Full Court Press Breakdown for NBA DFS 1/17:

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 last season, so 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!

The winning has come early and often this season! Congrats to VIP Member – “Fatherofthree” on his $150k NBA win!! Adding to the list of winners already this season!

Early Slate:

New York Knicks @ Boston Celtics

Vegas Total: 212.5

Vegas Spread: Bos -7.5

We kick this Sunday off with a small early slate that we’ll get started with the Knicks, Julius Randle is at that $9.2k price tag again that I love here. He has at least 45 DraftKings points in three of his last four games and the Celtics can be attacked in the frontcourt. The price on RJ Barrett isn’t great, I’ll be honest. At this price tag, he has to get to 35 DraftKings points just to hit 5x value. He hasn’t gotten to 35 DraftKings points in four games and even then it took him 44 minutes to get to 36 DraftKings points against the terrible Thunder. Elfrid Payton has triple-double every time he steps on the court but with Immanuel Quickley and Austin Rivers grabbing some of his minutes he’s been somewhat volatile as of late. Mitchell Robinson has a sweet spot on me for some reason I always like him, I do think you can get back to him here, the Celtics don’t exactly have an elite rim protector. From the Celtics, Jayson Tatum is out due to testing positive for Covid, while Daniel Theis and Kemba Walker are questionable. I’ll operate under the assumption that Theis is in and Kemba is at most limited. With Tatum off the court this season, here is how the Celtics play out on the court:

• Jaylen Brown – 35.1% usage rate; 1.48 fpm
• Marcus Smart – 21% usage rate; 0.69 fpm
• Payton Pritchard – 13.1% usage rate; 0.75 fpm
• Jeff Teague – 32.8% usage rate; 1.17 fpm

Other than Payton Pritchard I do like these other guys, Daniel Theis is another guy that I like as well, however, Tristan Thompson will be back here. That’s not enough for me to dislike him though due to Tatum being out. Lastly, Jeff Teague had a nice game last time out in just 21 minutes of action, if he got more minutes he’d be a real fantasy asset.

5-star play: Julius Randle, Jaylen Brown

4-star play: RJ Barrett, Elfrid Payton, Mitchell Robinson, Daniel Theis, Marcus Smart

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: RJ Barrett, Elfrid Payton, Mitchell Robinson, Payton Pritchard, Jeff Teague, Tristan Thompson

Chicago Bulls @ Dallas Mavericks

Vegas Total: 227.5

Vegas Spread: Dal -7.0

Starting with the Mavericks, the big news here is that Kristaps Porzingis has returned. He played 29 minutes last game which is up from his 21 minutes in his debut. He’s getting to a point with his minutes where he’s starting to become viable in tournaments at the very least. He shot 19 times in those 29 minutes last time out while racking up 10 boards. In a good matchup against the Bulls, I think you can get to him here especially on a short slate. Luka Doncic has at least 60 DraftKings points in four of his last five games and seems like he’s finally getting back into game shape. There isn’t anyone on the Bulls who will be able to really slow him down so you can go right back to him here. Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell feel like they’re closer to doubtful than questionable due to Covid, so we’ll assume they’re out here. If for some reason they do play, come hop in our VIP Coaching forum for an update. Willie Cauley-Stein played 30 minutes in back to back games with these guys off the court and has at least 28.5 DraftKings points in both games. Josh Richardson and Dorian Finney-Smith will be out here due to Covid protocols so that will open up some opportunity on the wing for guys like James Johnson who’s averaging right around 27 DraftKings points in his last three games. Tim Hardaway and Trey Burke will also see a bit of a boost and are viable at their price tags. From the Bulls, Lauri Markkanen returned last game and played 35 minutes, so obviously there’s no minute restriction on him, I do like this price tag for him in this matchup. With him back you can expect to see fewer minutes for guys like Otto Porter, Thad Young, and rookie Patrick Williams. I was ripping on  Zach LaVine’s price tag last time out and he went out and dropped 55 DraftKings points. He got another price bump here but at this point, we may just have to deal with the fact that he’s playing 40 minutes per game and taking all the shots he wants. Coby White is a guy I like for GPPs, he’s been somewhat volatile but in a decent matchup, I think he’s worth a look on a short slate. Lastly, I can never get Wendell Carter right, but the Mavs are pretty weak in the frontcourt if you want to get here.

5-star play: Luka Doncic, Zach LaVine

4-star play: Kristaps Porzingis, Willie Cauley-Stein, James Johnson, Coby White, Lauri Markkanen

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Tim Hardaway, Trey Burke, Coby White, Wendell Carter, Kristaps Porzingis

Main Slate:

Utah Jazz @ Denver Nuggets

Vegas Total: 219

Vegas Spread: Den -1.0

Starting with the Jazz, the price tags on Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert just don’t intrigue me. They’re fine options, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not something I’m seeking out. The Nuggets defense hasn’t been anything special this season, but I’m still not looking to target Gobert against Jokic down low. Mike Conley seems to have gotten back on track lately and in a good matchup, I like him as a secondary option. Jordan Clarkson is on a tear right now and scoring in bunches off the bench, his price is getting up there though. Probably more of a deep GPP guy at this price tag. Lastly, you can make a case for Bojan Bogdanovic in tournaments, but know what you’re getting yourself into, he needs to shoot well in order to get you there. Joe Ingles being out helps secure those minutes, however, for both him and Clarkson. From the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic has at least 60 DraftKings points in back to back games but I don’t love the matchup against Gobert inside. That being said, Jokic is matchup proof and one of the better raw options on the slate. Jamal Murray finally bounced back last game going for 40 DraftKings points. He’s been so volatile as of late that he’s been a hard roster. He did drop that 40 points last game with going 1-8 from three-point range, so that’s intriguing. He would’ve been in for a huge night if he knocked down even half of those. Will Barton should continue to see secured minutes with Porter Jr. out. I like him at this price tag as a tournament option. Lastly, Paul Millsap and Gary Harris are fine secondary GPP options to round out the team. They’ve actually been good lately, we know how Harris can run out there and play 40 minutes and do nothing with them but he’s got at least 25 DraftKings points in two straight.

5-star play: Nikola Jokic

4-star play: Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Jamal Murray, Will Barton

Deeper Value: Gary Harris, Paul Millsap

GPP Sleeper: Donovan Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson, Bojan Bogdanovic, Will Barton, Paul Millsap

Philadelphia 76ers @ Oklahoma City Thunder

Vegas Total: 219

Vegas Spread: Phi -3.0

Starting with the Sixers, Joel Embiid is going to be out here along with Seth Curry. This should open up minutes for Dwight Howard and some Tony Bradley. Tobias Harris could slide over and play some five as well. We saw this last night with the Sixers as well, Dwight Howard saw an impressive 34 minutes on his way to 39 DraftKings points and didn’t see nearly enough of a price bump. Shake Milton has back to back impressive games now, but with the price tag getting up there and more attention on him, it feels like a dud is coming at some point. Here is how the Sixers grade out with Embiid off the court this season:

• Ben Simmons – 20% usage rate; 1.18 fpm
• Dwight Howard – 16.8% usage rate; 1.08 fpm
• Tobias Harris – 24.6% usage rate; 1.48 fpm
• Shake Milton – 28.4% usage rate; 1.18 fpm

You can get to all of these guys pretty safely, while Bradley becomes a GPP value option, however only saw 9 minutes last night. From the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a guy that’s going to be streaky, and we’ve seen that over his past two games. First, he goes for 20 DraftKings points against the Lakers then he goes out and drops 58.75 on the Bulls. This is a matchup that I think he can bounce back in and is a guy I like getting to in tournaments especially without Embiid in there as rim protection. Darius Bazley has been pretty underwhelming as of late, you can get here in GPPs due to it being a smaller slate, but just know what you’re getting into. He does see a bump with Horford out though. Speaking of Horford being out, Isaiah Roby has started the past two games and has had at least 24 DraftKings points in each of them. I think he’s a nice value option here if you’re looking for someone in that price range.

5-star play: Ben Simmons, Dwight Howard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

4-star play: Tobias Harris, Shake Milton, Darius Bazley, Isaiah Roby

Deeper Value: Isaiah Roby, Mike Muscala

GPP Sleeper: Danny Green, Darius Bazley, George Hill, Shake Milton

New Orleans Pelicans @ Sacramento Kings

Vegas Total: 226.5

Vegas Spread: Nop -2.5

Starting with the Pelicans, Brandon Ingram had a fine game last time out in a tough matchup, but not what you want out of him at this price tag. It’s a little better of a matchup here, but still not someone I love. I do like the price tag on Zion Williamson, he has at least 43 DraftKings points in three of his last four games. Lonzo Ball is out again here while Eric Bledsoe returned last game. We still saw Nickeil Alexander-Walker get the start but he got into quick foul trouble which hurt his fantasy outlook from the jump. The price has come up on him so I think we can officially jump off the NAW train. Bledsoe only saw 20 minutes as well, I would expect those to come up here, I don’t mind him as a bit of a sleeper for GPPs. Lastly, Steven Adams is a fine option against a pretty fair matchup in the Kings, I just don’t love the price tag/ceiling combo. From the Kings, De’Aaron Fox had a rough go of it against the Clippers in just 23 minutes. I’m willing to overlook that due to the blowout, you can go right back to him here. Buddy Hield is always in play for GPPs due to his ability to score in bunches. Especially given the fact that he’s actually getting decent run this season. Richaun Holmes and Harrison Barnes make for solid secondary options in both cash and GPP. I don’t like this DraftKings price tag on Tyrese Haliburton one bit, he’s more of a fade for me over there but you can get to him on FanDuel for sure. Some news we need to keep an eye on in this one is Hassan Whiteside and Marvin Bagley being questionable, if they’re out it would be a nice boost to this frontcourt, keep an eye on our VIP Coaching forums for updates.

5-star play: Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, De’Aaron Fox

4-star play: Steven Adams, Richaun Holmes, Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Eric Bledsoe, Buddy Hield

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Indiana Pacers @ Los Angeles Clippers

Vegas Total: 220

Vegas Spread: Lac -6.0

Starting with the Pacers, it sounds like newly acquired Caris LeVert is going to need to miss some time here due to a mass on his kidney. All the usage on this offense will run through Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis until further notice. Both are priced up but they’ve performed well enough to warrant the price boost this season. Sabonis is coming off a 53 point fantasy outing and gets a tougher matchup here, but I’m still okay with him due to the production he’s putting up. Brogdon continues to play heavy minutes and has one of the better floors on the slate. It’s a tough matchup, but he’s been so dang consistent he’s hard to ignore. Myles Turner has been good as of late as well, he’ll see some extra opportunities now that Oladipo is off the court, I like attacking the Clippers with big men. From the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George feel a lot like the LeBron James and Anthony Davis situation. They’re both priced pretty similarly and are both going to be nice plays night in and night out. The offense runs around them so I’ll likely never be opposed to getting either of them. It’s the ancillary pieces on the Clippers that are a bit more cloudy. Serge Ibaka has been extremely volatile this season which makes it hard for me to pay this price tag. Nic Batum is going to start to lose his minutes to Marcus Morris as he is eased back into the rotation. Lou Williams has been terrible, and Patrick Beverley is the same old Patrick Beverley. So outside of those two studs, it’s pretty hard for me to love anyone on this team.

5-star play: Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George

4-star play: Myles Turner, Serge Ibaka

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Serge Ibaka, Justin Holiday

NBA Lock of the Day: Dwight Howard (DK – $4.8k; $4.4k)

Lock of the Day Dwight Howard was so nice yesterday, we’re gonna do it twice! Howard started yesterday and saw 34 minutes on his way to 39 DraftKings points, and with Joel Embiid out again here, I would expect Dwight Howard to slide in and get the start in his place yet again. With Embiid off the court this season, Dwight Howard has a 16.8% usage rate and 1.08 fantasy points per minute. The Research Station below has him projected to be one of the top value options on the slate, projecting for 26.63 DraftKings points which would put him at 5.55x his DraftKings price tag. Tweet me (@MadnessDFS) your lock predictions and if your player gets over 5x tonight I’ll give you a shoutout on Twitter, let’s have some fun with this!

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