Geoff Lambert discusses Friday night’s NBA lineup advice on FanDuel.
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Welcome to this week’s edition of my NBA FanDuel column. Hopefully, you used my lineup last Friday as it put up 323 FD points and easily cashed across the board. Going forward, not only will I be covering the Friday slate of games, but I’ll be covering Saturday as well, so be sure to check back here tomorrow for my lineup advice. Now, onto the good stuff…
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Point Guard
Chris Paul (LAC) $9,200 @ HOU
Paul, after missing a few games, came back two nights ago and picked up right where he left off scoring 40.6 FanDuel points in a loss to his former team in New Orleans. Since the return of Patrick Beverley, the Rockets have improved greatly in defense of the point guard position, but with no Blake Griffin and potentially no J.J. Redick, Paul is going to have to do a little bit of everything leading to a ton of FanDuel points.
Derrick Rose (CHI) $6,700 @ NO
Rose is always a risky proposition in DFS, but one that — lately — has been very good. He is averaging right around 35 FanDuel points over his last four games while logging 35-plus minutes. The Pelicans are dead last in defending the point guard over the last four weeks giving up a whopping 52.55 FanDuel points over that span. You never know what you are going to get with Rose, but his matchup, price, and upside are worth the risk tonight.
Shooting Guard
C.J. McCollum (POR) $7,100 @ SA
Damian Lillard is expected to miss his third straight game (ankle), leaving McCollum to handle the point guard duties. The Spurs have always struggled to defend the point guard position, and that is true again this year. They have given up 43-plus FanDuel points per game over the last four weeks. McCollum’s usage with Lillard on the court is one of the higher percentages in the league, but when Lillard is out of the lineup it jumps up even more. He will likely be low-owned as well as people tend to avoid the Spurs matchups.
Wesley Matthews (DAL) $5,500 @ GS
Matthews is another risky DFS player, but his price tag has come down after two straight games in which he did not hit value. At $5,500 in a “pace up” game with the Warriors, if the Mavericks can find a way to keep this game close, Matthews could be tonight’s top value.
Small Forward
Harrison Barnes (DAL) $6,500 @ GS
Though he has already played a game in Oakland since leaving the Warriors to join the Mavericks, it still has to mean something to him. He scored 36.1 FanDuel points in their last meeting and I’d expect a similar performance tonight as the Warriors are bottom eight over the last four weeks in points allowed to small forwards.
Andrew Wiggins (MIN) $6,400 vs MIL
When Wiggins is hot he is hot, and when he is not…he still shoots a ton. Wiggins has one of the higher usage rates in the entire NBA, and even with the emergence of Zach LaVine, he continues to put up solid scoring numbers. Only the Nets and Lakers are worse than the Bucks over the last four weeks in points allowed to opposing small forwards.
Power Forward
LaMarcus Aldridge (SA) $7,400 vs POR
When Aldridge was in Portland he was one of my favorite plays at power forward, but since his move to San Antonio, I almost never roster him. Three straight 40-plus FanDuel points performance have changed my mind. Tonight he gets to play his old team, a team that struggles mightily on the interior, so look for him to continue his strong play for at least one more game.
Jabari Parker (MIL) $7,100 @ MIN
Coming off a huge game in Detriot with 53.3 FanDuel points, Parker will look to carry the momentum going into Minnesota. The Timberwolves are a tough matchup for Parker, but at $7,100 I can’t pass on the upside.
Center
Montrezl Harrell (HOU) $4,100 vs LAC
You will need to pay attention to the news today, but I’m expecting Harrell to re-enter the starting lineup over Nene Hilario. As long as that happens, Harrell should have no issue reaching value at his paltry $4,100 price tag. If Harrell is not the starter, then you may have to blow up this whole lineup as there is no easy pivot to plug in.