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.
– First place wins $5,000
– $2 entry fee (FREE with first deposit)
– Top 6,600 finishing positions are paid.
– Starts tonight at 7:00 PM EST
– Salary Cap Style Drafting. $50,000 to select 8 players
– Roster Format: 1 PG, 1 SG, 1 SF, 1 PF, 1 C, 1 G, 1 F, and 1 Utility
– First time depositors at DraftKings receive a 100% bonus up to $600
Remember, when you sign-up on DraftKings, use the promo code: XN.
Each position will have a few guys that we like for each night, ranked from top to bottom in terms of value. 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
Ty Lawson, Denver Nuggets $9,000
Trey Burke, Utah Jazz $5,500
Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers $8,600
Darren Collison, Sacramento Kings $7,100
Mo Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves $5,800
Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks $8,500
Cheap Plays:
Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat $4,500 (if Wade is out)
Beno Udrih, Memphis Grizzlies $3,000 (if Conley is out)
Shooting Guard
Tyreke Evans, New Orleans Pelicans $7,900
Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors $7,300
Cheap Plays:
Eric Gordon, New Orleans Pelicans $4,600
Bojan Bogdanovic, Brooklyn Nets $3,400 (if he starts)
Wayne Ellington, Los Angeles Lakers $3,000 (if Kobe sits and Ellington starts)
Small Forward
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors $8,100
Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves $6,900
DeMarre Carroll, Atlanta Hawks $5,300
Cheap Plays:
Wesley Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers $3,000
Derrick Williams, Sacramento Kings $4,300
Omri Casspi, Sacramento Kings $3,000 (only if he starts over Williams)
Power Forward
Pau Gasol, Chicago Bulls $9,500
Taj Gibson, Chicago Bulls $5,400
Ryan Anderson, New Orleans Pelicans $5,300
Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies $7,600
Nikola Mirotic, Chicago Bulls $4,900
Cheap Plays:
Channing Frye, Orlando Magic $4,600
Center
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings $11,300
Alex Len, Phoenix Suns $4,300
Enes Kanter, Utah Jazz $6,300
Cheap Plays:
Meyers Leonard, Portland Trail Blazers $3,300
Notes
– Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis are the dominoes tonight, if both are out, value is everywhere. Both are likely out, but are listed at game time decisions.
– If Omri Casspi returns and Rudy Gay is out, he is a huge value at small forward.
– Point guard and power forward are huge values tonight, get a point guard into your guard spot, and a power forward into your forward spot.
– Draymond Green is the forward to pay for, as Bogut and Iguodala are out for the Warriors. Expect close to 40 minutes (unless the Warriors are up in a blowout) for Green.
– If Davis and Holiday are out, Anderson and Evans are must plays.
– If Mike Conley is out, Beno Udrih is an incredible value at point guard.
Usage Rates
– Tyreke Evans is close to 33 percent with Jrue Holiday out. It’s even higher without Anthony Davis.
– Nikola Vucevic is over 30 percent as well with Tobias Harris out.
– Mario Chalmers and Chris Bosh have the highest usage rates without Dwyane Wade.
– DeMarcus Cousins’ usage rate is at 37 percent without Rudy Gay.
– Ryan Anderson is at 28.4 without Jrue Holiday and Davis.
– Eric Gordon is at 17.8 percent without Holiday and Davis.
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
