FanDuel & DraftKings NBA Cheat Sheet 1/23/20
Welcome to the wild world of NBA DFS. The final hour to lock can be a tiring with the injury news, but we hope to have you prepared with fill-in options and what to do when scenarios occur. The cheat sheet will fill you in on the top games to target, values, tournament picks, cash game options, and much more. Prices are set for DraftKings and FanDuel, and the focus will be on whatever the main slate is listed as for each site. Pricing is listed (FD/DK). Players with no designated listing are playable in cash and tournaments. Players with designated game styles are for those only.
Vegas Numbers
Highest Implied Team Totals
- Lakers (117)
- Mavericks (116)
- Cavaliers (116)
- Wizards (114)
Lowest Implied Team Totals
- None
Potential Blowouts
- None
Injury Report
- Anthony Davis – Questionable
- Hassan Whiteside – Probable
- C.J. McCollum – Questionable
- Kyle Kuzma – Probable
- DeAndre Jordan – Out
- Rajon Rondo – Questionable
Point Guards
- Luka Doncic
- Damian Lillard
- Kyrie Irving
- Collin Sexton
- Darius Garland
- Ish Smith – GPP
- Anfernee Simons – If McCollum is out
Analysis: If C.J. McCollum sits out, Anfernee Simons would get a bump in minutes and would be a punt option. Damian Lillard sees the highest usage rate, no surprise there, sitting at 34.5% and averages 1.38 FPPM. Luka Doncic continues to be the stud to build around at the point guard position, averaging over 50 fantasy points per game in the last ten games. He also has a ridiculous 38% usage rate in that span. Kyrie Irving is a bit cheaper than the other two guards, but has similar upside and should be up for this one. The Cavs guards are where you can go for mid-range and value. Sexton is playing well, averaging over 30 fantasy points per game. The Washington-Cleveland game will have plenty of fantasy potential with those two defenses.
Shooting Guards
- Bradley Beal
- Spencer Dinwiddie – GPP
- Jordan McRae
- Caris LeVert
- Gary Trent – If McCollum is out
Analysis: Gary Trent has been getting more run, and is a deep value that helps you go the studs and scrubs route for lineup building. There are not a ton of options are at shooting guard, unless you are on DK where multi-eligibility will factor in. Bradley Beal isn’t too badly priced and is back off his injury sitting with over a 30% usage rate in his last ten healthy games. I like Spencer Dinwiddie in tournaments, but if you have the extra cash in cash games, he is a fine play too. Caris LeVert is cheap, and averaging 20 fantasy points per game in the last ten.
Small Forwards
- LeBron James
- Carmelo Anthony
- Tim Hardaway
- Troy Brown – GPP
- Cedi Osman
- Taurean Prince
Analysis: Anthony Davis is listed as questionable, LeBron James has seen a 36% usage rate with Davis off the floor, and has averaged 1.61 FPPM. James is obviously the headline play at SF. Carmelo Anthony and Tim Hardaway are mid range prices averaging right around 25 fantasy points per game over the last ten games. Both are playable in all formats. Troy Brown is an upside play for cheap, but his floor is rather weak now with Washington more healthy and the usage not as high. Taurean Prince and Cedi Osman see steady minutes, and have about a 20 fantasy point floor in the last ten games. They offer up some value.
Power Forwards
- Anthony Davis – GPP
- Kristaps Porzingis
- Kevin Love
- Jarrett Allen
- Maxi Kleber
- Davis Bertans
- Larry Nance
Analysis: If Anthony Davis ends up playing, he is a strong option of course, but minutes might not be as high as his season average. If he sits, Kyle Kuzma has seen a 25% usage rate, and averages 0.89 FPPM. Kevin Love is averaging over 30 fantasy points per game in the last ten games. Kristaps Porzingis is still a bit of an injury concern, given the workload likely won’t be as high. I slightly value Love and Jarrett Allen more. Allen has been playing extremely well of late, and DeAndre Jordan is out tonight, which allows a few more looks and rebounds inside. Maxi Kleber will have plenty of value with Dwight Powell out, as Porzingis can shift over at times. Nance and Bertans are solid deeper values.
Centers
- Hassan Whiteside
- Tristan Thompson
- Dwight Howard
- Boban Marjanovic – GPP
Analysis: Yikes, this is not a fun position unless you are on DK where you have a few other options. Hassan Whiteside is the pay up option, averaging over 45 fantasy points per game in the last ten games. Dallas ranks 24th against centers as well. Tristan Thompson is averaging over 30 fantasy points in his last ten games, and is quite a price difference. Washington also ranks 28th. Dwight Howard is a nice value as well, who continues to have fantasy value playing around 20-25 minutes a night. Boban is just a cheap GPP play who will get sporadic run with Powell out.
