Daily Fantasy Basketball: Nuggets’ PG Ty Lawson is Friday’s top play
By John Hillier
Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-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”. Denver Nuggets’ PG Ty Lawson flies high as Friday’s top Daily Fantasy Basketball play.
Let’s rip it up.
HIGH FIVE:
Point Guard: Ty Lawson, DEN ($8,700): I like Ty Lawson in this spot tonight against the Lakers, who despite defending the position better as of late, have been poor against opposing PGs for most of the season. Since his return from injury, Lawson has averaged 48 FPs and in what’s expected to be the highest scoring game of the night, he should be able to produce somewhere in the 40-50 FP range.
Also worth consideration, is Kemba Walker, CHA ($8,100) in a home matchup against the atrocious defense of Kyrie Irving.
Shooting Guard: Tyreke Evans, SAC ($7,200): If you play daily you know the tear that Tyreke has been on over the past three games, playing over 40 minutes per game and producing in excess of 45 FPs per game. FanDuel has expectedly raised his price as a result, but I still don’t think it’s as high as it should be given his recent production. As such, I’ll be playing him a fair amount tonight and fully expecting AT LEAST the 36 FPs he’ll need for value in a great matchup vs. the Milwaukee Bucks, who rank just 25th vs. opposing SFs, which is the actual position Evans plays.
Also consider: DeMar DeRozan, TOR ($8,500)
Small Forward: Josh Smith, DET ($8,600): Aside from a dud against the Knicks earlier this week, Josh Smith has been on a roll lately, averaging over 40 FPs in five of his last six. He’ll need 43 FPs for value tonight, and should have all the opportunity in the world in a high paced game against a Minnesota Timberwolves, who have allowed the third most FPs to SFs over the past two weeks. I’ll roster him with the expectations of a 40 FP floor, with 50+ FP upside.
Power Forward: Anthony Davis, NO ($9,200): There are lots of great PF plays across the slate tonight. One of those plays in which things are looking really good, is Anthony Davis in a matchup against a pretty weak Milwaukee Bucks’ frontcourt. Other than a few games recently in which either injury or foul trouble has slowed him down, Davis has been consistently producing in the 40-45 FP range. Expect similar output this evening.
Among the other great plays that I alluded to are, Kevin Love, MIN ($11,600), Carmelo Anthony, NY ($10,200), and Pau Gasol, LAL ($9,000); all of whom have excellent matchups. It’s expected production relative to price that puts Davis just ahead of these three for me though. Also, if you are playing tourneys, tonight could be the night which LaMarcus Aldridge, POR ($9,300) gets back to form and produces 40-50 FPs, on a night he will be lowly owned, making him a sneaky play. Not sure I’d trust him for cash games though.
Center: Al Jefferson, CHA ($9,800): On paper, this doesn’t look like the best matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers ranking 4th vs. opposing centers in recent weeks, but Jefferson has proven to be matchup proof for the most part. More importantly Cleveland has squared off against some of the weaker centers as of late, which has boosted their rating over the past weeks down lower than what is has been on the season. Also keep in mind that Jefferson’s counterpart for tonight, Spencer Hawes, previously manned the middle for the Philadelphia Sixers, who were among the league’s worst against the C position. Take all that into account, along with the fact this should be a competitive game and I think you can pencil Jefferson in for 40-50 FPs this evening.
Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
low five:
Point Guard: Shaun Livingston, BKN ($3,800): Livingston has been getting about 25 minutes per game over his last four, while producing in the 20 FP range most nights. With a value threshold of 19 FPs, that sort of production would be a welcome addition to any fantasy roster tonight for the price. Especially given the roster flexibility it will allow you.
Shooting Guard: Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL ($4,200): Call this more of a hunch than anything, but I’m expecting that Antetokounmpo get 20-25 FPs tonight in a similar number of minutes,against a Pelicans squad that he matches up well against.
Also consider, Chris Douglas-Roberts, CHA ($3,700) who will be starting tonight and performed well in his last start (24.9 FPs)
Small Forward: Wilson Chandler, DEN ($5,600): Chandler has been averaging over 30 FPs in his three contests, and should against produce in that 25-30 FP range again tonight vs. a Los Angeles Lakers’ squad that has given up the 2nd most points to opposing SFs over the past couple of weeks. Also consider, Jeff Adrien, MIL ($4,000) for your tourney rosters.
Power Forward: Amar’e Stoudemire, NY ($4,300): If Amar’e were to draw the start again tonight, I really like him against a Utah Jazz team that has performed poorly against the PF position recently. In his last three starts, Amar’e has averaged over 27 FPs, value for him is just 21.5 and production in that range should be expected with a start.
Center: Kelly Olynyk, BOS ($4,200): Olynyk is surely a risky play for this evening, but I’m thinking that he gets 25-30 minutes and produces in the 20-25 FP range against a middling Brooklyn Nets frontcourt. Also worth a look is Timofey Mozgov, DEN ($4,000), a FP/minute beast, against a horrible Lakers’ frontcourt.
Thank you and good luck tonight!!!
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