Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks for DraftStreet 1/15/14

Today I separated the picks for DraftStreet and FanDuel. I just think there are different pricing considerations between the two sites and it was difficult to line up the value across both. Here are our FanDuel picks for the day. While you'll see some overlap, many guys are different plays for different sites. Some of this is because DraftStreet has price corrected a bit for players facing bottom-feeding defenses.

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. 

Guard

Darren Collison $13184 - (Same thoughts as on FD) Has filled in for CP3 like a stud and the price hasn't caught up yet. Actually, hasn't come close to catching up. I think sometimes there is a tendency for people to avoid a dude like Collison because they remember not too long ago when he was like $4500 and the ideal punt. Now that is price has come up they might feel he is too expensive. This is not the case. We are still in buy low territory.

Courntey Lee $8784 (Another FD rec) Is the starting shooting guard for the Grizzlies and is doing everything he can to show that no one else should be playing there. Price hasn't come close to catching up. This is a must start.

Ricky Rubio $12870 - Rubio is vexing, mostly because his scoring is just not there. But that is also what gives him some upside, especially at this price. The other parts of his game are fairly consistent, so when he scores he pays this handsomely. Deducting for missed shots worries me a bit, but I like Rubio at this price.

Damian Lillard $15011 - Blowout potential is there, but if Lillard gets it going it almost doesn't matter. He's an elite offensive point guard priced in the middle tier against a team that doesn't defend the position all too well. (Look what Kendall Marshall did to the Cavs last night, or Isaiah Thomas the game before).

Kevin Martin $10901 - The Kings are terrible against backcourts in general, making Martin a decent, lower middle option today. His production is all about putting the ball in the basket so he'll never go completely off. But paying this 3x on DS isn't out of the question. 

Jordan Crawford $11099 - I actually really like this play here today. He's a tournament play for sure. Crawford likes to get the ball up in the air and when he's off, he kills your team. But in a tournament you only care about the upside. At this price, it's there for him. (Editor's note: Report today said Crawford could be traded. While I don't think it happens today, it's good to keep an ear out for news on him. Second update: Crawford traded to Warriors. So this pick went from good, to iffy, to off-the-table in a few hours.)

Quick addition Kendall Marshall $12478 - Been crushing this price and just is almost a lock for the minutes

Forward

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist $7675 - Another FanDuel rec. MKG is back in the starting lineup for the Bobcats and if he plays starter minutes this play is nearly a no-brainer. It frees up significant money to spend on higher salary dudes (duh) and he's been fairly productive. But really, this is all about volume. Thirty minutes at this price and you should be good.

David Lee $16695 - I'm a fan of his work. While this is a bit pricey, Denver is terrible in defending power forwards.  Lee could be up for a huge line against the Nuggets.

Thaddeus Young $13833 - Remember when he was like 18K? It wasn't too long ago. Young has come back to Earth a little, but that doesn't mean he still doesn't have a few 40 pointers left in him. Even against a slow, plodding team in Charlotte, this price is almost too good to pass up.

Trevor Ariza $11220 - Very tough matchup against the Heat, but having Ariza as a pick is more about his price. He's exited the malaise from last week to post a couple of back-to-back monster lines. Would worry me in cash games just if the Heat suffocate the Wiz, but Ariza does a little of everything.

Josh McRoberts $11415  -  His price adjusted based on playing Philly, but he is one of the few Bobcats I'm comfortable recommending on DraftStreet today.

Luol Deng $12228 - A great price, but I'm a little concerned with him being on a minutes limit after last night's 38 (in which he tore up the Lakers).

Gerald Green $9998 - Speaking of the Lakers, Green has been relatively quiet since filling in the Bledsoe at the 2. But the minutes are still there. I suspect he's fallen off of people's radar and that makes him a fantastic play for today. If his shot is going down he could pay this 3x.

Center

Al Jefferson $14439 - Jefferson is the other one. This price is fantastic considering the matchup. He turned in a huge game last night against the Knicks and I expect he can do something similar tonight. Jefferson is amazingly consistent and I love him in cash games today.

Miles Plumlee $12255 - Don't always recommend him on DraftStreet (he's a FanDuel mainstay), but against the Lakers tonight Plumlee is a great matchup at a great price. As you know the Lakers have a matador approach to defending low post guys. Take a look at pretty much any statistic/ game log/ highlight reel to figure this out.

Joakim Noah $16756 - Like Boozer, Noah hasn't missed a beat with Deng gone. And tonight he gets to face the Vucevic-less Magic squad that doesn't have any size at all.

How'd I miss? How'd I get totally wrong? Leave a comment down below or hit us up on Twitter @dailyfantasysr

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