Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 2/5/17

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Point Guard

Russell Westbrook FD - $12400 DK - $12800
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 57.95 DK - 61.73

We have a 3 game slate on our hands, and there are only a couple ways to pay up. Westbrook is the top option on the entire slate, and has a great match up with the Blazers. Westbrook has been over 60 a few times in his last 10, and even hit 70 a couple times. This is a match up where that is entirely possible. Damian Lillard is one of the worst PG defenders in the league, and will have an extremely tough time with the size of Westy. Over the last 3 times these teams faced off, Westbrook put up very solid FD totals of 58, 65 and 68. I would project him for a similar number tonight, with the upside for 80. The Blazers are also one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, which should give Westbrook an easy shot at a triple double. The price is definitely high here, but you have to strongly consider him on a slate where he could be the only player to eclipse 50. Westbrook isn't a must play, but is a great one.

Kyle Lowry FD - $9000 DK - $9200
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 47.6 DK - 51.03
Cory Joseph FD - $3500 DK - $3200
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 19.67 DK - 20.55

At the time of writing this, I have absolutely no idea what is going on here. Derozan has been out for about a week, though he did partially practice yesterday. He, along with Kyle Lowry and Patrick Patterson, is questionable. Lowry didn't practice due to an illness, and his status could be in serious jeopardy here. If Lowry does miss, you can just pug in Cory Joseph. He is already a good play right now, and would be a 100% must play if Lowry is ruled out. If Lowry does play, you have to give him a lot of consideration. I don't think he plays against the Nets unless he is fully healthy, and the Q tag could keep his ownership down. Dinwiddie and Isaiah Whitehead have no chance to cover Lowry, and he should be in for a terrific game if he plays. I love him in both cash games and tournaments, and will be one of my highest owned PG's if we can confirm he is playing.

Damian Lillard FD - $8300 DK - $7500
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 41.45 DK - 44.62

We have been targeting point guards against Westbrook all season, and it has worked very nicely. The Thunder ranked 6th worst against opposing PG's, and will continue to struggle. Lillard has been a little weird this yea, and don't think he has really looked like himself too often. I think this could be a trend breaker, as the Thunder love to run and feed into how Lillard loves to play. I could see an iconic Lillard game here, where he matches Westbrook and is a must for tournaments. I could also see him struggling with his shot early and ending up with 36 fantasy points. For that reason, Lillard is a guy I will have my exposure to in tournaments. With the situation in Toronto, we should have a very safe PG in either Lowry or Joseph by lock. Lillard is fine in cash games, bu I just prefer someone I can chalk in for 5.5x value.

 

Shooting Guard

DeMar DeRozan FD - $8900 DK - $7700
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 0 DK - 0
Norman Powell FD - $4800 DK - $5700
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 26.8 DK - 28.58

Like I said, I really have no indication of what's going to end up happening here. As of now, I just know that Derozan lightly practiced, and has the intent to play in this game. If he does play, I think I will restrict my exposure to tournaments, He is coning off an injury, and I will wait and see him produce to just plug him into cash. We saw Derozan have a big game against this team already, so we know the scoring upside is there. There peripherals could also come if the game stays close, which is unlikely. If Derozan misses this game, Norman Powell is one of the top plays on the slate. His price has risen, but he's a really good player, and will be able to score on these Nets. Powell has attacked extremely well with Derozan on the bench, and he has secured minutes for this team. They simply can't go back to playing this game 9 minutes per game. Make sure you keep an eye on news as the day progresses. The slate locks at 12:30 PM EST, and this is the first game. We should be fully aware of who is playing by the time slate locks.

Victor Oladipo FD - $5700 DK - $5400
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 27.61 DK - 29.5

'Dipo has been playing consistent minutes as of late, and the production has followed. Aside from the last 2 games, Oladipo has been consistently over 25 fantasy points, including a few nice upside games mixed in there as well. Oladipo will likely see the bulk of his minutes against C.J. McCollum, which will be a very fun match up to watch. McCollum is a decent defender, but won't shut Oladipo down, and I could see him having a very nice. This is a game that should hold a healthy pace, and should definitely remain close. Oladipo still has a depressed tag around the industry and you can absolutely target him in all formats. This is a game I will have a lot of exposure too, and am hoping it pays off. McCollum could also be played here in tournaments, but I wouldn't play him in cash games with these other options.

J.J. Redick FD - $4900 DK - $5200
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 24.19 DK - 26.49

With CP3 out, the Clippers lean on Redick for points, and he has no problem shouldering the temporary load. He will be able to do his thing against the Celtics, who play fast and don't play good transition defense. Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart will both struggle against these guards, and Redick could definitely give them some trouble from beyond the arc. Redick has been sitting right around 25 fantasy points, which is perfectly fine at his price. Redick is a super safe way to go in cash games, and is just fine in tournaments. This position is a little bit of a mess after Oladipo, so Redick is probably the way to go in this price range.

Small Forward

Jae Crowder FD - $6500 DK - $6200
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 29.4 DK - 31.18

When Jae Crowder is the clear-cut top option at SF, we have a problem. Due to this position being so awful, Crowder is going to end up in 100% of my cash games. He's the only guy I an trust here, and he holds plenty of upside as well. The Clippers struggle against opposing small forwards, and Crowder has been playing well recently. I expect Crowder to see some defense from Redick and Mbah a Moute, who are both guys he can score on. I didn't talk about Isaiah Thomas earlier, but he's a great tournament option and you can match these guys up for a lot of upside. You can then grab a Blake Griffin and Austin Rivers, and hope for the game to stay close. On a 3 game slate, you can get a huge advantage by stacking a game that goes to OT. Crowder is a safe bet for 25, and has the upside to hit 40.

Evan Turner FD - $4900 DK - $5000
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 25.18 DK - 26.59

I feel like I should of just skipped this position, as there is really nothing goo to say about it. This is quite possibly the worst position we have seen in months, and i'm not sure there is 1 guy in a "great" spot. Crowder and Turner are both in solid situations, but would be nowhere near our radar on a regular 10 game slate. Turner takes on the Thunder, in what should be a very fast paced affair. Turner plays best with the ball in transition, and is a guy who derives his upside from peripherals. The Thunder are a team you can rack up rebounds and assists against, as Westbrook throws up a lot of wild shots with 20 seconds left on the shot clock. Turner also takes some backup point guard minutes, which should be productive against the likes of Cameron Payne and Semoj Christon. Due to just how atrocious this poisition is, Turner will be in my cash games. That may be a sign to slow down on the cash games today.

This position is just super ugly. If you don't like either of the guys mentioned above, you can go to DeMarre Carroll and Bojan Bogdanovic. Both of them are tournament options with plenty of upside

Power Forward

Blake Griffin FD - $9200 DK - $8600
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 41.2 DK - 43.08

This is the only way to pay up at power forward, and I would expect nearly 100% of the field to play Griffin here. He has been phenomenal in his last 2 games, and this match up is another good one. The Celtics are very weak inside, throwing out guys like Jonas Jerebko, Kelly Olynyk and the ever so scary Al Horford. Griffin will play his game against all of them, and could be in for another huge performance. There are plenty of ways to pay down across the board tonight, so there's really no excuse to fading him in cash games. If you do want to fade in tournaments, there is merit. If a guy is really going to be around 80% owned, there is always a reason to completely fade it an hope fr a disaster... This is the NBA, a disaster is always possible. With that being said, I will be all in on Griffin tonight.

Al-Farouq Aminu FD - $5300 DK - $4800
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 24.06 DK - 26.28

It looks like Aminu is right to the steady producer he was last month, with FP totals over 25 in 15 of his last 20. This match up with the Thunder is great for Aminu, who will be needed to stretch the floor at the 4 and run with OKC. I would expect Aminu to see at least 30 minutes here, and the production should certainly be there. He will likely match up with Sabonis and Roberson, who he should have advantages over. Aminu can score a few different ways, which also gives him upside a few times per season. Aminu comes in with the 2nd highest FP per minute projection at PF, and that makes him  a pretty safe cash game play for me. This position might not be as bad as small forward, but it's not great either. Aminu is a guy you can count on for production, and is super solid if you are stacking this game in tournaments.

Jared Sullinger FD - $3500 DK - $3000
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 18.31 DK - 19.17

The other guy dealing with injuries on the Raptors is Patrick Patterson, who partially practiced yesterday. He is currently listed as questionable, ad looks to be truly 50./50 as of now. If Patterson misses, I love Sullinger. He looks to be at the point where he can play a solid amount of minutes, and they just signed this guy to a nice contract. Thy want some production, and this could be a good game to get Sully jump started. The Nets are a pitiful defense, and play at the fastest pace in the NBA. Sullinger should be able to get open against Booker, who struggles against PF's who play on the perimeter. Sullinger has 3 point upside, and could be deadly in this fast game. If Patterson does end up playing, Sullinger is nothing more than a deep tournaments flier.

Center

DeAndre Jordan FD - $7600 DK - $7000
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 37.09 DK - 38.67

Center is actually one of the deeper positions on this slate, which is rare to say. DeAndre Jordan comes in as the highest on our list, facing off with the daunting interior of the Celtics. Joke. The Celtics have given up the 2nd most rebounds per minute to centers, and Jordan is probably the best rebounder in the league. This game should stay very close, and the Celtics sure do miss a lot of shots in transition. I highly doubt Al Horford or Kelly Olynyk is going to get in his way, and even if they do, won't do much. Jordan is an animal on the boards, and nobody on this Celtics team stands a chance of stopping him. We have seen a few huge games from Jordan recently, so the upside is obviously there. I will have most of my exposure to Jordan in tournaments, though he is solid in both formats.

Steven Adams FD - $6100 DK - $5600
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 31.04 DK - 32.5

The Blazers are well known for not being able to rebound, and we will look to take advantage tonight with Adams, who comes in pretty cheap and fully rested up. Adams is a guy with plenty of safety and upside, and should probably be priced about $1k higher on each side. While DeAndre Jordan certainly has ore upside than Adams, the floor is similar. The price is a also much different, which makes me want to lean with Adams in cash games over DJ. I would expect a double double tonight out of Adams, and could see a 15 rebound game. They will need him out there with Kanter hurt, and Plumlee is a guy who just plays no defense at all. There will be a lot of really easy rebounds as well, as Plumlee has the tendency to play at the top of the key. I would make sure to get some exposure to this spot.

Lucas Nogueira FD - $4000 DK - $3600
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 21.23 DK - 22.03

This pick is also contingent on Patrick Patterson missing the game. Nogueira saw a bum in minutes last week, and produced in his time. He will do the same here if given the opportunity. The Nets are pitiful down low, and don't do much of anything at all. Brook Lopez is't concerned at all with getting rebounds, and won't do much to keep you in front of him either. Whoever is playing center is in a solid spot, and can be used in cash games. While I still do prefer Adams and Jordan in all formats, Nogueira is a guy you can pivot to if you need to pay up elsewhere due to late news.

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