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 article throughout the day as news breaks. 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!
Jamal Murray – $5,900
I’ve been targeting point guards against the San Antonio Spurs all season long and I’m not going to stop tonight. In three games against the Spurs this season, Murray is averaging 35.8 Draftkings points per game. Murray has been consistently priced in the mid $6000’s but has had his price come down a bit here. Not only that, but Murray owns a team-high 68% – 5x% as shown in the Research Station. He is a perfect cash game play tonight, and a safe play with immense upside in tonight’s matchup. I also don’t expect him to be too highly owned, I love Murray tonight.
Jae Crowder – $4,900
Derrick Favors has been ruled out for tonight’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns, which will open up power forward minutes on this team. Not only will there be extra minutes for Crowder, but he excels in fast-paced matchup where he can show off his athletism, this is one of those games. The Research Station has him projected to be the best point per dollar play on the slate and likes him to go for 6.8x tonight. The most important thing to me is that Crowder is blowout proof, meaning he will still get minutes no matter the score. In a game that has a great chance of blowing out, Crowder may get some extra usage with the second unit in this one.
Thomas Bryant – $7,000
The Wizards have dedicated the end of the season to seeing what they have in their young guys. They want to see if Thomas Bryant is someone they can use in the future and help contribute to a winning team. This meaning, he is going to continue to get upper 30s minutes on a nightly basis. He has gotten 40 minutes in two of his last three games and scored 49 and 52.25 in those games. Tonight he gets a matchup with the Bulls who rank 27th in defense against opposing centers on the season, I love me some Thomas Bryant tonight.
James Harden – $11,400
We spent a lot of time in the mid-range so let’s spend some money here. James Harden is on a back-to-back but only played 28 minutes last night because of a blowout. Harden has already scored 63 Draftkings points against the Clippers once this season and draws them again tonight. Harden has scored at least 59 Draftkings points in three straight games, and will likely get a full complement of minutes tonight, as this game has a tight spread. Harden has an insane 40% usage rate on the season and I expect his domination to continue tonight.
As always I appreciate everyone who gave the game break 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.
