Daily Fantasy NBA Picks -DraftKings Rising Stars Challenge  2/16/18 The Rising Stars Challenge goes down at 9PM EST on Friday with plenty of starpower even in this game between first and second year players. These games are nothing more than exhibitions with defense essentially thrown out the window, but we can still look at some roster construction and past trends to find value on the one game slate. Top performers from previous games Jamal Murray Team World - 2017 62.75 DraftKings Points Murray came off the bench, played 20 minutes and shot the lights out of the building going 13-16 from the field (9-14 from three) while also chipping in 11 assists. He played the most bench minutes of Team World and actually played more than the starter Dante Exum. Emmanuel Mudiay Team World - 2016 59.25 DraftKings Points The assist numbers piled up for Mudiay with the first unit in 2016 when he dished out 10 dimes and also shot 5-10 from three (way out kicking his coverage there). Team World was very thin at PG in this game with only Raul Neto behind Mudiay. There are basically one of two types of players who scores well in these games. Guards who shoot threes (Murray, Mudiay in that case) and big men who run the court and rebound. Other top performers in recent years were Mario Hezonja (2016, 49.5 DK Points), Kristaps Porzingis (2016, 46.75 DK points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (2017, 46.25 DK Points) Other numbers from previous seasons: Over the last three seasons, starters averaged 23.5 minutes with players rarely cresting over the 30 minute mark. The last two seasons, when defense went completely out the window, the average final score was 154-148. Obviously minutes are key and of course the starters will, on average, play more minutes. 11 of the top 15 performances over the last three years came from the starting unit. Overview of Rosters Team USA Starters (Projected) Donovan Mitchell Kyle Kuzma Brandon Ingram Dennis Smith Jr. Jaylen Brown Bench (Projected) Kris Dunn De'Aaron Fox Jayson Tatum Taurean Prince John Collins Quick Thoughts: Team USA is very guard-dominant with almost no true interior size. I expect more minutes out of Tatum, Collins, Ingram, Collins and possibly Kuzma. The guard/ point guard minutes are a little tougher to parse out simply because Mitchell, Dunn, Smith and Fox will share those duties. Of course, Mitchell is easy to love in this format because he’s a pure scorer, and a volume three-point shooter who’s hitting 35% from beyond the arc.   Team World Starters (Projected) Joel Embiid Ben Simmons Dario Saric Jamal Murray Lauri Markkanen Bench (Projected) Buddy Hield Frank Ntilikina Bogdan Bogdanovic Domantas Sabonis Dillon Brooks...

DFS Implications of NBA Trade Deadline Deals - 2/8/18 The trade deadline has come and gone; it didn't disappoint. We saw some major deals, mostly surrounding the Cavaliers, and have some things to wade through with players switching teams. Lots of players moved, but the DFS implications (again, outside of the Cavs) leave us with only a few things to consider. Following the trades, it's unlikely anyone makes a new-team debut on Friday. But we can start speculating how players will fit with their new squads and what it could mean for DFS production.   Cavaliers Reload George Hill Acquired from the Kings From a fantasy perspective, Hill makes for possibly the most interesting piece of the insane amount of trades the Cavaliers put together on Thursday. He figures to slide into the starting lineup in place of Isaiah Thomas and play high 20’s minutes at the minimum. He’s shooting the best of his career from three at 45% (the best in the league this year) and offers a significant defensive upgrade over Thomas (which I understand isn’t saying all that much). He likely won’t make his debut on Friday, but the $4500 FanDuel price isn’t likely to change all that much for the next slate and he could be one of the better bargains around. He won’t be called on to facilitate much of the offense, but pairing with Lebron for sure will get him looks. Rodney Hood Acquired from the Utah Jazz Rodney Hood could also enter the starting lineup and, if he can stay healthy (a big if considering his track record), has some upside in this offense. He’s good from beyond the arc (39% this season) on heavy volume (seven attempts per game in only 27 minutes) and figures to add floor-spacing to the first unit. Scoring (and his size) are his biggest attributes and Lebron's been known to get wings quality shots. He doesn't figure to add much else across the box score but could make for a decent mid-tier option if he touches high 20's-low 30's minutes. Jordan Clarkson Acquired from the Lakers Clarkson showed major flashes of DFS upside when given outsized opportunities for the Lakers, but that won't likely be the case with the Cavaliers. He figures to take over Dwyane Wade's second unit scoring duties, but the minutes will be the biggest downside. Ty Lue does, at times, stick with hot hands and the Cavs will for sure experiment with different rotations. But after the additions of Hill and Hood, Clarkson doesn't figure to be much more than a bench scorer. Larry Nance Jr. Acquired from the Lakers Nance could actually also enter the starting lineup to replace Crowder and...

Daily Fantasy NBA Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 12/6/16 Wow is this a weird slate. We've got a ton of slow teams like the Grizz, Jazz, Magic, Pistons and Spurs who usually spell death for DFS lineups. But that's half the freaking schedule so what are we left with? It's going to be a tricky one so let's get into it. Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our NBA optimizer, our NFL Optimizer, and our new NFL player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! First time with NBA? Be sure to read our free NBA Ebook on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered. Point Guard Goran Dragic FD - $7000 DK - $7300 Opponent - NY Proj Pts FD - 35.64 DK - 37.88 With Miami so banged up, all of the usage belongs to Dragic. He's put up a ton of shots in the short term, averaging 20 looks per game over the last two good for a 22/7/7 line. He's most of what they are doing on offense and without a guy like Waiters in the lineup, more of the offensive burden falls on Goran. The Knicks have allowed less than league average scoring to opposing point guards this season, but that's basically the case with this whole slate. It's chocked full of slow and defensively-sound teams. That's going to make some plays we don't feel amazing about. But Dragic is controlling so much of the offense right now that I think you can roll him out in cash games. John Wall FD - $9500 DK - $8700 Opponent - ORL Proj Pts FD - 45.43 DK - 48.47 This is a little risky on the back-to-back and he ran 36 minutes last night. The Wiz have been somewhat careful with his minutes this year considering they don't have much to play for and I suppose he's their future. Wall is one of the few high priced guys on this slate and you'll need to roster these guys when possible. He's not a great scorer mostly thanks to his lack of jump shooting, but he does everything else on the court and is electric in transition. Keep an ear out if the Wiz are going to manage his minutes here because that will effect his upside. Sergio Rodriguez FD - $4600 DK - $5000 Opponent - MEM Proj Pts FD - 24.39 DK - 26.47 With Bayless out, the Sixers have needed Sergio to play solid minutes at the point guard. He's getting up shots in the short term and actually gets a fantasy boost...