Hoop-Dreaming: DraftKings NBA Plays for Friday 1-13-17
Hoop-Dreaming: DraftKings NBA GPP Plays for Friday 1-13-17
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 are 9 contests on the NBA slate and there are plenty of projected high scoring games. Using Las Vegas Odds we want to target players in uptempo games who will see a boost in production. More possessions translates into more opportunities for players to accrue fantasy points. There is only one game projected to be under 200 points and it unsurprisingly features the Utah Jazz who host the Detroit Pistons.
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
In a playoff rematch from last year, Isaiah Thomas ($9,000) and the Boston Celtics take on the surging Atlanta Hawks who have won their last 7 games. Atlanta is weak defensively against the guard position which will give Thomas room to create shots for himself and his teammates.
With an uptick in tempo for the Memphis Grizzlies tonight, Tony Allen ($4,500) finds himself in the type of transition game where he excels. Fast breaks and quick shifts in direction benefit Allen’s game and allow his length and quickness to be displayed on both ends of the court.
With the Toronto Raptors expected to easily handle the Brooklyn Nets, Terrence Ross ($3,800) might find himself playing a good amount of “garbage minutes” with the second unit. He is risky but has upside.
Although the point total is low for the Utah Jazz, George Hill ($6,000) is on the radar tonight. In the 3 games since returning from a concussion, Hill has averaged 5x his current salary and on the year has hit 6x his current salary 56% of the time.
It has been difficult to predict what to expect from Darren Collison ($4,300) on a given night especially with the Sacramento Kings experimenting with different lineups. From a production perspective, Collison has hit 5x value in 50% of his games this year.
Small Forwards and Power Forwards
In one of the better games of the night, LeBron James ($9,700) and the Cleveland Cavaliers make their only visit of the year to Sacramento to take on the Kings and DeMarcus Cousins. LeBron will be guarded by Rudy Gay who will be giving up both size and strength to “The King”. If the Kings are able to keep this game close throughout, there could be a couple of outstanding performances from both sides.
Playing at home in a fast and competitive game, Andrew Wiggins ($6,800) will look to finally gain some consistency on the year and continue his relative hot streak. The Oklahoma City Thunder are vulnerable on the wings and Wiggins will look to take advantage.
Filling in on a depleted Charlotte Hornets squad, Spencer Hawes ($4,300) has caught fire over the last 4 games. If Cody Zeller ends up playing tonight, Hawes will see a drop in minutes and may not be worth rostering. The situation is worth monitoring since he offers significant salary relief.
The talent has always been there but the consistency has not been there for Dion Waiters ($4,400). Now with the Miami Heat, Waiters has another chance to showcase improvements and developments to his game. Despite his up and down trajectory, Waiters has hit 6x value of his current salary in 40% of contests this year. He is definitely a flier but one that could make a huge difference tonight.
Gordon Hayward ($7,000) had an excellent game while leading the Utah Jazz to victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. At his current salary, he has hit 5x value 48% of the time and 6x value 21% of the time. The Jazz play at a slower pace and they should win easily tonight against the Detroit Pistons. These two factors could lead to Hayward being overlooked tonight.
Centers – The Men in the Middle
When he is focused and out of foul trouble, DeMarcus Cousins ($10,300) is virtually unstoppable on the basketball court. In fact, Cousins is the only person who can stop himself and unfortunately he does so at the expense of himself and his team. The Cleveland Cavaliers do not have an interior presence who is strong enough and skilled enough to match up with him. At home and against the defending world champions, the Kings need a big game from Cousins tonight.
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One of the beneficiaries of a higher paced game, Marc Gasol ($6,900) will see more opportunities than usual to rack up fantasy points. At his current salary, Gasol has only hit 6x value 7.78% of the time which means that he is very risky but also offers significant upside.
Hassan Whiteside ($8,400) had an enormous game against the Golden State Warriors and was very low owned. This may not be the case tonight since his salary has not risen significantly and the Milwaukee Bucks do not defend the paint well. However, this year Whiteside has hit 5x his current salary 47% of the time which translates into a low floor and high ceiling.
Making his return to Atlanta, Al Horford ($6,800) is out for revenge against his former team. Horford will look to utilize his mid-range game and draw Dwight Howard out from the paint. With his ability to also block shots and accumulate steals, Horford is a great option tonight.