This is a massive 11-game FanDuel main slate tonight. There are four games that have projections of at least 220 points. The Washington-Philadelphia game has the highest o/u at 235. The New Orleans-Miami game has the second highest total at 229.5. Both the Memphis-Brooklyn and the Cleveland-Boston games have 209 projected totals but each has some plays that I like tonight. The Thunder have the highest bump in points based on implied total. They are projected to score 9 more points than normal. Even in this pace up spot with a 227 o/u, you need to be cautious because it could be a blowout as the Thunder are favored by 13 points.
There are 14 players that are priced at $9,000 or higher with Anthony Davis being the top-priced player by a clear margin at $12,300. James Harden and Russell Westbrook are the next highest at $11,700 and $11,400, respectively. Joel Embiid and Lebron James round out the $11K range as they are both $11,000.
There are a lot of ways to construct lineups. Targeting the highest scoring game of the night (Washington-Philadelphia) wouldn’t be a bad decision. John Wall, Bradley Beal, Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, and Embiid could all go off and the role players could also have big games. The example lineup that I give you today targets some of my favorite individual plays from the night. You’ll notice that I take more of a balanced approach, rather than a stars-and-scrubs approach. I do not have any of the top-priced plays, though if I did, my two favorite plays from an equity standpoint are James Harden and Joel Embiid.
This is a massive 11-game FanDuel main slate tonight. There are four games that have projections of at least 220 points. The Washington-Philadelphia game has the highest o/u at 235. The New Orleans-Miami game has the second highest total at 229.5. Both the Memphis-Brooklyn and the Cleveland-Boston games have 209 projected totals but each has some plays that I like tonight. The Thunder have the highest bump in points based on implied total. They are projected to score 9 more points than normal. Even in this pace up spot with a 227 o/u, you need to be cautious because it could be a blowout as the Thunder are favored by 13 points.
There are 14 players that are priced at $9,000 or higher with Anthony Davis being the top-priced player by a clear margin at $12,300. James Harden and Russell Westbrook are the next highest at $11,700 and $11,400, respectively. Joel Embiid and Lebron James round out the $11K range as they are both $11,000.
There are a lot of ways to construct lineups. Targeting the highest scoring game of the night (Washington-Philadelphia) wouldn’t be a bad decision. John Wall, Bradley Beal, Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, and Embiid could all go off and the role players could also have big games. The example lineup that I give you today targets some of my favorite individual plays from the night. You’ll notice that I take more of a balanced approach, rather than a stars-and-scrubs approach. I do not have any of the top-priced plays, though if I did, my two favorite plays from an equity standpoint are James Harden and Joel Embiid.
The roster and comments that I provide are intended to be taken as an early first look. In no way, should you blindly enter this lineup in a contest, nor plug and play these players automatically without examining all the information available to you. Remember that you roster nine players on FanDuel but only count your best eight scores as FD drops the worst scoring player from your lineup.
As always, more value will open up as the day goes by that may allow you to get even better plays into your lineup. All of the plays that recommended are plays that I will be considering for my lineups, as well. That doesn’t mean that I will end up with all of these guys as updated news and constructing rosters might lead me to a different play. Remember to check the news and injury reports, especially in the 30 minutes prior to lock. Have a solid process, using all the information available to you to make the best decision possible for your lineup. Good luck and have fun!
Create FanDuel lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool 
Point Guard
Mike Conley (MEM): $8,900 at BKN
Conley has earned at least 47 FDFP in four of his last 5 games (including one game of 54.3). He should go extremely under-owned with a high probability of reaching 5X value. I like this play from a safety (floor) standpoint, ceiling standpoint, and ownership standpoint. Kemba Walker is also a good option as he is putting up an MVP-type season so far. Russell Westbrook is also a good play if you are playing multiple lineups. If you are playing just one lineup, then I’d probably pass on playing him only because of the likely blowout. He’ll still do okay in a blowout, but I don’t see how he smashes.
Trae Young (ATL): $7,200 at OKC
His price is fair and I like the narrative. He is going back to Oklahoma for the first time since being drafted out of the University of Oklahoma. This might not be a legit reason to play him if he had not shown upside previously, but he has three 40+ FDFP games in his last 10. Unfortunately, he also a pretty low floor. He is a prototypical GPP play in that he has upside that can boost your lineup and he also can sink your lineup with a dud. Overall, he is averaging 30.2 FDFP this season. Colin Sexton, Reggie Jackson, and Dennis Smith, Jr. are all fine plays but they are priced a little higher. They are probably better suited for cash games. They will probably get you 25-32 FDFP but haven’t shown a huge ceiling this year. You could also chase Tim Frazier‘s 40.2 FDFP game from Wednesday. Watch the news and if he is starting, maybe he’ll return 10X value again. Ryan Arcidiacono is getting a bunch of minutes and is coming off games of 48.0 and 34.8 FDFP. Derrick White is also a really cheap option that is viable if he starts. He has averaged 21.9 FDFP in the five games this season that he has logged more than 20 minutes.
Shooting Guard
Devin Booker (PHO): $8,200 at ORL
I wouldn’t argue against Bradley Beal or Zach Lavine here as both of them have earned 40+ FDFP in four of their last five games. But I am going to go with the slightly cheaper option who has 40+ FDFP in four of his last six games but two of those games were 50+. I might be biased because I just saw him live against the Pistons this past week but that further solidified his 29.3% true usage rate. He struggled a little bit on Wednesday with only 33.8 FDFP but he was listed as questionable going into that game and still played 30+ minutes.
Dennis Schroeder (OKC): $6,000 vs. ATL
The #RevengeNarrative factor is in full effect tonight. His price is too low, he is playing for the right coach, he should get plenty of minutes, and plenty of shots in this likely blowout. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take 20 shots and score 40+ fantasy points. He has earned 40+ FDFP in four of his last 11 games and that was without a reason to have a chip on his shoulder. His role is fairly secure whether this is a close game or a blowout. I like his floor and definitely like his ceiling. As anyone that has read my columns in the past knows that I like Wayne Ellington a lot. He has nice upside (when he plays – which he’s been doing this year) but his price tag is a little too high for a guy that is inconsistent and scoring-dependent.
Small Forward
Cedi Osman (CLE): $5,200 at BOS
Osman has averaged 28.3 FDFP in his last five games with three games of 30+ and his floor is 20.1. He has played 35 MPG during that stretch and I don’t expect that to be lessened much tonight as the Cavs continue to battle injuries. This is not a glamorous play but should be solid and allow you the salary to get other players with higher ceilings.
Kelly Oubre (WAS): $5,100 at PHI
For a guy that brings a lot of energy to the court every night with the ability to heat up from the outside, I like his upside now that he is starting. Overall he is averaging 22.5 FDFP this season but in games that he has played at least 27 MPG, he is producing 31.1 FDFP. He has two games of 30+ in his last three games. He is not necessarily safe as he has had four games of 10 FDFP or less in his last 12 games, but if you need to save some salary and give yourself some GPP upside, then he is a good option.
Power Forward
Jaren Jackson Jr. (MEM): $6,900 at BKN
The good news is that in his last five games, he has gone for at least 35 FDFP three times. The bad news is that in the other two games, he killed DFS lineups with single-digit fantasy points. He has earned 40+ FDFP in four of his last 11 games. Overall, he is averaging 37.1 FDFP in the 11 games that he has played at least 27 minutes. He is the epitome of a GPP play. When he isn’t in foul trouble, he will help your lineup significantly. I like him even more if Marc Gasol sits (Gasol practiced on Thursday but is still expected to a game-time decision) but I will probably fire him up regardless. As long as he stays out of foul trouble, he is a good play. If you wanted to pay up at this position, I like Blake Griffin as he has been playing really well lately and had 57.9 FDFP against the Bulls earlier this year.
Marcus Morris (BOS): $5,100 vs. CLE
I never seem to get the Morris brothers (Markief and Marcus) right so be aware of that as you consider my recommendation to play Morris tonight. He has a good matchup against the Cavs and Al Horford has already been ruled out, which should put Morris back in the starting lineup. He has returned or exceeded value at this $5,100 price point in three of the last four games. Ironically, the one game he didn’t reach value was against an Atlanta team that is handing out points in bunches. He has 35+ FDFP in two of his last four games, as well. I like Rashaun Holmes at a similar price point also, but he just doesn’t play enough minutes to give me confidence in that play. If you decide not to go with Jackson, Jr. but still want some of the Grizzlies frontcourt (especially if Gasol sits), then JyMichal Green offers some intrigue. He has a nice floor but hasn’t shown much upside this year, though he had some big games last season.
Center
Julius Randle (NOP): $7,200 at MIA
This is purely a price play with upside. From an equity standpoint, I prefer Joel Embiid (but his price is too high for me) and Nikola Vucevic. I believe that Vucevic will smash tonight going against one of the worst defensive Centers in the NBA in Deandre Ayton. If I play multiple lineups I will definitely have a fair share of Vucevic. He has 60-point upside but I also believe Randle has 50-point upside at $2,200 less. Randle is inconsistent but has had seven games of 40+ FDFP (including two games of 50+) this year. Even though he is coming off the bench, he is still seeing 23.9% true usage for the Pelicans. Barring any unforeseen situations, he has a reasonable floor of 32-35 FDFP with nice upside. This could be thought of as a thin play since the Center position is loaded with a number of good players and matchups but I legitimately like Randle and he makes it possible to get other players I like. One final thought to consider is if Marc Gasol sits then Jarrett Allen is a good play at a very affordable price tag.
Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel
Jamy Bechler is an NBA fantasy contributor for FantasyPros. His DFS twitter is @WinningDFS101, and his website is www.FantasyFocusFootball.com. When he is not playing DFS, Jamy is an author, host of the “Success is a Choice” podcast, and is a leadership trainer, working with businesses and teams across the country (including the NBA). Even though he offers his advice on players and contests, after additional information and consideration, he may end up using different players and strategies than what he recommends.
