Last night was a big night for NBA DFS, as there were multiple games that went for well over 200 combined points. Those who stacked the Thunder and Warriors game likely came out victorious, especially those who took Kevin Durant. Durant registered 54 points along with four rebounds and six assists. For those who paid the massive price, Durant was well worth it last night.
Let’s see how we did last night:
| Optimized Lineup | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Fantasy Points |
| PG | Avery Bradley | 20.3 |
| PG | D.J. Augustin | 22.2 |
| SG | J.J. Redick | 21.1 |
| SG | DeMar DeRozan | 29.5 |
| SF | James Johnson | 21.8 |
| SF | Rudy Gay | 24.3 |
| PF | Greg Monroe | 5.7 |
| PF | Pau Gasol | 48.6 |
| C | Al Jefferson | 59.2 |
| Total | 252.7 |
Paul Gasol and Al Jefferson were awesome last night. Then, it was all downhill from there. The rest of the team was horrid, and this is what the DFS world calls this lineup “donating” to the industry. Greg Monroe with just a 5.7 point game hurt a lot of people last night, as anyone in single digits would do.
| Value Plays | Price (in Thousands) | Fantasy Points | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avery Bradley | 6.1 | 20.3 | 3.33 |
| J.J. Redick | 5.3 | 21.3 | 4.02 |
| James Johnson | 4.1 | 21.8 | 5.32 |
| Greg Monroe | 6.6 | 5.7 | 0.86 |
| Andrew Bogut | 6.1 | 16 | 2.62 |
| Total | 28.2 | 85.1 | 3.02 |
James Johnson was great value, once again, as he continues to be on a consistent basis. J.J Redick was a mediocre 4.02, which isn’t a big deal. But everyone else was horrid. Bradley, Monroe and Bogut combined for 42 fantasy points, yet the cost was 18.8 thousand. Not a good night at all for the value plays, but let’s get it back tonight.
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 300-320 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 an eight game slate, with a few teams playing on back to back nights. Despite a lower number of games, there are still good values to be had. Good luck to everyone tonight.
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 could bring the total up to 320 points.
Point Guard
Trey Burke, UTAH ($6,000). At an even $6K, Trey Burke is one of the better values tonight. In his last four games, he has eclipsed good value, and in Burke’s last two games, he has over 75 fantasy points, good for six times value per game. Burke and the Jazz take on the Timberwolves tonight, who rank 29th in the NBA in fantasy points given up to point guards.
Shooting Guard
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DET ($3,600). FanDuel is one of the last sites to raise the price on KCP, and until he is more than just above the minimum, he becomes a good value play. At just $3.6K, he only needs 18 fantasy points. He has reached that number or exceeded it in three of his last seven games. At just $3.6K, KCP is worth the “risk” involved, especially against the Wizards, who are 25th in the NBA in opponent field goal percentage.
Small Forward
Shawn Marion, DAL ($5,200). Shawn Marion needs 26 fantasy points to reach good value tonight, and since his return from injury, he is averaging just under that. Now that Marion has two games under his belt, he should be good to go, and will return to his fantasy value he possessed before his injury. The Dallas Mavericks take on the Trailblazers tonight, who are 25th in the NBA in defense. In addition, tonight’s Dallas vs. Portland game has the highest over/under at 214.5 total points, which always bodes well for fantasy points.
Power Forward
Terrence Jones, HOU ($7,100). Jones has been on fire of late, and at $7.1K, he just needs to get 35.5 fantasy points to reach value. Jones has done that in his last four games, and has averaged around 42 fantasy points per game in that stretch. Tonight, Jones and the Rockets take on the Bucks tonight, who are 28th in the NBA in rebounding percentage. This bodes well for Jones, who has been on a tear of late on the boards amassing 50 rebounds in the last four games.
Center
Joakim Noah, CHI ($8,900). At $8.9K, Noah’s price may be a tad high for most players to choose him, but since the Bulls face off against the Sixers tonight, Noah becomes a strong play, despite the fact that he needs 44.5 fantasy points to reach good value. The Sixers are 30th in defense, and 21st in rebounding percentage. In addition, the Sixers gave up over 22 combined blocks and steals to the Heat last night, and those are two of Noah’s fortes. In his last ten games, the lowest point total for Noah was 28 fantasy points. His floor is high, and his ceiling is even higher and against the Sixers, that is a perfect storm for the former Florida Gator.
Optimized Lineup
- PG Trey Burke $6,000 UTA@MIN
- PG Damian Lillard $8,000 POR@DAL
- SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope $3,600 DET@WAS
- SG Monta Ellis $7,700 POR@DAL
- SF Shawn Marion $5,200 POR@DAL
- SF Nicolas Batum $7,400 POR@DAL
- PF Terrence Jones $7,100 MIL@HOU
- PF Carlos Boozer $6,000 PHI@CHI
- C Joakim Noah $8,900 PHI@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*
