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.
Details:
-$55,000 prize pool.
– First place wins $5,000
– $2 entry fee (FREE with first deposit)
– Top 6,600 finishing positions are paid.
– Starts on Tuesday, December 30 at 7:00 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
Rather than value plays and lineups tonight, XN will give you a cheat sheet with the best plays at each position.
For those who frequent this column: if you like this idea let us know. If you prefer the other format, let us know as well.
Each position will have a few guys that we like for each night, ranked from top to bottom. To find these players, tools like usage rate, defense vs. position, injuries, minutes, and more are used.
There is a lot of news that will affect lineups tonight, stay informed before tip.
Point Guard
John Wall, Washington Wizards $10,300
Brandon Jennings, Detroit Pistons $6,800
Ty Lawson, Denver Nuggets $10,000
Jarrett Jack, Brooklyn Nets $5,900
Cheap Plays:
Tony Wroten, Philadelphia 76ers $4,800
Patty Mills, San Antonio Spurs $3,600
Shooting Guard
Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls $8,700
Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors $8,200
Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic $5,800
Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs $4,900
Danny Green, San Antonio Spurs $6,900
Cheap Plays:
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit Pistons $4,500
Sergey Karasev, Brooklyn Nets $3,500
Small Forward
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors $7,600
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers $11,700 (very expensive)
Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz $7,600
Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets $6,500
Cheap Plays:
Rodney Hood, Utah Jazz $3,800
Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors $4,400
Kyle Singler, Detroit Pistons $3,700
Power Forward
Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets $6,900
Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz $7,500
Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks $8,400
Ed Davis, Los Angeles Lakers $5,200
Cheap Plays:
No cheap values at power forward for tonight’s slate.
Center
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons $9,600
Tyson Chandler, Dallas Mavericks $6,900
Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota Timberwolves $6,700
Cheap Plays:
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz $4,700
Notes
– Rodney Hood is starting tonight, with Alec Burks out. He has a good matchup against Minnesota, so he’s a nice punt play at small forward.
– Andre Drummond is a feature in Detroit’s offense, and has a top-tier matchup against the Magic.
– Sergey Karasev continues to reach value, and continues to be under-priced. He’s an excellent punt option at shooting guard.
– Tony Wroten has reached value in four straight and will play a lot of minutes tonight against the Warriors, likely off the bench.
– Gordon Hayward has another great matchup, and his usage rate is high without Alec Burks on the court.
– Manu Ginobili’s usage is very high without Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard.
– The Warriors could blow the Sixers out with the Vegas line set at an astonishing -17.5, leaving only 25-30 possible minutes for the Warriors’ starters. Beware in cash games.
Narrative Alert
– Tonight is LeBron James’ 30th birthday.
– The Sixers face the Warriors, former Sixers in Marreese Speights and Andre Iguodala will see minutes for Golden State.
– If Kyle O’Quinn can ever reach value, it would be tonight against the Pistons.
Usage Rates
No outstanding usage rates (other than those in “Notes”) for today’s slate with the lack of injuries or significant lineup changes.
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.
