There are 10 games on the FanDuel main slate tonight. None of the teams from last night’s three-game slate are in action so we don’t have to worry about any back-to-backs. I don’t know if we’ll have any games like last night’s Golden State-Houston phenomenon or Harden’s 80.5 fantasy performance but there are still some interesting plays and games on tap.
The Clippers-Suns game has a 233 total with only a 4-point spread, so I am looking to target that game in some game stacks if I go that route. The Atlanta-Milwaukee game has 230.5 total but is also expected to be a blowout. I also like the OKC-Portland game with a 223.5 total but Vegas has it as a “pickem”. Any close game involving Russell Westbrook is always interesting from a fantasy perspective.
Even though it is a 10-game slate, there are only 7 healthy players that are priced at $9,000 or higher with Giannis Antetokounmpo being the top-priced player by a clear margin at $12,500. He is priced nearly $1,000 more than Russell Westbrook ($11,600). My favorite equity plays of the night at Westbrook, Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,600), and Paul George ($10,200). In a vacuum, those are my favorite plays. I will pass on Giannis because of the blowout potential.
There are 10 games on the FanDuel main slate tonight. None of the teams from last night’s three-game slate are in action so we don’t have to worry about any back-to-backs. I don’t know if we’ll have any games like last night’s Golden State-Houston phenomenon or Harden’s 80.5 fantasy performance but there are still some interesting plays and games on tap.
The Clippers-Suns game has a 233 total with only a 4-point spread, so I am looking to target that game in some game stacks if I go that route. The Atlanta-Milwaukee game has 230.5 total but is also expected to be a blowout. I also like the OKC-Portland game with a 223.5 total but Vegas has it as a “pickem”. Any close game involving Russell Westbrook is always interesting from a fantasy perspective.
Even though it is a 10-game slate, there are only 7 healthy players that are priced at $9,000 or higher with Giannis Antetokounmpo being the top-priced player by a clear margin at $12,500. He is priced nearly $1,000 more than Russell Westbrook ($11,600). My favorite equity plays of the night at Westbrook, Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,600), and Paul George ($10,200). In a vacuum, those are my favorite plays. I will pass on Giannis because of the blowout potential.
There are a lot of ways to construct lineups. Targeting the highest scoring games of the night isn’t a terrible decision. There is a lot of potential fantasy goodness in the Lakers-Knicks, Thunder-Trailblazers, and Clippers-Suns games. You can also look to take the Stars-and-Scrubs approach, where you essentially play higher-priced players and then find low-cost value plays to round out your roster. My first take on roster construction led me to try putting one of the OKC studs and KAT into my lineup. However, I couldn’t find enough value early on to get a lineup that I like. I eventually landed on a balanced lineup construction. This is probably more of a cash game lineup than a GPP lineup today, but I still like it early on.
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 should 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!
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Point Guard
Tyus Jones (MIN): $6,500 vs. ORL
Jones is also not dirt cheap like he’s been, but Jeff Teague and Derrick Rose are both likely to sit making Jones a good option again as the starter. He earned 35+ FDFP in each of the last three games (averaging 38.3). Remember, that I am not opposed to ever playing Russell Westbrook at Point Guard because he has slate-breaking potential every time he laces up his shoes.
Terry Rozier (BOS): $6,100 vs. DAL
He is starting again for Kyrie Irving and tends to excel when he starts. In Wednesday’s game, he went for 43.1 FDFP versus Minnesota. He is not dirt cheap anymore but still provides some value as a starter. In the last seven games that he has played at least 24 minutes, he is averaging 32.1 fantasy points. If Ricky Rubio sits (questionable for tonight) tonight, I would probably lock in Dante Exum at his $3,900 price tag against the Cavs. He has returned 5X value in five of his last six games and has averaged 25.6 FDFP in the games that he plays 20+ minutes. That would open up a lot of salary to use elsewhere.
Shooting Guard
Lou Williams (LAC): $6,800 at PHO
This game has the highest total on the night. The Clippers have the second highest implied total and the Phoenix Suns are not good defensively. He is on a tear lately. In his last five games, Williams is averaging 24.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 5.6 APG, so he is doing a little bit of everything. Those statistics have translated into an average of 38.3 FDFP. He also had 31.3 FDFP against Phoenix earlier this season.
Josh Hart (LAL): $6,400 vs. NYK
Lebron and Rajon Rondo are out, and Hart has been seeing the benefits of this. The second-year player has played 30+ minutes in four straight games while averaging 34.85 FDFP. He has 39 fantasy points in each of his last two games. This should be a high-scoring affair against a porous Knicks defense.
Small Forward
Brandon Ingram (LAL): $6,900 vs. NYK
Similar to Josh Hart, Ingram sees a big boost with Lebron and Rondo out. If Kuzma misses, that is even better. Ingram sees an 8% usage bump with those three players off the court. Overall, in the last four games, Ingram has averaged 35.6 FDFP. With his projected usage bump (if Kuzma is out) and the fact that he is averaging 37.5 MPG in his last four games, he makes for a nice option tonight. Besides, the Knicks are not exactly a great defensive team as they are giving up the 4th most points in the NBA. My favorite Small Forward far and away is Paul George. He has been on a tear and is very likely to return 5X value but I couldn’t find a way to fit him into a balanced-build on FD (much easier on DK because of the position flexibility).
Derrick Jones Jr. (MIA): $3,900 vs. WAS
32.8 and 31.4 FDFP in the last two games and he is under 4K. This might feel a bit like chasing points, but the guy is explosive and has played 31 and 24 minutes. It’s not like he is getting lucky in limited minutes. Playing Miami guys are always a little risky because they are a true team with no superstars. Coach Spoelstra has commented recently that Jones has “made me play him” by earning the time in practice and then confirming the decision in the games. At $3,900, I am willing to take a gamble on him and chase points again. He has six games of 30+ fantasy points in his last 12 games.
Power Forward
John Collins (ATL): $8,300 at MIL
This is my least favorite play in my lineup. It is not that Collins is a bad player or a bad play, I just think he is overpriced but I couldn’t make anything else work that I loved. Throughout the day, I will be tinkering to see if I can get off of him to make a better roster. Once, again, I am not against Collins. I just don’t love the play. He is not going to kill your lineup as he has averaged 38.5 FDFP in his last 11 games. He easily could reach 40 fantasy points and has 50-point upside. He is probably a better cash-game play than a GPP play, though. However, the Bucks are not a good rebounding team, so Collins might be able to rack up some numbers. I also not opposed to playing Tobias Harris for $900 less even though he has been struggling a bit recently. He did go for 52.1 FDFP the last time that he played Phoenix.
Jayson Tatum (BOS): $6,100 vs. DAL
This is a buy-low situation. His price was only this low one other time this year and that was back in mid-November when he earned 30.4 FDFP against Denver. This probably won’t be a very up-tempo affair but he did have 37.3 FDFP back in late November against these same Dallas Mavericks. He is not a consistent player from a fantasy perspective but has 40+ fantasy points in two of his last eight games so there is some upside for him. Overall, in his last 12 games, he has averaged 30.7 FDFP. If you want to save a few extra dollars but lose out on some upside, you could look at Luke Kornet ($5,500). He has been a must-play the last couple of games because of his minutes, performances, and his minimum salary. His price is a little higher than I’d like but he is definitely worth a look averaging 32.1 FDFP in his last three games.
Center
Brook Lopez (MIL): $5,600 vs. ATL
I do not like clicking on Bro-Lo’s name but with FD dropping your lowest score, it gives me some consolation. Besides, he has been playing well lately and has an amazing matchup tonight against everybody’s favorite fantasy defense – the Atlanta Hawks. In the world of real-life scoring, Lopez has lit it up recently. He has scored 21.5 PPG in the last four games. As a former basketball coach, I never questioned his talent, I just didn’t like that he stays outside too much on offense and is a below-average rebounder. However, it is hard to argue with his recent results and the matchup is just too good. The Hawks are giving up the most points (117.8 PPG) in the NBA. In the last five games, he is averaging nearly 30 FDFP. In his last 10 games, he is averaging nearly 28 FDFP. He is fairly consistent and if he could put ever put together a decent “Center-like” rebounding game, he’d have the potential to top 40+ fantasy points. The Hawks are a very bad rebounding team so maybe tonight is the night. If I play multiple lineups, I will definitely find a way to fit KAT into some of my lineups as he has been a monster in his last four games (70.4 FDFP).
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Jamy Bechler is an NBA, NFL, and PGA 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.