FanDuel daily picks: Fantasy basketball lineup-February 3
High Salary PG
Russell Westbrook-Oklahoma City Thunder (10,900): There are a lot of great PG options for tonight, but if you’re going to spend big on one, I think you have to go with Westbrook. Westbrook had his second straight triple-double on Monday against the Wizards and finished with 46.1 fantasy points. It was actually a bit of a down night for him since he only had 17 points and had posted at least 52 fantasy points in each of his previous three games. He had at least ten assists in eight of his last ten games and at least eight rebounds in each of his last seven. His elite scoring and great production in other categories makes him a good pick to get to 50 fantasy points almost any night, and Orlando has been a great matchup for him in the past including when he dropped 48 points on them earlier this season. ∗∗∗
Chris Paul-Los Angeles Clippers (9,700): Paul is a solid option for tonight too especially in a good matchup against the Timberwolves. Minnesota allows the third-most fantasy points in the NBA to opposing PG which should set up well for CP3 who is getting plenty of opportunities to score with Blake Griffin still sidelined. Paul has at least 40 fantasy points in six of his last eight games, and he should be relatively fresh since his minutes have been limited lately and the Clippers haven’t played since Sunday when they cruised past Chicago. Paul is in a good matchup, and he should produce a nice double-double tonight with the potential to go off if the T-Wolves keep the game competitive throughout. ∗∗
Kyrie Irving-Cleveland Cavaliers (6,900): Irving seems to be finding his rhythm and could be set up for a big game in Charlotte tonight especially since Kemba Walker is questionable with a sore left knee. Irving had a game-high 25 points on Monday in the Cavs’ win over Indiana adding seven assists on his way to 36.1 fantasy points which give him at least 34 fantasy points in three straight contests. In each of those games he has scored over 20 points, and he seems to be thriving in the Cavs new-and-improved Lue-led offense. In a good matchup, he’s an option I like a lot in the early game. ∗∗∗∗
Ishmael Smith-Philadelphia 76ers (6,900): Smith may be settling in with his new team but his numbers are still as boom or bust as the have ever been. He had a very nice stat line against the Warriors on Saturday with 42.5 fantasy points on 16 points, nine assists, and four steals, and he has at least 38 fantasy points in six of his last ten games. The reason he doesn’t cost more (aside from his owners hesitancy to invest in the worst team in the league) is that he has ugly clunkers from time to time like when he only managed seven points and 17.2 fantasy points against Boston four games ago. Tonight against Atlanta, I expect Smith to bring more boom than bust as he takes on the Hawks for the fourth time this season (second with the 76ers). ∗∗∗
Jeff Teague-Atlanta Hawks (6,200): On the other side of the Sixers-Hawks matchup, Teague is a nice play against Smith and the Sixers coming off his best performance of the season on Monday night in Dallas. Teague stepped up amid swirling trade rumors and scored 32 points in 28 minutes while adding eight assists and five rebounds to get to 50 fantasy points. He has at least 27 fantasy points in four of his last five games and is a nice option against Philadelphia who has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing PG over their last five games. The threat of weird rotations limiting his minutes is still there as the Hawks try to find the best combinations, but Teague should have earned himself a little rope with his big game Monday. ∗∗∗∗
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