FanDuel Daily Picks: Fantasy Basketball Lineup, February 25
Point Guard Picks
High Salary: Sorry, the fantasy beast that is Russell Westbrook isn’t playing tonight, but the next best thing lately has been Clippers PG Chris Paul who has been carrying the team while Blake Griffin has been sidelined. Paul scored 30 points with ten assists in the Clippers game on Monday against Memphis adding a pair of blocks, a pair of steals, and four rebounds. He has at least nine assists in his last eight games and has four twenty-point games during that span as well. As a result, Paul has been able to post at least 50 FanDuel points three times in his last five games including twice since the All Star break. Tonight, he’ll have to deal with the Rockets in Houston, but Patrick Beverley’s status is still up in the air. If Beverley starts and plays his usual minutes, he’ll hound Paul on defense making it a tougher matchup, but if Jason Terry gets the start Paul is a must-play even at 10,000 since he’ll be trying to help his team keep up with the high-scoring Rockets.
High Salary: Although his salary isn’t as high as many other options tonight, I think Ricky Rubio makes a great play as the Wolves take on the Wizards who are playing their second night in a row. Rubio has been playing heavy minutes for Minnesota coming out of the break and his multi-category numbers are definitely surging upward. He has at least 38 FanDuel points in each of his last three games. In those contests, Rubio has averaged 14 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.0 steals, and 8.7 assists. Rubio is relatively affordable on FanDuel at just 6,900 and makes a nice option for tonight.
Bonus Blend of Salary/Value: After a game of transition, Goran Dragic seemed right at home in Miami scoring 23 points to go with 10 assists on his way to 41.4 FanDuel points on Monday against the 76ers. Dragic seems to be settling in just fine with the Heat and will be a good play tonight in a favorable matchup with the Magic’s young backcourt.
High Value: Jarrett Jack is expected to return for the Nets tonight, but he’ll play limited minutes off the bench leaving Deron Williams as a nice value to consider at 5,00 as the Nets play the Pelicans who have struggled to defend opposing PG since losing Jrue Holiday. D-Will has stepped it up in his two games since the All Star break with a pair of double-doubles against the Lakers and Nuggets. On Monday, he had 12 assists and 16 points after 15 assists and 12 points on Friday. In both those games, Williams posted over 40 FanDuel points and even with Jack back in a limited capacity I think Williams is a great value tonight at 5,900.
High Value: Another veteran point guard performing well lately, Mo Williams has stepped right in for the Hornets and been a big-time contributor as their fill-in starter while Kemba Walker recovers. Williams has scored 24 and 22 points in his two games with Charlotte and added 12 assists against the Thunder. Tonight, he takes on the Bulls who will be figuring out their new PG rotation and should be able to once again be productive from his affordable 5,400 price point.
Bonus Bargain Option: The primary beneficiary of the available playing time due to the D-Rose injury is Aaron Brooks who should get more playing time and be a solid offensive option for Chicago. Brooks is a risky play tonight, but he’s only 3,500 so if you need money for big spending elsewhere he’s a risk worth taking tonight against the Hornets. While Brooks is my favorite cheap option, Isaiah Canaan and Ray McCallum also should play plenty of minutes from the bottom of the salary structure. There are so many point guards injuries and transitions which have led to a ton of fantasy options all across the salary spectrum.
Next: Shooting Guard Picks