Daily Fantasy Basketball is back, which means each day XNSports 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 players salary. That brings a lineup to 250 fantasy points, which will cash on most days.
Give DraftKings a shot, as there will be plenty of free roll opportunities for the first big day in Daily Fantasy Basketball. Click here to play.
Without further ado, your value plays and lineups for October 29th:
Value Plays
Guard
Donald Sloan, Point Guard, Indiana Pacers ($3,000)
In daily fantasy basketball, one of the key ingredients to success is understanding the starting lineups for each team. Generally, George Hill or C.J. Watson would be the starting point guard for the Pacers. Both are out with injuries and Sloan will start tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers. To reach value, he would need at least 15 fantasy points, and with the likelihood of playing over 30 minutes and his matchup with the Sixers, reaching value is a very high probability for Sloan. Last season the Sixers were historically bad against opposing point guards, allowing them to score an average of 53.6 fantasy points (last in the NBA) per contest. That was with Michael Carter-Williams defending, and MCW is out for tonight’s game. That gives Tony Wroten the task of guarding Sloan, and Wroten was 394th among all NBA players in points allowed per 100 possessions on defense last season. At the minimum, Sloan will be a high-volume play across the industry tonight. But, in cash games especially, you cannot afford to fade him.
Other values at guard: Tony Wroten, PHI $4,500 and Norris Cole, MIA $4,200
Forward
C.J. Miles, Small Forward, Indiana Pacers ($3,800)
Miles, like Sloan, would normally be on the bench for the Pacers. But with injuries to nearly the entire starting lineup, Miles becomes a starter for Indiana, and a value play in daily fantasy basketball. At just $3,800, Miles would need just 19 fantasy points to reach value. Last year, he averaged just under 10 points per game in under 20 minutes of work. Tonight, he could see almost twice those minutes with the small rotation in Indiana. Miles’ per-36 minutes statistics last season were impressive, averaging 18.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and almost two assists per contest. On DraftKings, that comes to around 25 fantasy points per 36 minutes. With the matchup against the Sixers tonight, Miles is a likely candidate to reach good value as the Sixers allowed opposing small forwards to score an average of 46.5 fantasy points per game last season, last in the NBA. Things change from year-to-year in the NBA, but the Sixers have the same coach, and most of the same players, so do not be afraid to start Miles at just $3,800.
Keep an eye on the Pacers’ starting lineup, as Miles could be slated at shooting guard, which would lessen his value considering he would be going against K.J. McDaniels, who is an excellent defender.
Other values at forward: Luis Scola, IND $4,500 and Draymond Green, GSW $5,100
Center
Miles Plumlee, Center, Phoenix Suns $5,500
Plumlee is one of the most interesting players in the NBA in terms of daily fantasy value. Last year he averaged 11.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per 36 minutes, which comes to over 27.5 fantasy points (his needed value at $5,500) and he was one of the top rebounders in the NBA last season with a 17.9 rebounding percentage. But he needs to do more than rebound to be a fantasy asset, and he has. In the preseason, Plumlee averaged over a steal per game and scored over three buckets a contest in just 18 minutes of work. Tonight the Suns face the Lakers, who are playing in the second game of a back-to-back already, and were out-rebounded 47 to 36 last night in a game where the Rockets’ starters sat the entire fourth quarter. Plumlee’s only competition for minutes is Alex Len, who played in just two preseason games and took just one shot. For those who played daily fantasy basketball last year, center is not a position that you can find value at, and it’s advised to “spend” on a top center. But if you need a value, Plumlee has a good matchup at a cheap price.
Other values at center: Steven Adams, OKC $3,500 and Samuel Dalembert, NYK $4,000
Lineup (GPP)
PG – Donald Sloan $3,000
SG – DeMar DeRozan $7,800
SF – C.J. Miles $3,800
PF – Markieff Morris $6,500
C – Joakim Noah $7,400
G – Tony Wroten $4,500
F – Carmelo Anthony $9,400
UTIL – Derrick Rose $7,400
Lineup (Cash Games)
PG – Donald Sloan $3,000
SG – Wesley Matthews $6,200
SF – Draymond Green $5,100
PF – Luis Scola $4,500
C – Andre Drummond $8,700
G – Tony Wroten $4,500
F – Josh Smith $7,600
UTIL – Russell Westbrook $10,400
