Just a few days before the All-Star break (what will we do with ourselves?) and the last big slate of games before the weekend. Just a pair of games tomorrow. That means you'll probably be spreading some cash tonight. Sites are running some bigger tournaments and there should be plenty of action. We've got the picks laid out to extract maximum value and with so many considerations you'll be wanting to use every last dollar.
If you're looking for an added edge, we are working on providing access to the spreadsheet we use to create optimal lineups. We are looking for feedback on this product as we think it will be able to help you create great lineups each night. Check it out for FanDuel and DraftStreet. We'd love to hear all the feedback you can give.
Our goal is to continue providing our readers with every tool you need to win on a nightly basis. On to the picks.
Interesting night at point guard. Some great midrange value on the board, especially on some guys who are returning from injury or spot starting. That being said, some risk here.
Rajon Rondo FD $7,300 DK $6,500 DS $13,788
Here's a guy who's price remains depressed because of the games he sits out. This is great news, because the games he's been playing in have been superb; Rajon is back in old form. The Spurs are pretty banged up right now, especially with Parker out. They haven't been great against point guards all year and will play a combo deal of Cory Joseph and Patty Mills tonight. Have to really love Rondo at these prices, especially on DraftKings.
Brandon Jennings FD $8,500 DK $8,600 DS $16,677
He'll give you an ulcer for sure. He'll have the nights he misses eighteen shots and you think violent thoughts that would ruin your family life if they were muttered out loud (personal experience). But when he puts it together, man watch out. Cleveland will have trouble defending him and if Jennings gets rolling down hill he's a great play. The prices are getting steep, but if you can save in some other places I think he's fairly safe.
Chris Paul FD $8,200 DK $8,800 DS $16,985
Remember earlier in the season when Paul was around the 10k/20k range on a nightly basis? Me too. If you watched him reduce the Sixers to a steaming pile of ashes, it sure looked like he was recovered. There is no talk of minutes restriction and he played limited run the other night because there was just no reason to continue piling on. These prices could look very silly later on tonight. Great matchup verse Portland.
Brandon Knight FD $6,600 DK $6,700 DS $12,198
Hate starting guys on the Bucks? Me too. Knight rates out pretty high in our system mostly because he can dial it up in the right game. New Orleans is about league average against PGs without Holiday and Knight is one of the few offensive "weapons" on the Bucks. Especially attractive on DraftStreet.
Nick Calathes FD $5,100 DK $5,600 DS $9,071
Has had little to no problem paying these prices since taking over for Conley. Don't expect anything to change tonight.
Cory Joseph FD $3,700 DK $3,400 DS $8,107 or Patrick Mills FD $4,800 DK $4,100 DS $9,536
These guys tend to split minutes when Parker sits making both speculative plays tomorrow. It's hard to figure who benefits the most. Joseph has started in Parker's absence, but Mills plays a ton of minutes off the bench.
Patrick Beverley FD $5,200 DK $5,300
Been kind of crushing lately. I don't think it lasts, but the system loves him tonight against the Wizards. I can see slotting him into a tournament as a contrarian play.
Kyle Lowry DK $7,900
Great price on here tonight. Hence the pick. You do that math on your own?
Trey Burke DS $7,793
Starting point guard against the Sixers below 8K. Yup.
Randy Foye FD $6,500 DK $6,100 DS $12,349
Lawson is going to sit again which should have Foye starting at PG again (the Nuggets don't have anyone else who can dribble up the court), making Foye a safe play. Consider that against the Pacers on Monday Foye was gimpy, asked to come out of the game, and still played 34 minutes! The opportunity will be there and anytime you have the chance to start a PG at SG you need to do it.
Gordon Hayward FD $7,100 DK $7,000 DS $14,147
Gordon is the top SG play tonight for one reason, thy name is the Sixers. You all know the story at this point. Sixers stink. Yadayadayada. Hayward is far from a sure thing, but these prices are near locks considering the competition and there is less of a chance of Utah blowing the doors off of Philly. As stated, Hayward can disappear in the offense, but the volume alone tonight should keep his basement pretty high.
Dion Waiters FD $5,200 DK $5,300 DS $8,402
Give him a look if Miles sits again.
Eric Gordon FD $5,500 DK $5,600 DS $9,120
Which Eric Gordon are you going to get? The jump shooter who's knocking down threes while chipping in a few boards and assists? Or the guy who crushes your soul and does what he did on Sunday against the Nets. My guess is more toward the former tonight against Milwaukee who've been shredded recently against shooting guards. I think the price, especially on FanDuel has dropped to the point that you can play him on the upside.
Gerald Henderson FD $5,900 DK $6,000 DS $10,968
Here's another guy who's price has dipped a bit of late but is more than capable of putting up a huge night under the right conditions. The key to Henderson's fantasy success isn't so much his scoring, he's fairly consistent there, but when he can snag the extra rebound and assist. Luckily these are areas of concern for Brooklyn against SGs, especially the rebounds.
Bradley Beal DS $10,474
You see what he did against Memphis last night? This won't be the norm but it speaks to what Beal is capable of. Our system has liked him for awhile now and he's a fantastic price here against the Rockets.
James Anderson DS $7,114
Sixers have been getting rolled and his minutes have been down. But Anderson isn't too far removed from paying this price at 3x which is nothing to sniff at on DraftStreet. Worth a look in a tournament because no one else will be looking at him.
Couple of across the board plays and some site-specific ones you'll want to watch.
Luol Deng FD $5,900 DK $6,300 DS $11,382
Because my therapist thinks it's a good idea for my overall mental well being, I'm working on forgiving those who have wronged me. This will help me grow as a person. Bringing me to Deng's performance against the Lakers last week. Like I said, I'm working through it on my end and Luol is working to regain my trust. His game against the Kings last night was a tiny step. Tonight he gets the Pistons and their matador defense against small forwards. We'll get through this together Luol. We can make it work.
Josh Smith FD $8,400 DK $8,200 DS $16,377
Going to feel weird getting this much money in on J-SMoove tonight but I think others will feel the same way, creating some opportunity for you. He should have a great advantage in this one against the Cavs. His upside can make for big lines, but there's a basement that will sink you. I don't suggest playing him in double ups, but if you can sneak his tag in there with a middling strategy tonight, this is a good play.
Chase Budinger FD $3,700 DK $3,300 DS $7,821
Still getting starter run for the Wolves with Martin out. He benefits big time from the fact that no one on the team, except for Love, can really shoot the basketball. Rubio doesn't look to shoot. Neither does Turiaf. Brewer is meh. That doesn't leave anyone else. I love Budinger at these prices for just that reason. He should still see plenty of shots and at these prices he needs to do very little to pay.
Corey Brewer FD $4,900 DK $4,500 DS $8,280
Speaking of forgiveness from before, Corey and I have our own issues to work through from two nights ago. The upside is still there. And to some degree the same thing I wrote for Budinger applies to Brewer. The Wolves are limited in offensive options with Martin gone. Look for a bounce back game.
Wilson Chandler DS $10,660
Just a super safe play with a little bit of upside. Gets his minutes and this game should be fast paced.
Paul George DS $14,309
One of these nights he's going to put it all together and provide you a monster. Price remains low.
Rudy Gay FD $7,700 DK $7,500
Have him just a hair below Josh Smith from a dollar-to-expectation ratio. Really a great play today.
Kyle Singler FD $3,900 DK $3,800
As long as he's starting and seeing minutes you can consider using him as a punt option. He's paid 5x or more on these prices since slotting into the starting five.
Just a ton of quality options here tonight.
Kevin Love FD $11,300 DK $11,000 DS $22,337
Love is the top big money option tonight by a wide, wide margin. This is for a couple of reasons. One, from a strictly statistical and system-based pick, Love grades out so high because of his performance coupled with Denver having no real answer for him on the defensive end. He should see plenty of points and rebounds, possibly even more than his usual volume which is difficult to comprehend really. But also, as I said for Budinger, Love is the primary, secondary and even maybe the third offensive option for the Wolves with Martin and Pekovic out. He will get a million touches. I am not fading Love tonight.
Marvin Williams FD $5,200 DK $4,500 DS $12,620
Continues to play well at the 4 now that the Jazz have slid Favors up to the 5. Favors' loss is Marvin's game as he's been thriving in this role. And now he gets the Sixers. Pairing him with Love's salary is something you're going to see a lot of tonight.
Anthony Davis FD $9,900 DK $9,800 DS $18,934
Another high upside play at a big price tag. I was expecting big things from the Brow the other night against the Raptors, but some early foul trouble crushed his upside with a ten percent minutes reduction. I like Love more, but Davis (along with Al Jefferson below) is where I'm spending the dollars tonight.
Nene Hilario FD $6,800 DK $6,100 DS $12,984
I see Nene as a rather safe play tonight against the Rockets. The minutes are there every night, the scoring is steady and he chips in across the stat line enough to provide you with a decent return on these salaries. System like him a ton against a Houston team that's had issues with opposing PFs all season long.
Zach Randolph FD $7,900 DK $7,800 DS $15,425
Not a bad midrange option if you're punting out across the rest of you're lineup.
Patrick Patterson FD $5,100 DK $4,300 DS $10,528
Really nice prices here if he draws the start again for Amir Johnson. Only playing PatPat if he's in the starting lineup.
Anthony Bennett FD $3,500 DK $4,000 DS $6,067
Been trying like crazy to dig his way out of "Worst Draft Pick Ever" status. Bennet saw a ton of minutes last night with Varejao out. Anderson isn't traveling tonight which could mean another long run for Bennet. At minimum prices there is some upside here, especially in some of the bigger tournaments.
Limited options here tonight which I think is kind of a good thing.
Zaza Pachulia FD $4,300 DK $4,600 DS $10,042
Larry Sanders and John Henson are out. Ersan Ilyasova is questionable. The rest of the Bucks are hurt too. The Bucks are basically a disaster. What this means though is that even in Larry Drew's ADD lineup construction, he's almost forced to play Zaza big minutes. This is a fantastic play on a night with other centers having tough matchups. For me, he's in almost must start zone on FanDuel.
Robin Lopez FD $6,100 DK $5,600 DS $12,326
Lopez makes for a decent play, but I have to say I like Pachulia considerably more. Robin should see some offensive opportunity against the Clips who struggle defending centers who can score. I don't think I'll be playing Lopez too terrible much, but our system did like his safety tonight.
Al Jefferson FD $9,800 DK $9,300
Jefferson is another high price tag guy who could pay off. On FD and DK if you're looking to spend here he is a nice option against Brooklyn who have no one to handle him inside. Jefferson should be able to operate with relative ease down low.
Chris Bosh DS $12,115
Far from exciting but not a bad value here tonight against Golden State if he can stretch Bogut a bit outside and if Wade sits again.
Week 12 DraftKings and FanDuel cash game NFL plays.
DraftKings and FanDuel Week 11 cash game NFL plays
Week 10 NFL cash game picks for DraftKings and FanDuel
Daily Fantasy DraftKings and FanDuel NBA Picks & Projections Playing NBA DFS Nightly? Join one…
Week 9 NFL DFS plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Packed slate of NBA action on FanDuel and DraftKings