Welcome to the Thursday FanDuel NBA edition of Picks and Pivots, a fantasy basketball column focused on helping you find the best core lineup for tonight’s five game slate which kicks off at 7:30PM EST!
As a reminder, the concept behind FanDuel NBA Picks and Pivots is to first identify key building blocks that can be used for any roster construction and then identify pivot points to help differentiate your lineup in hopes of a big payday!
Wednesday Night’s winning GPP score landed right around our season average as the top team in tournament play scored 372.1 FanDuel points. Over the first 123 slates, the average winning GPP score has been 378.3 which would mean we need 6.3x value from our roster in order to win big!
Over the first 123 slates, the average winning GPP score has been 378.3 which would mean we need 6.3x value from our roster in order to win big!
Wednesday Night’s Picks and Pivots landed below the cash line at 256.1 FanDuel points as our balanced roster approach failed to meet expectations. The combination of Jimmy Butler (44) and Kyrie Irving (40) was a solid core but Andre Drummond and Rajon Rondo disappointed with only 29 and 20 FD points respectively. Ultimately the one player that was on all the winning rosters was Giannis Antetokounmpo who put up 62 FanDuel points against the Sacramento Kings. With his recent poor form he was not a player on my radar at his elevated price point but ultimately was the difference for many of the winning lineups.
Thursday night we get a later start time and only five games to choose from but with two games with 218 totals or higher, I think we have very solid spots to build our rosters around.
FanDuel NBA – Top Point Guard Picks
Damian Lillard ($9,900) One of the more interesting parts of this slate is that we do not have a single player priced over $10k and with a ton of solid value options in other games, the question will be – where exactly should we spend our salary on this slate?
To me, the other $9k+ options all have big time question marks and in my opinion, I think it makes sense to lock in one of the hottest players in the NBA right now – Damian Lillard. Dame is coming off back to back 54+ FanDuel point outings and needs to continue his hot play as Portland sits 1.5 games out of the Western Conference Playoffs. At this point in the season, I have no issue building my rosters around players who have something to play for, especially on smaller slates like this.
Portland has the highest team total (115) on the slate and are projected to score over 6 points higher than their season average. On this slate, I think Lillard will be the highest raw point performer and will be the top player I lock into each and every lineup I build tonight.
Tyler Ullis ($6,800) The best game from a DFS perspective tonight is Phoenix/Brooklyn which has a 223 combined team total and Brooklyn/Phoenix have the second and third highest projected point totals. Both teams see massive pace boosts tonight so this is a game I think you can stack all around and I intend to have significant exposure here.
The best part about the Suns right now is that they are running a tight rotation centered around a few key guys so we know a guy like Tyler Ullis is going to play major minutes against a Nets team that is dead last in DvP to opposing PG’s.
Ullis has played 39 or more minutes in four straight contests and has put up 35 or more FanDuel points in three of those four games. The price has gotten to a point on Ullis where we have to think about it, but without any $10k studs on this slate I have no issue paying the slightly inflated price here to lock in the best PG match-up on the board.
FanDuel NBA – Top Shooting Guard Picks
Devin Booker ($6,900) Booker is a very similar DFS story to his teammate, Tyler Ullis, tonight as the price seems high but with a high pace match-up against Brooklyn in the highest scoring game on the slate, it is simply tough to pass him up tonight!
Booker is coming off a string of down performances, failing to top 25 FanDuel points in three straight games however a match-up with the Nets is typically a cure for any player in a funk! Booker is locked into major minutes for Phoenix and leads the team in usage with Eric Bledsoe off the floor so I am happy to lock in him tonight as he has the upside and match-up to light up a Nets team ranked 29th in DvP to opposing SG’s.
Wesley Matthews($4,500) Shooting guard is a spot I am going to look to save some money tonight as I think players like DeMar DeRozan are significantly over priced. I am happy to pivot down to a guy like Wesley Matthews who is playing 30+ minutes each night for Dallas.
Since returning from injury, Matthews has averaged 22 FanDuel points per game which puts him right at 5x value at this price point and with Seth Curry nursing a shoulder injury, it may require Matthews to take on an expanded offensive role for Dallas tonight.
FanDuel NBA – Top Small Forward Picks
T.J. Warren ($6,500) Heading back to Phoenix one more time, I am all over T.J. Warren at small forward tonight in a fantastic bounce back spot for him. Warren just continues to shoot the ball at a massive pace, putting up double-digit shot attempts in nine straight games for the short-handed Suns.
Warren has 34+ FanDuel points in three of his last four games and faces a Nets team ranked 29th in DvP to opposing SF’s. The fact that Vegas expects this game to stay close and the break neck pace in which it should be played makes it a great spot to stack. The Suns exposure (Ullis/Booker/Warren) will be a core in all of my lineups tonight as a result. The Nets side is certainly tougher to predict and although Brook Lopez is a solid option, I will likely avoid the Nets side entirely especially with Jeremy Lin expected back as there are simply too many players playing not enough minutes!
Harrison Barnes ($5,800) I do not think I have played Barnes all year-long but his price sits at a point where it is tough not to take notice as we rarely can get players under $6k who are locked into guaranteed minutes with a high usage rate.
Barnes is not a tournament play as his upside is capped but he makes for a solid cash game play tonight at a weak SF position. Barnes has played the Clippers twice this season and put up 31 and 34 FanDuel points which lands him right at 5x cash value and because he burned so many in his last game against the Warriors, there is some GPP appeal as he will likely have very low ownership!
FanDuel NBA – Top Power Forward and Center Picks
Kristaps Porzingis ($7,000) If you are building rosters around guys like Damian Lillard then I think you need to get some Knicks exposure in the hope this game stays closer than the 10 point Vegas spread that is currently out. With Derrick Rose getting injured last night (shocker) and Carmelo Anthony being told his minutes will be reduced, this leaves Porzingis in a tremendous spot to soak up all that NY usage!
More from FanSided
- Bills: 3 2023 roster holes that could cost Josh Allen a Super Bowl
- Colts RB Jonathan Taylor shoots down rumors of troubling injury
- MLB Rumors: Favorite to trade for Justin Verlander emerges and it’s not the Astros
- NY Mets should disband franchise if nightmare Justin Verlander report becomes reality
- First-time PGA Tour victory couldn’t happen to a nicer guy such as Lee Hodges at 3M Open
KP has 36 FD points in back to back games now for the Knicks and gets the best match-up on the floor against Portland as they rank 22nd in DvP to opposing PF’s. Porzingis makes for an elite cash game play at this price point and I love the correlation with Lillard from a GPP perspective.
Marquese Chriss ($5,100) Remember when Chriss was $4k all season? Well once Tyson Chandler and Eric Bledsoe got ruled out for the Suns, they have decided to unleash their younger players and Chriss has responded!
Chriss has put up 30+ FanDuel points in two of his last four games and no fewer than 25 during that stretch so he has a demonstrated safe 5x cash game floor with 6x GPP upside. You do not need me to tell you about the Nets match-up any more – simply stack away and enjoy!
Jusuf Nurkic ($7,600) Center is probably the toughest position to settle on as you could opt to stack the Suns with Brook Lopez or play the upside with Hassan Whiteside versus Toronto(and no Serge Ibaka) but Nurkic to me makes for the best play within this roster build as I want as much Portland exposure as I can get.
Nurkic is priced in between Lopez/Whiteside and I expect the ownership to be pretty evenly spread out tonight but it will be important to pick the right Center to help separate yourself! Nurkic has the perfect blend of safety and upside as he has 33 or more FanDuel points in four straight games including two 41+ outings. Tonight against an under-sized Knicks team, he should be able to dominate and I love the correlation with Lillard/Porzingis!
Best of luck tonight in your FanDuel NBA contests and stay tuned to Fanmtasy CPR for all the late breaking lineup news and roster updates!