RADIO
With just two-games on the last slate before the All-Star break, what better way to enjoy it than watching all four teams play at the same time. Although the points favor a Thunder - Pelicans stack tonight, RotoBaller's NBA Lineup Generator is heavily favoring the Clippers - Celtics game. To help clear up why, even though Chris Paul is facing the 29th worst team at defending point guards, per game they only give up two more fantasy points than the Clippers, despite the Clippers ranking 12th in the same category.
Value is going to be scarce and I apologize in advance, but these are going to be fairly risky options. If you want to construct a stable lineup, you won't need to find value below $5,000 tonight. You can craft a solid lineup tonight with a majority of the 'playing' high-tier players with enough left in your salary to keep your upside fairly high. There is a significant drop-off in terms of upside for players tonight, and I will be targeting the sleeper / pivot plays. If you want to hear about the superstar picks and names you see on a daily basis, I suggest reading another article.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 2/13/20. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel. You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Frank Jackson - PG, NOP v. OKC ($3,500)
There won't be any options cheaper than Frank Jackson that actually have upside tonight, and this is risky in itself. Last game, Jackson surpassed his projected because of a blowout where he got enough minutes, and if that were the sole indicator on whether this pick would flop or not, I'd say were in good shape. Sadly, Jackson has flown under the radar recently for good reason and if a Pelicans playmaker misses another game, for example Brandon Ingram doesn't play, Jackson will actually be able to find some usage within the offense, but more importantly, contribute on DFS for the cheapest of prices.
Lou Williams - SG, LAC @ BOS ($5,500)
It's not hard to go to RotoBaller.com, click on the NBA Lineup Generator and take your pick. You'll see the most optimized players in quite a few repetitive lineups, many of which you'll see Lou Williams. For the sake of interest, I'm trying to stray away from that group of 10-15 players in those lineups just to give that extra perspective. Williams is in that group for good reason and there are few defenses that can consider themselves Lou Williams - proof.
Williams had an off-game last outing versus the 76ers, where he started, played over 35 minutes, but was unable to get anything going. He also saw one of his lowest usage nights and when Williams can't get his shot going, it impacts the whole team. Look for him to rebound against a team he has dominated in the past.
Landry Shamet - PG, LAC @ BOS ($4,300)
Lou Williams might not have been the sleeper pick everyone was expecting, but I need someone on the cover photo, right? Anyway, in terms of pivot's and sleeper picks, only the bold are going to roster Landry Shamet with tonight's options. You can get by without going this cheap, but if everyone is rostering the same people, which will absolutely happen tonight, then nobody really wins. This is the perfect option for variance because not only has Shamet been playing well lately, but his role fits exactly into the type of player the Celtics want to beat them.
Shamet won't create much of his own offense and he will be sitting on the perimeter waiting to do most of his work. Boston isn't going to allocate resources to focus on Shamet with the other stars the Celtics have to worry about, so with a cheap price and upside against a good team, he has potential to see another 30 minutes.
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Marcus Morris - SF, LAC @ BOS ($5,200)
I'll be honest, I really tried to find some value here, there just isn't. Adbel Nader, and Semi Ojeleye are not getting rostered tonight and if anything, I can see why someone would consider E'Twaun Moore. He's the type of boom-or-bust candidate that can single-handedly win you money tonight. Very few players will roster him and those who do are paying a fairly hefty price. Maybe not with his actual DFS price, but if he doesn't have a good game tonight, you are not cashing out and that was a wasted roster spot. Options are available and when Marcus Morris is already seeing 35 minutes and hitting multiple three's with his brand new team, I wouldn't hesitate to roster him.
This counts as a revenge game and by looking at the Celtics forwards, who will guard Morris, the upside is there as well. Despite the Boston defense holding solid defensive rankings in general, there's a reason why their frontcourt needs work. Daniel Theis doesn't have the skillset needed to keep up with versatile forwards who can stretch the floor and bump around in the paint.
Nicolo Melli - PF, OKC @ NOP ($4,000)
If you are looking for any type of low-ownership power forward play, Nicolo Melli is your only option. DFS players are going to roster Zion Williamson, Jayson Tatum, Daniel Theis, and Kawhi Leonard. Those are the top four guys in this position and right behind them, you have Nerlens Noel and Nicolo Melli. Based purely on history, Melli gets the advantage here and it's not even close. Melli is making the most of his minutes and the Pelicans are rewarding him at every stop.
He might not be the paint-threat that Williamson is, but Melli has been filling in wherever the team needs him and lately, it's been exactly where he wants to be. It might be the last game before break, but Melli has been an ideal low-end stretch big and that's one type of player that the Thunder defense can't do much about despite their top ten ranking versus orthodox power forwards.
FanDuel DFS Centers
Enes Kanter - C, BOS vs. LAC ($4,100)
This is the typical pivot for tonight. I would roster Montrezl Harrell or Derrick Favors way before Enes Kanter, but that's only if the price fits. As a cheaper option with some upside, it's always easy to see a way for the Celtics to utilize Kanter. The Clippers are one of those teams Kanter's size would dominate against, but they play at a speed that causes his defense to be easily exposed. He's played against the Clippers once already this season and the results were not overly promising. If he can repeat that, we'd be in decent shape, but any regression and we are pretty much out of contention. Looking at the trend surrounding Kanter, it looks more like Robert Williams or Semi Ojeleye will see extra minutes tonight, but neither of those players can be trusted with every DFS roster spot needing to contribute if we want to cash out tonight.
