Daily Fantasy Basketball is in full swing, which means each day XN Sports will have a column detailing advised plays and lineups for the remainder of the NBA season. For those familiar with DraftKings, their daily fantasy basketball is formatted differently this season. There is no multi-position eligibility, which makes it a bit harder to set your lineup.
For those unfamiliar with DraftKings, you are given $50,000 in cap space to select a point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, center, a guard, a forward, and a utility player. There are no points deducted for missed shots, which changes the strategy from other sites. To read the full scoring, click here. Keep in mind that a double-double awards a bonus, which can be the difference between cashing in and winning nothing.
Generally, the goal for value is at five times a player’s salary, plus five points. That brings a lineup to 290 fantasy points, which will cash each day.
Give DraftKings a shot, as there will be a few freeroll opportunities each night in Daily Fantasy Basketball. Click here to play.
Rather than value plays and lineups tonight, XN will give you a cheat sheet with the best plays at each position.
For those who frequent this column: if you like this idea let us know. If you prefer the other format, let us know as well.
Each position will have a few guys that we like for each night, ranked from top to bottom. To find these players, tools like usage rate, defense vs. position, injuries, minutes, and more are used.
There is a lot of news that will affect lineups tonight, stay informed before tip.
Point Guard
Cory Joseph, San Antonio Spurs $5,000
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder $12,000
Brandon Jennings, Detroit Pistons $6,600
Rajon Rondo, Dallas Mavericks $7,900
Cheap Plays:
Ronnie Price, Los Angeles Lakers $3,700
Shooting Guard
Arron Afflalo, Denver Nuggets $5,900
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks $5,400
Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs $5,000 (if he plays)
Cheap Plays:
Gerald Henderson, Charlotte Hornets $4,200
Marco Belinelli, San Antonio Spurs $3,800
Wayne Ellington, Los Angeles Lakers $3,000
Small Forward
DeMarre Carroll, Atlanta Hawks $5,200
Wesley Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers $4,900
Chandler Parsons, Dallas Mavericks $7,100
Cheap Plays:
Solomon Hill, Indiana Pacers $3,700
Kyle Anderson, San Antonio Spurs $3,400 (if Duncan, Manu, Parker, Kawhi are ALL out)
Perry Jones, Oklahoma City Thunder $3,000
Power Forward
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans $11,600
Greg Monroe, Detroit Pistons $7,400
Robert Covington, Philadelphia 76ers $5,800
Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia 76ers $5,100
Cheap Plays:
No cheap values at power forward for tonight’s slate.
Center
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings $10,700
Tyson Chandler, Dallas Mavericks $7,200
Kyle O’Quinn, Orlando Magic $5,300
Steven Adams, Oklahoma City Thunder $4,400
Cheap Plays:
Lavoy Allen, Indiana Pacers $3,700
Aron Baynes, San Antonio Spurs $3,500
Notes
With a lot of late news likely to come out today, stay tuned to the RotoWorld Player News page and stay up to date with the starting lineups. If the Spurs sit their big players, Aron Baynes, Kyle Anderson, Marco Belinelli, and Cory Joseph become top plays at cheap prices.
With Kevin Durant out, Westbrook should have another huge game, but his price of $12,000 will shy some away. I’m going to try to get him in and use values like Baynes and Allen at center, and Ronnie Price and Wayne Ellington at guard.
If the Spurs’ top guys (Duncan and Ginobili) do play, they are good options for your lineups, but Ginobili would receive more of a boost with Tony Parker out.
Some top usage rates to consider tonight:
Greg Monroe is over 30 percent without Josh Smith on the floor for the Pistons.
Manu Ginobili is over 30 percent without Leonard and Parker on the floor.
Aron Baynes is over 20 percent as a center without Duncan on the floor.
If you have any questions or concerns leading to tip, let me know on Twitter @JoshCollacchi.
*Keep an eye on the inactives, as things in the NBA change at the last second. Good luck tonight.
