In FanDuel, you get $60K to build a nine player team. Ideally, you want to score 300+ to put out a solid lineup and 325+ to have a solid chance at a larger tournament. That means we need to get at least 5X value on each player. If Player A costs $10,000, we’d need a 50 FPS night to justify that salary.
FanDuel scoring: Point = 1pt, Rebound = 1.2pts, Assist = 1.5pts, Block = 2pts, Steal = 2pts, Turnover = -1pt
A lot of our value plays came through yesterday. D.J. Augustin led the Bulls in scoring with 27 and added four assists, four rebounds, and a steal. Rodney Stuckey came off the bench to drop a team-high 29 points, four assists, four rebounds, and a block. Bradley Beal dominated against the Sixers, posting a team-high 22 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and a block.
There were a few mediocre performances. Nene Hilario only put up seven points but at least helped out with five rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and two assists. Robin Lopez posted 13 points, three rebounds, a steal, and a block. Of course, there were a couple of duds. Paul Pierce only took four shots in the Nets’ drubbing of the Knicks, posting just three points, five assists, four rebounds, a block, and a steal. Kendall Marshall, coming off of five straight double-doubles, disappeared and only scored three points but did record eight assists and two steals.
That’s how it’ll be most days. Our goal is to give ourselves as many potential hits as possible while trying to mitigate the risk. But, sometimes even steady fantasy contributors like Pierce and Marshall will disappoint. There’s only five games today so our options are limited but let’s take a look at today’s top FanDuel plays.
Point Guard:
Jameer Nelson vs BKN ($6,600): The Nets are on the second day of a back-to-back while Nelson is averaging 36.75 fantasy points over his last four games. It’s a steep price to pay for a “value” play but he’s sixth in price in a five game slate. If he doesn’t get the 33 fantasy points he’d need to justify that price, he should certainly come close.
Shooting Guard:
Alec Burks vs MIN ($5,700): The Wolves and Jazz are playing their second game against one another in four days and Burks led Utah on Saturday with 27.4 fantasy points. He’ll need about the same effort today to justify that price tag, which he’s done in three of his last four games.
Ray Allen vs BOS ($3,600): Note, this play requires you to check Dwyane Wade‘s gametime status and have a backup strategy if Wade does play. If Wade is still out, Allen would get the start again against the Celts and would be a steal at $3,600. Over his last two games with Wade banged up, he’s averaged 38 minutes per game and 26 fantasy points. If Wade does play, pass.
Small Forward:
Jeff Green vs MIA ($5,600): Miami is playing the second night of a back-to-back while Green would need 28 fantasy points to justify his price tag. He’s eclipsed 27 fantasy points in six of his last eight games and scored 24 points with five threes, five rebounds, an assist, and a block the last time he faced the Heat.
Power Forward:
Jason Thompson vs NO ($4,100): The Pelicans give up the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards and Thompson would only need 20.5 fantasy points to justify his price tag. He’s eclipsed 19 fantasy points in four of his last six games.
Andray Blatche vs ORL ($5,300): Blatche has been hot, posting back-to-back double-doubles. He’ll need 26.5 fantasy points to justify his price tag, a number he’s eclipsed in three of his last five games, including 44.8 points against the Hawks and 38.4 points against the Knicks over his last two.
Center:
Enes Kanter vs MIN ($4,700): There aren’t any “budget” plays at the center position. The lowest price tag for a solid play today is $7,300 for Chris Bosh. If you’ve used up your budget on the other positions though, Kanter could be a good option to throw at the wall and see if he sticks. He’d need 23.5 fantasy points to justify that salary, a number he’s eclipsed in three of his last five games.
Optimized Lineup:
PG- Jameer Nelson vs BKN ($6,600)
PG- Reggie Jackson vs POR ($6,300)
SG- Alec Burks vs UTA ($5,700)
SG- Joe Johnson vs ORL ($6,200)
SF- Jeff Green at MIA ($5,600)
SF- Kevin Durant vs POR ($12,100)
PF- Jason Thompson vs NO ($4,100)
PF- Tobias Harris vs BKN ($6,100)
C- Chris Bosh vs BOS ($7,300)
