Welcome to the first FanDuel NBA Saturday of 2018! I was hoping to curb my FanDuel addiction for 2018, but I’ve already messed that up so 2019 will be my year fo sho. That’s OK though because, as always, I’ve got a lineup that will come in first place and net me the big bucks so let’s try to carve through the injuries early in the day and put together a dynamite GPP squad.
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Point Guards
John Wall (WAS) $9,200 @ MIL
I’m going to start off by saying that I am guessing Otto Porter Jr. sits out this one after leaving last night’s game with a hip strain. That doesn’t affect Wall all that much, but will be important for later picks.
As for Wall, he hasn’t performed well on no rest this season which made me a bit hesitant, but he’s playing his best ball of the season with a 50.6 ppg average over his last three. Despite this, he’s actually at his lowest price in that time span at $9,200, and gets the best matchup on the slate with the Bucks who allow 52.1 ppg to PGs.
Rajon Rondo (NOR): $5,800 @ MIN
Welcome to the first FanDuel NBA Saturday of 2018! I was hoping to curb my FanDuel addiction for 2018, but I’ve already messed that up so 2019 will be my year fo sho. That’s OK though because, as always, I’ve got a lineup that will come in first place and net me the big bucks so let’s try to carve through the injuries early in the day and put together a dynamite GPP squad.
Create FanDuel lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool
Point Guards
John Wall (WAS) $9,200 @ MIL
I’m going to start off by saying that I am guessing Otto Porter Jr. sits out this one after leaving last night’s game with a hip strain. That doesn’t affect Wall all that much, but will be important for later picks.
As for Wall, he hasn’t performed well on no rest this season which made me a bit hesitant, but he’s playing his best ball of the season with a 50.6 ppg average over his last three. Despite this, he’s actually at his lowest price in that time span at $9,200, and gets the best matchup on the slate with the Bucks who allow 52.1 ppg to PGs.
Rajon Rondo (NOR): $5,800 @ MIN
Figuring out when Rajon Rondo will go off is a guessing game, but it usually happens when his price falls to the mid-$5000s. Rondo is always an intriguing GPP play due to his likely low ownership and potential to drop 25 dimes out of nowhere. Rondo only had 19 points last game, but his USG rate (29.8) was the highest it had been all season. That may signal good things on the horizon.
Shooting Guards
Victor Oladipo (IND): $9,300 v. CHI
My guess is that Oladipo returns tonight against the Bulls and gets his usual dose of heavy minutes. The Bulls are ridiculously inept at containing SGs with a Defense vs. Position (DvP) of 56.3 so expect a monster game from Oladipo in his return as he looks to get his team back on track.
Will Barton (DEN): 6,300 @ SAC
It’s been a couple games since Will the Thrill has gone off, but this spot against the Kings seems to be a good one. They struggle to contain SGs, and Gary Harris is overpriced at $6,800 while Jamal Murray is as well in the $7,000s. Somebody in the Nuggets backcourt will have that big value game against the Kings, and I’m expecting it to be Barton.
Small Forwards
LeBron James (CLE): $11,700 @ ORL
This came down to LeBron or Giannis, and Giannis just isn’t playing well enough to pick right now. LeBron only had 34 points in a shocking blowout loss to the Magic earlier this season so look for him to fix that. The Magic can’t defend anybody, and nobody can defend LeBron so this sets up pretty well.
David Nwaba (CHI): $3,600 @ IND
The SF position is weak tonight, and Nwaba seems to pop off once every five games or so when his price gets too low. Nwaba actually had a 26.4 USG rate in 22 minutes last night, but only mustered 12 points. Expect a much better output this time if he sees similar minutes and usage.
Power Forwards
Bobby Portis (CHI): $4,300 @ IND
The Pacers struggle as much as any team to defend frontcourt players which leaves room for a big game for a PF or C on the Bulls. Last time against the Pacers, Portis, Nikola Mirotic, and Lauri Markkanen all had nice games. However, Portis’ price has actually dropped despite some recent strong play, while the prices of the other two have risen significantly. Look to play Portis at a solid price point who is coming off a strong game on Friday night against Dallas.
Mike Scott (WAS): $3,500 @ MIL
This is an “only if Otto Porter is out” play. Kelly Oubre will get the start in Porter’s place, and will be the more popular play, but he’s actually been better as a reserve than as a starter. Mike Scott “Paper Company” has dropped to the bare minimum price tag, but has performed well in all three games Porter has missed this season (30.1 ppg) while seeing at least 23 minutes in all of them.
Center
Bismack Biyombo (ORL): $6,200 v. CLE
The potential blowout may scare some away, but the Cavs consistently underperform against below average teams, and the Magic are by all means below average. Up until last game’s blowout loss to Houston, Biyombo had been playing well in Vucevic’s absence with four straight 30+ point games. The Cavs offer a great matchup for opposing centers so look for Bismack to get back on track.
That’s it. Good luck, and happy new year!
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Joey Korman is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joey, check out his archive and follow him @leaveit2divac.