Welcome to the DFS Army NBA Full Court Press! You have to start your research somewhere, and often times going game by game and breaking down every matchup 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:
Chicago Bulls @ Indiana Pacers
Vegas Total: 219.0
Vegas Spread: Ind -8.0
Pace: Ind +0.8
We start things off with the Chicago Bulls who go on the road to face the Pacers. Otto Porter Jr is my favorite play from this team, they’ve shown that they’re not afraid to give him extended run and he’s been producing in those minutes. If we count out the game where he left with an injury, he is averaging nearly 40 Draftkings points per game since joining the Bulls. Kris Dunn’s price continues to fall but has been decent over the past few games, scoring 25+ in his past three games. Lauri Markkanen is playing great basketball right now and is averaging 43 fantasy points per game in two matchups with the Pacers this season. Robin Lopez and Zach LaVine make for fine plays as well, given their price points. From the Pacers, Myles Turner and Darren Collison both feel too cheap. Turner at under $6k on Draftkings specifically is a great price and I’ll certainly have some exposure. He’s averaged 32.3 Draftkings points per game in three matchups with the Bulls this season. Darren Collison is the same way, he’s scored at least 33.25 Draftkings points in three of his last four games and is too cheap given the matchup. It feels like this whole team is underpriced on Draftkings, Bojan Bogdanovic, Wesley Matthews, and Thad Young all make sense as price plays as well.
5-star play: Myles Turner (Draftkings), Darren Collison (Draftkings), Otto Porter Jr.
4-star play: Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn, Bojan Bogdanovic, Wesley Matthews, Thad Young
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Wesley Matthews
GPP Sleeper: Zach LaVine, Robin Lopez
Orlando Magic @ Philadelphia 76ers
Vegas Total:
Vegas Spread:
Pace: Orl +4.0
We don’t have a total for this game, we are likely waiting on the news of Joel Embiid’s availability. However, it looks like he is presumed as out for tonight’s matchup. Starting with the Magic, Aaron Gordon always feels like he’s priced appropriately, he’s been playing fairly well and is getting a good chunk of minutes. This is a game that I like targetting him in, pace up and uptempo, where he can use his athleticism to produce. Nikola Vucevic is coming off a 60 point fantasy game and feels too cheap on Draftkings especially with Embiid out. That’s about all I want to target from the Magic, as always you can play Evan Fournier in cash and Terrence Ross in GPP. From the 76ers, it sounds like Embiid will be out again as well as Boban. They will be shorthanded in the frontcourt and may choose to go small and let Tobias Harris play some five minutes here. Harris is my favorite play on the Sixers and will likely see near 40 minutes if this game stays relatively close. Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler are both guys we can target with Embiid off the floor, if I had to rank the three I would rank them Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons then Jimmy Butler. Jonah Bolden and Mike Scott make for decent value plays.
5-star play: Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler
4-star play: Aaron Gordon, JJ Redick, Jonah Bolden
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Jonah Boldne, Mike Scott
GPP Sleeper: Terrence Ross
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Oklahoma City Thunder @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Vegas Total:
Vegas Spread:
Pace: Min +3.0
This game doesn’t have a total either, we are waiting on the news of Paul George’s availability. This will likely be one, if not the, highest scoring game on the slate and getting exposure here will be important. Starting with the Thunder, if George is out Dennis Schroder becomes one my favorite plays on the slate. He finally came through and produced a massive game last time out and will continue to see big minutes with George off the court. Russell Westbrook doesn’t seem healthy, but it’s hard not to play him when he’s getting 35+ minutes per night. If Paul George plays, I have zero issues jumping right back on the wagon here given the matchup. I also like Jerami Grant if George is out, he’s scored 30+ fantasy points in three of his last four games. Steven Adams makes for a fine play as well. From the Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns has struggled against the Thunder this season and I would honestly rather pay down for Nikola Vucevic given his matchup. Jeff Teague is probably the best option here given his price if George is out Westbrook will focus on offense and leave a lot to be had defensively. Dario Saric makes for a solid value play on both sites. Finally, I’ll play Andrew Wiggins if George is out, but if he plays I don’t want any part of that defense on Wiggins.
5-star play: Russell Westbrook, Paul George (If Active), Dennis Schroder (If George is Out), Jerami Grant (If George is out), Jeff Teague, Andrew Wiggins (If George is out)
4-star play: Karl-Anthony Towns, Steven Adams
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Dario Saric
GPP Sleeper: Karl-Anthony Towns
Portland Trail Blazers @ Memphis Grizzlies
Vegas Total:
Vegas Spread:
Pace: Mem +3.5
Yet another game that we don’t have a total for. But, we will start with the Trail Blazers. This is a pace down spot for them and I tend to avoid players against the Grizzlies just because they are vacuums to fantasy production. However, it feels like Draftkings baked the matchup into the prices of the Blazers. Damian Lillard at almost $8k is way too cheap, I don’t have any issue targeting him here, he has legit 60 point upside on any given night. Al-Farouq Aminu is also underpriced, he’s gone over 20 fantasy points in nine of his last ten games. Jusuf Nurkic’s minutes are all over the place and he ended up scoring 60 fantasy points in only 29 minutes last game. He doesn’t need a ton of run to produce, but getting that extended run is huge. From the Grizzlies, Avery Bradley seems like a new player since coming over from the Clippers. He has scored 45+ fantasy points in two of his last three games. He and Delon Wright become great plays if Mike Conley ends up sitting again tonight. Jonas Valanciunas and Joakim Noah draw a tough matchup, but if you need a big man in that range I don’t have any issue with it. I’ll likely be avoiding Mike Conley for the rest of the season as it seems as if they’ll start slowing him down here.
5-star play: Damian Lillard, Al-Farouq Aminu, Delon Wright (If Conley is Out), Avery Bradley (If Conley is Out)
4-star play: Jusuf Nurkic, Avery Bradley, Jonas Valanciunas, Joakim Noah
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Justin Holiday
GPP Sleeper: None
Houston Rockets @ Toronto Raptors
Vegas Total: 227.0
Vegas Spread: Tor -3.5
Pace: Hou +2.1
The Rockets will go on the road to Toronto in what should be a great game between two high powered teams. From the Rockets, I wanted to start to like Clint Capela again after he had that 50 point game, but he just doesn’t seem the same right now. PJ Tucker makes for a phenomenal value play as he’ll likely be tasked to guard Kawhi Leonard securing him for 35+ minutes here. I think I would rather take James Harden over Russell Westbrook tonight, Westbrook has burned me in two straight games and Harden has bee playing well. They’ll need him if they want to win this game. Chris Paul is priced pretty appropriately, if you want to go there I have zero issues, the same can be said for Eric Gordon. From the Raptors, Kawhi Leonard under $9k on Draftkings is far too cheap and I love him here. He’s been getting rest so he should be fresh for this game, get yourself some Kawhi tonight. I normally only play Kyle Lowry whenever Kawhi gets ruled out, and with Chris Paul defense tonight, I’ll stay away. Marc Gasol is a great play tonight, his price hasn’t caught up with his recent production. He’s scored 35+ fantasy points in the past two games and has seen big minutes. They’ll need him to combat Capela down low tonight.
5-star play: James Harden, PJ Tucker, Kawhi Leonard, Marc Gasol
4-star play: Chris Paul, Eric Gordon, Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Danny Green
GPP Sleeper: Clint Capela
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Boston Celtics @ Golden State Warriors
Vegas Total:
Vegas Spread:
Pace: Bos +2.0
We finish the slate between two contenders in each conference. The Celtics seem to be less of a contender, but this is the type of game Kyrie Irving shows up for. In one matchup versus the Warriors this season, Kyrie scored 60 fantasy points. I like Kyrie a good amount tonight, and I may end up building around a few of these $8k and $9k guys instead of going all the way up. Al Horford and Jayson Tatum both feel underpriced, I like Horford a little more due to Tatum’s matchup with Draymond Green, however. Horford scored nearly 50 fantasy points in this matchup earlier this season. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart make for good filler pieces as well if you land on them. From the Warriors, if they’re all playing it’s tough to pick one that will have a great night. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are the cheapest of the stars, Green scored nearly 40 fantasy points in this matchup earlier this season. DeMarcus Cousins would be my favorite of the high priced guys, he’s the safest option on the team and has a decent ceiling with his minute restriction now gone. Same old story with Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, play whichever one fits your roster better if you want to get exposure.
***UPDATE: Klay Tompson has been ruled OUT…. check out our BREAKING NEWS FEED for who benefits from the situation!***
5-star play: Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, DeMarcus Cousins, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant
4-star play: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Gordon Hayward
GPP Sleeper: None
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