Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks for DraftStreet and FanDuel 1/8/14

 

Phew, last night was a little bit of crazy. A million considerations heading into game time. CJ Miles turning into a future HOF'er in one performance. MCW putting up a 34/6/4 in a blowout loss. Durant shredding the Jazz. Damian Lillard going off. It was a big night in the NBA. But with daily fantasy, we can't harp on the past. Because today's a new day, and you've got to get your lineups in.

Quick reminder about these picks. At DFSR we employ a system that seeks to gain the most points-per-dollar. When we give a recommendation, it’s because we believe that player has the best chance to meet or exceed his price. On any given the night the highest dollar player can be expected to score the most points, but that doesn’t always make him the best play for the money. Just something to keep in mind. On to the picks. 

 

 

Point Guard

 

Shaun Livingston DS 9425 FD 4500 - Now that Deron Williams’ legs have fallen off (waiting for medical confirmation on that, though I believe that’s the diagnosis) Livingston sees the majority of the minutes helming the Nets’ offense. Prices haven’t adjusted to this yet and it’s time to jump on board. He’s proven capable of putting up nice numbers as a starter and this is a fantastic cheap option across the board.

Jrue Holiday DS 14175 FD 7000  - Jrue's had a rough time of it of late. He's really struggling. Most notably he's shooting significantly less and when he does shoot, it's not going in. Holiday's scoring has fallen off a cliff. I just don't see this trend continuing and like his chances of breaking out of it tonight against an league average Wizards' defense against point guards.

Goran Dragic DS 14313 FD 7200 - The Dragon has a fantastic matchup against Rubio and the Wolves tonight. Look for him to get to basket and score aplenty. He's a great play on both sites at these prices and has significant upside in a high tempo-ed game.

Jameer Nelson DS 11167 FD 6000 - Nelson isn't sexy, but he's a workhorse and is amazingly consistent. He's a nice double up play on the right night because you can pretty much take his production to the bank. There is blowout risk against the Blazers, but Lillard isn't a great defender and Nelson should be able to exploit some of Portland's defensive deficiencies even if the game does get out of hand.

 

FanDuel Value

John Wall FD $8700 - Remains a great price on this site.

 

Shooting Guard

 

James Harden DS 18299 FD 8900 - Harden is the top value at SG tonight in his matchup against the Lakers. Though Monta Ellis didn't take advantage to the fullest last night, I see no reason Harden doesn't scorch the Laker defense. He should be up and down the court, and getting to the rim often. I love Harden tonight, especially on FanDuel.

Klay Thompson DS 12464 FD 6700  - He's caught fire of late, shooting the lights out on the road no less, beginning to put to rest that Klay can't shoot away from home (which I thought was silly). He heads into Brooklyn who get absolutely slaughtered by high scoring shooting guards. They are are among the worst in the league at stopping the opposing SG from getting his.

Kevin Martin DS 10614 SG 6700 - I like Martin in double ups because he just heads out there and does the same thing every night. 16-20 points,  a couple of boards, a couple of assists. The thing about Martin is that his upside is limited because he just doesn't do enough in those non-scoring pieces of the stat sheet, limiting his ceiling. But if you're looking for safety, he's your guy.

Jodie Meeks DS$10572 FD $5200 - With the Lakers having a limited roster, Meeks has been playing extended minutes and more than paying this salary. The matchup against the Lakers is another one in which he should see plenty of shots and opportunity.

FanDuel Value

Gerald Green FD 5100 - Continues to be a little value play here as long as he's starting for Bledsoe

 

 

Small Forward

 

A little rough at SF tonight.

Josh Smith DS 12987 FD 7200 - We recommended J-SMoove last night and he didn't disappoint putting up a 21/12/5/3/2 line. What a night. Like him again tonight against Toronto. The pace will be slow on the Raptors' end, but Smith's ability to fill the stat sheet should provide some value against a team that struggles with SF's.

Kawhi Leonard DS 11277 FD 5400 - Spur are always tough guys to recommend because they get Pop'ed quite a bit. But that isn't the case for Kawhi. I'd like it if he shot the ball more, and this play has more to do with price than opponent. Because Memphis is decent against SF, Leonard's upside is limited, but his price is low for his production.

 

DraftStreet Value

Andre Iguodala DS 11103 - Iggy gets the nod for the price today. I love playing him at the right price in double ups because he limits his basement by doing little bits of everything.

FanDuel Value

Paul George 8700 - Foul trouble was his demise last night. He could feast on Atlanta tonight. He will be in my lineups on this site.

Wesley Johnson $3800

 

Power Forward

 

Anthony Davis DS 18516 FD 8700 - Liked him on FanDuel last night and he did a little 21/12/3(blocks) job on the Heat (so what if the Pelicans lost? This is DFS, we don't care about that). Davis is elite with a such a high ceiling on the right night. It won't always be consistent but his prices tonight are hard to ignore. Especially on FD. For the dollars he's a go for me over K Love.

Lamarcus Aldridge DS 19078 FD 9900 - If the Brow is 1, Aldridge is 1A at the PF position today. Aldridge's issue isn't so much the price, relative to dollar he and Davis are about the same. And Aldridge should stand to gain some from Vucevic being out for Orlando. But that latter piece also increases the chances of Portland winning by 1000 and the starters sitting the fourth quarter.

Patrick Patterson DS 7210 FD 3800 - To get one of the above guys into your lineup, you are going to need to save somewhere. Starting Patterson is contingent on Tyler Hansbrough not playing again as Patrick's been picking up some of Psycho T's minutes . Keep an eye out for updates close to game time. If Hansbrough's out, Patterson make a nice punting option.

Brandon Bass DS $10103 FD $5000 - He's up and down for sure, but we recommended him last night for the upside. He came through. He gets a Clips team with a weak interior line and I think you can run him out there again.

Draft Street Value

Blake Griffin 18036 - I'm much more inclined to start Blake here rather than on FanDuel.

 

FanDuel Value

Miles Plumlee 5300 - A FanDuel value mainstay

Terrence Jones 5900 - Ditto

 

Center

 

Both of these centers are great for their prices tonight. I love them on both sites.

Dwight Howard DS $18893 FD $6100 - If he sticks as the starter for the Lakers, this is a great price on both sites. Against Dallas, he basically just needs to get onto the court for 25+ minutes to pay it off. That’s never a guarantee with Mike D’Antoni, but if you get word he’s starting run him out there.

Roy Hibbert DS $12768 FD $6100 - (Edit) Since Horford has left the Hawks frontcourt, they've been shredded by opposing centers. Especially on the boards. Hibbert stands to gain from facing an Antic/Brand combo deal that won't be able to handle him inside.

Robert Sacre DS $8159 FD $3800 - If you're looking for a punting option (though I wouldn't recommend punting the above two tonight) Sacre could come in handy.

 

 

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