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.
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!
Tuesday’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!
Russell Westbrook ($10,500) You do not have to go back far to be reminded of what Westbrook can do for DFS owners when he is truly unleashed. On Sunday night, Westbrook played 30 minutes for the first time this preseason and put up 26 points, 10 assists and 46.6 FanDuel points. There is no player on this slate or truthfully on any given night that can make or break your DFS fortunes like Westbrook and unless we get confirmation he will be rested/limited on Tuesday Night, there is no need to fade his upside.
Kyrie Irving ($6,500) Coach Tyronn Lue has already confirmed that Kyrie will get 24 minutes on Tuesday and at this price point, that is enough for Irving to make a profitable DFS impact. In only 20 minutes per game this preseason, Kyrie is averaging 14 points and 5.5 assists per game so with an uptick in minutes it would be reasonable to expect increased production and if the Cavaliers continue to rest other starters it would increase the usage Kyrie would see when he is on the court.
Buddy Hield ($5,000) Hield is expected to start at Shooting Guard on Tuesday and makes for one of my favorite plays on the slate. Hield is averaging 25.8 minutes per game and should see that number increase on Tuesday as his main competition at SG, E’Twaun Moore has already been ruled out. Hield is a multi category contributor who has put up double-digit shot attempts in 3 of his last 4 games and with Anthony Davis out, there will be a significant amount of usage to account for across the Pelicans offense. I love Hield in this spot and is going to be a core play for me in all formats.
Will Barton ($5,400) With Gary Harris out with an injury, Barton has stepped into the starting lineup and delivered big time results right away. In the last two games, Barton has put up 15.7 points, 3.2 assist and 2.7 rebounds in just under 29 minutes per game. At this price point, Barton has immense upside and allows you the salary flexibility to fit in a number of the big-ticket items on Tuesday’s slate!
Danilo Gallinari ($8,000) After sitting out the last game for rest, I will be looking to fire Gallo back up on Tuesday night as the primary scoring option for the Nuggets. Gallinari is averaging 17.3 points per game in 3 preseason contests which leads this Nuggets squad and with Emmanuel Mudiay banged up, I expect Gallo to take on even more of the offensive load.
Aaron Gordon ($4,600) Gordon has been playing major minutes as the Magic’s new Small Forward, averaging over 26 minutes a game but with limited productivity. I expect many who have been burned by him will move away but do not overlook the usage that Gordon is seeing in this offense. Gordon is averaging just under 10 shot attempts per game however is only shooting 31% which is driving his 8.3 ppg so far this year. Gordon is not allowing his shooting woes to detract from his all around game as he has totaled 20 rebounds in that three game span. If Gordon can get his shot to fall, combined with his rebounding prowess, he should be able to deliver an all around DFS score that far exceeds this price point.
UPDATE: Aaron Gordon has been ruled out tonight. Otto Porter has also been ruled out which puts Kelly Oubre Jr. ($4,000) in a great spot as a pivot to Gordon. In his last game starting for Porter, Oubre scored 15 points in 27 minutes of action and makes a great point-per-dollar punt at SF which opens up value elsewhere.
Serge Ibaka ($7,000) Ibaka has stepped into the Magic starting PF spot and delivered an all around fantasy game that owners should take notice of. In 3 games, Ibaka is averaging 17 points per game in just under 29 minutes a contest while knocking down 1.3 3-pointers per game. In addition to his scoring, Ibaka continues to be a steady presence on the boards, racking up 26 rebounds over his last three games and his ability to contribute across the stat line makes him one of the best plays at PF on this slate.
Domantas Sabonis ($4,000) If we are going to pay up for the big time stars on this slate we are going to need to find some value and Sabonis is a player who has racked up solid minutes in the starting lineup for the Thunder. Sabonis has started three games and averaged 21.7 minutes per contest albeit with limited statistics to show for it. When I am looking for value at the punt price points, I want to target guaranteed minutes and Sabonis has carved out a role in this Thunder rotation that is giving him run. If he can produce even a modest stat line, he would far exceed his value at this price point!
Hassan Whiteside ($9,000) After resting on Saturday, I am looking to lock Whiteside back into my lineups on Tuesday. Whiteside is averaging 17.5 points and 12.5 boards so far this preseason with 2.8 blocks per game! One additional wrinkle, I am looking to lock in as many of the early game studs as I can to avoid the late game “rest” scenarios that occur after lock. Whiteside not only provides the safety we are looking for in cash games, but has the upside to take down a GPP!
UPDATE: Hassan Whiteside has been ruled out for tonight. DeMarcus Cousins at $8,700 is an easy pivot if you already had budgeted for Whiteside but unless we get roster certainty with Boogie he may be best paired with the Clippers big two (CP3 & Blake Griffin) as part of a late game GPP stack.
Next: Is James Harden the top Fantasy Basketball Pick?
Remember to keep an eye on the late breaking lineup news – follow us on Twitter as we will look to pass on urgent lineup news as we approach lock!