NBA FanDuel Top 5 Plays For March 15th
By Bruce Lamb
NBA FanDuel Top 5 Plays For March 15th
Back in action tonight with a 10 game NBA FanDuel slate. There was a lot of ugly basketball played last night which translated to some relatively low scores. 3 teams failed to reach the 90 point mark last night which is something we rarely see in today’s NBA. Russell Westbrook continued his dominance by scoring 68.9 FDP’s. If you didn’t spend up on him you likely struggled to cash big in your contests. With the Thunder off tonight, we don’t have to decide how to fit Westbrook’s gigantic salary in your lineups.
The highest total is the Los Angeles Lakers visiting the Houston Rockets at 234.5. This game also has the Rockets favored by 17 which brings in the risk of a blowout. Despite that risk, you will definitely want some exposure to this game. The Sacramento Kings at the Phoenix Suns has a total of 221.5. Portland at San Antonio has a 212.5 total, while Minnesota at Boston and Milwaukee at the Los Angeles Clippers both come in with 210 totals. Let’s get to it and see who I’m paying up for and who I’m fading in GPP’s.
NBA FanDuel – GPP Spend and Fade
DeMarcus Cousins – $9,000
I cannot remember the last time we saw Cousins’ price this low. I will have him in my lineup as long as he is this cheap no matter what the circumstances are. He is match-up proof, so going up against Whiteside does not concern me at all. Cousins has scored over 40 FDP’s in six of his last nine games and one of those was a monster 67.1 game. The total in this game is 208 with Miami favored by 6 points. Anthony Davis left the game early last night but was able to come back in the 2nd half. If he has any lingering effects today and sits this one out, Cousins becomes a must play. Regardless, he is going to be in my main lineup each and every time he is priced this low.
James Harden – $12,000
Harden is coming off a nice game against Cleveland where he scored 66.5 FDP’s. That was the first time in his last 9 games. Since the Rockets traded for Lou Williams, Harden has seen a dip in fantasy production. His current $12K price has eliminated his upside, and on a slate this big it’s easy for me to fade him despite his amazing match-up. I think the Rockets will blow the Lakers out in this one and Harden could likely be sitting in the 4th quarter. I will still have some Rockets in my line-up, but it will not be James Harden. Now let’s look at my cash game lock and GPP value play.
NBA FanDuel – Cash Game Lock and GPP Value
Willie Cauley-Stein $5,500
Ever since the Sacramento Kings traded away Boogie Cousins, WCS (Willie Cauley-Stein) has really benefited. His minutes are up, and with that his production has increased tremendously. The Phoenix Suns have given up the 5th most FDP’s to power forwards on the season. This game has a total of 221 with the Suns favored by 6 at home. He seems locked into 35+ minuets. We should see one of the better games out of WCS in this one and I think he will smash his modest price. He will be a great salary saver for my cash game lineup tonight to help me spend up at other places.
Nemanja Bjelica – $4,400
Bjelica is listed as a power forward on FanDuel who has been getting some additional run as of late. He is getting around 30 minutes lately, and is a great FP per minute guy. The Boston front court is one that can be attacked, and I’m banking on the Timberwolves to keep this one close. If that happens we could see Bjelica go for 7x his price in this one. I will not have him on every lineup, but he will be someone I will target in GPP’s. If the minutes are there like they have been, he will be a great play in this one tonight. On to tonight’s PayMaker.
NBA FanDuel – Top PayMaker
Chris Paul – $8,900
I’m rolling with Chris Paul against the Milwaukee Bucks. This is a total gut feeling, but I think Paul will have an outstanding game tonight. He has started heating up over his last 2 games, scoring 45.1 FDP’s against the 76ers and going for 51.7 FDP’s against the Utah Jazz.
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This game has a 210 total with the Clippers an 8 point favorite in Los Angeles. Since the injury to Jabari Parker, we have seen Ginnis move to the power forward spot. This means we should see Paul getting defended by Malcolm Brogdon or Matthew Dellavedova, I’ll take that all day. That move also gets Gannis on Blake Griffin which could lead to more scoring for Paul. With so many cheap guys on the slate tonight you will have no problem getting both Paul and Boogie in your lineups, which should set you up to be in a good position to cash.
I don’t see any reason to pay up for several players over $10K. There are plenty of cheap guys that can help make those expensive players fit, but I would rather take the security of the guys priced in the mid tier. This is a cash game night for me so I’ll limit my tournament exposure and stick to 50/50’s and multipliers. I’ll likely have about 80% of my bankroll in those types of contests and 20% in tournaments. It should definitely be a higher scoring night than last night was. Good luck to everyone!
Let’s Get It
Best of luck tonight in your NBA FanDuel contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR on Twitter for the late breaking lineup news and roster updates!