Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-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”. Boston Celtics’ PG Rajon Rondo flies high as Friday’s top Daily Fantasy Basketball play of the night.
Let’s rip it up.
HIGH FIVE:
Point Guard: Rajon Rondo, BOS ($7,300): On a day with a few nice PG plays, like Goran Dragic, PHX ($9,000) and Kyle Lowry, TOR ($8,300), it is Rajon Rondo that provides the best chance at not only meeting, but exceeding his value. Having an average of over 37.8 FPs during his last five starts bodes well for his chances of exceeding his value threshold of 36.5 FPs tonight. Add to that he’s playing a Los Angeles Lakers squad that ranks just 28th vs. PGs in the last ten games, and things are looking really good for Rondo. Tonight’s game also figures to be close and fairly high scoring as well with a 206 over/under. Spend down for Rondo, so you can spend up elsewhere.
Shooting Guard: Monta Ellis, DAL ($6,800): Monta Ellis also represents another chance to spend down for what I believe will be the best value play among the higher priced SGs. Ellis has got a really nice matchup, in just the type of high paced game that fits hits playing style against a poor defense. Tonight’s game vs. the Philadelphia Sixers has a really nice over/under of 214, and though it does carry some risk of blowout, Monta Ellis shouldn’t have a problem getting the 34 FPs needed to reach value- in even just three quarters of playing time vs. a Sixers’ defense that ranks just 27th against opposing PGs.
Small Forward: Jeff Green, BOS ($6,400): Not a whole lot of great stuff going on at SF today, but Green has been playing a bit better as of late and with a value threshold of just 32 FPs, I’m hoping that at worse he falls just short of that mark. That said, I’m aware that for those of you that grind daily, you’ve no doubt been let down by Jeff Green on occasion at some point this season. As such, though he’s my top play, I will be hedging my bets and only playing him in half my games. The other SF that I’m looking to target heavily this evening, is his counterpart in his matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers: SF Wesley Johnson, who can be had for just $5,200 tonight.
Power Forward: Dirk Nowitzki, DAL ($7,700): As is par for the course, you’ll want to take as much advantage of the Sixers as humanly possible, and tonight is no different. Dirk has got a great matchup vs. a Sixers squad that ranks dead last against opposing PFs, and needs only 38.5 FPs to reach value. As is the case with Monta Ellis, Dirk should have no problem hitting value, even if a blowout limits his minutes tonight. Dirk had 44.3 FPs in his last game out vs. a bad Miami front court and should have similar success against an even worse Sixers’ defense.
Center: Joakim Noah, CHI ($9,000): Finally !!! An expensive player to spend on !!! I shudder to think what Noah might do tonight against a Denver Nuggets defense that ranks 29th over the last ten games against opposing centers. Maybe a triple-double ? Sure, why not? He did have 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists against them last game out. How about a double-double? Definitely!! You get the point. Joakim Noah is playing the best basketball of his career and should continue that tonight against these fools from Denver.
Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
low five:
Point Guard: Jose Calderon, DAL ($5,100): Just keep beating up on Philadelphia. Calderon needs just over 25 FPs for value tonight, and with plenty of points to go around and assists as well, Calderon should get value tonight at worst.
Shooting Guard: James Anderson, PHI ($4,300): If you’re a regular reader of my column, you know that I love James Anderson. I think James Anderson benefits most from Evan Turner leaving town. Needing just 21.5 FPs for value, I’m thinking Anderson gets that and then some tonight.
Small Forward: Gerald Wallace, BOS ($4,100): With Avery Bradley out again tonight, Wallace will draw the start tonight at SG vs. the Lakers, who rank 2nd to last against SGs over the last ten games. Wallace needs just over 20 FPs to reach value, a number he bested last game out in a start, and a number he should have no problem beating again tonight.
Power Forward: Brandan Wright, DAL ($3,800): Wright has been playing really well lately and should do so again vs. the Sixers, just like everyone else does. What really makes Wright a sneaky play though, is the increased minutes he’s likely to see in what is sure to be a blowout. I would not be surprised if Wright gets close to 25 FPs tonight, and crushes his value threshold of 19 FPs.
Center: Kelly Olynyk, BOS ($3,700): Kelly Olynyk has been playing really well as of late, surpassing his current value threshold of 18.5 FPs in four out his last five games. Tonight he gets a Los Angeles Lakers squad that is among the leagues worst against the center position, in what Vegas is saying will be one of the most competitive games of that night. As such, I really like Olynyk as a value pick tonight, and I will be rostering him heavily.
Thank you and good luck tonight !!!
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