This is a massive 11-game FanDuel main slate tonight. Nearly all of the big guns are in action tonight. There are four games that have projections of at least 220 points. The New Orleans-New York game has the highest o/u at 237. The Phoenix-Milwaukee game is at 229.5 and the Washington-Toronto game is at 228.5. But those games have double-digit point spreads so even though they have nice projected totals, they could end up being blowouts. The lowest projected game total belongs to the San Antonio-Indiana game with a 209.5 o/u.
There are 15 players that are priced at $9,000 or higher with Anthony Davis being the top-priced player by a clear margin. His $12,500 is a thousand more than Joel Embiid, who is at $11,500. Three more players — Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,400), Lebron James ($11,300), and Russell Westbrook ($11,000) — round out the $11K range.
There are a lot of ways to construct lineups. The example lineup that I give you today targets the game that I like the most (New Orleans-New York) combined with a few of my favorite individual plays. This is merely an example of how you could construct a lineup and the thought process that goes into it. In no way, should you blindly enter this lineup in a contest, nor plug and play these players automatically without examining all the information available to you. Remember that you roster nine players on FanDuel but only count your best eight scores as FD drops the worst scoring player from your lineup.
This is a massive 11-game FanDuel main slate tonight. Nearly all of the big guns are in action tonight. There are four games that have projections of at least 220 points. The New Orleans-New York game has the highest o/u at 237. The Phoenix-Milwaukee game is at 229.5 and the Washington-Toronto game is at 228.5. But those games have double-digit point spreads so even though they have nice projected totals, they could end up being blowouts. The lowest projected game total belongs to the San Antonio-Indiana game with a 209.5 o/u.
There are 15 players that are priced at $9,000 or higher with Anthony Davis being the top-priced player by a clear margin. His $12,500 is a thousand more than Joel Embiid, who is at $11,500. Three more players — Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,400), Lebron James ($11,300), and Russell Westbrook ($11,000) — round out the $11K range.
There are a lot of ways to construct lineups. The example lineup that I give you today targets the game that I like the most (New Orleans-New York) combined with a few of my favorite individual plays. This is merely an example of how you could construct a lineup and the thought process that goes into it. In no way, should you blindly enter this lineup in a contest, nor plug and play these players automatically without examining all the information available to you. Remember that you roster nine players on FanDuel but only count your best eight scores as FD drops the worst scoring player from your lineup.
The roster and comments that I provide are intended to be taken as an early first look. I like to cut down on variance if playing just one roster. Instead of figuring out which 9 players will play well independently of one another, I like to ask myself what is most likely to happen. Typically, that means that a game that is projected to be higher scoring and competitive will be just that. If Vegas is correct, then the plays from that game are more likely to work out from a fantasy perspective. So, I will game stack and then fill in where I need to with my roster construction.
As always, more value will open up as the day goes by that may allow you to get even better plays into your lineup. All of the plays that recommended are plays that I will be considering for my lineups, as well. That doesn’t mean that I will end up with all of these guys as updated news and constructing rosters might lead me to a different play. Remember to check the news and injury reports, especially in the 30 minutes prior to lock. Have a solid process, using all the information available to you to make the best decision possible for your lineup. Good luck and have fun!
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POINT GUARD
Kyrie Irving (BOS): $9,000 at ATL
It seems weird to click on his name at this price (highest of the year), especially with so many stars available on the slate. However, Irving is playing like a stud lately and Boston gets the largest pace of play bump (+5.2) on the slate as they go against Atlanta. He has reached at least 5X value in 8 of his last 11 games. Irving has averaged 54.8 FDFP in his last four games.
Trey Burke (NYK): $4,900 vs. NOP
Just one week ago, we could have gotten Burke at near-min. salary and now is price has jumped more than $1,300 but he is still underpriced. He has averaged 38.2 FDFP in his last four games. He has reached at least 4.9X value in seven of his last eight games and at least 8.8X in three of his last four. He might not be starting but he is still getting plenty of playing time (28.1 MPG) over the last four games. Burke’s recent success combined with his price combined with this game having the highest total on the night makes him a lock play for me.
SHOOTING GUARD
Jrue Holiday (NOP): $8,500 at NYK
Holiday has essentially reached or exceeded 5X value in 11 of his last 13 games. He is playing at a consistently high level right now. In his last four games, he is averaging 46.8 FDFP, with his lowest score being 43.3 FDFP. A week ago, he had 24 points and 10 assists for 45.8 FDFP against these same Knicks. The Pelicans have the highest implied total on the slate. His ceiling is “only” in the 50s but he is consistent and has enough upside to still help in a GPP.
Tim Hardawa Jr. (NYK): $7,400 vs. NOP
He is a key scorer (28.4% true usage rate) that is playing a lot of minutes (36.5 MPG in last four games) in a game that is projected to be very high scoring. That is a good combination. Hardaway has earned 45 FDFP in three of his last four games. The only one that he failed to hit 45 was in Wednesday’s game at Boston when he had only 24.8 FDFP. Boston has a tough defense. New Orleans does not. In fact, Hardaway went for 30 points and 8 rebounds against the Pelicans a week ago for 45.8 FDFP. I also wouldn’t be opposed to playing Donovan Mitchell in this spot for $200 more as he has gone over 40 FDFP in three of his last four games and gets a crack at the Lakers tonight, but I like Hardaway from a game stack theory standpoint.
SMALL FORWARD
Nikola Mirotic (NOP): $7,600 at NYK
For this first look initial build, I am going to be fading Anthony Davis (only from a salary construction standpoint) and instead going with his two teammates Mirotic and Julius Randle. Because of Davis’ huge salary and these guys’ ability to put up fantasy points, I am betting on these two guys doing better from a points-per-dollar standpoint then Davis does. But I love Davis’s game so I don’t hate it if you want to play him at PF. I just couldn’t find a way to play Davis and still play Mirotic, while liking the rest of my build. His fantasy production has been down a little bit recently as he is only averaging 32.9 FDFP. But, I like Mirotic’s potential as he has eight games this year of 40+ FDFP. His role and minutes are fairly secure for the Pelicans. Overall, he is averaging 1.2 fantasy points per minute this season. The Knicks are also ranked 29th vs. the position this year so there is upside in this anticipated high-scoring game.
Jeff Green (WAS): $4,200 vs. TOR
Dwight Howard has been ruled out again for tonight so Green should be in line for additional minutes and opportunities. In the previous two games, Green has earned 38.9 and 27.1 FDFP. In the past six games, he has gone over 30 FDFP three different times. I like his chances to exceed his value significantly tonight. I am also not opposed to Wilson Chandler (but that would leave you $600 in remaining salary on this particular build). Chandler is no longer on a minutes restriction as he played 31 minutes in his last game. The 76ers have a bunch of talented options so Chandler is not a main cog in their offense yet. However, they are heavily favored against the Cavs tonight and Chandler has been an explosive fantasy producer in the past. At $3,800 he doesn’t have to do much to reach 5X value (especially if playing 25-32 minutes) and he certainly has shown upside in the past. He had 23.2 FDFP on Wednesday against the Pelicans and had 20.8 last week against Orlando. Even though I like Chandler, Green probably has a more likely path to 30 fantasy points.
POWER FORWARD
Paul Millsap (DEN): $5,900 vs. ORL
Millsap has been a boom-or-bust type play this year. However, upside is exactly what is needed for finishing high in GPPs. He has earned at least 48 FDFP in three of his last six games, including Wednesday’s game against the Timberwolves (in which he left early with a cut above his eye). Orlando is a good matchup for Millsap so the potential is there for another nice game. As I have noted, I do love Anthony Davis‘ game but am always hesitant about playing him in DFS because of his salary and his potential for getting hurt in a game. He may be the most likely player to get 70+ fantasy points. In fact, he had 74.9 FDFP against the Knicks last week. In his last six games, he is averaging 63.7 FDFP. If you are playing multiple lineups then having Davis in some of them is a must. He (and the matchup) are too good. However, I am one lineup type guy and I will be passing on him in order to have a balanced lineup that I think is still capable of having upside.
Noah Vonleh (NYK): $4,800 vs. NOP
I played a lot of Vonleh on Tuesday in his “revenge” game against Portland. I didn’t play him on Wednesday against the Celtics because I was worried that he didn’t have the upside in a non-revenge game. Oops. He followed up his revenge double-double (45.8 FDFP) with a non-revenge double-double (41.5 FDFP). Maybe he was just feeling it and riding the hot streak but if you paid attention to Vonleh with the Trailblazers, you know that he can rebound with the best of them. He has now added the three-point shot. He has made 10 all season but four of those came in the last two games. He is also getting plenty of opportunity to go out there and shoot 3’s or grab rebounds as he has averaged 34 MPG in the last three games. Nobody knows for sure what the Knicks rotation will look like from game to game but it does appear that he has Coach Fizdale’s confidence right now. Overall, he has four games this year of 35+ FDFP. He is a good floor/ceiling play in a projected high-scoring environment tonight.
CENTER
Julius Randle (NOP): $7,500 at NYK
Even though he is coming off the bench, Randle still has a 23.6% true usage rate. He is averaging 27.7 MPG in his last four games. During this recent stretch of games, he has reached or exceeded 5X value in each of them (averaging 44.75 FDFP). Last week, he had 35.2 FDFP against the Knicks. If you go with the game New Orleans-New York game stack and fade Davis, then you need to play Randle. I am not sure that you can fit both of them in your FanDuel lineup. Randle has six games of 40+ FDFP this season. Sure, that is not the 70-point ceiling that Davis has but at $5,000 less, he provides you the salary relief to get other really good players and not have to punt positions. However, play Davis at PF if you think he is going to absolutely go off. To do that, you’ll need to find value as it opens up during the day. Speaking of value, Hassan Whiteside was on the Heat’s injury report. Monitor that because if he can’t go then Bam Adebayo would become a lock in my lineups. Also, Aron Baynes is a strong punt play option if Al Horford is ruled out against the lowly Hawks.
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Jamy Bechler is an NBA fantasy contributor for FantasyPros. His DFS twitter is @WinningDFS101, and his website is www.FantasyFocusFootball.com. When he is not playing DFS, Jamy is an author, host of the “Success is a Choice” podcast, and is a leadership trainer, working with businesses and teams across the country (including the NBA). Even though he offers his advice on players and contests, after additional information and consideration, he may end up using different players and strategies than what he recommends.