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!
Before I get started, make sure to check out the latest new DFS website. SuperDraft is an innovative new DFS site that does not have salaries but instead uses a multiplier system and better yet, THEY HAVE LATE SWAP! Check out more on how it works below!
-> SuperDraft FREE $10 Bonus <-
Full Court Press:
Miami Heat @ Milwaukee Bucks
Vegas Total: 226.5
Vegas Spread: Mil -10
The Bucks open up as pretty big favorites here after coming off a big win against the Rockets in the opener. Starting with the Heat, it sounds like Jimmy Butler will be out again for this came after being a surprise inactive on Wednesday. Justice Winslow looked to be the biggest benefactor of him being out. Winslow ran the point in the opener and went for 49.25 Draftkings points, he’s a great play again tonight. Tyler Herro also picked up the slack and scored 29.5 Draftkings points. The Milwaukee Bucks are going to struggle with the 3-ball again this season so I don’t hate targeting such guys. Bam Adebayo’s first game without Hassan Whiteside turned out pretty well as he went for 33.25 Draftkings points and had a 27.4% usage on Wednesday. He’s a solid play as well here in a tougher matchup. As for the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo came out looking great and put up a 70 Draftkings point triple-double in just 28 minutes due to fouling out. He’s an elite play here regardless of the slate. Khris Middleton did what Khris Middleton does on Thursday and just put up a solid line against the Rockets, he’s more of a cash play for me. George Hill played 31 minutes on Thursday and looks really good as a back-up to Eric Bledsoe. Bledsoe was limited coming in to the season so I’ll have to see it from him before I go out and play him. But until then, fire up some value George Hill.
5-star plays: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Justice Winslow, Tyler Herro, George Hill
4-star plays: Kendrick Nunn, Bam Adebayo, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez
Deeper Value: George Hill, Kendrick Nunn, Wesley Matthews
GPP Sleeper: Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe
Philadelphia 76ers @ Detroit Pistons
Vegas Total: 215
Vegas Spread: Phi -5
Starting with the Sixers, we will have a great matchup of big men here with Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond. Embiid comes into this game as questionable, for now I’m going to write this up as if he is playing and if he gets ruled out head to the Breaking News page for who it impacts. Embiid only played 23 minutes against Boston, but was mostly due to foul trouble and his price went down, so I like him a good amount here if he is able to go. Ben Simmons had a nice first game and had 45 Draftkings points against the Kemba Walker lead Celtics. He shot very well in that game going 11-16, I would expect that to go down unless he’s getting to the rim at will. Tobias Harris played a boat load of minutes against the Celtics, 38 to be exact. I don’t know that we see that again if Embiid is in, I think he was strictly picking up some slack while Embiid was out with foul trouble. That said, he’s fairly cheap and a nice option. Speaking of cheap, Al Horford is under $6k on Draftkings and played 31 minutes on Wednesday, if Embiid is out he’ll be one of the first guys into my lineup. Otherwise, he’s a fine cash play at a playable price tag. From Detroit, Drummond is the main guy here he’s averaging 63 Draftkings points per game over the first two games and is really picking up the slack for Blake being out. His size will be needed against this big Sixers team and is still at a very playable price tag, hard not to like him here. I’ve played Derrick Rose in both his games this season and his price went down from last game where he went for 31 Draftkings points. He gets all the usage in that second unit and I love him on Draftkings at under $5k. Luke Kennard has been one of the chalkier players to open up the season and plays really well with Blake Griffin off the court. His price has come up but has played around 30 minutes in each of the first two games and scored at least 25 Draftkings points in each of them, at this price tag, you’ll take that all day long.
5-star play: Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, Derrick Rose
4-star play: Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, Luke Kennard
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Josh Richardson, Christian Wood (Deep dart)
The NBA Research Station is my #1 source for research every single day and is one of the VIP Only tools our members have access to daily. The info in the NBA Research Station includes today’s
DFS Army Projection, Adjusted BVP matchups and much more. This tool will cut your daily research time in half. If you’re familiar with CeeGee and Ben you already know the time they’ve put into the “Sheets” and are extremely happy to provide them as apart of your DFS Army VIP Membership this year.
Orlando Magic @ Atlanta Hawks
Vegas Total: 219
Vegas Spread: Orl -2.5
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 Hawks 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. That said, this is the type of game where I target a guy like Aaron Gordon, it should be fast-paced and he get show his athleticism, I don’t hate getting to him in cash and is an elite GPP play. 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. From the Hawks, Trae Young came out as a man on fire on Wednesday going for 60+ Draftkings points in 37 minutes. He had an elite 37.3% usage rate in that game and I expect he stays in the mid-30’s all season, he’s a great play here. John Collins feels like he’s priced where he should be when Young is taking up all the usage, that said he’s a fine cash play and a nice GPP play in what should be a pretty high scoring game. The rest of this team is just GPP plays for me at best, you can go back to DeAndre’ Bembry as a value option if you choose to.
5-star play: Nikola Vucevic, Trae Young
4-star play: Aaron Gordon, John Collins
Deeper Value: DeAndre’ Bembry
GPP Sleeper: Terrence Ross, Jonathan Isaac
Boston Celtics @ New York Knicks
Vegas Total: 215
Vegas Spread: Bos -5.0
Starting with the Celtics, I like Kemba Walker tonight at a reasonable price tag against this Knicks team that will struggle to play defense all year long especially at the point. Jaylen Brown just signed a surprisingly massive contract extension and will look to prove his worth this season. He had a bad first game but bounced back and almost dropped 50 Draftkings points in the previous game. The usage rate really isn’t there with him, but at $5k on Draftkings, he makes sense as a secondary play. Jason Tatum has come out of the gate swinging this season and looks like he’s going to take some of that Kyrie usage, he’s averaging 46 Draftkings poinst per game in his first two games and gets a great matchup here, you can certainly go right back to the well here. With Enes Kanter out and Daniel Theis banged up, it could be the Robert Williams show here, if that is the case he will become one of the heaviest owned guys on the slate, keep an eye on the Breaking News tab for that one. The Knicks will likely be a headache all season long, but the do have some fantasy guys on their roster. Julius Randle has played at least 35 minutes in his first two games which is all we can ask for in a rotation lead by David Fizdale, he makes a lot of sense in this spot at $8k for GPPs. RJ Barrett is also one of the guys getting consistent minutes near 40, the rookie may draw some defense from the Celtics here, but at $6.3k on Draftkings he makes a lot of sense for GPPs. The backcourt is something that I will stay away from however, Fizdale has no clue if he wants to run Elfrid Payton, Dennis Smith Jr, or one of his scrubs out there on any given night. Let’s wait for some more clarity there.
5-star play: Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Julius Randle
4-star play: Jaylen Brown, Whoever starts at center, RJ Barrett
Deeper Value: Daniel Theis or Robert Williams whoever starts
GPP Sleeper: Gordon Hayward, Elfrid Payton
Indiana Pacers @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Vegas Total: 213.5
Vegas Spread: Ind -5
Starting with the Pacers, Domantas Sabonis signed a big extension in the offseason and sounds like they’ll actually give him some run this season. He is the starting power forward and played 36 minutes on Wednesday, I like him a lot here in a plus matchup against a bad Cavs team. Malcolm Brogdon came out and dropped 46 Draftkings points in his Pacers debut, against a bad Cavs defensive unit, he makes a lot of sense as a cash game play. Myles Turner also had a huge night going for nearly 50 Draftkings points on close to 40 minutes. Those are three main guys I’ll be targeting from this team and the rest are ancillary GPP plays. From the Cavs, Kevin Love had a surprising 15% usage rate in the opener but was still able to put up 40 Draftkings points. I would expect that usage to go up and should lead his production up as well, he’s the main cash play from this team, but it’s not a great matchup. Tristan Thompson saw a solid 33 minutes and was pretty close to a fantasy point per minute, the guy is a walking double-double when given the opportunity. Collin Sexton didn’t look all that great in the opener and with Darius Garland in the picture I expect them to kind of pull usage from each other, they’re both GPP plays here against a tough Pacers D.
5-star play: Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon
4-star play: Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Myles Turner
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Collin Sexton, Darius Garland
Our NBA Domination Station lineup optimizer is Powered by DFS Army proprietary projections. The Domination Station will help you create 150 of the highest projected lineups in a matter of minutes. With features that allow you to Like
Love
or Dislike
a player, you can create a fully unique pool of players to generate your lineups from every day. Combine the power of the Domination Station with our VIP Only Articles and the NBA Research Stationto really take your game to the next level.
Toronto Raptors @ Chicago Bulls
Vegas Total: 223
Vegas Spread: Tor -3.0
This should be one of the higher-paced games on the slate and is one that I’m looking to get exposure to. Starting with the Raptors, before the first game I said I expect Pascal Siakam to be at $9k on Draftkings before the end of the season and he’s almost there one week in. He is taking all of the Kawhi usage in this offense and looks really good out of the gate. He has a 35% usage rate on the season and against a bad Bulls defense, I love him here. Both Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet are playing very well to start the season, I prefer Kyle Lowry when salary is considered but both are solid plays in both cash and GPP in this matchup. The rest of this team is in wait-and-see mode for me, I just don’t have a lot of confidence in Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka. From the Bulls, Zach LaVine had a massive game last night going for nearly 60 Draftkings points last night, I expect one of LaVine or Markkanen to have a big night almost every night, but picking between the two won’t be easy. Both are nice plays here. Coby White is where the real interest is for me, he’s under $5k on Draftkings and has scored at least 30 Draftkings in both his games this season. He’s got over a fantasy point per minute on the season and is a great value option here. Otto Porter is uncertain for today’s game so keep an eye on the Breaking News Page for that, Thad Young would likely benefit if he missed. Finally, Tomas Sataransky is kind of getting showed up by Coby White so far, so I’ll fade him for now.
5-star play: Pascal Siakam, Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, Coby White
4-star play: Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet
Deeper Value: Coby White, Thad Young
GPP Sleeper: Thad Young
New Orleans Pelicans @ Houston Rockets
Vegas Total: 236
Vegas Spread: Hou -10.5
This will be the game that everyone flocks to tonight due to the massive 236 game total. Starting with the Pelicans, Jrue Holiday has come out of the gate struggling and has scored 29 Draftkings points in both of his first two games. I’m hoping the ownership is down on him here because this is an excellent bounce back spot for him. The only concerning thing is the usage rate at 18%, but I’m willing to take the risk in GPPS. Brandon Ingram has looked great in his first two games and has scored more than 40 Draftkings points in each of his first two games. He’s priced nicely here and makes sense in this matchup. It looks like the first game may have just been a fluke for Lonzo Ball, as he ended up closing and playing 33 minutes in the second game. At under $6k on Draftkings and an up-temp matchup he’s a nice play here. Josh Hart continues to play well, scoring more than 30 Draftkings points in each of his first two games, he’s an elite value play here. Derrick Favors and JJ Redick are more GPP plays than anything for me. From the Rockets, you’re really looking at three maybe four guys. James Harden and Russell Westbrook are the big pieces and they both have 28% usage rates this season. Deciding which one will have the better night is nearly impossible, they’re both great plays at their price tags. Clint Capela is the other expensive guy on this team that should draw some interest, this Pelicans team gave up over 60 Draftkings points to Pascal Siakam, so I’m willing to go to Capela here. Finally, PJ Tucker will likely play near 40 minutes here and always makes sense for cash games.
5-star play: Jrue Holiday, James Harden, Russell Westbrook
4-star play: Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Clint Capela, PJ Tucker
Deeper Value: Josh Hart
GPP Sleeper: Derrick Favors, JJ Redick
Washington Wizards @ San Antonio Spurs
Vegas Total: 218
Vegas Spread: SA -11.5
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’s more of a GPP play for me, however. Ish Smith feels appropriately priced, but I like his upside for GPPs, the same thing can be said for Isaac Bonga, the rest of this lineup is a stay away from me. From the Spurs, the main guys here are DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, both are good plays in a great matchup with a bad Wizards team. DeJounte Murray is returning from injury this season and looked great in his first game. At under $6k in a great matchup, I love him here. Rudy Gay is a fine “last guy in my lineup” type of guy, but the rest of this lineup can be avoided on a big slate like this.
5-star play: DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Bradley Beal, DeJounte Murray
4-star play: Thomas Bryant, Rudy Gay
Deeper Value: Isaac Bonga
GPP Sleeper: Ish Smith
While you’re here, make sure to check out our NFL week 8 podcast! DFS Army has had a massive NFL season, including a one million dollar win by one of our members featured below!
-> Week 8 podcast <-
Sacramento Kings @ Utah Jazz
Vegas Total: 225
Vegas Spread: Utah -9.0
The Kings are in early trouble with Marvin Bagley sidelined due to injury and De’Aaron Fox looking questionable for tonights game. I’ll do this write-up under the assumption that Fox plays, check the Breaking News Feed if he is ruled out for updates. With Bagley out Nemanja Bjelica and Richuan Holmes will pick up the forward/center minutes and are nice value plays at $4k on Draftkings. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield will look to pick up the slack if Fox is ultimately ruled out, but the Jazz are one of the better defensive teams in the league, so just GPP plays for me. 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. So far it has, he has started the season on a tear and averaging 48.6 Draftkings points per game in his first two. In an elite matchup against the Kings, he’s a great play. I love Rudy Gobert’s matchup with Richaun Holmes and company, this is a spot where he could go out and get a Barbara Walters (20/20), although started the season very slow. Lastly, rest of this tam is more GPP plays than anything but Joe Ingles and Royce O’Neale could pick up some of Bogdanovic’s minutes.
5-star play: Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert
4-star play: Nemanja Bjelica, Richuan Holmes, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Mike Conley
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Buddy Hield, Joe Ingles
Los Angeles Clippers @ Phoenix Suns
Vegas Total: 229.5
Vegas Spread: LAC -8.5
This game should not be a very competitive one as the Clippers have looked great in their first two games and could probably beat the Suns with their bench, but we shall proceed. Kawhi Leonard under $9k is a nice price and has nearly a 40% usage rate this season, he’s in a great spot against a bad Suns team. Lou Williams is also a great play and has put up around 40 Draftkings points in each of his first two games and takes over usage in the second unit. Both Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley are nice secondary/GPP plays given their roles and matchups. This is not a great matchup for the Suns as the Clippers play some phenomenal defense. Devin Booker will likely get Kawhi Leonard defense here so really no interest for me. Kelly Oubre has looked great in his first two games and is a deep GPP play in a tough matchup, the same can be said for Ricky Rubio who will have to matchup with Patrick Beverley. Frank Kaminsky looked good in relief for DeAndre Ayton last night and makes a lot of sense as a value play.
5-star play: Kawhi Leonard, Lou Williams, Frank Kaminsky
4-star play: Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre, Montrezl Harrell
Deeper Value: Frank Kaminsky
GPP Sleeper: Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio
As always I appreciate everyone who gave the article 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.
The only thing you are missing at this point is the key to unlock the next level of your game. Come inside and check us out!! We have experts sharing their secrets and experience on a daily basis. Combine that with the actual ability to ask them questions and get quick answers in return, and you have a recipe for success that puts our army hats on leaderboards all over the face of DFS.
