FanDuel NBA Breakdown: Cash and GPP Plays for 1/7

DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 23: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic plays the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on November 23, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) FanDuel NBA /

FanDuel NBA Breakdown: Monday, 1/7

Welcome back to the Monday edition of the FanDuel NBA Breakdown! I’m “Thunder Dan” and I love writing about FanDuel NBA DFS and breaking down these slates for our FantasyCPR readers. I hope you like some of the changes I’ve made to the Breakdown. I’m trying to create an all-inclusive article that gives you a place to start your research for FanDuel NBA cash games and GPPs.

When making my cash and GPP picks I always take into account salary, ownership, and match-up and I always do my best to give you a clear rationale for why I believe each player is an elite cash or GPP target. Tonight we have a solid 8-game main slate on FanDuel with a ton of potential for cash games and GPPs.

If you’ve read this article before you’ll still recognize some of the same sections like my “value plays,“ core plays,” and “Game Stack of the Night.” I also will still include a sample lineup at the end of each article for either cash or GPP depending on what the slate looks like that particular night.

I’m trying to take a big picture look at the slate and give you a place to start your research, whether you’re a cash game player, GPP player or both (like me, I play both just about every night!)

"The FanDuel NBA Breakdown is a first look article that is intended to be a starting point for your cash game or GPP research for FanDuel NBA DFS."

There will be information that comes out during the day that will likely push us onto certain plays or off others. My best advice is to never settle on a lineup too early in the day, and this particular slate has a lot of questions that need to be answered before we have a really clear picture of who we want to roster. Let’s take a closer look at what tonight’s NBA slate has to offer!

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 24: DeMarre Carroll #9 of the Brooklyn Nets poses for a portrait during Media Day at the HSS Training Facility on September 24, 2018 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

FanDuel NBA Breakdown: 8 Game Slate

Injury Report

OUT: Rajon Rondo, Dante Exum, Chris Paul, Eric Gordon, Allen Crabbe, LeBron James, Will Barton, Nikola Mirotic, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Aaron Baynes, Frank Ntilikina, Ish Smith, Thabo Sefolosha, Mitchell Robinson

The biggest names on this that matter the most for this slate are Lebron James and Kyle Kuzma. The Lakers got handled on Sunday and desperately need Kuzma’s scoring back in the lineup. No CP3 or Gordon means that we have Super-Harden to contend with on this slate, too.

Doubtful: Dillon Brooks, Marvin Bagley III, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Questionable: Kyle Kuzma, Robert Williams, Iman Shumpert, Etwaun Moore

Not too many names to watch out for today, but it’s the NBA, so don’t be surprised if a few more names pop up during the day today with uncertain statuses.

Vegas Info

Not too much stands out on the team totals, as the lowest total game is 213 (Memphis-New Orleans) and the highest total game is 223 (Orlando-Sacramento).

The closest spread is the Denver-Houston game, which opened with Houston being only one point favorites at home.

The biggest spread comes from the Portland-New York game, with the Blazers being 11.5 home favorites against the Knicks.

We’re still waiting on a line in the Dallas-L.A. Lakers game, but that one will likely come in around 220-ish if I had to take a guess.

FanDuel NBA Breakdown: Cash Game Core

Welcome to the new cash game core plays section of the Breakdown! I’ve been giving you core plays now for a few weeks, but I wanted to start giving you a solid trio of players to start building your cash game lineups with. If you’re not playing cash games on a nightly basis to keep your bankroll up, then you run the risk of running out of funds to use for those more exciting GPP contests. Sure cash games are boring, but not when you win!

Nikola Vucevic (9700)

Vuc has arguably the best matchup on the slate of any center and brings a ton of safety for our cash games with a solid floor. He nearly hit 60 FanDuel points yesterday in 32 minutes against the Clippers. His elite per-minute production means he doesn’t have to play 40+ minutes to accumulate a bunch of fantasy points. I like paying up at center in cash games when possible and trying to lock in the most raw points we can at the position.

Bogdan Bogdanovic (6600)

Bogdan moved into the starting lineup last game with Iman Shumpert out and dropped 42 FanDuel points against the Warriors. Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench as the sixth man, B.B. has been a solid contributor for Sacramento all season and his ability to score and fill up the stat sheet in other areas gives him a solid floor. I love this game between Sacto and Orlando tonight and B.B. feels like some nice cheap, safe exposure for your cash lineups.

DeMarre Carroll (5400)

Carroll has taken on the role of bench scorer for Brooklyn and his solid play has earned him increased playing time for the Nets. He might not start, but he’s playing 27-35 minutes and has been super consistent, scoring between 27-33 FanDuel points in his last five games. He’s taken advantage of the injury to Allen Crabbe which has left Brooklyn thin on the wing. He should be an easy 5-6x tonight against Boston as the Nets are likely to need his size, defense, and shot-making in a tough matchup.

ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 09: Mike Conley #11 of the Memphis Grizzlies reacts during free throws against the Atlanta Hawks at McCamish Pavilion on October 9, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

FanDuel NBA Breakdown: Top GPP Plays

Mike Conley (8100)

Memphis gets a major pace bump tonight against the Pelicans and Conley is likely to get the defense of Elfrid Payton, who’s not known for playing much defense at all. Conley has been pretty darn good for Memphis this season and has taken on more of the scoring burden than in years past.

He’s shown the ability to pop off for 50+ FanDuel points quite a few times already this season and I love his chance of putting up a big number tonight. He had only 9 points and 10 assists in the Grizzlies first meeting with New Orleans but shot 2-12 from the field.

James Harden (12900)

Don’t fade James Harden on a slate with only a few high priced stars when he’s still in peak Harden mode. Just don’t do it. He played his worst game in two weeks against Portland and still scored 53 FanDuel points. He shot 13-35 in that game against the Blazers, just think about for a second. He shot the ball 35 times! With CP3 and Gordon out, he’s likely to play hero ball all night long again tonight and I think he bounces back in a big way against Denver.

Noah Vonleh (6100)

It’s Noah Vonleh revenge night! Just kidding, you know I hate revenge narratives. But, Vonleh is priced fairly here and could be a real matchup problem for Portland and Aminu. He’s been playing well and was on his way to a huge game against the Lakers on Friday night before getting in foul trouble and still ended up with 32 FanDuel points in 17 minutes.

He will be motivated to show the Blazers they shouldn’t have given up on him (or platooned him at PF for all those years), but more importantly he’s a 6k player who could see 35 minutes in a plus matchup and power forward looks awfully thin tonight.

DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 27: Lance Stephenson #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers plays the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on November 27, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

FanDuel NBA Breakdown: Value Plays

For our purposes here at the Breakdown, we classify players priced at 5000 or less as “value plays.” Identifying value has been crucial this year on FanDuel as the new “drop score” rule has forced us into playing a lot of “stars and scrubs” rosters in both cash and GPP formats.

Justin Jackson (4400)

Jackson finally broke out in a big way, scoring 28 actual points against the Warriors. He soaked up a lot of Shumpert’s minutes, so if Shump misses tonight then Jackson is firmly on my radar.

Mo Bamba (4200)

This kid just keeps blocking shots like crazy and is now up to 1.4 blocks per game in only 16 minutes a game. He can get to 20 FD points in a hurry even without a ton of minutes.

Lance Stephenson (4200)

Lance has been solid as the point guard with the Lakers second unit, scoring 27 FD points in back to back games. If Kuzma comes back that could ding him a little bit, but I still think he’ll run the bench unit with LeBron and Rondo in street clothes yet again tonight.

Shabazz Napier (3900)

Bazzy is getting a lot of run with Brooklyn’s second unit, averaging 26 minutes a game over his last four games. He has a solid 24% usage with Crabbe and RHJ out of the lineup and doesn’t need to do much to make value at this price.

Ed Davis (4400)

Big Ed is getting 20+ minutes of run off the bench and could rack up enough boards and blocks tonight to get 25 FD points in a good matchup against a weak rebounding Celtics team.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – OCTOBER 19: Buddy Hield #24 of the Sacramento Kings reacts during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on October 19, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

FanDuel NBA Breakdown: Game Stack of the Night

Orlando (+5.5) @ Sacramento (223 total)

This game feels perfect for fantasy purposes. Two teams that can score the ball, but really are not interested in playing defense. This total even feels a little bit low and is probably just being held back by Orlando’s slow-paced style and the fact they played yesterday.

I’m going to build my stacks around four of the Kings main guys, but not De’Aaron Fox (8100). Since it was reported he’s been battling a shoulder injury, he’s failed to crack 30 Fantasy points. I’d much rather use Bogdanovic, Buddy Hield (7200), Bjelica, and Willie Cauley-Stein (7500). As long as Bagley and Shumpert are out again, this core should receive heavy minutes and we can even toss Justin Jackson into some of these builds for value.

It’s a lot simpler for Orlando, give me Nikola Vucevic and possibly D.J. Augustin (5000). Center and point guard are the two positions to target the Kings with and it just so happens that those two have accounted for a major chunk of the Orlando offense lately. Aaron Gordon (7200) is always tempting but has really disappointed this year when many thought he would break out.

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 01: Shabazz Napier #13 of the Brooklyn Nets looks on against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Capital One Arena on December 01, 2018 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

FanDuel NBA Breakdown: Sample Lineup and Overview

The question for cash games today will be “To Harden or not to Harden?” I personally think it’s a good idea to have him in cash tonight, but it will be tough to squeeze him in without that many obvious value plays. He’s my favorite to stud to pay for tonight, whether it be in cash games or tournaments.

More from FanSided

I always like punting one or two spots on FanDuel with this year’s new “drop score” rule. Playing a lineup of all 5-7k players just makes zero sense to me and you’ll find that the guys winning consistently on FanDuel are going “stars and scrubs” pretty frequently.

I’m stacking up a few pieces from Orlando-Sacramento game and then jamming in James Harden. You’ll notice I have some correlation with my Brooklyn bench players here in this lineup, too.

Today’s sample lineup is a GPP GAME lineup. You’ll find some of my cash core players in here as well as my GPP plays, too. Remember, the sample lineup is for illustrative purposes and is not necessarily a “plug-and-play” lineup. There’s still a lot of injury information we need before 7:00 PM tonight when lineups lock.

PG: D.J. Augustin (5000)

PG: Shabazz Napier (3900)

SG: James Harden (12900)

SG: Bogdan Bogdanovic (6600)

SF: Demarre Carroll (5400)

SF: Nemanja Bjelica (6100)

PF: Ed Davis (4200)

PF: Noah Vonleh (6100)

C: Nikola Vucevic (9700)

Next. NBA DFS Top Plays and Fades - Monday, January 7. dark

Ok, that wraps it up! I hope you enjoyed my slate breakdown and I appreciate you taking the time to read my article. Be sure to share it with friends and fellow DFS players, leave comments or hit me with other feedback or questions on Twitter. And keep coming back to FantasyCPR for the best free content in the industry! Good luck in your contests!

FanDuel NBA Breakdown: Monday, 1/7 – Can Vuc Be Stopped?

By Dan Palyo | Jan 7, 2019