Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
HIGH FIVE/low five
Daily Fantasy can be quite the grind! Let us do the grinding for you with “High Five/Low Five”. Each day, we help put you in the money by presenting you with FIVE of the “top-tier” plays, as well as a quick list of FIVE “value plays”. Sacramento Kings’ C DeMarcus Cousins flies high as Wednesday’s top Daily Fantasy Basketball play of the night.
Let’s boogie.
HIGH FIVE:
Point Guard: Kyrie Irving, CLE ($8,200): As you should know well by now, the Lakers cannot defend the PG (or any other position for that matter), ranking 27th on the season. Tonight they travel to Cleveland on the second night of a back to back to face Kyrie Irving in what should be one of higher scoring games of the night. All this plays right into Irving’s hands, who’s been playing fairly well as of late, having scored over 20 points in five straight, as well as over 35 FPs in seven of his last ten games. Among the top-tier of PGs, Irving has the lowest price and the best matchup, and while he may not have the upside of a John Wall, WAS ($9,200), he’s clearly the safer play of the two as far as value is concerned.
Shooting Guard: Dwyane Wade, MIA ($7,300): It’s a terrific matchup for Wade tonight against a Clippers team that is just 24th in recent weeks against SGs. After easing himself into things upon his return, Wade has picked it up in his last two games, scoring 31.8 and 43.5 FPs. With tonight’s game featuring a 210 over/under and just a one-point spread, Wade should play 35+ minutes and produce somewhere in the range of 30-40 FPs, putting him really close to value. Hitting value on one of the higher priced players at any position is always a good thing. Play Wade with confidence tonight.
Small Forward: LeBron James, MIA ($10,600): LeBron James in one of two players at the SF position that you can count for 40-50 FPs, and considering that he’s $1,600 less than the other option, he’s the better play of the two if value is important to you. LeBron is currently in the midst of a streak that’s seen him reach 40 FPs in eight of his last ten games, including over 50 FPs in his last two. Tonight, in what should be a close and high scoring game, he takes on a Clippers team that ranks just 21st over the past 15 days versus the SF. Although he underperformed last time out versus the Clippers, I’m guessing that he should be a lock for 40 FPs tonight — with +55 FP upside. If you feel you’ve got to pay up at SF, LeBron is your only choice.
Power Forward: Anthony Davis, NO ($10,000): There are three PFs that are higher priced than Anthony Davis and I think he not only bests each of them in value, but also total FPs with his tasty matchup against a Hawks team that has been getting lit up by opposing PFs as of late. Davis has topped the 50 FP mark in five out of his last eight games played, including three out of the last four. With absolutely nobody on the interior to stop him tonight, I would not be surprised to see him extend that 50 FP streak to four out his last five. Another PF that I think you have to consider as perhaps right on par with Davis, is Blake Griffin, LAC ($9,700). Though his matchup is not quite as nice, the game he’s playing in tonight does expect to be a bit higher scoring, and given his recent play, he’s a hard option to ignore. That said, for my money, I like Davis just a tad better. However, if you find that the difference in their salaries affords you a better play somewhere else, I would not feel bad about playing Blake.
Center: DeMarcus Cousins, SAC ($9,300): I should start with the disclaimer that Boogie is my favorite player in the NBA and that I believe his recent All-Star snub to be an atrocity. Having said that, I believe it would be an equal atrocity to snub him in your lineups tonight. After missing six games due to an ankle injury, Cousins picked up right where he left off, scoring 25 points and pulling down 16 rebounds, while also dishing out four assists and thoroughly frustrating one of the league’s top defenders in Joakim Noah in the process. My guess is that tonight it will be more of the same against whatever clown Toronto throws in front of him. Cousins should be a lock for 45 FPs tonight, with definite 55 FP upside. Boogie all night.
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
low five:
Point Guard: Nick Calathes, MEM ($4,600): Until further notice, or a heavy increase in price, Calathes will represent the top value play at the PG position. Even though (as I predicted) he wasn’t able to continue the hot shooting that lead him to nearly 35 FPs in his first start, Calathes still was able to put up a value-reaching performance in his second start. Dallas is neither the worst nor the best at defending opposing PGs, and as such, I expect that Calathes will again produce near value for his salary. Expect between 20-25 FPs tonight.
Shooting Guard: Rodney Stuckey, DET ($4,500): When getting his proper minutes off of the Pistons bench, Stuckey has proven to be an efficient player from a fantasy perspective. He’s scored over 20 FPs in seven out of the last nine games in which he’s received at least 20 minutes of playing time. Considering that he almost always gets his 20 minutes or so, you should be able to expect his usual output of 20-25 FPs tonight.
Small Forward: Wesley Johnson, LAL ($4,000): Johnson is a versatile player that the Lakers can use in a few different spots, and given the injury to Jodie Meeks, he should be used a little more than usual in tonight’s game vs. the Cavaliers. Johnson should be a lock for value tonight, producing somewhere around 25 FPs.
Power Forward: Jared Sullinger, BOS ($5,600): Sullinger has scored 36.9 and 46.4 FPs in his last two games, and tonight he’ll face a Philadelphia team that is the league’s worst against the PF position. He should have no problem exceeding the 28 FPs that he needs to reach value tonight. Another player that I consider to be in a similar position, against a similarly atrocious defense, is Kenneth Faried, DEN ($5,600). I like Sullinger a little better than Faried tonight because there’s less of a blowout risk, but you can roster either of these men with confidence.
Center: Larry Sanders, MIL ($5,400): Sanders has scored over 20 FPs in four straight and takes on a Denver frontcourt tonight that hasn’t defended the center position all that well in recent weeks. This should be a high scoring game and I think an output in the range of 20-25 FPs should be expected for Sanders — which is pretty good given his salary. If you want to go low at center tonight, think Sanders.
Thank you and good luck tonight !!!