Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks for Draftstreet and FanDuel 1/26/14

It's a full day of basketball this Sunday with football taking a week off (thank god). You have a bunch of options on FanDuel and DraftStreet today, either getting into 1PM full-day games or waiting until the evening. We've included plays for the whole slate. Let's get to it.

Quick reminder about these picks. At DFSR we employ a system that seeks to gain the most points-per-dollar. When we give a recommendation, it’s because we believe that player has the best chance to meet or exceed his price. On any given the night the highest dollar player can be expected to score the most points, but that doesn’t always make him the best play for the money. Want an in-depth look at how we set our lineups each night? Sign up for our email list and get a free eBook on the 6 steps every pro takes before setting his lineup, either by clicking that link or signing up through the sidebar. On to the picks.

 

 

Point Guard

Stephen Curry FD $9,500 DS $20,298 -
He's awesome. Do I need to say anything else? Probably not, but here goes. They play the Blazers at home in a game that should have plenty and plenty of points. Much like when the Warriors played the Wolves the other night and the announcer said incredulously, "Is anyone going to guard anyone?!" This game could shape up as much of the same. Curry, when he gets going, piles on the points. He's a favorite to do it again tonight.

Goran Dragic - FD $8,000 DS $15,696-
We haven't had the Dragon as a pick lately, but matchup and price have him on the radar again. Against the right opponent he's a threat for 40FPP and Cleveland is downright atrocious against opposing point guards. They are well below average in defending every aspect of the game except scoring (just plain average there). Look for Dragic to put together a full stat line.

Ty Lawson FD $8,800 DS 16,991-
Just seems to put up 40FPP every single time out on the court. Peek back at his game log sometime. It's insane how he just does the same exact thing every game. His price is up there, but you are paying to set it and forget it.

Raymond Felton FD $5,500 DS 10,424-
One of the least exciting players in the whole league to watch, Felton is about as bad as it gets at this position. Case in point, PGs who play the Lakers are almost always at the top of our list. And while the Lakers have dramatically improved against the position of late, they still aren't great. Neither is Felton but the price is so low you need to consider him.

DraftStreet Value

Isaiah Thomas DS $14,778-
With Boogie and Gay both hurt, Thomas becomes one of the few guys on the team who can score consistently. His price is a little steep on FD, but it's just right here.

FanDuel Value

Brandon Jennings FD $7,400-
Play at your own risk. Last two games good. One before those? Horrendous. He can pay this off close to 6x on a great night. Or he can submarine you.

Flip Pressey FD $3,700-
Gets minutes even with Rondo playing. Has paid this 5x with Rondo in and out of the lineup now that Avery Bradley is shelved.

 

 

Shooting Guard

Not loving this position at all today. You'll see why in a second.

Nick Young FD $6,100 DS $11,930-
See what I mean? Admission: I got to the "g" in "Swaggy" before I realized I was typing the wrong name into the search field when researching Young. Swaggy P has actually been able to pay this price off quite nicely in his recent gamelog. He's a chucker's chucker which should make an interesting poor shot showdown today between him and JR Smith.

Arron Afflalo - FD $6,200 DS $12,474 -
Afflalo was a system recommendation the other day and he obliged with a 23/2/6 line that helped cash lineups. Our system likes him again today against New Orleans. Honestly, he's a guy I have trouble playing. The price just never feels quite right. But like I said, he is high in our system.

Eric Gordon - FD $6,000 DS $10,319 -
Another guy that just feels so *meh that our system really likes today. I think the algorithm is counting on Gordon turning in the high end of his range against Orlando. He for sure can go off in games, and I would only play him in a tournament as he fluctuates too much for cash games.

FanDuel Value

Marcus Thornton - FD $3,500-
Don't expect him to do what he did the other night against Indiana, but one thing that game showed was that Marcus will play larger minutes if Gay is shelved. If Rudy can't go, I think you can bump up Thornton.

Rodney Stuckey FD $4,600-
The Sheriff is headed out of punt territory, but is still a tempting price against Dallas.

 

 

Small Forwards

Shawn Marion - FD $5,100 DS $10,106-
We love Marion almost every time he takes the court. Marion can help you win a tournament at these prices and is also great for cash games. He is the top SF play today and I will have him in lineups on both sites.

PJ Tucker - FD $5,100 DS $10,150-
You'll notice a theme that I'm recommending a bunch of guys from the Cleveland/ Phoenix game. That's because neither team plays a whole lot of defense. Tucker has been getting close to thirty minutes a night with varying levels of production. Though at a difficult position to fill, guys like him and Marion offer nice, low price options to put up lines that are both safe and have some upside built in to them.

Paul Pierce FD $5,900 DS $11,595-
Continuing that theme, Pierce fits in right in line with what I'm trying to do at SF today. Not spend a great deal but build in a little upside. Pierce has more than paid this price on multiple occasions.

Gerald Wallace FD $3,900 DS $8,537-
Is seeing increased minutes with Avery Bradley on the shelf. This is punt play territory if you're looking for a home run in a tournament. I wouldn't play him in a cash game, but you can chuck him in a GPP and pay for a heavy hitter somewhere else.

JR Smith FD $5,000 DS $9,628
My least favorite player in the NBA (and I watch almost every Knick game). Whatever, our system likes him a lot today. I hate him as a fan.

 

Power Forward

Carmelo Anthony - FD $10,200 DS $20,316-
You may have heard but Melo scored a point or two the other night. It was an awesome performance in which he was shamelessly left on the court to keep scoring in the blowout (I really don't mind that, just think it was funny as he played against and with both team's second units). This is a great matchup for Carmelo who should see plenty of shots. The price is high, but the dollar to point expectation is worth the money against the Lakers.

Tristan Thompson - FD $6,000 DS $11,937-
Was on his way to another huge line until the blowout bug hit Milwaukee (happens often). He double-doubled in limited minutes. In fact, he double-doubles just about every single night. Having success in more than one area of the stat sheet is such a great safety net, especially in cash games. It just so happens that Phoenix is deficient in defending against scoring and rebounding PFs. So look for Thompson to get his.

Anthony Davis - FD $9,500 DS $19,952-
It can't be understated just how bad Orlando has been at guarding the interior since Vucevic got his dome jostled. They've struggled with centers and power forwards, mostly anyone who can rebound. I absolutely love Davis's upside in this game. Mister March often excuses me of irrational Brow love. It's true, but this time it's justified.

Greg Monroe - FD $6,400 DS $11,982-
His price has taken a hit as of late, but I think you can pounce on these salaries. His minutes haven't been there on a night-to-night basis but the upside is there especially against the Mavs. They are well below average against power forwards and I see decent games coming from Monroe and Drummond (see below).

Boris Diaw - FD $3700 DS $8283-
If the minute are there this is a great price on both sites, but especially on FanDuel. Diaw's paid this almost 7X three of his last four games. There's always a threat for Popovich to fuck around with playing time though I think Diaw is pretty safe.

DraftStreet Value

Dirk Nowitzki - DS $14,495-
Dirk's had a rough go of it the last couple of games, posting subpar performances and a DNP in his last four games. I like his chances to get it going against Detroit. This price is so low that I think you are buying low on Dirk here.

Channing Frye - DS $10,748-
If he catches fire he pays this price going away. He's an upside tournament play today.

 

Center

Tyson Chandler FD $5,000 DS $12,539-
He's a nice price on DraftStreet, but is almost a must start on FanDuel. 5k seems like free for his upside as a starter. He put up a dud against Charlotte the other night, because of early foul trouble and then a blowout late. And he still paid 3x on this price, in only 19 minutes. Today he gets the Lakers. It will be tough to get him out of my FD lineups.

Anderson Varejeo FD $7,900 DS $16,814 -
Varejeo is another guy with a great industry price (and a little better on FD). On paper he's had two off games. But one was against Chicago's formidable inside D and the other was a blowout in Milwaukee. Look for a bounce back against Phoenix who is among the worst in the league against opposing centers.

Andre Drummond FD $7,800 DS $16,065 -
Price is up a tick after a 50 point outing the other night. But I'm not too concerned because Dallas doesn't really have anyone who can handle Andre down low. He's a double-double favorite every night with a few blocks thrown in.

Andrew Bogut FD $6,200 DS $13,844-
I'm putting him on here because our system really likes him today. Though I should say that I'll be hard pressed to play him because he's similar/worse money than Chandler.