Fantasy Basketball: FanDuel Lineups For January 26th

Jan 23, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts after dunking the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

There are seven games in the NBA tonight, which still provides us enough options to create good teams. Now with the news that two of those seven games have been canceled (Knicks-Kings and Nets-Trailblazers) due to the apocalyptic snowstorm heading for New York City, we have a few less options. Note that players from these games are not listed as out on FanDuel.

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Here are my FanDuel lineups for January 26th:

Point Guards:

Bargains:

Mo Williams, Timberwolves ($5,800): Ricky Rubio is technically considered day to day, but even if he does play, it won’t be more than 20 minutes. I would think that he would most take minutes away from Zach LaVine instead of Williams anyway. Williams has 63 fantasy points in the last two games. Those were against two solid teams in Atlanta and New Orleans. I have no reservations about playing him tonight against Oklahoma City.

Dante Exum, Jazz ($3,700): It seems as though Exum will continue to start, but he has barely cracked 20 fantasy points in his two starts. Trey Burke is still playing nearly as many minutes as Exum, so I will look at this as what it is: a timeshare. It doesn’t matter who the starter is. Whoever plays better will get the most playing time on any given night it seems. Still, Exum is very low risk at this price.

Worth The Cost:

Russell Westbrook, Thunder ($10,700): Westbrook has been on quite a roll lately. Westbrook has averaged 47.6 fantasy points over his last eight games. Tonight he has a tasty matchup against the Timberwolves. It is possible that Westbrook could rest should this game get out of hand, but he should put up some really good numbers even if does only play 30 minutes.

Chris Paul, Clippers ($9.800): Paul gets the Nuggets tonight, who have had trouble on the defensive end. Paul is a great passer as well as a creator, so he should be able to find plenty of holes in the Nuggets tonight. Paul has had back to back games of over 40 points against the Nets and Suns. Denver’s defense might even be worse than those two. He is a very good play tonight.

Risky Plays:

Larry Drew, 76ers ($3,500): Michael Carter-Williams is going to miss tonight’s game with an illness, so that will give Drew the start at PG. Yes, the 76ers backcourt is in that dire of straits since Tony Wroten is also out. Drew has had three games of double digit fantasy points out of his six games played in January in limited minutes off of the bench. Whether he will be good tonight or not is purely a guess.

Elfrid Payton, Magic ($6,000): Payton has averaged 30.4 fantasy points in his last eight games. That puts his production at above what you would normally expect from a player this price. The only problem is that he is playing the Grizzlies tonight, who have stymied opposing guards lately with the trio of Mike Conley, Courtney Lee, and Tony Allen. Payton did well against Detroit and against Memphis on the 16th, but Conley was out for that game. Maybe Payton does it a again, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

My Lineups:

A: Paul and Drew ($13,300)

B: Westbrook and Exum ($14,400)

Next: Some Sleepers At SG Tonight

Shooting Guards:

Bargains:

Jan 25, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans (1) shoots over Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler (6) during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Courtney Lee, Grizzlies ($4,300): Lee is not going to be a game changer, but he has averaged 20.7 fantasy points in his last seven games. His move to the starting lineup has provided a modest uptick in minutes, but not enough to make a huge difference. All it does is mean he has a bit higher floor. He is not going to score you in the mid 30’s, but he is not going to leave you under 15 either.

Eric Gordon, Pelicans ($5,500): Gordon was right around 20 points yet again. He has only had one game that could really hurt FanDuel players since his return, and that was his first game back. He has a great matchup against the damaged 76ers backcourt tonight, but may see extended rest if this gets out of hand.

Worth The Cost:

Tyreke Evans, Pelicans ($7,500): With Jrue Holliday out at least two weeks, that means Evans will continue to run the offense. He has done a very good job thus far, averaging 34.7 fantasy points per game while running the point. He is a great play for the same reason that Gordon is, but the same caveat also applies. His minutes may be down if the game gets out of hand. That said, he should still come close to his current 35 point average.

Evan Turner, Celtics ($6,000): Turner’s minutes have remained consistent despite the upheaval in the Boston lineups. That makes Turner a solid play. He has averaged 30.4 fantasy points per game since the tweaking of the starting lineup, and he is showing no signs of slowing down.

Risky Plays:

Victor Oladipo, Magic ($7,100): Oladipo had a solid game against Memphis ten days ago, but I still wouldn’t trust him to duplicate that feat. He is the second highest priced SG on the night, but I seriously doubt that he is the second highest scorer at the position.

Dion Waiters, Thunder ($4,900): Waiters had three straight games of under 20 fantasy points against the Heat, Hawks, and Wizards. The competition gets a little easier with the Timberwolves on the docket tonight. Still, Waiters’s value is based almost exclusively on his ability to make shots. If his shot is not falling, he could still have a bad night against a subpar team.

My Lineups:

A: Evans and Gordon ($13,000)

B: Gordon and Lee ($9,800)

Next: Should You Splurge For Durant?

Jan 21, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard K.J. McDaniels (14) dunks past New York Knicks guard Langston Galloway (2) and forward Jason Smith (14) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Small Forwards:

Bargains:

Wilson Chandler, Nuggets ($5,500): Chandler is back to normal after four straight games of under 20 fantasy points after his return. He now has 67.5 fantasy points in his last two games. He has a solid matchup tonight against the Clippers, and with few other solid mid-level options, Chandler seems like one of the safer plays.

K.J. McDaniels, 76ers ($4,400): I don’t particularly like his matchup against the Pelicans, but will all of the injuries to the 76ers backcourt, McDaniels should see an exponential rise in minutes. He has not played over 30 minutes since January 14th, but I expect that to change tonight. McDaniels is not a great scorer, but he does enough other things to make him a solid play tonight due to the rise in minutes.

Worth The Cost:

Kevin Durant, Thunder ($10,600): Durant had a big game against the Cavs yesterday, and will do the same to the Timberwolves tonight. The only thing stopping Durant from going over 50 fantasy points again may be the impeding blowout, and even then, if he plays at least 30 minutes he might get there anyway.

Gordon Hayward, Jazz ($7,400): Hayward has not been under 20 fantasy points in a game since before Christmas. He is averaging 32.2 fantasy points per game over the last ten games, which is about what you would want from his price range. He also has a very nice matchup against Boston, and I trust him more than Wiggins agianst the Thunder.

Risky Plays:

Robert Covington, 76ers ($5,500): Covington won’t have to fight for minutes the way that he normally does, and should see somewhere in the mid-30’s as far as minutes go. That may not result in good production since he will have to deal with the strong Pelicans defense. Still, the potential minutes increase could edge his value upwards a bit.

Andrew Wiggins, Timberwolves ($7,100): To say he has cooled off would be an accurate, though misguided, statement. He has struggled a bit lately, but he has also had to face the Hornets, Pelicans and Hawks, three good defensive teams. The Thunder are pretty good on defense too, so he may be under 30 fantasy points for the fourth time in the last five games.

My Lineups:

A: Durant and Chandler ($16,100)

B: Durant and McDaniels ($15,000)

Next: PF Still Has Marquee Players As Well As Bargains

Jan 25, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) celebrates a win as Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons (25) walks off the court following a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Mavericks 109-106. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Power Forwards:

Bargains:

Brandon Bass, Celtics ($4,800): Bass has averaged 33.4 fantasy points per game in his three consecutive starts. He doesn’t have that great of a matchup against Utah tonight, but it isn’t bad either. Bass has locked down the PF slot with Jared Sullinger starting at center, and is doing a very good job, especially for his price in daily leauges.

Thaddeus Young, Timberwolves ($6,400): Young shifted up to SF with Nikola Pekovic taking over at PF, and put up a dominant stat line last night against the Hawks. While I would not expect him to dominate against the Thunder, he could still put up good numbers again. Young also has a pretty high floor, having been under 20 fantasy points just once in his last 12 games.

Worth The Cost:

Anthony Davis, Pelicans ($11,000): Davis has racked up 147 fantasy points in just three games since his return. He has another great matchup against Philadelphia tonight. He could be the most reliable high priced option of the night with DeMarcus Cousins not playing.

Blake Griffin, Clippers ($9,900): Griffin has not been under 30 fantasy points in 2015, and is another strong play tonight agianst the undersized Nuggets. Kenneth Faried is a freakish athlete, but is not a great defender. Griffin should stay well above 30 fantasy points again tonight.

Risky Plays:

Kenneth Faried, Nuggets ($6,900): Faried is playing a lot of minutes again lately. He has played more than 36 minutes in each of his last three games. He has averaged 35 fantasy points in those three games. As long as he is playing that kind of minutes, he is worth playing, though I wouldn’t bank on him hitting 35 fantasy points against the Clippers tonight, but he should be around 30.

Jared Sullinger, Celtics ($6,600): Sullinger had only played more than 30 minutes twice in his last eight games. Which is surprising since he has the most upside of anyone on the team. He had a big night against Golden State last night in his 30 minutes. Maybe that leads to an increase in playing time tonight, but with the Celtics, you never know.

My Lineups:

A: Bass and Young ($11,200)

B: Davis and Bass ($15,800)

Next: Where Do You Go Without Cousins At C?

January 16, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) dunks the ball to score a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Center:

Bargain:

Rudy Gobert, Jazz ($6,400): Gobert is back on the bench with Derrick Favors back with the team, but he still got 20 fantasy points in as many minutes against the Nets on Saturday. With Enes Kanter’s inconsistency, Gobert should have no problems getting back up to 25 minutes off the bench, and we all saw what he can do if given the chance. Also, the game against Boston could get out of hand, which could mean more minutes in garbage time for Gobert as well.

Worth The Cost:

Marc Gasol, Grizzlies ($8,600): Gasol has not been under 30 fantasy points since January 9th, and is back to doing what he does best: stuffing stat sheets. He is showing no pain in his knee, and has averaged 38.5 fantasy points since that January 9th game. He is one of the safer options of the night.

DeAndre Jordan, Clippers ($8,300): Jordan gives away a ton of points at the charity stripe, but he is still a superb rebounder. He has the potential for a huge game against the Nuggets, who are trying to develop Jusuf Nurkic, and he is clearly a work in progress. I look for a game in the high 30’s fantasy wise for Jordan at worst tonight.

Risky Play:

Nikola Pekovic, Timberwolves ($6,300): Pekovic started his first game since his return at PF against the Hawks yesterday with mixed results. He did score 15 points, but only had three rebounds in 36 minutes. The minutes are there, but if the rebounds are going to be down, it definitely limits his upside and production in the FanDuel format.

My Lineups:

A: Gobert ($6,400)

B: Omer Asik ($4,700): I ran out of money, and I like Asik better than Nurkic or Steven Adams.

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