Hoop-Dreaming: DraftKings NBA Plays for Tuesday 1-10-17

April 3, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (6) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
April 3, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (6) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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DraftKings NBA
Oct 30, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas (4) dribbles the ball around the key with Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (7) and Toronto Raptors power forward Patrick Patterson (54) defending during the 2nd quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports DraftKings NBA /

Hoop-Dreaming: DraftKings NBA GPP Plays for Tuesday 1-10-17

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.

Tonight there is 9 games on the NBA slate and there is plenty of projected high scoring games to choose players from.  The game expected to be the highest scoring (225) involves the Houston Rockets hosting the Charlotte Hornets.  Not far behind though is the Portland Trail Blazers at the Los Angeles Lakers with a projected total of 223.5.  This game is expected to be close with Portland only favored by 2.5 points.  The Utah Jazz host the Cleveland Cavaliers (199) and the San Antonio Spurs host the Milwaukee Bucks (200) in the lowest totals of the night.

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.

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Jan 29, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) and guard C.J. McCollum (3) look on against the Charlotte Hornets during the fourth quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports /

Point Guards and Shooting Guards

John Wall ($9,900) will look to take advantage of the depleted Chicago Bulls backcourt tonight.  This bodes well since Wall is a better player at home and will have free rein tonight.  The game carries an eleven point spread so there is blowout potential.  Wall is also coming off a rough outing against the Minnesota Timberwolves so recency bias will be in play in favor of those willing to roster him.

Damian Lillard ($9,000) and his teammate C.J. McCollum ($8,100) are beneficiaries of  a close point spread in one of the highest totals of the night.  They will matched up with a young Lakers team that has been finding some traction lately after a rough patch.  Although there might not be enough room for both players to have excellent games, this is a good scenario to “stack” these two and differentiate your lineup.

Staying in L.A., Nick Young ($4,100) and Lou Williams ($4,600) are both coming off sub-par performances and their salaries are low enough to justify the risk.  Since they should be under-owned and there are plenty of points expected, these two can be sprinkled throughout multiple lineups and are inexpensive enough to use together.

Isaiah Thomas ($9,100) remains one of the most explosive guards in the NBA.  He has been playing well lately but this has caused his salary to rise as well.  At his current salary he has only hit 6x value 4 times in the last month.  In a similar position is Marcus Smart ($5,800), who was a great value play last game.  However his price has risen and the public will be more apt to roster him tonight.  While both players are in good positions on paper, I think they are more fade plays.

Kyle Lowry ($8,200) has returned to form lately even despite a couple of bad outings including his last one.  Using recency bias and the fact that Lowry might have burned some people’s lineups, he is definitely in play tonight against the Celtics.  Especially when considering that he is at a lower price than Thomas Lowry’s teammate DeMar DeRozan ($8,300) has been steady throughout the year and has the potential for a huge game if Avery Bradley is out tonight.  Even if Bradley plays, DeRozan is still a good play.

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Nov 22, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle (30) drives to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless (4) in the first half of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Small Forwards and Power Forwards

Julius Randle ($7,400) has hit 6x his current salary 3 times in the last 2 weeks and just missed out on a fourth time by a single fantasy point.  The Portland frontcourt will have matchup problems with Randle and his skill set benefits from an uptempo game.  He will look to maintain his current form tonight.

A regular fantasy tournament flier Marcus Morris ($5,000) is wildy inconsistent and his last three games have resulted in 25.7, 42, and 23.7 fantasy points. However, he has the ability to rack up rebounds and steals while also being an option out on the wing for the Pistons.

Returning from injury on Friday, Luol Deng ($4,700) had a great game for the Lakers.  However he quickly returned to a slump that has now included five of his last six games.  Somebody is going to need to score the points that Las Vegas has predicted for the Lakers and Deng is worth looking at tonight on DraftKings.

Kawhi Leonard ($7,900) should be full steam ahead tonight with LaMarcus Aldridge sitting out due to illness.  Kawhi is a constant threat on both ends of the floor and the majority of the offense will run through him.

Gordon Hayward ($7,000) seems to show up in the biggest games for the Utah Jazz.  The Jazz play better at home and historically have played well against LeBron James and his teams.  Hayward is the most consistent offensive player for the Jazz and he will need to produce tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

DraftKings NBA
Jan 16, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) hangs on the rim after a dunk during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons won 113-95. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

Centers – The Men in the Middle

Andre Drummond ($7,700will be going against DeMarcus Cousins ($10,100) tonight and the game is expected to be tightly contested.  While Cousins poses more of an offensive threat, Drummond is more of a defensive and rebounding threat.  Foul trouble is a concern for both players each time they take the court and tonight is no different.  With similar potential, Drummond makes for a better pick with less salary.

More from FanSided

In the Bay Area tonight, the Miami Heat visit the Golden State Warriors.  Hassan Whiteside ($8,000) returned to action on Sunday and his conditioning will be better tonight.  The point spread is high in this game as the Warriors are pegged as sixteen point favorites.  This means that Whiteside will need to do his damage early in the contest or hope for an off night by the Warriors.

Per the norm, Brook Lopez ($6,600) remains incredibly inconsistent and this leaves many DFS players to avoid him altogether.  At his current salary and his potential for random breakout games, Lopez is a sneaky play tonight against the Atlanta Hawks.  This is especially true since Dwight Howard is not a great one-on-one defender.

In the first game of the night, Marcin Gortat ($5,900) will look to be at the receiving end of some John Wall assists.  He can hit 6x value with roughly 16 points, 8 rebounds, and a combination of a few assists, blocks, or steals.  With the blowout potential, Gortat will be overlooked despite his high upside.

Thanks for reading and best of luck tonight!

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