Welcome to the Core 4! My name is Michael aka @MadnessDFS on Twitter, make sure to give me a follow as I’ll occasionally make updates to the game break/core 4. But, you’ll mostly find me in our VIP coaching forums where I provide detailed lineup maneuvers and answer all lineup questions. With that said, let’s get it started!
Purpose of the Core 4: These four players are guys that I want to lock into my cash game lineups and if doing multi-entry, using the Domination Station lock them in or set high exposure percentages to them. These are players that I see as underpriced, in great matchups, in play because of injuries, increased usage, etc. I also need to mention that these plays are normally geared toward Draftkings pricing and scoring, I’m not a huge fan of NBA for Fanduel, so if you see my list has three small forwards or two centers, etc. it’s because of the multi-position eligibility on Draftkings. With that said, let’s jump right into it!
Tonight’s Core 4:
Paul Millsap – $6,200
With Trey Lyles being out for the past couple of games, it has solidified Paul Millsap’s minutes. Not only that, but he has heavily produced in those minutes. Millsap has scored 45+ Draftkings points in three straight games and the Thunder rank 21st in defense against opposing power forwards, according to the Research Station. With Lyles out again tonight, Millsap is not priced to where is potential production will be. At $6200 he only needs 31 Draftkings points to hit 5x value, where he has proven his legit 50 point upside.
DFS MADNESS’S NBA DRAFTKINGS TIERS BREAKDOWN
D.J. Augustin – $4,100
Isaiah Briscoe has been taking a few of Augustin’s minutes as of late. However, Briscoe has been ruled out for tonight’s matchup with the Knicks which should solidify Augustin’s minutes. I would expect him to get around 30 minutes tonight in a plus matchup against the New York Knicks. With Frank Ntilikina still off the court for the Knicks, they will run Dennis Smith Jr and Emmanuel Mudiay out who are big downgrades on defense. At $4100 there isn’t a whole lot of downside tonight for Augustin.
Jamal Murray – $6,000
Jamal Murray is in the highest projected total on the slate at 238.0 in a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. In two matchups against the Thunder, this season Murray is averaging 36.4 Draftkings points per game. This is mostly a price play for me given that we’ve seen him in the $7k range this season. The Research Station loves Murray as a point per dollar contributor tonight, having him projected to 5.9x his price tag. In an up pace matchup against the Thunder, I really like Murray tonight.
Kyrie Irving – $8,800
Of the four, Kyrie is certainly the riskiest, but I can help but love him in this matchup. The Celtics will go on the road to play the Toronto Raptors, right after Kyrie has said the Celtics won’t struggle in the playoffs, “because he is on the team”. Kyrie will be charged up for this one, to say the least. I always like targeting Kyrie in matchups with close spreads and important games. This is both for the Celtics. He has an elite 30.1% usage rate on the season and has thrived in this matchup this year. In three matchups with the Raptors this year, Kyrie is averaging 57.4 Draftkings points per game. He will likely go under-owned, but I love him here, give me all the Kyrie Irving.
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