Daily Fantasy Basketball is in full swing, which means each day XN Sports will have a column detailing advised plays and lineups for the remainder of the NBA season. For those familiar with DraftKings, their daily fantasy basketball is formatted differently this season. There is no multi-position eligibility, which makes it a bit harder to set your lineup.
For those unfamiliar with DraftKings, you are given $50,000 in cap space to select a point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, center, a guard, a forward, and a utility player. There are no points deducted for missed shots, which changes the strategy from other sites. To read the full scoring, click here. Keep in mind that a double-double awards a bonus, which can be the difference between cashing in and winning nothing.
Generally, the goal for value is at five times a player’s salary, plus five points. That brings a lineup to 290 fantasy points, which will cash each day.
Give DraftKings a shot, as there will be a few freeroll opportunities each night in Daily Fantasy Basketball. Click here to play.
– First place wins $5,000
– $2 entry fee (FREE with first deposit)
– Top 7,600 finishing positions are paid.
– Starts tonight at 7:00 PM EST
– Salary Cap Style Drafting. $50,000 to select 8 players
– Roster Format: 1 PG, 1 SG, 1 SF, 1 PF, 1 C, 1 G, 1 F, and 1 Utility
– First time depositors at DraftKings receive a 100% bonus up to $600
Remember, when you sign-up on DraftKings, use the promo code: XN.
Each position will have a few guys that we like for each night, ranked from top to bottom in terms of value. To find these players, tools like usage rate, defense vs. position, injuries, minutes, and more are used.
(GPP-only play) – Means that these players are risk/reward. Play them only in tournaments, not cash games.
Be sure to read the notes at the bottom of this column, as it details things you do not want to miss.There is a lot of news that will affect lineups tonight, stay informed before tip.
Point Guard
Ty Lawson, DEN $8,000
D.J. Augustin, DET $7,300
Derrick Rose, CHI $7,500
Cheap Plays:
Ramon Sessions, SAC $4,000
Jeremy Lin, LAL $3,800 (GPP-only)
Shooting Guard
James Harden, HOU $10,300
Jimmy Butler, CHI $7,800
Gerald Henderson, CHA $5,100
Cheap Plays:
Lance Stephenson, CHA $4,500 (GPP-only)
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DET $3,900 (GPP-only)
Small Forward
Trevor Ariza, HOU $5,700
Wilson Chandler, DEN $5,300
Josh Smith, HOU $6,400 (GPP-only)
Cheap Plays:
Wesley Johnson, LAL $4,200 (GPP-only)
Tony Snell, CHI $3,300 (GPP-only)
Omri Casspi or Derrick Williams, SAC $3,000 (whoever starts is a good GPP option)
Power Forward
Pau Gasol, CHI $9,400
Kenneth Faried, DEN $5,900
Markieff Morris, PHX $5,800 (GPP-only)
Donatas Motiejunas, HOU $5,800
Cheap Plays:
No cheap plays at power forward tonight in a short slate.
Center
Jusuf Nurkic, DEN $4,500
Marc Gasol, MEM $7,600
Al Jefferson, CHA $7,700
Cheap Plays:
Miles Plumlee, PHX $3,300 (GPP-only)
Notes (important)
– Darren Collison is out, Ramon Sessions will start again.
– Gary Neal was just traded for Mo Williams, do not start either player tonight.
– Kirk Hinrich is out, Tony Snell gets a bump.
Usage Rates
– If Rudy Gay is out, DeMarcus Cousins‘ usage rate is sky-high, well over 40 percent.
If you have any questions or concerns leading to tip, let me know on Twitter @JoshCollacchi.
*Keep an eye on the inactives, as things in the NBA change at the last second. Good luck tonight.
