Hoop-Dreaming: DraftKings NBA Plays for Monday 1-16-17 (Early)

Oct 4, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) is defended by Indiana Pacers forward Thaddeus Young (21) during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Hoop-Dreaming: DraftKings NBA GPP Plays for Monday 1-16-17 (Early)

Thanks for clicking! I am going to be breaking down today’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 a 5 game early slate on DraftKings which starts at 1pm EST. There is expected to be high-scoring games involving multiple NBA superstars. The early start times and player rest could play a large role in how the games unfold.

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.

Nov 23, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2) celebrates with Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal (3) against the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 98-89. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Point Guards and Shooting Guards

Playing some of the most consistent basketball of his career, John Wall ($9,300) finds himself matched up against another star point guard in Damian Lillard ($8,300). Neither of these two point guards are known for their defensive abilities, which benefits the other’s offensive fantasy production. The game is expected to be close and uptempo with Lillard offering slightly more value. However, there is definitely room to roster them both.

Wall’s backcourt teammate Bradley Beal ($6,900) is a streaky shooter who excels on the wing in fast paced games. He is less expensive than his Trail Blazer counterpart C.J. McCollum ($7,800) but does not have quite the upside. Both of these players make excellent alternatives to their point guard teammates or can be used in tandem.

It will be a third game in 4 days for the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10,500) when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers. Jason Kidd is infamous for experimenting at will with his lineup rotations, so be cautious with the Milwaukee players today. One Buck who should see playing time regardless is Tony Snell ($3,400). On a small slate of games, he will be low owned and carry significant risk but also salary relief.

Dec 7, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Indiana Pacers forward /

Small Forwards and Power Forwards

After crossing “The Pond” and getting blown out by the Denver Nuggets in London, Paul George ($7,700) and the Indiana Pacers return home and look to steady the ship. He has only hit 6x his current salary twice in the last month so there is risk involved with George but the New Orleans Pelicans will be hard pressed to contain him.

Similar to Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis ($11,700) has seen his salary skyrocket along with spikes in production. Today, Davis needs to hit 70 DraftKings fantasy points in order to clear 6x value. Since he has only accomplished this once in the last month, he may actually be more of a fade play.

One of the major surprises of the NBA season has been the competence shown by the Philadelphia 76ers. Ersan Ilyasova ($6,000) will have extra motivation to perform well considering he was once a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. He is due for a breakout outing and it would be sweeter if it came against his former team.

After a tough stretch of games in which he did not top 27.5 DraftKings fantasy points, Markieff Morris ($6,000) has averaged 34.1 fantasy points in his last 4 games. The upside is there and perhaps he will fly under the radar, but he is probably one of the riskiest plays today.

Feb 19, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) drives to the basket against the Dallas Mavericks during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Centers – The Men in the Middle

Since regaining his starting role, Nikola Vucevic ($6,600) has responded like a man who lost his job and gained it back. He is averaging 42.5 fantasy points per game in his last four contests. Vucevic is back and still at a bargain price.

More from FanSided

One of the craftier and underrated centers in the league, Marcin Gortat ($6,200) has hit a bad stretch and only averaged 25.7 fantasy points in his last 4 games. However, this was preceded by a 5 game stretch in which he averaged 39.5 fantasy points per game. Gortat will rebound at some point and the Portland front line should oblige.

Myles Turner ($7,200) finds himself in a similar situation. He has averaged 24 fantasy points in his last 2 outings after averaging 47.3 in the 3 games prior. Turner’s production is volatile and his salary is relatively high, both of which should leave him relatively low owned.

Although he is no longer a sneaky play, Greg Monroe ($6,100) remains at a great salary point for his potential production, Be aware that there is a potential for Jason Kidd to meddle with his lineups tomorrow due to this game being the third in 4 days.

Thanks for reading and best of luck tonight!

Best of luck tonight and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR on Twitter all day for the latest news and roster updates!