Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks for DraftStreet and FanDuel 1/2/14

 

Before we get started, I want to remind you that I’m almost always targeting guys who play against Philly. Tonight it’s the Kings. You should find a way to get Rudy Gay DS $13,615 FD $7,500, Isaiah Thomas DS $15,596 FD $8,000 and Demarcus Cousins FD $20,592 $9,800 in your lineup. Minimum two out of three of these dudes. Philly is the daily fantasy dream matchup.

As you will see in a moment, I absolutely love the value across the guards tonight. I think there are number of ways to save major dollars at the position in order to pay for the guys mentioned above. Let’s take a look.

 

Guards

 

Victor Oladipo DS $9,762 FD $6,600 - Yikes. Talk about volatile. I don’t know what to think about Oladipo and I wouldn’t consider putting him in a double up right now, but in GPPs this is exactly how you should be spending your dough. His minutes are all over the place and so is his scoring. But when he goes, he goes big. Like it a lot better on DS but think you can make the case for both.

Jameer Nelson DS $11,742 FD $5,800 - On the completely opposite side of the spectrum (but on the same team) is Nelson who puts in a workman’s effort each night. He’s a nice, mid/lower tier guy who is just consistent. He’s someone I’d play in double ups because you can count on his production. His ceiling is low, but the basement is high. Plus, a rule of thumb around these parts is to start the PG facing off against Kyrie.

Michael Carter-Williams DS $17,685 FD $9,200 - MCW is coming off a night in which he got into foul trouble early AND only put up seven shots. Yet, he still came close to reaching his projection because he just does so much on the court. This game against the Kings should be high scoring, and as stated above, you’ll have a bunch of guys to root for. MCW is my top, high dollar guard option on the night, along with Thomas.

Dion Waiters DS $5,300 FD $8,260 - I like Waiters in double ups because he’s consistent in the Cleveland offense. When healthy he hovers around 35 minutes, scores in double digits and will do just enough with the rest of the stat line to make him a safe play. Like Nelson, his upside is limited, especially with Irving demanding the ball so much, but put Waiters in your double ups as a nice cheap option.

Luke Ridnour DS $6,084 FD $3,600 - If I ever meet Larry Drew I’m going to have some stern words for the Bucks head coach. He just screws with his starting lineup so much, I never know which way to go until right before game time. Khris Middleton’s a great play, and then he just isn’t even on the court anymore. It’s crazy. I don’t think Ridnour is particularly good, but if he’s geting 30 minutes in the Bucks offense you basically need to play him at these prices.

 

Forwards

 

Kawhi Leonard DS $9,545 $5,800 - Leonard is the kind of guy I watch for when his price hits an acceptable level and start buying heavy. He has the ability for big games, but they don’t come often. His shots have dropped off significantly in his last few games and with them his scoring. But his matchup against the Knicks could be just the kind of game that sends his price back up to the 11k range. He’s a bit more of a deal on DraftStreet, but FanDuel’s price is fine also. I like starting him in every format tonight.

Glen Davis DS $10,641 FD $5700 - Another consistent double up play. Big Baby doesn’t do anything flashy but he can body up defenders and grab boards. I like his matchup against Cleveland, who are among the worst in the league at interior defense (or really just defense in general).

Ersan Ilyasova DS $8,711 FD $4,400 - Here is another Bucks value play. Ersan had a huge night in the starting PF role and as long as he gets the minutes, these prices are fantastic. He was having a horrible year before facing up against the Lakers, a team that can’t defend the interior even a little bit. Utah isn’t the same level of atrocious, but it is close. Look for Ilyasova to more than pay this dollar.

 

Centers

 

Spencer Hawes DS $15,196 FD $7,300 - Basically, the way it plays out, if you start just players from the Magic, Bucks and the Sixers/Kings game you’ll be in great shape. That’s the way I’m rolling tonight and Hawes fits perfectly into that strategy. He squares up against Cousins who will have trouble following him out onto the perimeter. (Cousins coincidentally should absolutely destroy Hawes on the inside, which should make for a fascinating watch).

 

Site Specific Plays

 

DraftStreet

 

Andre Iguodala $10,424 - Like this even better if D-Wade can’t play.

Derrick Favors $6,600 - Not sexy, but against the right opponent he gets the job done

Joe Johnson $7,084 - One day he'll have another good game, right? Right?

 

FanDuel

 

James Johnson $3,500 - Continues to crush. Price remains same.

Brandon Knight $6,200 - A bit riskier, but has had some huge games

Miles Plumlee $5,200 - GPP play but he can put up big numbers