If you had Anthony Davis or Joakim Noah in your FanDuel lineup last night, he likely helped carry the load for your entire team. That’s the way DFS lineups will usually turn out, a killer or two and a few duds. What we try to do here is to mitigate the number of duds in your lineup to help increase your chances of putting out some killer performances.
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 5X value on each player. In a five-game slate like today’s, it’s not easy to find great value, especially at the point guard and center positions, but let’s take a look at some of today’s top plays.
FanDuel scoring: Point = 1pt, Rebound = 1.2pts, Assist = 1.5pts, Block = 2pts, Steal = 2pts, Turnover = -1pt
Point Guard-
Kendall Marshall vs TOR ($6,800): Already, you’re saying “$6,800? That ain’t cheap.” You’re right, but ain’t isn’t a word and there are few “budget” options available in a small slate. At $6,800, Marshall would need 34 points to reach value, which seems like a lot, except he’s now posted 34+ FPS in three of his last four and 30+ in four straight. The guy is an assist machine and I’ll roll with him most days until the Lakers get healthy again.
Nate Robinson vs PHX ($4,300): Robinson is a streaky guy and right now, he’s hot. Although he hasn’t played a ton of minutes, he has managed 19+ points in back-to-back games and has posted 31.3 FPS and 25.2 FPS in his last two. At $4,300, he’d need just 21.5 points to reach value and has a good shot to do so against a Phoenix team giving up 39.7 FPS to opposing point guards per game.
Shooting Guard-
Gerald Green vs DEN ($5,800): The last time Green faced Denver in December, he posted 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and a block. He’ll need 29 fantasy points to reach value and has posted at least 29 in two of his last four games, including a 44 FPS day against the Lakers. I like Green’s chances tonight.
Jodie Meeks vs TOR ($5,900): At $5,900, Meeks will need 29.5 points to reach value which is hardly a stretch since he’s posted at least 29 FPS in five of his last eight games. He’ll face a Raptors team giving up the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.
Small Forward-
Wesley Johnson vs TOR ($4,700): With Nick Young dealing with some problems, Johnson has broken out and has posted 32+ fantasy points in three straight games. He’ll only need 23.5 FPS to reach value today so this is a steal. Go with the hot hand.
Power Forward-
Markieff Morris vs DEN ($4,800): The last time Morris saw Denver, he dropped 25 points, six rebounds, three blocks, and three steals. In the Suns’ first meeting against Denver this season, Morris posted 28 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals. Clearly, he has the Nuggets’ number. He’ll only need 24 points to reach value which shouldn’t be a problem since he’s put up 36+ FPS in two straight games.
Center-
Kelly Olynyk vs ORL ($3,500): The center position in today’s slate is… non-existent. If you can’t afford DeMarcus Cousins, you’ll have to choose from a number of unappealing options. If I had to pick one, I’d roll with Olynyk who’s coming off a big 25 point, seven assist, five rebound, one block, two steal day against the Lakers. He’s not likely to repeat his 46.5 FPS effort today but he did drop 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, a block, and a steal the last time he faced the Magic so I’ll roll the dice on him.
Optimal Lineup:
PG- Goran Dragic vs DEN($8,300)
PG- Kendall Marshall vs TOR ($6,800)
SG- Jodie Meeks vs TOR ($5,900)
SG- Gerald Green vs DEN ($5,800)
SF- Wilson Chandler vs PHX ($6,200)
SF- Wesley Johnson vs TOR ($4,700)
PF- Markieff Morris vs DEN ($4,800)
PF-John Henson vs SA ($6,100)
C- DeMarcus Cousins vs OKC ($9,800)
Be sure to check each player’s game-time status before locking them into your lineup.
Good luck!
