Fansided

Daily Fantasy Basketball: How to win playing NBA DFS

By Dan Palyo

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 12: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball against Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center on February 12, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Celtics defeated the 76ers 112-109. 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 Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 12: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball against Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center on February 12, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Celtics defeated the 76ers 112-109. 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 Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 10: Paul Millsap #4 of the Denver Nuggets shoots the ball against the LA Clippers during a pre-season game on October 10, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 10: Paul Millsap #4 of the Denver Nuggets shoots the ball against the LA Clippers during a pre-season game on October 10, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Daily Fantasy Basketball: Cash vs. GPP

Cash game lineups in NBA are usually built around superstars. Superstars are the best of both worlds because they normally play big minutes and have massive usage rates. With salary cap restraints, however, we can usually only squeeze one or two superstars into our cash lineups any given night.  When picking the right superstar to build around we usually looking for one that has a good matchup AND is likely to play their full allotment of minutes (trying to avoid blowouts if possible).

In order to fit in the top plays, you always need to find value plays. Often times it can come in the form of a backup who’s starting for an injured teammate.  But not all value plays are created equal, just make sure that the player you’re plugging in is going to get minutes AND usage since you’re counting on them not to fail in that spot with your hard-earned dollars.

So what makes a guy a good GPP play? Well, first of all, most superstars that you build your cash games around are also great GPP plays because they usually have a solid floor AND a high ceiling. But my favorite players to target for GPPs are usually guys who are priced in the mid-tier between the values and high-priced studs. Players in the 8-9k range can often get overlooked when DFS players are making “stars and scrubs” lineups and many of these players still have very high ceilings of their own.

Whether it’s a streaky shooter who can get hot and drop 30+ real-life points (like a Klay Thompson) or a defensive-minded stat stuffer (think Draymond Green or Paul
Milsap) who can rack up blocks and steals like crazy (both worth 3 points each on FD by the way), GPP plays are guys who have massive ceilings on any given night but do it less often than the top tier players (which is why their often priced down a few thousand below them).