Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Lineups for January 24th

Jan 7, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; New York Knicks guard Langston Galloway (2) looks to pass as Washington Wizards forward Drew Gooden (90) defends during the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. Washington Wizards defeated New York Knicks 101-91. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

There are only five games in the NBA tonight, and not a lot of stars are taking the court. In fact, there is not one single player that costs more than $10,000. In fact, there are only two non-injured players that cost $9,000 or more. I will venture to say that the best lineups of the day will not use their full bankroll of $60,000.

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Here are my FanDuel lineups for January 24th:

Point Guards:

Bargains:

Langston Galloway, Knicks ($4,600): Galloway had his third consecutive game with more than 30 minutes played last night, and he did very well once again. He is scoring almost a fantasy point per minute during this run, which is a tremendous bargain at his price. The Knicks like what they see from the youngster so far, and they will continue to let him strut his stuff. At least until he cools off.

Dante Exum, Jazz ($3,600): Exum was decent in his first career start. What could get him more playing time is the fact that all of his points came from beyond the arc. He is a much better shooter than Trey Burke, and even if Exum does not start tonight, I see him coming close to 30 minutes of playing time. The thing that limits Exum’s value is that he won’t get you much besides points and a handful of assists. He won’t rack up the steals or drag down many rebounds. Still, anyone that gets 20 points for the minimum price is a very good value.

Worth The Cost:

Brandon Jennings, Pistons ($8,300): Jennings is a guy that you should only play when the matchup is right. He has struggled against teams that have good guard play (Hawks, Pelicans, Spurs) and gone off against teams that don’t defend well on the perimeter (Magic, Pacers, Raptors, Nets). Tonight’s opponent, the Milwaukee Bucks, fall into the latter category. I can see Jennings around the 40 fantasy point mark tonight, if not higher.

Jarrett Jack, Nets ($6,700): Jack had an off night against the Clippers on Thursday, and played under 30 minutes for the first time since January 10th. Chalk that up to an off game and run him back out there against the Jazz tonight. Jack should be well rested, and Deron Williams is nowhere near returning to the court.

Risky Plays:

Damian Lillard, Trailblazers ($9,000): Lillard is back on track with five straight 30 fantasy point games. I don’t particularly like his matchup against Washington, which is the only reason I list him as a risk. He may top 30 again tonight, but I’m not sure I would bet on it.

Kemba Walker, Hornets ($8,900): Walker has had two dreadful games in a row since missing two games with a cyst on his knee. He has a great matchup against the Knicks tonight, but I can’t say that I trust him tonight. Walker has just 33.9 fantasy points in those two games combined.

My Lineups:

A: Lillard and Exum ($12,600)

B: Jack and Exum ($10,300)

Next: No High Priced Options At SG

Nov 22, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Brooklyn Nets small forward Joe Johnson (7) shoots the ball over San Antonio Spurs power forward Aron Baynes (16) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Shooting Guards:

Bargain:

Jodie Meeks, Pistons ($4,200): Meeks is not without some risk, but there just isn’t much to go on at the position tonight. I just think his matchup against the Bucks is favorable, and he is still getting about 25 minutes per game. He won’t help you unless he is knocking down shots, but he should see a pretty good share of them against Milwaukee tonight.

Tim Hardaway Jr, Knicks ($4,900): I find it very hard to trust any Knicks player right now, but with Jose Calderon being a game time decision, Hardaway could experience an uptick in minutes. Of course he will still have to fight off Shane Larkin and Pablo Prigioni, but the more likely scenario if Calderon is out would be Galloway manning the point with Hardaway starting at the SG slot. Hardaway has still been between 18 and 20 fantasy points over the last five games. Those are not great numbers, but they are consistent. Still, you probably don’t need to go this cheap to get who you want today.

Worth The Cost:

Joe Johnson, Nets ($6,300): That’s right, folks. Johnson is the elite option at SG tonight. He has only been below 20 fantasy points once since Christmas, and that was against the tough defense of Memphis. He is a solid bet to come close to his season average of 27.3 fantasy points tonight against the Jazz. Especially with the shakeups in the Jazz backcourt. He is the most expensive SG option with good reason: he is consistent. You can’t say that for many of the other options.

Wesley Matthews, Trailblazers ($5,900): Matthews has been near 40 minutes per game over his last four outings since his disaster against the Spurs. He is not an elite option, but he may look like it tonight in this barren SG landscape. Matthews has averaged 30 fantasy points per game over his last four outings. I don’t see him outscoring Johnson though due to his tougher matchup with Washington.

Risky Plays:

Brad Beal, Wizards ($6,200): Beal’s price is that high because he is probably the only guy at the position tonight who is a legitimate threat to drop 40 fantasy points. He is also a a better threat to be below 20 due to his dreadful shooting over three of his past four games. He is a good rebounder at the guard position, and a decent passer, but the fact that he has been at or below 15 fantasy points in two out of his last four games makes me nervous.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks ($6,100): His minutes are back up in the 28-33 range, which means he is providing decent production once again. I don’t like his matchup against Detroit. I think that really limits his fantasy ceiling tonight, and you can likely get better production elsewhere for this price.

My Lineups:

A: Matthews and Hardaway ($10,800)

B: Johnson and Hardaway ($11,200)

Next: Lots Of Options At SF Still

Nov 10, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Utah Jazz guard Gordon Hayward (20) brings the ball up court against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Small Forwards:

Bargains:

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Hornets ($5,600): MKG has put up 25 or more fantasy points in six of his last ten games, but he has been under 20 in the other four. Still, I love the matchup against the Knicks, and he does enough else to raise his floor if his shot isn’t falling. I would say that he will be closer to 30 than 20 fantasy points tonight.

Lance Thomas, Knicks ($3,500): Thomas has played more than 20 minutes in the last three games, and with the prospect of Carmelo Anthony sitting tonight, there is a good chance that Thomas plays big minutes again. He racked up 29.8 fantasy points in 25 minutes last night. I would think that would earn Thomas more minutes. Oh, and he did that with Melo in the lineup.

Worth The Cost:

Gordon Hayward, Jazz ($7,400): Hayward is easily the top option at SF tonight. He would have been even if Carmelo Anthony was going to play. Even if Anthony does play, he won’t receive a full compliment of minutes. Hayward has had five games over 35 fantasy points in his last ten. The bad part is that the rest of them have been 25 or under. The Nets are somewhere in the middle, so I would expect his fantasy output to be in the middle as well. Hayward should be good for right around 30 points.

Risky Plays:

Robert Covington, 76ers ($5,600): Covington has had back-to-back good games, but I absolutely would not play him against the Grizzlies. He has struggled against good defenses, and we all know what the Grizzlies can do. MKG is the same price. Use him instead.

Khris Middleton ($5,100) and Jared Dudley ($4,600), Bucks: Dudley outplayed Middleton on Thursday, which further muddles the picture in Milwaukee. This is further complicated by the Pistons defense. Stay far, far away from this mess tonight.

My Lineups:

A and B: Hayward and Kidd-Gilchrist ($13,000)

Next: Can You Trust LaMarcus Aldridge?

Jan 19, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) drives against Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler (6) at FedExForum. Dallas defeated Memphis 103-95. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Power Forwards:

Bargains:

Ersan Ilyasova, Bucks ($4,400): Ilyasova is allegedly the starter, but he played only 17 minutes as the starter on Thursday. I think the whole team will likely struggle against Detroit tonight, but I also think that Ilyasova struggles less than the rest of the team. If you can get 20 fantasy points for $4,400, you would be happy with that.

Worth The Cost:

Greg Monroe, Pistons ($8,400): All Monroe has done in the last dozen games is score more than 30 fantasy points in all of those games. The matchup against the Bucks should have all of us salivating. He might score the most points of any player tonight.

Zach Randolph, Grizzlies ($8,500): Randolph has had above 30 fantasy points in every game since his return. He is a very strong play against the 76ers tonight. They are undersized, and Randolph could absolutely abuse them. It’s a close call as to whether Randolph or Monroe is the better play tonight.

Derrick Favors, Jazz ($7,600): Favors will be back tonight, and is a strong play against the Nets. We don’t know what his personal issues were, but we have no reason to believe that his game will be affected by it.

Risky Plays:

LaMarcus Aldridge, Trailblazers ($9,600): That’s right. Aldridge is in the starting lineup tonight. He is foregoing surgery and will try to play through the pain. That is very noble of Aldridge, but it could seriously hurt his fantasy value. I want to see what Aldridge can do before I take a chance on him. This is an injury that will linger. The only question is will he be able to cope with the pain and play his usual load of minutes? I wouldn’t count on it.

Nerlens Noel, 76ers ($5,800): His matchup against the Grizzlies is not a good one, but Noel has been playing well lately. I just don’t trust him against a notoriously tough opponent. Honestly, there are better options.

My Lineups:

A and B: Randolph and Monroe ($16,900)

Next: Who Should You Pick At C?

Jan 4, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) dunks in the third quarter after scoring at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Center:

Bargain:

Enes Kanter, Jazz ($6,200): Kanter has been on an incredible roll lately. He has 93 fantasy points in the last two games. Rudy Gobert is still a strong play, but will play less minutes with Favors back. Kanter is a little bit safer choice, and has a solid matchup against the Nets. I put Kanter just above Gobert, but it is close.

Worth The Cost:

Andre Drummond, Pistons ($8,400): Drummond punished the Magic on Wednesday to the tune of 56.9 fantasy points. He could do the same thing against a weak and undersized Bucks frontcourt. He has always been a rebounding machine, and now he is adding some points to that as well. Drummond could be the best option at center tonight, and maybe by a large margin.

Risky Play:

Brook Lopez, Nets ($6,300): Lopez has put up some big numbers in the last couple of weeks, but there have been some games in there that are beyond awful. He is fighting for minutes with both Kevin Garnett and Mason Plumlee. He may put up big numbers, but there is a huge risk attached.

My Lineups:

A: Kanter ($6,200)

B: Gobert ($6,600)

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