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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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ORLANDO, FLORIDA – JANUARY 29: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic reacts against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Amway Center on January 29, 2019, in Orlando, Florida. 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. Daily fantasy basketball. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Daily Fantasy Basketball: Draftkings Cash Game Strategy

Building cash game lineups on Draftkings can sometimes be easier than on Fanduel because of multi-position eligibility and the utility spot. The nice thing about DK is that if there’s value that opens up at a certain position, you can use that utility spot to lock-in that value and still play your favorite high-priced player at the same position.

One of the most successful strategies that I’ve used when building DK cash lineups is the use of the utility spot for a second center.  In my experience, centers are often priced down on Draftkings and they are usually really solid cash plays due to their high floors.  Most centers rely on rebounding for a large chunk of their fantasy output, and rebounds are one of the most predictable fantasy stats in NBA DFS.

Sure, early foul trouble can be an issue when rostering big men, but their scoring output is usually more reliable due to the number of high percentage shots they take.  Easy baskets and boards are what make centers my favorite cash plays. And if you have a few PF/C eligible players on the slate, I wouldn’t hesitate at all to play 3 or even 4 big men in your PF, C, F, and UTILITY slots.

Some players will tell you they are looking 5x value from players in cash games (meaning if player X costs 5k to use, they need to put up 25 DK points). Personally, I don’t think there’s a magic number you need to hit and I’ve never been able to figure exactly what algorithm is used to calculate whether or not your player gets a little fire icon or a snowflake. I’m usually shooting for 6x personally, but in cash games, it’s really all about locking in 2-3 of the highest raw points on the slate, especially on smaller slates.