Welcome to another year of the DFS Army NBA Full Court Press! Members had a ton of success using the Full Court Press along with various articles and tools that DFS Army provides, that said, we are glad to be back with another year of the all-inclusive article. You have to start your research somewhere, and oftentimes going game by game and breaking down every matchup and its 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 advice in 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:
Detroit Pistons @ Indiana Pacers
Vegas Total: 210
Vegas Spread: Ind -7.5
We kick off the first big NBA slate of the season with Detroit and Indiana. I’ll start with the away team in the Detroit Pistons. Detroit will start the season with Blake Griffin on the shelf which will shoot Markieff Morris into the starting lineup and open up a big chunk of usage to the rest of the lineup. Andre Drummond will likely be the biggest benefactor on this team and will have the opportunity to get an increase in rebounds and points here with Griffin not in the lane. Outside of Drummond and Morris, there isn’t a whole lot I want to target here on a large slate. Reggie Jackson is a fine GPP play, but Brogdon plays tough D. Speaking of Malcolm Brogdon, he is the biggest new addition to the Pacers and will take over the starting point guard spot for this team. I like Brogdon as an ex-Buck, but he feels a bit too pricy here for me. Jeremy Lamb and TJ Warren also come on as new additions here, they are both priced under $6k on Draftkings and make sense as secondary plays. Lastly, the big men will have their hands full with Andre Drummond, but I would expect that to be more Myles Turner than Damontas Sabonis. I like Sabonis here and hopefully, we finally get to see him in the starting lineup.
5-star plays: Andre Drummond, Damontas Sabonis
4-star plays: Markieff Morris, Jeremy Lamb, TJ Warren
Deeper Value: Markieff Morris
GPP Sleeper: Reggie Jackson, Myles Turner
Chicago Bulls @ New Orleans Hornets
Vegas Total: 218.5
Vegas Spread: Chi -3.0
When’s the last time you saw the Bulls as a favorite? Well opening night for them and they come in as 3 point favorites against what should be a pretty bad Hornets team. This Bulls team should be a fun one this season and much improved from last season with Wendell Carter, Zach LaVine, and Otto Porter coming back from injury and the addition of rookie Coby White. I’m excited to see what Coby White can do here in a great matchup against a bad defensive team, at just $4,200 on Draftkings he makes a lot of sense as a GPP play. Lauri Markkanen and Zach LaVine are the high men here, I like them both in what should be a cakewalk to the basket against this Hornets team. I’m willing to take a wait-and-see approach on Wendell Carter until we see his legs back under him. Otto Porter and Tomas Satoransky are solid guys, but nobody that I’m prioritizing. It pains me to have to write up this Hornets team, but the Bulls weren’t exactly great on defense last year so there may be a few holes we can attack. Terry Rozier stands out as the guy who should eat up a lot of the usage on this team, but at over $7k is more of a GPP play. Miles Bridges ended the season very well in 2018-2019 and in an increased role should continue to grow, but again just a deep GPP play for me. Cody Zeller is a fine value option at center, while PJ Washington is a GPP play and is expected to play around just 15-20 minutes to get the season started.
5-star play: Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine
4-star play: Coby White, Terry Rozier
Deeper Value: Coby White
GPP Sleeper: Terry Rozier, PJ Washington, Wendell Carter Jr.
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Cleveland Cavaliers @ Orlando Magic
Vegas Total: 212.5
Vegas Spread: Orl -8.5
The Cleveland Cavaliers project to be in for another building season, but have a few guys to build around from last season. It sounds like rookie, Darius Garland, will get the start at point guard for this young team to start the season and makes sense as a nice value option here. He’s a little risky simply because it’s his first NBA game, but the talent is there with this kid. Kevin Love is the expensive man on this team and will look to make it through this season healthy, unlike last year. I like him as a secondary option on this slate. The rest of this starting five and bench are GPP plays at best for me on this slate. The Magic will look to build on their playoff season last year and come into this season with a very similar roster. Nikola Vucevic will look to lead this team again this season and draws a great matchup against this Cavs frontcourt, I like Vuc here as a nice spend-up option at center. Aaron Gordon feels like he will be the same guy he always is in a GPP play every night he touches the court. He’s a little too risky for me on this slate. Evan Fournier makes sense as a secondary cash play here, but the rest of this roster is GPP plays for me. Guys like Terrence Ross and Jonathan Isaac.
5-star play: Nikola Vucevic
4-star play: Darius Garland, Kevin Love, Aaron Gordon
Deeper Value: Darius Garland, Al-Farouq Aminu
GPP Sleeper: Terrence Ross, Jonathan Isaac, Jordan Clarkson
Boston Celtics @ Philadelphia 76ers
Vegas Total: 212.5
Vegas Spread: Phi -5.0
In a battle between two of the better Eastern Conference team, we should get a very competitive game here. Starting with the Celtics, they will introduce newly acquired Kemba Walker who will take over for Kyrie Irving as the point guard of this team. I would expect him to handle a lot of the usage on this team and Philly does not scare me on defense, I like Kemba tonight at a reasonable price tag. Jaylen Brown just signed a surprisingly massive contract extension and will look to prove his worth this season. At $5k on Draftkings, he makes sense as a secondary play. Jason Tatum and Gordon Hayward left a bad taste in my mouth last season but will look to gain some consistency with Kyrie finally out of the lineup. They are closer to GPP plays than cash plays for me on this slate. I do like Enes Kanter coming off the bench here, they will need his size to help contain the likes of Joel Embiid and Al Horford. Speaking of Al Horford, he won’t have to wait long to get his #RevengeGame. If I’m being honest, I think both Horford and Joel Embiid eat this Boston team alive tonight, so I like both of them for both cash games and GPPs. Horford has a very nice price tag and should be able to hit value fairly easily here. Ben Simmons will look to build off of last season and we will see if he was able to get his shot to fall at all over the offseason. He feels a bit too pricy right now, but I’ll wait and see on him. Josh Richardson is another newcomer to this team and will likely be one the last options on this offense, however, that is baked into his price tag. He played a ton of minutes with the Heat and I would expect that to continue this season. He’s always a solid cash gameplay due to his ability to stuff the stat sheet. Lastly, Tobias Harris feels like he’s priced right where he should be, he’s a secondary play if you happened to fall on him.
5-star play: Kemba Walker, Joel Embiid, Al Horford
4-star play: Jaylen Brown, Enes Kanter, Tobias Harris, Josh Richardson
Deeper Value: Daniel Theis
GPP Sleeper: Jason Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Ben Simmons
Memphis Grizzlies @ Miami Heat
Vegas Total: 212.0
Vegas Spread: Mia -7.5
The Grizzlies will look to continue their rebuild with rookie guard, Ja Morant leading the way. Morant starts the season in the mid-$6k range on Draftkings, I think I’ll wait and see on him before I run out to play him. This isn’t a great matchup either with Jimmy Butler likely guarding him on the defensive end. Jonas Valanciunas was having a monster season with the Grizzlies before getting injured last year, I do like him against a Heat team that will send out Bam Adebayo to try and slow him. Jaren Jackson is a GPP play until he can figure out how to play defense without fouling and Jae Crowder is a fine value option, but I don’t love it. The Heat added superstar (?) Jimmy Butler over the offseason while shipping Hassan Whiteside out of town. I don’t love this game as a whole because of the low total so I’ll wait for a better spot to target Butler. Bam Adebayo draws a tough matchup with Valanicunas so similar to Butler, I’ll wait for a better opportunity. The rest of this team is just GPP plays for me, I don’t like the matchup with a likely slow-paced Memphis team.
5-star play: None
4-star play: Jonas Valanciunas, Ja Morant, Jimmy Butler
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Ja Morant, Jimmy Butler
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Minnesota Timberwolves @ Brooklyn Nets
Vegas Total: 225.5
Vegas Spread: Bkn -4.0
This is a game I will look to get a good amount of exposure to because of the massive game total at 225.5. We will start with the Timberwolves, who return a similar core as last season. Karl-Anthony Towns will start the season with a phenomenal matchup against the Nets here, it’s tough not to like him tonight, as the Nets struggled with centers last season. They added DeAndre Jordan who should help settle some of those struggles, but I still like KAT here. Jeff Teague and Andrew Wiggins get good matchups as well as Kyrie and Joe Harris/LeVert are not good defenders either. They’re both priced in the mid-$5k range and make a lot of sense in a fast-paced game. Robert Covington is a 3 and D guy but can put up peripheral stats with the best of ’em. At a similar price to Teague and Wiggins, I like him as well and should have extra shot attempts here due to the up and down nature of this game. Kyrie Irving will make his Nets debut here and gets a very nice matchup with the Timberwolves, he’s priced at sub-$9k on Draftkings and is an elite GPP play at the very least. Karl-Anthony Towns struggled defensively all last season so I’ll take a look at DeAndre Jordan here as well as a mid-range center option. I would expect Irving to take a lot of this offenses usage which may hurt Caris LeVert and at his price, I’ll wait and see how this ends up playing out. Joe Harris and Taurean Prince are fine GPP value options.
5-star play: Karl-Anthony Towns, Jeff Teague, Kyrie Irving
4-star play: Andrew Wiggins, Robert Covington, DeAndre Jordan
Deeper Value: Jake Layman
GPP Sleeper: Caris LeVert
New York Knicks @ San Antonio Spurs
Vegas Total: 214.0
Vegas Spread: SAS -10.0
The Knicks went into full rebuild last season by trading Kristaps Porzingis at the deadline and are now lead by young players such as RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson. This team will be able to put of fantasy production this season, but I don’t know that this is the spot. They all make for nice GPP plays, but until we can get a firm grasp on the rotations here I’m not going crazy. That said, the Spurs did struggle with point guards last season so I don’t hate getting some Dennis Smith Jr. exposure here. Although, with Elfrid Payton on the bench it’s another case of not knowing the rotation. This is too risky of a spot to go to in cash. The Spurs come back pretty much back intact, this is a good matchup for them as I imagine the Knicks struggle on defense as they are a very young team. DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray are my favorite plays here with LaMarcus Aldridge close behind.
5-star play: DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray
4-star play: RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, LaMarcus Aldridge
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Mitchell Robinson, Dennis Smith Jr., Elfrid Payton, Marcus Morris
Washington Wizards @ Dallas Mavericks
Vegas Total: 223.0
Vegas Spread: Dal -9.0
The Wizards are in for another building year here but are a team that we can target in DFS due to their fast-paced play. Bradley Beal is the star of this team and will ultimately be the leader in usage. I would imagine he sees minutes into the mid-30’s much like he did last year. He’s a great cash and GPP option on this slate. Thomas Bryant flashed some upside last season and gets a decent price to start the year. He’ll match up with Maxi Kleber and Boban Marjanovic if he can draw them from the basket, I think he can have success here. He’s more of a GPP play for me, however. Ish Smith feels appropriately priced, but I like his upside for GPPs, the rest of this lineup is a stay away from me. From Dallas, we finally get the return of Kristaps Porzingis. I can’t imagine he comes out and plays 35 minutes right off the bat, but he’s worth monitoring. Until we see a full healthy game from him, he’s more of a GPP play. Luca Doncic will look to build off his great rookie season and gets a fantastic matchup against a bad defensive team here, he is an elite play. Delon Wright flashed some crazy upside with the Grizzlies last season and gets a good matchup here, but I don’t know that he’ll get enough usage in this offense to pay off his salary in GPPs.
5-star play: Bradley Beal, Luca Doncic
4-star play: Thomas Bryant
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Ish Smith, Delon Wright, Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr.
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Oklahoma City Thunder @ Utah Jazz
Vegas Total: 223.5
Vegas Spread: Utah -9.5
The new-look Thunder will take the court for the first time. It will look odd without Paul George and Russell Westbrook out there but this team now has some young talent in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the point guard/shooting guard. Chris Paul will likely control the usage on this team and is worth a look at $7.4k on Draftkings. The problem with targeting the Thunder here is that Utah is very good on defense, however, with a high game-total, they will likely find some ways to score. Danilo Gallinari will take over on the wing but is priced a bit awkward, he’s more of a GPP play for me. I love Gilgeous-Alexander this season, but I’ll wait for a better spot to play him. Steven Adams draws one of the toughest matchups in the league with Rudy Gobert, so I will go elsewhere. This Jazz team draws great matchups across the board, as I’m not expecting this Thunder team to be all that great on defense. With Mike Conley taking over at point guard we will see the ball in the hands of Donovan Mitchell a bit less but may help him in terms of scoring. They are similarly priced and worth a look in GPPs considering the high team total. I don’t love Gobert’s matchup with Adams similarly the other way around, so I’ll take a wait-and-see approach on them. Lastly, Bojan Bogdanovic always makes sense as a “last guy in your lineup” type of play, but not someone I’m forcing in.
5-star play: None
4-star play: Chris Paul, Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Bojan Bogdanovic, Rudy Gobert
Denver Nuggets @ Portland Trail Blazers
Vegas Total: 219.5
Vegas Spread: Por -1.5
These two teams put up a good fight in the Western Conference last season and will look to do so again this year. Nikola Jokic leads this Nuggets team and will likely be in contention for the Western Conference MVP and gets a great matchup against Hassan Whiteside who struggles on defense. I absolutely love Jokic on a slate that feels loaded with great center options. Jamal Murray will look to build off a good season last year, he gets a decent matchup here, but I don’t really love his price tag. He’s more of a GPP play here as is the rest of this team, we’ve seen Will Barton and Gary Harris show the ability to take over a game, but it’s not something we can bank on. The same two guys will continue to lead this team, that is Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum until Jusuf Nurkic comes back. Both of these guys are solid plays although the Nuggets ranked top 10 in defense against all positions last season. Hassan Whiteside gets an incredibly tough matchup against Nikola Jokic, but it will be interesting to see how much and how they use him in his new role. Rodney Hood, Kent Bazemore, and Zach Collins are all deeper GPP plays in an up-tempo game.
5-star play: Nikola Jokic, Damian Lillard
4-star play: CJ McCollum, Jamal Murray
Deeper Value: Kent Bazemore, Will Barton
GPP Sleeper: Will Barton, Gary Harris, Kent Bazemore, Zach Collins
Sacramento Kings @ Phoenix Suns
Vegas Total: 232.5
Vegas Spread: Sac -1.5
Talk about a late-night hammer! Two bad teams with a high implied total, music to DFS players ears! Starting with the Kings, they come back with a similar roster as last season and get a great matchup in this spot. De’Aaron Fox is one of the better point guard options on the slate given the matchup. The Suns ranked 24th against opposing point guards last season, yes they went and got Ricky Rubio, but I’ll wait to see if they can upgrade their defense. Marvin Bagley was having a big season last year but struggled a bit with injuries. DeAndre Ayton isn’t exactly a defensive guru yet, so I like the matchup for him. Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic make sense as fringe cash plays and elite GPP plays given the total for this game. From the Suns, Devin Booker is standing out as a great play here, with such a high implied total he’s going to put up a bunch of shots, I love him for both cash games and GPPs. Booker may have the ball in his hands a little less while pure point guard, Ricky Rubio will take over the ball-handling duties. At under $6k, I like him in this up-tempo matchup as well. The Kings ranked 26th in defense against big men last season which leads us to another great center option with DeAndre Ayton who had a massive rookie season last year. Kelly Oubre and Dario Saric are more of GPP plays, but I like targeting this game, we want to exploit these high total games for DFS.
5-star play: De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley, Devin Booker DeAndre Ayton
4-star play: Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Ricky Rubio
Deeper Value: Mikal Bridges, Trevor Ariza
GPP Sleeper: Kelly Oubre, Dario Saric, Buddy Hield
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