NBA Fanduel Top 5 Plays For March 5th
By Bruce Lamb
Welcome to NBA Fanduel Top 5 Plays For March 5th. A daily fantasy sports column focused on the top NBA plays for Sunday’s Fanduel basketball action.
After a nice night it’s time to get back at it with my top 5 NBA DFS Fanduel plays of the day. Last night was a success as my cash lineup came through thanks to stacking the Trailblazers. CJ McCollum did not disappoint as my top PayMaker scoring 46.5 FDP’s (Fanduel Points) to lead the way. Maurice Harkless also came through with 34.9 FDP. Both guys crushed their price last night against the fantasy friendly Brooklyn Nets. My cash game lock Jusuf Nurkic also took advantage of the Nets scoring 30.7 FDP’s. Jimmy Butler fell short of expectations with just 33.8 FDP, which wasn’t close to reaching value on his $9,100 price tag. Fading LeBron didn’t get a chance to materialize as he and Kyrie Irving were both out last night for rest.
In the 5 games we have to choose from tonight, 4 of them have totals above 205 points. Leading the way is the Boston Celtics visiting the Phoenix Suns with a total of 225.5. The next highest is the New Orleans Pelicans visiting the Los Angeles Lakers at 215, closely followed by the Orlando Magic visiting the Washington Wizards at 214.5. Rounding out the 5 games is the Oklahoma City Thunder visiting the Dallas Mavericks at 205.5, and the lone game under 200, the Utah Jazz at the Sacramento Kings at 194.5. We have a lot of great fantasy options today so let’s get to it and see who I’m paying up for and who I’m fading in tournaments.
NBA Fanduel – GPP Spend and Fade
Anthony Davis – $11,200
There are several elite players to pay up for today that you can make an argument for. I’m rolling with Davis as my main tournament spend against the Lakers who give up the second most fantasy points to both power forwards and centers on the season. Westbrook will likely be the most popular play today, and if you roster him you will have a hard time making Davis fit. That should give Davis relatively low ownership mainly due to common roster construction. Over his last 5 games he has averaged 51.82 FDP’s. Since adding Boogie Cousins to the mix, Davis no longer needs to carry the load on the offensive side of the ball which he has really benefited from. Davis should dominate today and I will have 100% exposure to him in GPP’s.
Russell Westbrook – $13,400
Call me a stubborn fool, but once again I’m fading Westbrook today in GPP’s. He is a fine play in both GPP’s and cash games on such a short slate. I will likely have him on my cash game roster, but I’m going to be contrarian and fade him in GPP’s today. The main reason I’m fading him is his price tag. His price went up after his incredible 83.9 FDP performance against the Phoenix Suns his last time out, but the Mavericks play at a slower pace than the Suns which could cut into his fantasy production. He is a one person show now and will likely score over 60 fantasy points, but he needs 67 FDP to hit 5x his price. I just feel I can build a better overall lineup with the savings I get from not rostering him. Now let’s look at my cash game lock and GPP flier.
NBA Fanduel – Cash Game Lock and GPP Flier
Seth Curry – $6,300
The shooting guard position is very weak today with no real superstars to pay up for. Curry is the 2nd highest priced shooting guard behind Bradley Beal. Over his last 5 games he is averaging 33.82 FDP which puts him right around 5x on his price. He has a plus match-up today against the Thunder, who have struggled against opposing guards with Victor Oladipo out of the lineup. The Mavericks are playing an up in pace game for them, which should give Curry more opportunities. He has also played more point guard since the departure of Deron Williams. He should continue to get over 35 minutes today, which makes him a fine play for cash games.
Tyler Ulis – $4,400
The Suns have been on a youth movement of late. We have seen more minutes go to guys like Alan Williams, Marquese Chriss, and T.J. Warren, but one guy making his way up the depth chart is Tyler Ulis. He has played over 20 minutes over his last 2 games and has scored an average of 27.75 FDP. This game has the highest total on the slate, and the blowout potential here is real. The Celtics are one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference and we could get more run for Ulis if this game gets out of hand. His price makes it easy to pay up for other players and he has the potential to go 7x his price today. Now let’s take a look at today’s PayMaker.
NBA Fanduel – Top PayMaker
Alan Williams – $6,000
I’m sticking to the youth movement of the Suns here with Alan Williams. He has really taken advantage of his recent spike in minutes of late and gets a really salty match-up today against the Boston Celtics. The Celtics rank near the bottom of the league in points allowed to the center position. Over his last 4 games he has averaged over 25 minutes and 34 FDP’s. His price has increased a bit over the past week so this could be the last time you can get his this cheap. I will anchor him in the center position today and will have exposure to him in both my cash and GPP lineups.
I will be playing a few more GPP’s today due to the size of this slate. 70% of my bankroll will be played in cash games and 30% in GPP’s. I will also be trimming back the amount I’m playing today. due to the small slate and the possibility of getting stung by a late scratch after lock. Like always stay in tune to late breaking news so you can adjust your lineups if needed. Good Luck today….Let’s Get It!
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