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.
Tonight’s featured contest:
-$60,000 prize pool.
– 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.
Note: If you have signed up on DraftKings because of XNSports, let us know in the comments or on Twitter @XNSports.
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
Jrue Holiday, New Orleans Pelicans $7,600
Trey Burke, Utah Jazz $5,000S
Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers $9,700
Jarrett Jack, Brooklyn Nets $6,500
Cheap Plays:
Shane Larkin, New York Knicks $4,200
Jerryd Bayless, Milwaukee Bucks $3,400
Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls $3,500
Shooting Guard
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers $8,800
Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls $8,500
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks $6,600
Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic $5,800
Tim Hardaway Jr., New York Knicks $5,000
Cheap Plays:
Thabo Sefolosha, Atlanta Hawks $3,800
Gary Neal, Charlotte Hornets $3,700
Sergey Karasev, Brooklyn Nets $3,600
Small Forward
Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz $7,800
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder $11,100 (expensive)
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors $8,500
Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves $6,400
Cheap Plays:
Tony Allen, Memphis Grizzlies $3,800
Justin Holiday, Golden State Warriors $3,000
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Philadelphia 76ers $3,000 (if he plays)
Power Forward
Pau Gasol, Chicago Bulls $9,400
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks $6,600
Robert Covington, Philadelphia 76ers $5,600
Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers $7,000
Cheap Plays:
Trevor Booker, Utah Jazz $3,900
John Henson, Milwaukee Bucks $4,400
Quincy Acy, New York Knicks $4,100
Center
Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota Timberwolves $7,300
Jusuf Nurkic, Denver Nuggets $4,900
Zaza Pachulia, Milwaukee Bucks $5,800
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz $5,900
Cheap Plays:
Alex Len, Phoenix Suns $3,800
Notes
– Enes Kanter is out again, so Rudy Gobert will see big minutes at center again tonight.
– Tim Hardaway Jr. is the focal point of the Knicks offense tonight without Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, or J.R. Smith.
– If Mbah a Moute plays, he is an excellent value at small forward at minimum price.
– Nurkic is a top play, and will be highly-owned tonight.
– Trevor Booker has reached value in each game Enes Kanter has been out of late.
– Justin Holiday is an excellent GPP play at the minimum price with the Warriors slated to blow out the Pacers.
– Andrew Wiggins has reached value in four straight games.
– Kyrie Irving is playing tonight, so fade Kevin Love at his price.
– Giannis Antetokounmpo has exceeded value in four of his last five games, and faces the Sixers tonight.
Usage Rates
– Gordon Hayward’s usage remains over 35 percent in the Jazz’ situation.
– Jason Smith’s is the highest remaining usage rate for the Knicks, but in less minutes.
– Hardaway Jr.’s usage rate is at 23 percent with the Knicks’ situation as is, but will likely increase tonight with the Knicks feeding him the ball often.
– When Jusuf Nurkic is on the floor, he leads the Nuggets in usage rate. His minutes have increased, as he is seeing around 23 minutes per game of late, averaging over a fantasy point and a half per minute.
If you have any questions or concerns leading to tip, let me know on Twitter @JoshCollacchi.
Note: If you have signed up on DraftKings because of XNSports, let us know in the comments or on Twitter @XNSports.
*Keep an eye on the inactives, as things in the NBA change at the last second. Good luck tonight
