Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks for FanDuel 1/3/14

 

Typically I combine DraftStreet and FanDuel picks into one article, but today, on this gorgeous, snowy Friday I think there are just too many differences between the sites’ pricing to give one blanket recommendation list. Frankly, if other sites are doing such a thing today, they are missing some major strategic differences in pricing. Of course you will see a few overlaps, but by and large, the considerations are much different. Also, head on over to see our DraftStreet basketball picks for today.

My strategy on FanDuel tonight is very simple. Save money everywhere in order to spend big dollars on power forward. While I like all of these plays, I like them all more in order to get the dollar flexibility into PF. You’ll see what I mean.

 

Point Guard

 

Jeff Teague $7,500 - Opposing point guards have difficulty defending Stephen Curry. But because Steph is an altruistic dude, he usually reciprocates by not really playing defense on his counterpart. It’s a nice give and take that makes Teague a safe option with a little upside if the game stays close and high scoring.

Trey Burke $5,900 - The Lakers really don’t defend any position well and point guard is a position on the basketball court. Trey Burke plays point guard. You see the connections I’m making here? I like the price on DS as well, but really love it here.

Jeremy Lin $5,300 - Linsanity and the Knicks went so well together. Alas, Dolan and his minions undid it fairly quickly. It’s not Lin heading back to the Garden, but he still faces his old team. I like him in GPPs for the upside and, because he has a super low basement that scares me in double ups. This game could also get out of hand early.

Kendall Marshall $4,000 - Two or three hundred bucks less and this would be the perfect punting option. As it stands, getting into that 4K range has me a little turned off on FD, but if you’re trying to make the dollars work he’s your guy.

 

Shooting Guard

 

James Harden $8,200 - Like Lin, Harden is strictly a GPP play today because of the blowout risk. But if you believe Melo and company will keep it close, Harden could feast on the Knicks. New York is downright terrible against the shooting guard position.

Gordon Hayward $6,800 - He’s coming off a big game last night, and last time he faced the Lakers, Hayward torched them for a close-to-triple-double 16/11/9/4 blocks line. I don’t always love the Butler grad, but in the right matchup he’s money. This is a great time to play him.

Randy Foye $3,500 - This is assuming he is starting again for the Nuggets. He did last game, though was pulled down the stretch so who knows. If you get word he is in the starting lineup, this is just the kind of punt you’re looking for to save bucks.

 

Small Forward

 

James Johnson $3,500 - Another day on FanDuel, another day of Johnson’s price not getting adjusted. He’s been a beast off the bench for the Grizzlies and while I usually don’t love taking backups, Johnson’s ability to do so many things in the start line actually make him relatively safe for this minimum price. He’s averaging paying off around 7X over his last six games. That’s enough for me.

Trevor Ariza $6,800 - If his shot is falling, Ariza has tremendous upside. He does little bits of everything in the rest of the line, and when he’s scoring he wins you a tournament. Toronto isn’t great against the small forward and Ariza should see plenty of catch and shoot opprtunities.

Shawn Marion $5,400 - We recommended the Matrix a few nights ago and he turned in a 47.7 FP night that would have had you at the top of your leagues. He’s a matchup play for sure, and we target him against fast-paced teams. The Clips fit right in line. Love this price and the upside.

 

PowerForward

 

Now this is where to spend the cash. Basically, to keep it simple, I’m advocating starting two out of the following four guys. Feel free to mix and match depending on format but you really can’t go wrong here. Do not, under almost any circumstance, punt this position tonight. Get two of these dudes in your lineups.

GPP plays - Anthony Davis $9,000 Carmelo Anthony $9,700

Double up plays -  Dirk Nowitzki $7,600 (*Edit: Dirk is a GTD tonight so monitor his status. Just that he's considered dtd gets a bump down from me) Zach Randolph $8,100

Centers

 

Andrew Bogut $6,300 Have you seen what opposing centers have done to the Hawks since Big Al exited stage left? They’ve shredded Atlanta. Bogut has a fantastic opportunity here and I will be running him out there a bunch.