FanDuel & DraftKings NBA Cheat Sheet 1/6/19
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
- Bucks (117)
- Celtics (117)
- Nuggets (115)
- Mavericks (113)
- Kings (113)
- Jazz (112)
Lowest Implied Team Totals
- Hornets (101)
- Warriors (102)
- Thunder (103)
- Nets (103)
- Bulls (103)
Potential Blowouts
- Kings (-10.5)
Analysis:
Injury Report
- Kristaps Porzingis – Out
- Bradley Beal – Questionable
- Jrue Holiday – Questionable
- Kemba Walker – Out
- D’Angelo Russell – Out
- Draymond Green – Out
- Lauri Markkanen – Questionable
- Malcolm Brogdon – Out
- Marvin Bagley – Questionable
- Bogdan Bogdanovic – Doubtful
- Tim Hardaway – Questionable
Analysis: Kristaps Porzingis is out again, putting Maxi Kleber in play again. He has played 30+ minutes in three straight games, and has put up strong fantasy games in each. The price tag still isn’t bad either. Kemba Walker is out again with an illness, which will have Marcus Smart drawing the start again. The other Celtics also get a bump in FPPM production with him off the court. D’Angelo Russell and Draymond Green are both out for the Warriors tonight. We will continue to see Glenn Robinson, Alec Burks, and Damion Lee pick up the offensive slack. Marquese Chriss and Eric Paschall will pick up front court minutes alongside Willie Cauley-Stein. Malcolm Brogdon is out again, which pushes Aaron Holiday back in play.
Point Guards
- Luka Doncic
- Trae Young
- Ben Simmons
- De’Aaron Fox
- Spencer Dinwiddie – GPP
- De’Aaron Fox
- Terry Rozier – GPP
- Lonzo Ball
- Aaron Holiday
- DJ Augustin – GPP
Analysis: Luka Doncic continues to project as the top point guard, going up against the Bulls. Doncic has a 35 fantasy point floor in the last ten games, and over a 60 fantasy point ceiling. He is projected for 1.59 FPPM for this slate. Despite tougher matchups for names like Trae Young and Ben Simmons, they are projected over 40 fantasy points tonight. Both also boast relatively strong consistency rates. Some of the plus matchups go towards De’Aaron Fox, going up against Golden State who rank 26th against opposing point guards.
Shooting Guards
- Donovan Mitchell
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Buddy Hield
- Josh Richardson
- Damion Lee – GPP
- Marcus Smart
- Terrance Ross – GPP
- Jordan Clarkson
Analysis: Marcus Smart is the top value on the entire slate, playing over 30 minutes with Kemba Walker ruled out. Smart gets the Wizards, which is an uptempo matchup that Smart can take advantage of. As far as top options, Donovan Mitchell and Buddy Hield are the names I am eyeing. Mitchell has a 30% usage rate in the last ten games, shooting 50% from the field. He has a 40+ fantasy point ceiling, and the price isn’t too crazy. Hield has been in a shooting slump, but gets the Warriors tonight, who are a defense worth exploiting.
Small Forwards
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Brandon Ingram
- Jaylen Brown
- Will Barton
- Gordon Hayward
- Alec Burks
- Joe Ingles
- Glenn Robinson
Analysis: Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging over 50 fantasy points in the last ten games. He has a monster usage, and the highest floor of any player on the slate. He is the stud at the position. Dropping down a bit, Brandon Ingram and Jaylen Brown are attractive options. Ingram is averaging 41 fantasy points per game over the last ten games. Ingram has a 29% usage rate in that span as well. Jaylen Brown is averaging 36 fantasy points per game over the last ten, and gets a bump with Walker out. Alec Burks is a strong mid-range play, averaging over 30 fantasy points per game over the last ten games.
Power Forwards
- Domantas Sabonis
- Jayson Tatum
- LaMarcus Aldridge
- Maxi Kleber
- Aaron Gordon
- Richaun Holmes
- Marquese Chriss – GPP
- Michael Porter – GPP
- Thaddeus Young
Analysis: Domantas Sabonis is averaging 40 fantasy points over the last ten games, and Charlotte ranks 30th against opposing power forwards. Jayson Tatum is another top power forward tonight, going up against a weak Washington defense. Tatum is averaging 38 fantasy points per game in the last ten, with a 27% usage rate in that span. Richaun Holmes has some upside for Sacramento, sitting with a 42 fantasy point ceiling over the last ten games. Given Kristaps Porzingis status tonight, Maxi Kleber is a nice bargain value. He should play around 30 minutes tonight, and has 30+ fantasy point upside, and has been around that number.
Centers
- Joel Embiid
- Nikola Jokic
- Nikola Vucevic
- Rudy Gobert
- Myles Turner – GPP
- Dwight Powell
- Enes Kenter – GPP
Analysis: Oklahoma City ranks 18th against opposing centers, Joel Embiid is the top priced center averaging 50 fantasy points per game over the last ten games. His usage rate is the highest among centers. Nikola Jokic is in a good spot, but Nikola Vucevic is in the prime spot. He has a 26% usage rate, and averaging 43 fantasy points per game over the last ten games. Brooklyn ranks 29th against opposing centers. There are a few GPP plays like Myles Turner and Enes Kanter, who are in great spots against bottom five defenses against centers, but don’t quite have the same floor for cash games.
