FanDuel NBA: Picks and Pivots
Welcome to the NBA edition of Picks and Pivots, a fantasy basketball column focused on helping you find the best FanDuel NBA lineup! The purpose of this column is to first identify key building blocks that can be used for any roster construction and then identify pivot points to help differentiate your lineup in hopes of a big payday!
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Typically, many fantasy basketball players will shy away from diving into preseason action but as we inch closer and closer to the regular season tip-off this is a great way to start to get your exposure to the NBA!
Playing Preseason DFS is an entirely different animal as the minutes and roster constructions can fluctuate wildly and its important to keep up on late breaking news before lineups lock. However, one common misconception is that we need to avoid starters and focus on the unknown bench players to take down a pay day.
Just for some context – here is the winning roster from Wednesday Night’s $3 featured GPP:
- D’Angelo Russell
- Ish Smith
- CJ McCollum
- Bradley Beal
- Rudy Gay
- Jae Crowder
- Tobias Harris
- Blake Griffin
- DeAndre Jordan
If you look over the winning results for the last few days, you will see that the rosters are predominately made up of NBA stars and high-end NBA starters that are playing 20-30 minutes a game. It is critical to keep an eye on lineups as the day goes on as players are consistently getting days off which opens up value not only from the player pool but leaves a good amount of “dead rosters” in large tournaments as they fail to adjust to late breaking news!
Friday’s Main NBA preseason action kicks off at 7:00PM EST with five games on the main slate and no shortage of superstars to choose from. Without further ado – let’s get into our top picks for the day!
PG: Emmanuel Mudiay ($6,000) After sitting out on Wednesday for rest, we can expect the Nuggets to slide Mudiay back into the starting PG spot on Friday night. Mudiay has been playing just under 25 minutes per game and is second on the team in shot attempts with 11.3 per game. His production has not yet been there as he is shooting under 30% so far this preseason but with the volume of shots he is taking, he makes for a great GPP play. Add in the fact that the Nuggets will be trying to keep pace with the Warriors on Friday night and Mudiay makes for a great boom/bust option!
Jeff Teague ($5,700) One of the steadiest contributors at PG this preseason has been the Pacers PG, Jeff Teague, who has led the team in points per game while playing nearly 25 minutes a contest. Teague has been a remarkably consistent offensive focal point with at least 10 shot attempts in every game so far this preseason, picking up the scoring load with Paul George sitting out the last two games. With PG expected back on Friday, let others move away from Teague as if you look at the two games this preseason with George in the lineup, Teague still had 26 shot attempts while racking up 10 rebounds and 10 assists to go along with 4 steals. Teague’s steady ability to contribute across multiple categories makes him a solid foundation play at a reasonable price point!
Devin Booker ($6,200) If you have been playing preseason DFS, then you are no doubt clicking on this guys name each and every time out and simply eating the chalk for good reason! Booker is averaging over 21 points per game while playing the most minutes of any player on the Suns so far this season. On a similar sized slate on Wednesday, Booker was nearly 70% owned in the $3 FanDuel Featured GPP so realize that this is a fade at your own risk kind of play as no other player at SG offers the production that Booker does, especially at such a reasonable price!
***Update: Booker is doubtful to play tonight due to injury. One potential pivot spot is Indiana as the Pacers will play their normal starting lineup and the Coach has said they will get 30 + minutes. Monta Ellis at only $5,000 makes for an interesting pivot at SG.
Will Barton ($5,400) After receiving the night off Wednesday, Barton will return to the lineup Friday and makes for a great high upside play at a weak SG position. Barton his averaging 28.7 minutes per game, 15.7 points and is putting up the most shot attempts of any player on the Nuggets. Barton has the ability to fill it up on any given night and in a fast paced game against the Warriors on Friday, this is a prime spot to use him!
Kevin Durant ($8,400) With Steph Curry missing practice earlier this week with strep throat, it is possible that Steve Kerr will hold him out tonight which would allow for even higher usage for Kevin Durant. The Warriors are on the front end of a back to back so this is the most important place to watch for roster news today as we may see some key players rest! If Durant is in the lineup he makes for one of the best plays on the board as over the last two games he is averaging 23 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks in only 25 minutes per game. Take advantage of paying this price for Durant now because soon enough he will be priced well over $10k!
Paul George ($7,500) One of the biggest knocks on FanDuel is that they make you roster two small forwards which frankly some nights is impossible to feel good about. Yesterday DraftKings announced they will allow multi position eligibility(which would be great if FanDuel followed suit) but tonight is one of those nights where the elite stars make SF much easier to target! Paul George missed the last game for Indiana but looks likely to play tonight and assuming he gets back to 25 minutes as he did in his first two games, we can confidently target one of the best all around DFS plays for a highly reasonable salary!
Draymond Green ($7,200) Green has seen a drop in usage so far this preseason, putting up just over 6 points per game on less than 5 shot attempts per contest. Green’s ability however to rack up stats in multiple ways is what makes him an ideal target and his 14 boards and 10 assists in the last two contests show that he can contribute without being the focal point of the offense. If Curry sits out, Green may see more offensive usage and my hope is that people are scared away by his slow start and allow us to easily roster one of the best PF in the NBA!
Aaron Gordon ($4,600) Gordon made his preseason debut on Wednesday and although he struggled from the field (3-10 and 0-2 from three), he was able to pull down 10 rebounds in 20 minutes of action. Gordon is clearly going to be one of the most instrumental players in the Magic rotation as he will likely start at Small Forward this year with Serge Ibaka on the roster. This is one of the first nights we actually need salary value and being able to lock in a starter with double-double upside at this price point is a no-brainer considering the rest of our roster construction.
Hassan Whiteside ($9,000) I mentioned that we needed salary savings and making sure you have room for this guy is reason #1. Whiteside has been an absolute monster this preseason with averages of 19.3 points, 13 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game in only 24.3 minutes! There is no scenario where I am fading this man and even against the Spurs, where we historically look to move away from opposing offensive players, Whiteside is performing at a level that is impossible to fade!
Next: Who is the #1 Pick in Fantasy Basketball Drafts?
Best of luck tonight – please keep an eye out on lineup news throughout the day. We will do our best to share news on Twitter and feel free to reach out with any lineup questions!