First of all, my name is Josh Collacchi, and I am proud to be the newest addition here at XNSports. I come with a fantasy sports background, and you will see a daily fantasy NBA column from most every day. Each column will feature an optimized lineup, along with some value plays at each position. The values used on here are from FanDuel, and I suggest you check them out for all your daily fantasy needs.
On FanDuel, the goal is to submit a lineup with more than 320 points. In most GPP (guaranteed prize pools), the winner will always have over 335, and likely in the 345-355 point range. A 355-point lineup is an incredible thing, and is very hard to sustain on a consistent basis, but should you be able to submit lineups in the 310-320 point range, you could win some prizes consistently.
FanDuel uses a roster that is composed of: two point guards, two shooting guards, two small forwards, two power forwards and a center. FanDuel’s scoring is as follows, this is directly from the site’s “Rules and Scoring” page.
Point = 1pt, Rebound = 1.2pts, Assist = 1.5pts, Block = 2pts, Steal = 2pts, Turnover = -1pt
Today, there is a seven-game slate, which is enough for some good value plays. Unfortunately for daily players, the Philadelphia 76ers do not play, which eliminates some players’ strategy of stacking against the Sixers. The games today are: Milwaukee at Toronto, Houston at Boston, Phoenix at New York, San Antonio at New Orleans, Washington at Chicago, Orlando at Dallas, and Denver at Utah.
Values
The goal is to get five times the player’s salary in production, meaning that if Chris Paul‘s salary is $10,000, you would want and expect 50 fantasy points. Should this happen at every player slot, the final output would be 300 fantasy points or more, which is just south of what the goal is. The key is to get players who exceed good value, which would bring the total up to 320 points.
Point Guard
Raymond Felton, NYK ($5,600). Since returning from injury, Felton has scored 83.6 points in three games while playing over 35 minutes per game. Felton faces the Suns tonight, who give up just south of 101 points per game and are 18th against point guards in terms of fantasy scoring. Expect Felton to play over 30 minutes again, and should he reach 26 fantasy points or more, he’ll eclipse his value.
Trey Burke, UTAH ($5,700). Burke has been hot and cold this season, but with the Jazz facing off against the Nuggets who are 28th in the NBA in giving up fantasy points to opposing point guards, Burke is a good value tonight. At $5,700, all we need Burke to do is score 3.5 more points than his average of 25, and given the matchup, Burke should do just that.
Other PG values: Jeremy Lin, HOU ($5.6K vs. Boston), Jose Calderon, DAL ($5.7K vs. Orlando)
Shooting Guard
Terrence Ross, TOR ($4,300). Terrence Ross has been among my favorite plays since the Rudy Gay trade, as he plays over 30 minutes nearly every game. At the price tag of only $4.3K, Ross could meet his value of 21.5 points with relative ease, as the Bucks are 29th in the NBA against shooing guards and small forwards.
DeMar DeRozan, TOR ($7,900). DeRozan has been on fire of late, and as aforementioned with Ross, the Bucks are not going to scare you in terms of defense. With DeRozan at $7.9K, his value in terms of points is at 39.5 points, which he has only gone under twice in his last six games.
Small Forward
P.J. Tucker, PHX ($4,900). Tucker and the Suns face off against the New York Knicks who give up 1.29 points per shot, good for worst in the NBA. Tucker has made four three-pointers in his last two games, do not expect a barrage, but it is a nice boost to his game. Luckily, at $4.9K, Tucker only needs to get to 24.5 fantasy points, which is just above his average for this month. Tucker’s minutes have also improved, which is always good news for fantasy owners. Combine his low price with the lack of value at the SF position, and Tucker could be played by a lot of owners tonight.
Power Forward
Kris Humphries, BOS ($4,300). Humphries and the Celtics take on the Rockets tonight, who give up 102 points per game. Now, the Rockets have a good rebound percentage, so we will likely not see a huge rebounding game from Humphries, but since he has been contributing so well on the defensive side of the floor with six blocks and four steals in two nights against two good teams in Portland and Golden State, he is well worth his tag of only $4.3K. That value is only 21.5 points, and he has only missed that once since the month began. One thing with Humphries is the ability to get more than his value. In his last seven games, he has achieved values of six or even seven times his salary.
Center
Samuel Dalembert, DAL ($3,500) Where I do not usually recommend going cheap at center, Dalembert is the minimum, and he is slated to start tonight against the Magic, who are ranked 19th in scoring defense, 22nd in rebound percentage, and 24th in turnovers. This points to a good matchup by all accounts. With Dalembert’s ability to block shots, he is a good play at the minimum salary of $3.5K tonight, especially if he can play more than 20 minutes. At $3.5K, his value is an easily attainable 17.5 fantasy points, which is only a half of a point more than his average.
Optimized Lineup
- PG Goran Dragic $7,700 PHO@NY
- PG Trey Burke $5,700 DEN@UTA
- SG Monta Ellis $7,500 ORL@DAL
- SG Randy Foye $5,200 DEN@UTA
- SF P.J. Tucker $4,900 PHO@NY
- SF Chandler Parsons $7,000 HOU@BOS
- PF Kris Humphries $4,200 HOU@BOS
- PF Carmelo Anthony $9,800 PHO@NY
- C Joakim Noah $8,000 WAS@CHI
Good luck to everyone tonight!
*Remember to check the starting lineups before tip-off, and make sure your players are active for tonight’s games, this column is written with the intent of everyone not labeled “OUT” to be playing*
