Welcome to the DFS Army NBA Game Break! You have to start your research somewhere, and often times going game by game thinking about matchups and key players is the first step in our process. 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:
Devin Booker – $7,700
T.J. Warren will continue to sit with an ankle injury for the Suns, which has opened up usage for the whole team. With Warren off the floor this season, Devin Booker sees a usage rate of 33.3% and averages 1.28 draftkings points per minute. Not only will he see more ball handling and playmaker duties, but the Cavaliers rank 22nd in the league in defense versus opposing shooting guards. When I’m looking at a players price I always want to aim for 5x production on that price. The Research Station projects Booker to 5.6x his price, which launches him into the core. Devin Booker has proven he can be worth a $9k price tag throughout the season and his price today is simply too cheap, go ahead and lock him in.
DeMarcus Cousins – $6,100
Boogie, Boogie, Boogie can’t you see… sometimes your moves just hypnotize me. That was an awful attempt at a Biggie Smalls reference, but oh well! Cousins gets a revenge game against the Kings, I wish this game was in Sacramento, but it’ll do. The Warriors had said Cousins would be limited to 25 minutes up until the all star break and well that time has passed. We will see if the Warriors get him near that 30 minute mark which would be huge, but even if he hangs around 25 minutes his price has actually gone down. After being up near the $7k price range before the break, he has come all the way down to $6,100. Not only is he in a revenge game and too cheap, but the Kings rank 23rd in defense against opposing centers. This is a near perfect spot for Boogie, go ahead and lock him in.
Boban Marjanonvic – $3,500
Boban is back in our lives after a week break! Joel Embiid has been ruled out for tonight’s matchup which will likely lead to Boban receiving the start at the five. As I mentioned in the NBA Game Break, Boban is an elite point per minute contributor scoring 1.23 fantasy points per minute on the season. I wouldn’t expect him to play 30 minutes, but 20-23 is certainly in the realm of possibilities. At this price he shouldn’t need that many minutes to be able to crush his value, go ahead and lock in Boban tonight!
Caris LeVert – $5,100
I’m taking Bogdan Bogdanovic off the core, but he is still a good play if you want to go there. Caris LeVert is simply too appealing for me to pass up. Before the break he played 30 minutes against the Cavaliers which makes me assume that his minute restriction has been lifted. If that’s the case then LeVert is far too cheap, he’s scoring an average of 1.1 draftkings points per minute and has a usage rate of 25.7%. If LeVert is going to get 30 minutes he should continue to rack up the points, go ahead and lock him in tonight.
As always I appreciate everyone who gave the core a read! Feel free to mix it up with me in our coaching forums as news breaks and lock approaches. If you don’t know about them, our two newest pages contain Breaking News and our exclusive Coaches’ Picks……both invaluable for late breaking news and pivots in NBA. Make sure to follow me on Twitter @MadnessDFS as I occasionally make changes to the core. Let’s make some money tonight!
