Welcome to the DFS Army NBA Full Court Press! 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 article. 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!
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Full Court Press:
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Indiana Pacers
Vegas Total: 221.0
Vegas Spread: Ind -4.5
Pace: Ind +2.4
Starting with the Timberwolves, the Research Station’s favorite point per dollar play from this team is Dario Saric. Saric’s minutes are a bit all over the place but has played 29 minutes in two of his last three games. Not only that, but he’s scored 20+ fantasy points in seven of his last ten games. Nobody is able to stop Karl-Anthony Towns right now, he’s gone for 70+ fantasy points in two straight games. This matchup is a little less ideal than the Kings and Hawks, but Towns is proving himself to be a great option night in and night out. We will need to keep an eye on Jeff Teague again tonight, as he has sat out his past two games. If Teague is out, Tyus Jones would become a great value play. Jones has started for Teague in the past two games and has scored at least 29.5 in both of those games. Derrick Rose would also become a play in GPPs. If Teague is active, you can certainly target him on Draftkings given the price tag, but be on the lookout for a minute restriction.
5-star play: Karl-Anthony Towns, Tyus Jones (If Teagues is OUT), Derrick Rose (If Teague is OUT)
4-star play: Dario Saric, Derrick Rose (If Teague is ACTIVE)
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Dario Saric
GPP Sleeper: Derrick Rose
From the Pacers, Myles Turner is my favorite play here. He is averaging 1.12 fantasy points per minute on the season and the without Domantas Sabonis available he may get an extra couple of minutes. Turner is a block and steals machine as of late and should be able to continue that at a bit of a price discount tonight. Darren Collison is also a good play in this matchup, he has scored 30+ fantasy points in four of his past five games. Bojan Bogdanovic is the last guy I have interest in on this team, he has a 26.3% usage rate with Domantas Sabonis off the court this season. Bogdanovic has scored 30+ fantasy points in four out of his past five games.
5-star play: Myles Turner
4-star play: Darren Collison, Bojan Bogdanovic
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: None
GPP Sleeper: None
Golden State Warriors @ Orlando Magic
Vegas Total: 226.5
Vegas Spread: GS -6.0
Pace: Orl +3.0
Starting with the Warriors here, I would expect DeMarcus Cousins to be back in the lineup tonight, as last night just seemed like a rest day after seeing a season-high in minutes. With Cousins back, you know how my analysis of this team goes. Kevin Durant and Steph Curry are hard to break down and say which one is the better play on any given night. Play whichever one fits your roster better if you want exposure to them. DeMarcus Cousins has been playing great and was able to get to the 30-minute mark in his last game. I’m more willing to play him on Draftkings given the price, but he’s a solid play here. Klay Thompson had a huge night going for nearly 50 fantasy points last night, the Research Station has him as the best point per dollar play on this team. Draymond Green, on the other hand, was awful from a fantasy perspective, this is a pretty good rebound spot for him.
***BREAKING NEWS: Kevin Durant has been ruled OUT tonight. Here is how things shake out with Durant off the court this season…
- Klay Thompson – 40.2% usage rate; 1.35 fpm
- Steph Curry – 29.6% usage rate; 1.36 fpm
- DeMarcus Cousins – 28.2% usage rate; 1.4 fpm
5-star play: Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, Steph Curry
4-star play: Draymond Green
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: None
GPP Sleeper: None
From the Magic, Nikola Vucevic is my favorite play and feels really underpriced here on Draftkings. He has gone over 50 fantasy points in his last three games and in his only matchup with the Warriors this season dropped 57.5 Draftkings points. This is the type of game where Aaron Gordon should excel in, fast paced and high scoring. However, he will likely draw Draymond Green on defense and that isn’t something I want to be a part of. As I always say, Terrence Ross for GPP and Evan Fournier for cash, both are in play here. Finally, D.J. Augustin’s price has come up a bit but makes for a fine form of value.
5-star play: Nikola Vucevic
4-star play: Evan Fournier (Cash), Terrence Ross (GPP), D.J. Augustin
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: D.J. Augustin
GPP Sleeper: Terrence Ross
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Cleveland Cavaliers @ New York Knicks
Vegas Total: 217.0
Vegas Spread: NY -3.0
Pace: Cle +3.5
If you were looking for a bad basketball game, here you are! Although it’s a bad game, it could be alright for fantasy production. Starting with the Cavs, the best play here is Kevin Love. His minutes have slowly gotten increased and could get to near 30 minutes here. The Knicks rank 18th in defense against opposing power forwards and Love is scoring 1.4 fantasy points per minute on the season. Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton should both see around 30 minutes here and will draw Emmanuel Mudiay and Dennis Smith on defense, who are average at best defenders. Finally, Cedi Osman has played 30+ minutes in three straight games and is coming off a 40 point fantasy game, you could do worse than Cedi here.
5-star play: Kevin Love
4-star play: Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Brandon Knight (Drop)
GPP Sleeper: Jordan Clarkson, Cedi Osman
From the Knicks, DeAndre Jordan will be out again for tonight’s matchup which means Mitchell Robinson should again see around 30 minutes. Robinson has been unstoppable over the past two games, scoring 45+ in each of them. He is racking up blocks like they’re going out of style, he’ll look for that to continue in this matchup. Emmanuel Mudiay and Dennis Smith Jr. are both GPP plays here, as we don’t know who will see the most minutes on any given night. I would guess that Smith plays around 30 and Mudiay plays around 20. But, I’m not confident enough to make them cash game worthy. The rest of the Knicks are GPP flyers at best, given the slow-paced matchup and the risk involved with the rotations.
5-star play: Mitchell Robinson
4-star play: None
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Noah Vonleh
GPP Sleeper: Dennis Smith Jr., Emmanuel Mudiay
Miami Heat @ Houston Rockets
Vegas Total: 218.5
Vegas Spread: Hou -9.5
Pace: Hou +0.2
The Heat are coming off a big performance against the Warriors last night in which Dwyane Wade turned back the clock. Tonight, they get another force in the Western Conference in the Houston Rockets. Hassan Whiteside has already been ruled out for tonight’s game which opens up minutes for the front-court. With Whiteside out last night, Kelly Olynyk played 30 minutes and scored 26.75 fantasy points while Bam Adebayo played 32 minutes and scored 34.5 fantasy points. I would prefer Bam tonight as he is cheaper and the slightly better point per minute producer. Although they are both very much in play as the top values on the slate. Dwyane Wade is fairly priced and I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to go there tonight. Josh Richardson, Dion Waiters, and Justice Winslow all make for secondary options.
5-star play: Bam Adebayo, Kelly Olynyk
4-star play: Josh Richardson, Dion Waiters, Justice Winslow
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Bam Adebayo, Kelly Olynyk
GPP Sleeper: Josh Richardson, Dion Waiters, Justice Winslow
From the Rockets, Clint Capela finally proved it to me, he scored over 50 fantasy points in last nights game. The Research Station loves him as a point per dollar play. With the Heat being without Whiteside, this could set up as a very nice spot for Capela. James Harden is always a great play, but we will get to another game soon that I would rather target superstars in. P.J. Tucker and Eric Gordon make for solid value plays at their price ranges. Chris Paul has been playing well as of late, but given his price and matchup, I’ll likely go elsewhere tonight.
5-star play: Clint Capela
4-star play: James Harden, PJ Tucker, Eric Gordon
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: PJ Tucker, Eric Gordon
GPP Sleeper: James Harden, Chris Paul
Philadelphia 76ers @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Vegas Total: 239.0
Vegas Spread: OKC -8.0
Pace: Phi +1.8
The highest total on the slate belongs to this game and it’s not all that close. Starting with the 76ers, both Joel Embiid and Boban will be out for tonight’s game, leaving a gaping hole in the sixers front-court. With those two off the court, Jonah Bolden and Amir Johnson will chew up the minutes at the five. Of the two, Jonah Bolden is the far better fantasy play as he is seeing 1.04 fantasy points per minute with those guys off the court this season. JJ Redick is underpriced and the Research station loves him as a great point per dollar play. With Embiid off the court, here is how it shakes up for the other big three…
- Ben Simmons – 24.4% usage rate; 1.17 fantasy points per minute
- Jimmy Butler – 25% usage rate; 1 fantasy point per minute
- Tobias Harris – 24.1% usage rate; 1.3 fantasy points per minute
They are all great plays here, the Thunder are playing at one of the fastest paces in the league so there will be no shortage of points to go around. Of the three, my favorite play is Jimmy Butler, he is the cheapest of the three but has similar upside. You can make a case to play all three of them however, they’re all great point per dollar options tonight given the matchup and prices.
5-star play: Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons, JJ Redick
4-star play: Jonah Bolden
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Mike Scott, Jonah Bolden
GPP Sleeper: Mike Scott
From the Thunder, deciding between Russell Westbrook and Paul George is almost impossible. I tend to go with the one who makes my lineup work better, they are both elite plays tonight. In one matchup this year George scored 53.75 Draftkings points while Russell Westbrook scored just 44 Draftkings points. I wouldn’t be swayed one way or another by these numbers. The Research Station has them predicted to be the same exact point per dollar value. Steven Adams should be able to do whatever he wants tonight against the depleted 76ers front-court. Dennis Schroder and Jerami Grant are also fine plays as the last guy into your lineup.
*** BREAKING NEWS: Paul George has been ruled OUT for tonight’s matchup. Become a member and see how this news affects the slate and who you should be targeting! —> BECOME A MEMBER ***
5-star play: Russell Westbrook, Steven Adams, Paul George
4-star play: Jerami Grant, Dennis Shroder
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Terrance Ferguson
GPP Sleeper: Dennis Schroder, Jerami Grant
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Utah Jazz @ Denver Nuggets
Vegas Spread: 223.0
Vegas Total: Den -7.0
Pace: Den +2.2
Starting with the Jazz, Ricky Rubio left the game early last night with an injury and is currently questionable for tonight’s game. If Rubio is out, Raul Neto and Royce O’Neale would become good value plays given their sub $4k price tags. The biggest beneficiary would likely be Donovan Mitchell, with Rubio off the court this season Mitchell sees an elite usage rate of 39.7% and averages 1.3 fantasy points per minute. Rudy Gobert draws a tough matchup against Nikola Jokic here, so I will likely stay away from that situation. Lastly, Derrick Favors, Joe Ingles, and Jae Crowder are all underpriced and provide nice value if you need them at the end of your lineup.
5-star play: Donovan Mitchell (If Rubio is OUT)
4-star play: Derrick Favors, Joe Ingles, Jae Crowder
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Raul Neto and Royce O’Neale (If Rubio is OUT)
GPP Sleeper: None
From the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic is still underpriced on Draftkings. The matchup is tough, but he makes for an elite GPP play tonight. Jamal Murray is priced fairly across the industry and I’m fine with going with him if you need another point guard. To be honest, there’s not a lot from this team that excites me tonight. Other than those two, I’ll probably be avoiding the Nuggets as a whole. Will Barton is a fine GPP play if you want to go there as well.
5-star play: None
4-star play: Nikola Jokic (Draftkings), Jamal Murray
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: None
GPP Sleeper: Will Barton
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