, and none of that two game slate garbage! There are actually 11 games on this Martin Luther King day (I hope you're off and get to enjoy the games), but FanDuel has essentially split them into two "main" slates - one beginning at 1pm (5 games) and the other at 8pm (4 games). There's some pretty good basketball on deck, both from a watchability and a daily fantasy lens.
Before I jump into player selection and analysis, let's see if there are a few interesting Vegas lines that we can use to our advantage for stack selection and roster construction. For game stacking, there appears to be two matchups far ahead of the others (in the early slate) in terms of attractiveness. The first game - Toronto at Philadelphia - has a monstrous over/under at 219 and a spread of just 1.5. The Bucks at Wizards (215) isn't too far behind, and has a spread of five points. Those are very attractive figures in both games. I slightly prefer the game in Philadelphia for upside, but both are games you can stack up. The other three early games have a spread between 206-211, which shouldn't raise any red flags as those are solid lines, the value just happens to be a little higher on the aforementioned games. That said, the Knicks at Nets and Bulls at Heat have intrigue as well - they both feature spreads between 1.5 and 3 points and three of those four teams (Knicks, Nets, Bulls) are bottom half of the league in defensive ratings.
Below you will find our daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 1/15/18. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options, to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel.
FanDuel DFS Guards
Spencer Dinwiddie - PG, vs NYK ($6,400) - Early Slate
With the exception of one dud, Dinwiddie has been playing really strong basketball over the Nets' past five games. The price is still at a point that is pretty easy to justify, and one he can give really plus value on if his shot is falling. That puts him in as a cash play on this early slate and he's certainly in tournament consideration with that ceiling that he's flashed. This afternoon, he gets a pretty good matchup against the Knicks, and he projects for 30 minutes and a 24 Usage rate. For the season, he's been a 1.04 Fanduel point per minute player. That's a top five mark among the point guards in the early slate, and Dinwiddie has the cheaper price and superior matchup than the other four.
Also Consider for Early Slate: Tyler Johnson - PG, at CHI ($5,800); Tony Parker - PG, at ATL ($3,800) - punt
Stephen Curry - PG, at CLE ($10,200) - 8pm Slate
Steph has had some monstrous performances of late, and this looks like a spot where he can continue the trend. In his last 10 games played, he's showing great consistency and upside, beating value in eight of 10 games and doing so by an impressive margin - an average of 4.7 FanDuel points a night. Tonight's matchup is against a Cavaliers team that has been a bottom 10 team defensively against point guards, ranking 21st in both DVP and defensive efficiency. He projects for somewhere in the ballpark of 30-34 minutes tonight with a Usage rate around 30%. In the past month, he's even improved his fantasy efficiency numbers, averaging 1.56 points per minute, compared to his normal 1.44 mark.
Also Consider for Late Slate: Chris Paul - PG, at LAC ($10,800); Isaiah Thomas - PG, vs CLE ($5,500) - GPP only
Caris LeVert - SG, vs NYK ($5,500) - Early Slate
Why not make it both members of the Nets' back court? This game will be faced paced and leave this tandem with plenty of possessions to work with. What I like about pairing these two is that they open up a ton of money for you, have prices that can easily pay off, and they do get on the court at separate times - and therefore aren't always eating into each others Usage rates or limit upside. Playing at home in Brooklyn, LeVert should see minutes in the high 20's this afternoon, with a very attractive Usage rate somewhere between 22 and 24%. In the past month, he's posted an excellent FanDuel point per minute mark of 0.99.
Also Consider for Early Slate: Khris Middleton - SG, at WAS - GPP only due to recent performance; Kent Bazemore - SG, vs SAS ($5,200)
Tyrone Wallace - SG, vs HOU ($4,200) - 8pm Slate
There are a couple high ceiling shooting guards that aren't in the best of situations, but worth considering in tournaments. One way to afford them in tournaments or to free up salary in your cash lineups is to find a value play at shooting guard. Wallace fits the bill tonight, and he has a good matchup in a pace up game where he could see minutes with both units. He faces a Houston team that has allowed the highest +/- to shooting guards of any team taking the floor in the night slate. Wallace has played good basketball and is making the most of this opportunity, as he's beaten his price implied total in all three games, averaging 0.83 FanDuel points per minute. That's great value, especially if he plays the 30+ minutes he's projected for tonight against Houston.
Also Consider for Late Slate: Dwyane Wade - SG, vs GSW ($4,800); Donovan Mitchell - SG, vs IND ($7,400)
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Josh Richardson - SF, at CHI ($5,700) - Early Slate
Richardson is attractive on this early slate at a position that is very much not attractive. With the exception of Giannis Antetokounmpo, it's devoid of studs (or even high priced stars) and as such, I think Richardson is one of the safer plays that also offers upside. We know he can pay off value at this tier, and the fact that he gets a pace up game against a sloppy team means extra opportunities for steals and fast break points. Richardson plays a ton of minutes every night, which makes him a valuable commodity already, but even more so tonight with the pace up game and a soft defense to attack. For the season, Richardson has been an okay 0.79 FanDuel point per minute player. However, he has a mark of 0.91 in the past month, which is quite an upgrade when you're playing 36 minutes a game.
Also Consider for Early Slate: Giannis Antetokounmpo - SF, at WAS ($10,500); Allen Crabbe - SF, vs NYK ($4,600)
Gerald Green - SF, at LAC ($4,600) - 8pm Slate
It looks as though Green's price has settled in at this mid 4k range. I'm comfortable with that as we know he can not only hit value, but has the upside (thanks to his 22% Usage rate) that he has the upside we need for GPP's. This is a good matchup for Green with good game context, too. The Clippers rank 20th in DVP against small forwards and 26th in defensive efficiency. Green should be good for at least 26-28 minutes tonight, and could benefit in both minutes and late game Usage if this game gets out of hand.
Also Consider for Late Slate: Joe Ingles - SF, vs IND ($5,000); LeBron James - SF, vs GSW ($11,400)
Serge Ibaka - PF, at PHI ($5,700) - Early Slate
Serge had a rough go at it in his past two, but overall in his past 10, he's been producing like the Ibaka of old. In that stretch, he's outperformed his salary implied total 6 times. This afternoon, he gets a matchup with the Sixers. Against power forwards, Philadelphia has allowed more points above salary based expectations than any other team on the early slate. It's defnitely a matchup retro Serge can take care of, and his Usage rate projects for nearly 22% (with Kyle Lowry still expected out). That's a real nice Usage projection for a player in this price range, especially one with such a soft spot to attack his opponent.
Also Consider for Early Slate: Markieff Morris - PF, vs MIL ($4,600); Dario Saric ($5,700)
Derrick Favors - PF, vs IND ($6,300) - 8pm Slate
There are two teams on this slate that is really bad at defending power forwards. One of those teams happen to be the Indiana Pacers, who Favors will see tonight in the 8pm slate. With Gobert out, Favors gets a ton of run and we see an increased Usage rate. That should continue tonight - and then some - seeing as it's a clear weakness of the Pacers to attack by the four. Indiana currently ranks 27th in defensive efficiency against power forwards, and I like Favors and his 32 minute and 18 Usage projections.
Also Consider for Late Slate: Draymond Green - PF, at CLE ($8,200); Zach Randolph - PF, at OKC ($4,900)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Hassan Whiteside - C, at CHI ($7,700) - Early Slate
Whiteside has been crushing value of late, doing so with efficiency, cleaning the boards and blocking shots. For some reason, his price hasn't really budged. Rather than write to FanDuel and ask an analyst why his steady, impressive play hasn't resulted in a hike increase, just roster him in what looks like an opportune matchup for him. This game is projected to be one of the higher scores of the early slate, and seeing as the Bulls also run out a traditional center, Whiteside will have plenty of reason to see his full allotment of minutes. If he see his usual 28 minutes with somewhere around a 25 Usage rate, he can continue his trend of crushing his price implied total.
Also Consider for Early Slate: Joel Embiid - C, vs TOR ($10,500); Kyle O'Quinn - C, at BKN ($4,400)
Kevin Love - C, vs GSW ($7,000)
Love has a pretty exploitable matchup here as Cleveland should be able to space the floor with him and get open looks. The Warriors have struggled against the position this season, ranking 26th in DVP. This is a pace up situation for Love and his teammates, which should benefit the offense and seeing as he has a 24 Usage rate on the season, he should see extra shot opportunities. If you're looking more for a stable floor than upside, I like Steven Adams for the same price.
Also Consider for Late Slate: Steven Adams - C, vs SAC ($7,000); Willie Cauley-Stein - C, at OKC ($6,300) - GPP only
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