Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 1/18/17

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Point Guard

Russell Westbrook FD - $12300 DK - $12100
Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 56.35 DK - 60.18

I am not a huge fan of narratives, but c'mon, you have to Love what Westbrook brings tonight. These 2 teams did face off already, but the game turned into a blowout and Westbrook only saw 28 minutes. That could certainly happen again tonight, and at his price, he isn't a guy I will look at in cash. With that being said, you have to love him in tournaments. If the game stays close, thy have nobody to guard Westbrook, and the upside is unlimited. Point guard is a spot you can go a lot of different ways at, but will probably want to pay up somewhat. Westbrook is sitting in the low 12k's on both sites, so he forces yo into a pretty tough roster construction. This slate is not one with a bunch of value, and because of that, Westbrook will be limited to tournaments. Let's take a look at some guys you can look at in cash games.

Kyle Lowry FD - $8800 DK - $8500
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 38.15 DK - 41.03

Lowry took a seat last night, so should be ready to go full force tonight. The 76ers have been playing well as of late, and with the Raptors on a back-back, this could definitely stay close. Lowry is a do it all PG, and the ultimate guy for cash games. Lowry consistently sits above 40 fantasy  points, and will then flash his 55 point ceiling very week or so. This could definitely be one of those game, as he will have the freshest legs and be able to log plenty  of minutes. Joel Embiid is a great presence inside,  but the 76ers have nobody on the perimeter to help. The 76ers have been bad against PG's, ranking 6th to last last in terms of real life points scored. Sergio Rodriguez is a decent defender, but will struggle with the off ball screens that the Raptors love to run.  His price is fair, and he is a very comforting player to have.

Kemba Walker FD - $7900 DK - $7700
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 40.78 DK - 43.36

Kemba has been pretty consistent as of late, but just a bit less productive than expected. He had a torrid start to the season, and while some improvement still hold, some of the more lucky stuff has filtered out. H is is still close to an elite point guard, and has a phenomenal match up tonight. The Blazers play fast, and are not good against point guards. Damian Lillard is not a good man to man defender, and Mason Plumlee often ends up on the PG when they switch. That will be a huge mismatch, and Kemba will get to the hole with ease. He also plays a lot better at home, averaging 3 more points, 1 assist and a rebound more at home. His price has come down a little bit, and Walker is a great option in all formats. I really do think he makes sense for both formats, as the safety is there, and we have seen spots just like this where Kemba goes absolutely crazy.

Elfrid Payton FD - $6200 DK - $6200
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 32.71 DK - 34.52

Elfrid Payton has been really good over his last 3, with totals of 33, 39 and 57. I am not one to chase box scores, but I think he is finally in the right mindset. His minutes have been up and down all season, and this is the first time he has seen 30 minutes night and night out. He gets a great match up against the Pelicans, who play fast and lack overall team defense. They also give up the 5th  most assists and 6th most rebounds to point guards, which is where Payton derives most of his upside. Payton is $6.2k on both sites, so will need about 33 to hit value in cash games. I think there is a very good chance of that tonight, and the chance for a lot more. I expect this game to be high scoring, and competitive. We will definitely be targeting some other guys from this game as well.

Shooting Guard

Giannis Antetokounmpo FD - $10600 DK - $10400
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 51.58 DK - 53.89

This is a guy who is generally easy to write, as his actions speak loud enough. He faces off with the Rockets tonight, and I am just trying to figure out who will guard him here. I think it will have to be Patrick Beverley or Trevor Ariza. He will obliterate both of them, and this match up against the Rockets seems ideal. This game has the potential to be VERY high scoring, and I could see either team winning. If the Bucks want to stand a chance, Giannis has to have a huge game. If this game does turn into an up and down battle, I guarantee he will. He is a top 3 fast-break player, and can literally cover the entire floor in 5 dribbles.  In tournaments, I am a huge fan of The Giannis + Jabari & Harden game stack. It is expensive, but has the potential to lead you to the top of the leaderboard.

DeMar DeRozan FD - $9000 DK - $8300
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 43.66 DK - 45.59

Derozan could possibly sit tonight. Lowry ended up sitting out last night, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Derozan take his turn against the 76ers. With that being said, he is definitely in play if he takes the court. He dominated last night, finishing with 36 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. I don't think we can expect that again tonight, but a solid performance should definitely be in the wings. The 76ers will throw Nik Stauskas at Derozan, and that will get ugly quickly. He will then see some Gerald Henderson, who was a decent defender 5 years ago. I definitely do prefer Giannis, but Derozan is pretty safe and obviously  has a great ceiling. If Derozan does sit for some reason, you can give a boost to Lowry, Ross, Powell and Carroll.

Avery Bradley FD - $6400 DK - $5900
Opponent - NY
Proj Pts FD - 33.02 DK - 35.2

These prices are just a  little dumb. Avery Bradley was an $8K player just two weeks ago. He was dominating on a nightly basis, and then ran into an injury. He played 33 minutes last game, so it looks like he is ready to go. The shot wasn't falling, but that is expected after missing a week. I see him bouncing back here against the Knicks, who will probably be starting Ron Baker at the 2. Bradley will own Baker on offense, and should have a good 1st quarter. He may cover Carmelo, which could be good in keeping him on the court. The price here is just too cheap, and I will most likely have him across the industry in my cash games. he is a reliable guy for value, and can get you that big game on occasion.

Small Forward

Carmelo Anthony FD - $7700 DK - $8000
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 40.44 DK - 42.81

Kristaps Porzingis still hasn't returned from his injury, and is currently questionable for the game tonight. If he doesn't play, just lock in Carmelo against the Celtics. I know many won't have that opinion, but I like what I saw from Melo last game out. He looked in rhythm, and his knee wasn't hindering him at all.  If Porzingis misses, he will see a 6% usage bump, and 4 or 5 more shots. This is a big game for both teams, as the history between the two is obviously long. Neither teams are what they used to be, but Melo has said before that he wants to play good against the Celtics. Jae Crowder is a decent defender, but the overall team defense hasn't been great for the Knicks. They struggle down low, and I could see Melo attacking a lot in this one.  Carmelo is more of a GPP play in general, and I do like him more there tonight, but see the merit in playing him in cash as well. If Porzingis plays, I only see the merit in tournaments.

Paul George FD - $7500 DK - $7700
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 37.42 DK - 40.62

Paul George is very modestly priced tonight, and has a solid match up with the Sacramento Kings. Rudy Gay isn't a horrible defender, but the effort is usually not fully there. George has played well recently, and has been very consistent. His floor has been 25 over the last 20, with a ceiling of 50 that he nearly hit twice. The minutes have been solid as well, consistently staying over 32.He will also see some Matt Barnes, who he will be able to easily score on.  The addition of Jeff Teague and progression of Myles Turner has knocked down his usage a bit, but the price reflects that. If you want to fit 2 expensive guys, George can be your pay-up SF. He is a very safe option in cash games, and can give you a late night hammer in tournaments.

DeMarre Carroll FD - $4200 DK - $5300
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 22.1 DK - 23.76

We are going to look at a lot of Raptors tonight, as they come into tonight with another fantastic match up, after facing the Nets last night. Carroll has been play a lot of minutes recently, and I expect him to average about 34 as the year progresses.  The 76ers will throw Covington at the 3, who is a pretty slow small forward. Carroll should be able to get in transition and use his sped to take advantage of the match up. Carroll will be able to get open 3's, too, as the 76ers have given up the 2nd highest % of open 3's. Carroll is a super safe option, and he becomes a great play if someone on this team rests.

Power Forward

Anthony Davis FD - $11200 DK - $11000
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 53.88 DK - 56.11
Terrence Jones FD - $5300 DK - $6700
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 25.06 DK - 26.4

Whoever ends up starting, will be my top PF on the slate. Davis took off from 10 feet away to attempt a dunk last game, and like usual, ended up landing awkwardly. He maneuvered his long legs to the locker room, and was gone for the rest of the game. He is questionable tonight, and I think it truly is 50/50. If we her that he is a go, he will be close to 100%, and I will like him a lot. If Davis sits, I will have a lot of Terrence Jones, and a little bit of Donatas. Jones has been elite with AD, seeing a monstrous usage bump and obviously a huge minutes increase. Serge Ibaka is a good individual defender at the PF position, but is surrounded by Nikola Vucevic, who is not a good defender, at all. This game is an hour after lock, so there is definitely a real chance that we don't know in time. In that case, I will roll with some Terrence Jones in tournaments. He will destroy value if AD gets ruled out, and could still not kill me if AD plays.

Draymond Green FD - $8100 DK - $7900
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 39.88 DK - 42.51

Draymond had a huge game against the Cavs with 11 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and 5 blocks. He was all over the court, and well exceed value. The Thunder aren't good against power forwards, giving up the 3rd most rebounds and 4th most assists. I do expect this game to stay close, so Green will see his regular 34-38 minutes. His floor is the best part of Green, as he will very rarely be under 35 fantasy points. He is also game pace proof, as he can play the PF in the big lineup and center in the small lineup. He is more of a cash game play, but the upside is there if the game stays close.

Enes Kanter FD - $6300 DK - $7000
Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 38.17 DK - 40.08

Steven Adams has already been ruled out for this game against the Warriors, and in turn, Enes Kanter will play big minutes. He only ended up playing 23 minutes last game, but the game was a blowout and had a very weird pace overall. He should certainly see an uptick in minutes against the Warriors, who he will be able to run the floor with. Zaza Pachulia has been getting some extra run lately, which will also force Kanter on the floor more often, as he matches up best with Zaza. Kanter is a guy I will have exposure to in both formats, though the floors are definitely higher on the guys listed above.

Center

DeMarcus Cousins FD - $10700 DK - $10600
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 51.32 DK - 54.39

Cousins has seen a slight price drop here, and I will look to take advantage. Myles Turner is wonderful, but is no comparison to DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins is going to show him how to do what Turner tries to do, and how to do it exceptionally. Cousins currently has the 3rd highest usage in the league, behind only Russell Westbrook and James Harden. He is the point guard of this offense, and will touch the ball nearly every possesion. The Pacers have ranked 27th against centers, and I don't see them having much of a chance against Cousins. Cousins and Giannis are my 2 favorite guys, but we will talk about a guy at this position a bit later that I feel very safe with. I have yet to make a choice of how I will get exposure to each in cash games.

Nikola Vucevic FD - $7200 DK - $6600
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 38.08 DK - 39.82

Vucevic is my favorite mid-range center option tonight, and comes into a game with the Pelicans on 2 days rest, and only played 28 minutes last game. Vucevic should get a full load of minutes tonight, and the status of Anthony Davis definitely matters here. Davis will guard Vucevic about half the time, when he plays the center position. Outside of Davis, the Pelicans will not be able to guard Vuc, who is one of the better scoring big men around. Payton and Vucevic both seem to be working well together, after spending a few weeks together in the 2nd unit. I like stacking those 2 guys, and then playing either Anthony Davis or Terrence Jones. Vucevic might not have insane upside, but he is very safe and won't cost you too much.

Cody Zeller FD - $5100 DK - $5200
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 26.32 DK - 27.34

Lucas Nogueira was supposed to be in this spot, but left the game last night with an eye contusion and was being tested for a concussion. He did not return to the game, and Pascal Siakam played 14 minutes in the 2nd half. On to Cody Zeller, who has played really well this season. He has been battling injuries all season long, but has been extremely productive when on the court. You can count on a double double almost every night, and the minutes will be there against the Blazers. Portland isn't good against big men, and they haven't been for a while. Zeller could go overlooked tonight, and I really like him in cash games. I have him as a lock for 25, with a ceiling around 38.

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