Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster 1/24/15

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Point Guard

Langston Galloway - FD 4600 DK 4100 DFSTR 4900
Well, it's starting to get stupid. The sites refuse to raise his price, and he just continues to crush these prices every single night. I'd say something like "It's almost not even fun any more!" except, it is still fun - because people haven't figured out a way to prioritize getting him into the lineup. I guess this could come back to bite me (I'm writing this after the first quarter in the Knicks game), but unless he gets injured or the minutes disappear, Galloway will be the easiest play in the game essentially regardless of match-up.

Damian Lillard - FD 9000 DK 9400 DFSTR 7600
Lillard is playing massive minutes, and his usage takes a huge spike with Aldridge out (a 24 usage with Aldridge, a 36 usage without him). He hasn't had the huge "Oh, Jesus" game yet, but I think it's coming. And when it does, his price will climb by 5%-7%. On a short slate - he's the guy you're going to play if you want to get money in at the position, even if Washington is pretty tough against opposing point guards.

Dante Exum - FD 3600 DK 3200 DFSTR 3000
Trey Burke - FD 5600 DK 5000 DFSTR 5300
I'll take whichever of these guys is going to start on Saturday. I prefer Exum because the price is ridiculously low and he could pay this off the bench - but I REALLY like him if he's going to start. Brooklyn's precisely in the middle of the pack against point guards this season, so either of these guys could be a value play from the starter's position.

Also considered: Brandon Knight will probably be a pretty good play today. He's got 4 straight games paying 4x-5x on this FanDuel price, and he could easily go off if it's one of his big minute games, rather than his small minute games.
 

Shooting Guard

Courtney Lee - FD 4400 DK 3800 DFSTR 4000
If you want to escape a shallow position cheaply tonight, Courtney Lee should anchor your lineup. The minutes are positively secure, and he pays 5x on this price with his eyes closed. Philly, predictably, is one of the very worst teams in the league at defending the small forward position, and whether they keep the game close or not, I think Lee represents safety that you can't find elsewhere at the position tonight.

Joe Johnson - FD 6300 DK 5800 DFSTR 5800
Johnson plays 38+ minutes when the Nets are in the game. The Jazz aren't any good, and the Nets should be able to hang. See what I'm getting at, here? With Alec Burks gone, the Jazz have a hell of a time defending the shooting guard position, and they've slipped to 6th worst in the league against the position. While Johnson seems relatively unlikely for a HUGE night, I think he's a very safe bet to pay value for cash games. Picturing 27+ fantasy points with an upside of 38-40.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - FD 4300 DK 3900 DFSTR 3900
He's basically a cheaper, worse version of Courtney Lee. KCP plays an incredible amount of minutes for a guy who does so little on the court, but here we are. If he's going to play 37+ minutes, it's awfully hard not to pay 4x on his FanDuel price. Monroe and Drummond abusing the Bucks' big men should leave lots of room for KCP on the perimeter, and I personally think this could be one of his better games.

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Small Forward

Gordon Hayward - FD 7400 DK 7800 DFSTR 6700
Hayward's a funny guy, because he's awful when the Jazz get blown out (which'll happen), but typically great when they don't. I think they should hang with Brooklyn, which means we'll see the 35+ minute version of Hayward instead of the 26 minute version. He's paid 5x on this FanDuel price in the last 5 games where he's played 35 minutes or more. While Brooklyn is above average at defending the position, so are OKC and Indiana - two teams that were involved in Hayward's 5 game 5x streak.

Jeff Green - FD 5400 DK 5100 DFSTR 5100
Robert Covington - FD 5600 DK 5200 DFSTR 5100
This game really should be a blow-out, but if it somehow isn't and the teams play their starters in the 4th, both of these guys could get huge run. And if Green starts again, he should be a heavy favorite to pay this price regardless. Either way, stacking these guys in a GPP format could be interesting.

Khris Middleton - FD 5100 DK 4800
I'm an unabashed Middleton fan, and while he's coming off a stinker, he had been one of the most reliable points per dollars guy in the game before then. His "little bit of everything" approach and 30ish minutes a game mean that 4x is a near certainty, with upside for 6x-7x in the right match-up. I don't think the Bucks will be shy about getting Middleton the rock against a banged up Kyle Singler and the mishmash of Detroit small forwards, so he looks to be a pretty safe cash game play tonight. Keep an eye on Ilyasova news, though. If it looks like he's going to move into a significantly bigger role, that could edge out some of Middleton's minutes.

Keep an eye on... The Nic Batum situation. With him doubtful, this could mean another Dorell Wright start. If that happens, Wright immediately charges to the head of our small forward leaderboard, and I love him as a punt to free up money elsewhere.

Great freerolls for miles over at Scorestreak, by the way. Get involved today by clicking the banner below! And they have a great offer: refer a friend, have them play $25 worth of games and get a $25 Amazon gift card.

Power Forward

Jason Smith - FD 4100 DK 3900 DFSTR 3400
When I look at Jason Smith's industry price, I feel like this: ????????????????????????? If he's going to play 28-38 minutes, he'd be a good play at $5,500. But $4,100??? It's an embarrassment. It just seems like something is broken, here. And Charlotte, for their part, is pretty bad against PFs. They've allowed more than the league average of fantasy points to the position, and that's keeping in mind the snail's pace they play at. This might be the most un-watchable game of the day, but I'll have it on just to watch my cheap Knicks suck their way to paying value against an underwhelming Charlotte squad.

Thomas Robinson - FD 4200 DK 4200 DFSTR 3100
Might be a day to go double-cheap at power forward. With Batum crashing and burning yet again, Robinson put up 32 fantasy points on 28 minutes against a terrible Boston front court. He won't have it so easy against Washington's pair of bruisers - the Wiz have allowed the 2nd fewest fantasy points to the position this season - but this is another case of just having the price wrong if the minutes are there.

Zach Randolph - FD 8500 DK 8000 DFSTR 7100
Z-bo has been playing crazy minutes recently, and while that's somewhat unlikely in the event that they soul-crush the hapless 76ers, I still like him here. Why? His rotations. His minutes are frontloaded (he typically plays most of the 1st and 3rd quarters), which means he should get the lion's share of his minutes regardless of what happens. It stands to reason that Noel will cover Gasol, leaving Randolph with a very favorable match-up with whichever of the Sixers other lousy big men has to cover him.

Also considered: Nerlens Noel. The minutes are there now, and the youngster has been crashing the boards like a mad man.

Center

Chris Kaman - FD 4700 DK 4500 DFSTR 5900
It's well documented on DFSR to date, but with Aldridge out, Kaman's usage skyrockets. If Batum is going to be out, too? Someone is going to have to score the points. Kaman has been a beast in terms of fantasy points per minute this season, and the price is still incredibly reasonable for the opportunity he should have. Gortat's a brutal match-up (the Wiz have allowed the 2nd fewest points to opposing Centers this season), but on a short slate you sort of have to take what you can get. For me, that's going to look like Kaman.

Enes Kanter - FD 6200 DK 6600 DFSTR 5600
Kanter has come on like a freight train in his last 2 games - playing 33+ minutes and murdering this FanDuel price for 7x+ each time. So why isn't he listed first? It smacks just the littlest bit of "too good to be true." But it's close, for me. Certainly, if Favors is out again, and we can count on the increased minutes - I'm all in. But if Favors is back, I'll lean slightly Kaman, considering Brooklyn's above average defense against the position.

Marc Gasol - FD 8700 DK 8500 DFSTR 8100
If you want to gamble on a close game, Gasol could be an interesting place to spend up for GPPs. He's been a dominant fantasy force at this price recently, paying 4x handily and cresting 5x in a few contests, even with tough match-ups (Orlando, and the Raps). The Grizz are playing their key players tons of minutes recently, and while they might see this as an opportunity to rest them, this really is a terrific spot. Philly's allowed the 8th most points and 2nd most rebounds to opposing 5s this season, and Gasol will be the toughest they've faced yet.

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