FanDuel NBA Breakdown: Tuesday, 4/9 – Andre the Giant
By Dan Palyo
FanDuel NBA Breakdown: Tuesday, 4/9
Welcome back to the Tuesday edition of the FanDuel NBA Breakdown! I’m “Thunder Dan” and I love playing and writing about FanDuel NBA DFS. As always, my goal is to help you get your research started for tonight’s NBA DFS slate on FanDuel.
My goal when I created the Breakdown was to make this 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, Vegas trends, ownership, and match-up and I always do my best to give you a clear rationale for why I believe each player makes a great GPP or cash target.
"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."
Tonight is the next to last regular season NBA DFS slate! We have 11 games on the docket and we are going to have to really try to narrow down the games that we are interested in by looking at what teams have something to play for, and which teams are more likely to have deep rotations and possibly rest starters.
With so many games and so many potential players resting I would really recommend practicing some responsible bankroll management tonight and for much of the remainder of the season. That doesn’t mean you can’t still have some fun chasing some small scale GPPs or trying to crush those games. And don’t worry, the playoff will be here soon enough and we will be back to some tightened rotations and more predictable outcomes.
FanDuel NBA Breakdown: Cash Game Core
Welcome to the cash game core section of the Breakdown! I’ve been giving you a GPP core in the past, so instead, I wanted to provide you with a solid trio of players to start building your cash game lineups with tonight. I highly recommend playing cash games on a nightly basis to help build that bankroll.
Miles Bridges (5000)
The Hornets are fighting for one of the final remaining playoff spots in the East, so this game against the Cavs is a must win. They still seem committed to playing the rookie Bridges big minutes on the wing, as he’s played between 30-35 minutes in three straight games. His ability to contribute in 5 different categories gives him a solid floor and he’s putting up some Nicolas Batum-esque stat lines while Batum has been relegated to a backup role.
Alex Caruso (6800)
Only during the last week of the regular season NBA will Alex Caruso (no relation to David Caruso, former NYPD Blue actor) ever be nearly 7k in DFS, and a near must play in cash games. Caruso is playing a ton of minutes as the majority of the Lakers regulars have been shut down and has had some massive games recently with 57 and 32 FD points in his last two. In a game that means nothing, I have no problem playing a guy who’s going to push for 40 minutes and has shown the ability to score, rebound, and pass which gives him a solid floor for cash games.
Andre Drummond (10200)
On a slate where it’s hard to justify paying top dollar for stud players, there is one who I want in my lineups. Andre Drummond and the Pistons have everything at stake in tonight’s game against the Grizzlies. If they lose, they could be out of the playoff picture.
Normally a matchup with Memphis would not be ideal, but they have shut down center Jonas Valanciunas for the rest of the season and don’t have anyone else who can match Drummond’s size (Noah is out, too). He’s scored 50 or more FD points in 5 of his last 6 games and I see him having another big outing tonight.
FanDuel NBA Breakdown: GPP Plays
For tournament plays, I’m looking for more than just 5x. I’m looking for 6-7x or more and we really want to chase those players with high ceilings, not just floors. We also want to take some risks on players that we think we can get at lower ownership than the chalkier cash game plays.
Delon Wright (8600)
There are going to be some names on the slate with price tags that will make you do a double take, and Wright is a perfect example of that. He’s been a 5k player while serving as Mike Conley‘s backup since coming to Memphis, but when you post two massive triple-doubles in a row and play 40 minutes a night, well you’re going to get your price increased pretty quickly.
Who is willing to pay this price for Wright? I will because as long as he’s playing that volume of minutes, he’s capable of these huge games and I hope that his price keeps his ownership down.
Mario Hezonja (7700)
Super Mario for 7.7k? I know, it seems crazy at first glance, but consider that he’s been logging heavy minutes for a tanking Knicks team that has finally decided to turn him loose. As a starter for the last three games, he’s averaged 46 FD points a game and even though this Chicago-New York means nothing for the standings, I think it could be loaded with fantasy potential.
Goran Dragic (7500)
Back to another team playing a meaningful game, as the Heat are hosting the Sixers with their playoff hopes in the balance. They need to win their last two games and get some help from Cleveland (to beat Charlotte) and Memphis (to beat Detroit). Dragic matches up well against the Sixers here, as attacking point guards have been able to exploit the Philly defense this season. Add in the fact that Philadelphia is probably going to rest some guys as their playoff position can’t change at this point and you’ve got a recipe for a big night from Dragic.
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.
NOTE: There is a TON of value on this slate. You’re going to have to nail your value picks in order to win tonight, and I wouldn’t recommend chasing guys in questionable spots, go after the most obvious values first. Here are my favorite.
Luke Kornet (4500)
Am I really writing up two white guys from the Knicks as elite plays? Kornet has flashed some nice games down the stretch for the Knicks and is coming off 35 minutes played against the Wizards. I love the matchup here against Chicago and I see no reason why the Knicks won’t give him a bunch of minutes in this meaningless game.
Mason Plumlee (5000)
Plumlee started for Jokic in Denver’s last game and was a chalky play. The secret is out that he is one of the best bench players in the league and an elite point-per-minute play, so if we see Jokic get rested by Denver again tonight (which I don’t see any reason why they would play him) then I think you fire up the Plumdog Millionaire again.
Jemerrio Jones (3600)
Jones is a great punt play tonight as he’s one of only a few healthy bodies on the Lakers. The rookie from New Mexico is coming off 37 minutes played in the Lakers’ last game against the Jazz and he scored 39 FD points on the strength of 16 rebounds. He’s only 6’5″, but he averaged 13 rebounds a game in his senior season at UNM.
FanDuel NBA Breakdown: Position Rankings
What some players find really helpful are position rankings. I will rank my favorite players at each position based on their upside and point-per-dollar viability for cash and GPP. Think of this a type of “cheat sheet” but it’s not an exhaustive list of my player pool by any means.
Point Guard
- Goran Dragic
- Kemba Walker
- Alex Caruso
Shooting Guard
Small Forward
- Mario Hezonja
- Paul George
- Miles Bridges
Power Forward
- Luke Kornet
- Christian Wood
- Jemerrio Jones
Center
- Andre Drummond
- Mitchell Robinson
- Mason Plumlee (if Jokic is out)
FanDuel NBA Breakdown: Sample Lineup and Overview
If you’re not familiar with how I wrap up the Breakdown, this is where I give you my thoughts on roster construction and briefly discuss my strategy for how I want to attack the slate.
I usually 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.
In fact, Stars and Scrubs is likely going to be the chalky build for NBA DFS for every slate the rest of the season with the amount of value that we are going to have on a nightly basis. Today, some of the scrubs are more expensive that we are used to seeing, but they still warrant consideration even at their elevated prices.
Today’s sample lineup is a HYBRID lineup with my cash core and then some of my favorite value plays and mid-tier plays mixed in there. You could play this lineup in cash and GPPs. There are a lot of situations that need monitoring today with players potentially resting and having minutes restrictions. My final lineup may end up nothing like one, I just want to warn you.
Remember, the sample lineup is for illustrative purposes and is not necessarily a “plug-and-play” lineup. This time of year so much can change in the course of 10-12 hours from when you begin to research a slate to when it actually locks. I rarely end up playing this lineup as there are always pivots that need to be made as the slate unfolds during the day! This is especially true the last week of the season!
PG: Alex Caruso (6800)
PG: Goran Dragic (7500)
SG: Delon Wright (8600)
SG: Ian Clark (6000)
SF: Miles Bridges (5000)
SF: Mario Hezonja (7700)
PF: Luke Kornet (4500)
PF: Jemerrio Jones (3600)
C: Andre Drummond (10200)
Next. Masters DFS chat with Juan Bond and Pat Mayo. dark
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 with your contests