Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster 11/20/14

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In many ways this slate in the NBA is no different from any other in that there are a number of question marks going into the games. The big difference here is that there are three pieces of information that are critical to making lineups. And without all three it is very difficult to get a sense of how these picks will shape up. Those three things are the health of Dwayne Wade, Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol. What happens with these three guys is basically the key to determining how you approach the slate. Let's examine:

If Rose sits

Jimmy Butler - FD 7700 DK 7600 DFSTR 5700
Kirk Hinrich - FD 4500 DK 4500 DFSTR 4100
These two guys instantly become part of your lineups and must starts. Each gets significant production boosts when D-Rose is shelved. Butler becomes a much bigger part of the offense and is relied on more his scoring. When Rose is in the lineup, as the creator, those opportunities just aren't there in the same volume for Jimmy Buckets. Meanwhile Hinrich is simply the starting point guard and seeing more than thirty minutes of run a night. This is invaluable at his prices and needs to do very little in order to pay off.

If Gasol plays/sits

Taj Gibson - FD 5900 DK 5300 DFSTR 5800
Pau Gasol - FD 8600 DK 8200 DFSTR 7800
I'd say either becomes a near must-start depending on who is in the starting lineup. Last game when Pau sat, Taj played more than forty minutes and was a total beast. Pau makes a value play at his prices if he's in the starting lineup. Sacramento is below average against starting power forwards, allowing 10% more scoring that league average to the position. Opposing power forwards also rebound at about league average leaving opportunities for both of these guys to crash the boards. Obviously, if Gasol sits Taj allows for a ton of flexibility and if starting really should be a 100% play in cash games. Monitor this situation closely.

If Dwyane Wade sits

Mario Chalmers - FD 5300 DK 5800 DFSTR 4700
He's averaged 21/7/2 in the last three games with D-Wade out and has made a strong case to be a bigger part of the offense. He'd been playing behind Norris Cole and maybe someone who understands basketball better than me can explain that to me sometime. Otherwise, Chalmers has been great and if Wade is out again you are getting a fantastic deal to get him in the lineup.

Others to play/consider

Chris Bosh - FD 8800 DK 8500 DFSTR 7200
Blake Griffin - FD 9400 DK 9400 DFSTR 8800
I think, as far as big money guys go, these are who I'm getting into lineups tonight. Because this night is shaping up in a weird way for a short slate there will be cascading decisions when it comes down to deciding who is going to fill out the rest of your lineup. But I think, almost regardless of what else transpires, these are two dudes I want to run out there. The Clippers are allowing opposing centers to completely dominate. They allow 12% more than league average scoring to centers as well as a ton of rebounding. And that doesn't include the 19/14 Vucevic put up last night.

Meanwhile Blake doesn't have the best matchup in the whole world, but I think he's a rather safe buy. Blake has been running a bit below his career FG% this season, meaning there could be some big scoring days in his future. One thing that's troubling is his rebounding has taken a plunge this season. I'm not really sure what to make of that.

Darren Collison - FD 6800 DK 7000 DFSTR 5800
I don't love playing guys against the Bulls, but he's been just so steady that on a short slate I'll happily pay his mid-tier salary with the idea that he'll score, assist and rebound just enough to pay his price. It'll be close because of the Bulls' Pace, but with such limited options he appears safe.

Shawne Williams - FD 4600 DK 4800 DFSTR 4500
Williams meanwhile has been a jack-of-all-trades for the Heat and as long as McRoberts isn't taking the court, Shawne is more than getting it done at these prices. Basically all we are looking for from someone at these prices is the opportunity. That is especially true at small forward where getting solid expected production is a nightly chore.

Ready to make the leap and get access to the exclusive projection system that produces these picks? Sign up now and get a free 3 day trial to our lineup construction tool for FanDuel and DraftKings. And now - for the next month - you can get access to our Football projection tools AND our baskeball projection tools for the same price! Sick deal.