Hoop-Dreaming: DraftKings NBA Plays for Friday 1-6-17
Hoop-Dreaming: DraftKings NBA GPP Plays for Friday 1-6-17
Thanks for clicking! I am going to be breaking down tonight’s DraftKings NBA action and discussing the various picks that are aimed to help win some money on DraftKings. The picks are mainly geared for GPP tournaments and will carry more risk but also offer more reward. After all, we are seeking to have one of our tickets be the winner amongst hundreds of thousands of other entries.
There is an 8 game slate tonight with 3 potential blowouts. We should be in for a high-scoring night if Las Vegas has penned the totals correctly. The game with the highest projected point total of the night (224) features the Houston Rockets (-5.5) on the road against the Orlando Magic. The lowest total actually belongs to two games projected at 211 points. They are the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Washington Wizards (-5) and the Los Angeles Clippers (-3) visiting the Sacramento Kings. There are two games tied for the largest point spread of the night at -13.5 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers play the Brooklyn Nets in a game that has a slightly higher total (220.5) than the Memphis Grizzlies at the Golden State Warriors (215.5).
Of course, there are always injuries which will open the door for some players to significantly outperform their salary. Make sure and check Fantasy CPR for other helpful NBA articles. Also, don’t forget to look for lineup changes periodically throughout the day and especially before tipoff. Let’s take a look at tonight’s games.
Point Guards and Shooting Guards
John Wall ($10,100) is notoriously better at home and tonight will face a Minnesota Timberwolves defensive backcourt that is not particularly imposing. Wall should be able to get past Ricky Rubio or Zach Lavine and either get to the rim or find open teammates.
Jamal Crawford ($4,800) is a difficult player to put faith in, however this is exactly the type of player to target in a tournament. Crawford is definitely boom or bust but the absence of Chris Paul has forced him to be more aggressive and has resulted in a boost in production.
Elfrid Payton ($6,000) has responded well since being inserted into the starting lineup earlier this week. The pace should be fast with the Houston Rockets coming to town and their philosophy of outscoring opponents. This is a type of game that Payton excels in due to his quickness and ability to rack up steals in the transition game.
Isaiah Thomas ($8,300) is coming off a couple of outstanding performances and has an excellent matchup on paper against the Philadelphia 76ers. He will be highly owned due to his recent surge and opponent. While factoring in his current salary, the “trap game” potential, and the high ownership levels, Thomas may actually be a fade play tonight.
Aaron Gordon ($4,900) is averaging 33 fantasy points a game and is in a good position to have a similar outing tonight in an up-tempo game against the Rockets. The Magic frontcourt rotation has been a mixed bag of production lately with Serge Ibaka ($6,400) showing up and producing over 30 fantasy points in three of the last four contests. The game is expected to be close and has a total of 224 points so should be plenty of opportunities available.
Andrew Wiggins ($6,800) is coming off one of his worst shooting performances as a professional. He gets a great chance at redemption tonight though when visiting the Washington Wizards.
Jabari Parker ($7,200) is also work a look in tournament formats since Carmelo Anthony is not known for his defense and the game is expected to remain close and well-paced. It seems to either be Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10,700) or Jabari Parker who has a great game and perhaps it is Parker’s turn tonight.
Matt Barnes ($4,400) is in incredibly streaky player to roster. However, that type of variance is what we are seeking to exploit to our advantage in large tournaments. Rudy Gay is expected to miss another game and Barnes, like most role players, plays better in front of the home crowd. This is also a revenge game of sorts for Barnes and perhaps this will add fuel to his fire.
Willie Reed ($4,200) significantly tailed off from his breakout game on Tuesday night. However, he is still going to receive plenty of quality minutes since Hassan Whiteside is out again tonight. A double- double tonight will easily ensure that he hits over 6x value. With a low floor and a high ceiling, Reed is someone to consider rostering tonight.
The man who will line up across from him in the paint is Demarcus Cousins ($10,900) and he is somewhat of a flier tonight due to his salary. A positive sign for Cousins is the aforementioned absence of Hassan Whiteside and the defensive presence that he brings to the court. Rudy Gay is expected to be out again tonight which will leave Cousins as the primary offensive option for the Kings. Foul trouble is always a risk with Cousins but one must take the good with the bad.
Joel Embiid ($7,700) has been on a tear in what is considered his rookie year. There has not been a statistically significant difference between his production at home or on the road. A matchup with the smaller Al Horford should allow Embiid to showcase his short, mid, and long-range games tonight along with his rebounding ability. He has been incredibly consistent so far this year and will hopefully keep it going tonight.