Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks for DraftStreet and FanDuel 1/10/14

 

After a light night in the NBA, with only two games going (and its two biggest stars - Toure' Murry and Randy Foye, who else?), tonight we turn the juice up a few notches with twelve games. That's a loaded schedule with a ton of considerations when putting in lineups. I actually think a decent amount of the value is consistent between FanDuel and DraftStreet tonight which helps. That happens when the Lakers, Sixers and Cavs play in the same slate. Their opponents always benefit. Lot of picks today and a lot of ways to take your lineups. Keep an eye on @dailyfantasysr for updates throughout the day.

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

 

Brandon Jennings DS $14198 DS $7300 - Welcome to Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. And how do the Sixers show that love? By allowing their opponents to score like crazy. You'll see a lot of Pistons on this list today. Almost all of them. Jennings has been abysmal from the field lately. Like really bad. Like 10-45 from the field over his last three games. Eep.  But this matchup is just too great to pass up.

Darren Collison DS $13129 FD $7100 - Collison is no CP3, but for the dollars, he isn't too much of a step down, averaging a 17/3/6/3(steals) since taking over the Clippers helm. He gets the Lakers tonight, who as you probably know, do not concern themselves with defense. 

Michael Carter-Williams DS $16251 FD $8700  - Jennings will face off against MCW, in a matchup that should feature plenty of steals and plenty of shot volume. That's great on a site like FanDuel that doesn't deduct for misses. But I actually like Carter-Williams' price more on DraftStreet.  He's great across the board, but especially on DS. He is a drop off from Jennings and Collison though.

Off the radar play - DJ Augustin DS $8992 FD $5800 - Have you noticed his last couple of games? About 30 minutes with a 12/3/8. This is a contrarian play if there ever was one. I don't think he will be widely started on a night like this. But if you want to roll the dice, he isn't a bad option.

 

PG - FanDuel Value

Always some nice prices on this site. Today is no exception.

Shaun Livingston FD $4200 - Price hasn't caught up to him being a starter yet. 

Jameer Nelson FD $5700 - We recommended him the other day against Portland and he obliged with  17/5/10 line. Gets another nice matchup against the Kings who stink against PGs

Trey Burke FD $5700 - more a GPP play but Kyrie and the Cavs are among the worst defensively against the position.

 

Shooting Guard

 

There are many ways to go with this position tonight which is excellent.  My suggestion would be to build a majority of your lineups and then with money remaining, place in two of these picks. Crawford gets early nod.

Jamal Crawford $10950 FD $6100 - Since Paul went down Crawford's production has skyrocketed. He's been chucking like the chucker that he is (26 shots last game!), and for DFS purposes, that is a good thing. With a matchup against the Lakers, expect more of the same from Jamal. Love him in GPP format, but cash games work too. (Update: Redick is back tonight so bump down Crawford)

Ray Allen DS $6389 FD $3700 -This is assuming D-Wade doesn't play tonight. I think he will sit, giving Allen the start. If he is the two for Miami tonight, he is a must start at these prices.

Danny Granger DS $8841 FD $4500 - This is contingent on Stephenson sitting again. If Lance is down, Granger becomes a great play. He was serviceable in the role on Wednesday, and that's all he needs to be at these dollars. (Update: Stephenson looks like he's back in the lineup)

Arron Afflalo DS $14135 FD $ 6700 - Call this a DFSR "system guy". Our algorithm loves Afflalo tonight on both sites. Like really loves him, especially on FD. Man, it feels weird but he goes up with the picks.

Keep in mind Kyle Korver DS 10,920 FD $5100  Monta Ellis DS DS 14820 FD $7500 and Jimmy Butler DS $11928 DS $6000

 

SG - DraftStreet Value

Gerald Henderson DS $10346 - Henderson needs the right matchup, and this is the one against Minny, who is well below league average versus SG's, Henderson is a great play. Here's to hoping the game doesn't get out of hand, because he's a great price on DS tonight.

Joe Johnson DS $8896 - After submarining for a bit, he's come back strong. No Wade possibly tonight could free him up even more.

Victor Oladipo DS $10868 - A tourney play if there ever was one. Oladipo has the ability to pay this salary 3x. He also can break your heart. There isn't often an in between. He started last game as they shifted everyone up a slot with Vucevic out. If he starts again, you can run him out there.

(Addition) Brian Robert DS $5553 - With Holiday out, Roberts is now starter. Tyreke Evans stands most to gain, but Roberts is a bargain basement value here

 

Small Forward

 

A little (a lot) rough at SF tonight.

Josh Smith DS $14827 FD $7700 - Three games in a row we've recommended Smoove and tonight against Philly he gets the nod again. He is the top SF pick tonight, and while our system likes Evan Turner, I'm too concerned with his drop off in production and minutes to really give him a go.

Al-Farouq Aminu DS $9079 FD $4400 - There is almost nothing consistent about Aminu's production, from the scoring to the minutes, to really anything. But his price is dropping into the range in which taking a chance could pay off.

 

SF - FanDuel Value

James Johnson $4000 - Price is getting into the iffy zone for a dude coming off the bench playing somewhat limited minutes, but when he gets in there he can fill it up. Tourney play and nothing else.

Trevor Ariza $5600 - Crushed my soul three nights ago when I started him. And then again two nights ago when I didn't. A nice price for his upside. But he can basement, especially against a tough Indiana team.

 

 

Power Forward

 

Blake Griffin DS $18008 FD $9600 - The only person who's suffered from CP3's absence is Paul himself. Everyone else is still running on all cylinders. Griffin should lay waste to the Laker interior, as they don't have really much in the way of defense on that end. Blake is a top play for the big money tonight, though be mindful of the blowout risk.

Dirk Nowitzki DS $14987 FD $7600 - Man Dirk just hasn't been consistent, his last few games being relatively hit or miss. But I really like his matchup against New Orleans tonight.

Greg Monroe DS $13632 FD $6500 - If you recommend one Piston, you should recommend them all right? Well, not you Kentavious. Monroe, along with all his teammates gets the Sixer bump and should be considered in all formats.

Derrick Favors DS $ 13843 FD $6500 - Favors doesn't show up all the time in our picks, but when does, it's because the price has dropped and matchup is favorable. Look for increased scoring and shot-blocking for Favors as these are areas Cleveland struggles with from power forwards.

Carlos Boozer DS $10973 FD $5900 - If he's playing again tonight, and he should be, I love the matchup against Milwaukee. Boozer's price has dipped on DS and he remains a good value for his production. Gibson might eat into some of his minutes, but with Deng out of the picture there should be increased scoring opportunities.

PF - Draft Street Value

Tobias Harris $9585 - Should see more opportunities with Vucevic out

Anthony Davis $18,679 - Always in play in tournaments for his upside. This price is right at the edge of his value range.

 

PF - FanDuel Value

Miles Plumlee 5300 - Copy and pasted.

 

Center

 

Going to be tough to choose from this group tonight. Very tough.

Andre Drummond DS $16444 $7300 - As I said at the beginning, it's a Pistons and Clippers kind of night. Drummond has gone straight beast mode on the glass his last four or so games. He is entering another stratosphere with that part of his game. His offense still needs refinement, but he should dominate the boards tonight. 

DeAndre Jordan DS $15833 FD $7400 - Speaking of rebounding, DeAndre is right behind Andre. He crushes it every game out with his rebounding. Jordan's problem is he can't score and his FT misses hurt him on DS. Otherwise, he's a great play.

Spencer Hawes DS $14642 $6900 - For as great as Drummond is in certain aspects of the game, defense isn't a strong suit. He can let up decent lines to opposing centers and Hawes should be able to spread the floor a bit.

Pero Antic DS $8266 FD $3700 - This is your punting option, though I don't think you need to at center today. Antic saw increased minutes last game, and could stretch Dwight a bit outside in this matchup.

C - DraftStreet Value 

Ronny Turiaf DS $3500 - This is punt city. But he's been playing some minutes since returning from injury and paying almost 4x on this price. Might want to give it a try. See how it feels.

C - FanDuel Value 

Dwight Howard $9000 and Boogie Cousins $10000 are both fantastic values on this site tonight. Howard faces a Horford-less Hawks team and Cousins gets an Orlando squad that ran small against Portland with Vucevic nursing his head. These two could both be in for monsters. Cousins gets a little pricey on DS while Howard is a bit close

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