Hi there! I’m Aaron/AFriedman15 (@AFriedman15DFS) and this is Friedman’s DK Tiers, where I will break down the DraftKings Tiers slate using information from the DFS Army NBA Research Station (RS), DFS Army Domination Station (DS), and other sources. I will generally try to write Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Weekends, but I may have some spare time on other days as well.
In my articles, I will use a few terms which may or may not be familiar:
DKFPPG = DraftKings Fantasy Points Per Game
DKFPPM =DraftKings Fantasy Points Per Minute
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Tier 1:
I am going to cop out and have co-favorites for Tier 1. While Joel Embiid has the best matchup (centers vs. Brooklyn) and the slate high And1 rating, Giannis Antetokounmpo has a better matchup here then “the numbers” would indicate as The Greek Freak is the defacto center for the Bucks, so I really want some of both and happy to take a stand against Harden, as Chris Paul gets the better matchup here. Denver is 22 in aDvP for point guards, compared to #1 vs. shooting guards. Alas, James Harden is not “just a shooting guard” so sprinkle a couple shares of The Beard in if you are making 5 + entries.
Tier 2 :
While Andre Drummond is a much better DK Classic play at $1,100 cheaper than Nikola Jokic, that price does not matter for Tiers! Nikola Jokic is my cash/SE play in this tier. This is a spot to get some Jokic while saving Drummond for classic. In general, Jokic is playing in a much more appealing fantasy game as the DEN/HOU total is at 217 while the ORL/DET total is the lowest of the slate, at 206 . Plus Jokic is averaging 52.5 is his last three vs. Houston compared to Drummond’s 45.7 in his last three vs. Orlando. D’Angelo Russell is a great GPP option and I like him in GPPs with Embiid stacking up the very attractinve Brooklyn/Philly game. For Tiers 1 and 2, you could start out like this:
Embiid cash – Jokic
Giannis cash – Jokic
Embiid gpp – Russell
Giannis gpp – Jokic
Check out MadnessDFS’ slate-wide breakdown: Full Court Press
Tier 3:
In Tier 3, Ben Simmons is the cash play here as he has a great And1 rating and he has averaged 49.2 DK FP in his last three games. vs. the Nets. In GPPs, I love LaMarcus Aldridge here. For one, he is in the hammer game of the night, and Cleveland has no one to match up with the Spurs talented All-Star. Aldridge himself is 6th on the And1 rating list.
Tier 4:
With Kawhi Leonard out for the Raptors, Pascal Siakam should be in a majority of your lineups. The rest should be reserved for De’Aaron Fox who gets a great matchup against the Pelicans, who cannot defend any position with a game total of 236.5.
Tier 5:
With a game total of 236.5 and the Pels lack of perimeter defense, Buddy Hield is my top play in Tier 5, and another King, Marvin Bagley III is right behind him. It is really close between Hield and Bagley but I would lean Hield. For Bagley, in his last (and first, since he is a rookie) three games vs. New Orleans, Bagley is averaging 44.1 DKFPPG vs. the Pels.
Tier 6:
Kyle Lowry is cash play in Tier 6, as he sees a usage spike with Kawhi Leonard resting. In the last two weeks, with Kawhi and OG Anunoby off the court, Lowry has a 30% usage rate and 1.42 FPPM. This is an all-in spot for me.
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Those are your DK Tiers! Some are going to be commonplace, and some won’t. These are players my research led me to and some will contain risk. Your research may indicate you agree or disagree, and that’s ok….we discuss these things in our coaching channels nightly. Good luck tonight! Check the coaches picks for even more confidence in your plays. And always consult all of the unlocked tools (including the Research Station) before lock! And, if you are catching me on a #FreebieFriday, you are going to want to unlock those coaching channels by admitting……
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