Full Court Press Breakdown for NBA DFS 1/2:

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!

I do want to give a quick shoutout to our VIP Members who are taking home some massive prizes! I don’t have enough room for all the winners over the past week or so but we’ve got $200k, $50k, $15k, $10k, and a $17.5k winner all since the start of this NBA season! Not a bad way to kick off 2021, let’s keep it rolling!

Sacramento Kings @ Houston Rockets

Vegas Total: 233.5

Vegas Spread: Hou -4.5

We tip the day off with an island game starting at 5 ET between the Kings and Rockets who we just saw play earlier this week. Starting with the Kings, De’Aaron Fox played well in that last game and now has at least 46 DraftKings points in two straight games. I like going right back to him in a good spot. Buddy Hield is always in play in GPPs for me due to his upside but the price tag just is too high for me here. That said, it is nice seeing him get consistent minutes this season. Harrison Barnes, Nemanja Bjelica, and Marvin Bagley feel really similar here, they’re more of secondary GPP options here than anything. Lastly, Tyrese Haliburton is going to be out for a few days which will open up minutes for guys like Cory Joseph if you need a cheaper option. From the Rockets, John Wall, Eric Gordon, and DeMarcus Cousins all made their season debuts last game. Wall looked great, going for 45.5 DraftKings points in 37 minutes. Clearly, there aren’t any restrictions on him so feel free to fire him up here. Eric Gordon looked solid as well but didn’t play nearly as many minutes. Cousins on the other hand only played 14 minutes on his way to 13.25 DraftKings points. He came off the bench so I would expect the same here with his minutes up near the 20 range. James Harden has 55.5 DraftKings points in each of his last two games, he’s the top raw option on the slate. Christian Wood should continue to see big minutes even with Cousins in there, I like this matchup for him. He has at least 38 DraftKings points in each game this season and looks like the real deal on this team.

5-star play: James Harden, John Wall, De’Aaron Fox

4-star play: Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Richaun Holmes, Christian Wood

Deeper Value: Cory Joseph, Hassan Whiteside

GPP Sleeper: Eric Gordon, Nemanja Bjelica, Marvin Bagley, Danuel House

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Main Slate:

New York Knicks @ Indiana Pacers

Vegas Total: 215.5

Vegas Spread: Ind -9.0

On to the main slate! Starting with the Knicks, the pricing on Julius Randle continues to rise, but he did come down back to Earth last game after back to back 60 point fantasy outings. This is another tougher matchup, but he should continue playing 35+ minutes per game and is just a guy I’m going to continue to get to. I don’t love the price on RJ Barrett, but he’s going to be right there with Randle racking up minutes this season, it’s a nice matchup for him, so you can make a case for GPPs. Alec Burks is questionable here, if he’s out again I’ll go right back to Elfrid Payton, he only saw 23 minutes last game but still was able to but up 25 DraftKings points. From the Pacers, Domantas Sabonis continues to play well, dropping 46 DraftKings points in four of his first five games. The Knicks won’t get in his way much defensively so you can go back to the well here, he’s played at least 37 minutes in three straight. Myles Turner is in a similar spot, but we kind of know what we’re getting with him, if he gets hot from three he’ll have a solid night. Malcolm Brogdon is right there with Sabonis as one of the more consistent options on this team. He’s going to see heavy minutes and in a great matchup, it’s hard to ignore him on a short slate. Victor Oladipo looks actually pretty good this season but is taking away usage from the rest of these guys. That said, on a two-game slate in a good matchup, I like him here. TJ Warren will be out for this game, opening up usage for these other starters, here’s how they play out:

• Domantas Sabonis – 31.4% usage rate; 1.53 fpm
• Malcolm Brogdon – 23.1% usage rate; 1.17 fpm
• Victor Oladipo – 22.6% usage rate; 1.16 fpm

All these guys are great options here, I don’t think there’s a bench guy that will come and start for him that would jump off the page to me. It will be a combination of Justin Holiday and Aaron Holiday.

5-star play: Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon

4-star play: Julius Randle, Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, Myles Turner

Deeper Value: Justin Holiday, Aaron Holiday, Reggie Bullock

GPP Sleeper: RJ Barrett, Elfrid Payton, Myles Turner

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Orlando Magic

Vegas Total: 218.5

Vegas Spread: Orl -7.5

Starting with the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is someone I’m going to get a lot of this season, he’s coming off a dud game against the Pelicans but only saw 28 minutes due to blowout. His price did come down a small amount so I don’t hate going right back to him here if the field is going to be down on him. The only other guys I would have interest in here are Al Horford and Darius Bazley, both are GPP guys for me. You can also make a case for guys like George Hill and Luguentz Dort, but again, deeper GPP plays at best. From the Magic, I like getting some Nikola Vucevic here, the Thunder’s interior defense took a hit when Steven Adams was shipped out. Vuc should be able to do whatever he wants in this one. Terrence Ross sounds like he’ll return for this game, while Evan Fournier is questionable. If Fournier is forced to miss Cole Anthony would become a guy I would have some interest in. He saw 30 minutes last game when Fournier was forced out of the game and scored 27 DraftKings points. Keep an eye on that situation as we progress throughout the day. Aaron Gordon’s minutes still aren’t where they need to be for me to have any interest in him. Markelle Fultz has been great this season, he had a bad game last time out but only saw 24 minutes in a blowout. I’m willing to go right back to him here in a good matchup against a bad Thunder team.

5-star play: Nikola Vucevic

4-star play: Al Horford, Darius Bazley, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Markelle Fultz

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Al Horford, Darius Bazley, Terrence Ross, Cole Anthony, Luguentz Dort, George Hill

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Charlotte Hornets @ Philadelphia 76ers

Vegas Total: 216.5

Vegas Spread: Phi -9.5

Starting with the Sixers, Joel Embiid came down to Earth last game but only saw 27 minutes due to the blowout. They have a big spread here as well, but he’s an elite option nonetheless. The Hornets have nobody inside to guard him. Ben Simmons is performing well but his price is just too high right now, I’d have much more interest if he was $500-700 cheaper, you can make a case for GPPs due to the ceiling we know he has.  Tobias Harris has kicked it up a notch after a slow start, he’s coming off three straight very solid games and the price tag isn’t too shabby. Seth Curry has played well and is getting good run, he fits well on this team but probably needs to shoot well to get there each night. From the Hornets, Gordon Hayward screwed me last night but also saw his lowest minute total on the year with just 27 minutes due to the blowout. You can go right back to him here especially if people will be off him. Terry Rozier and Devonte’ Graham continue to look like similar plays in my eyes, I don’t love them but don’t hate them, you can do worse in this price range. PJ Washington will have his hands full with Embiid in this one, I don’t really trust him to stay out of foul trouble, but if he does you can get to him in GPPs. LaMelo Ball has back to back really nice games and has seen at least 27 minutes in each of them. The only issue I have with that is they were both games that blew out, so I’m not sure he gets the run in a competitive game. That said, he’s playable in GPPs due to the fact that he’s blowout proof and has looked great as a point per minute guy. Lastly, Bismack Biyombo had a big night last night and should continue to see around 30 minutes nightly with Zeller out, he’s a solid pay down option at the center position if you need one.

5-star play: Joel Embiid

4-star play: Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier, Devonte’ Graham, Bismack Biyombo

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Seth Curry, Ben Simmons, PJ Washington, LaMelo Ball

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Cleveland Cavaliers @ Atlanta Hawks

Vegas Total: 229.5

Vegas Spread: Atl -6.0

Starting with the Cavaliers. Andre Drummond only saw 25 minutes last game but scored at least 57 DraftKings points in the three games before that. He should be able to get those minutes back here and love his upside in this spot, he’s a nice play in all formats. Darius Garland is playing some good basketball so far, he’s also playing huge minutes. The Hawks are going to speed the Cavs up a bit here which will play well for guys like Garland, Sexton, and even Nance. Speaking of Larry Nance, he’s seeing heavy minutes now that Love is out, I love this matchup for him. He’s similar to John Collins in that I like him in games where he can show off his athleticism and put it to good use. I like this spot a lot for Nance. Collin Sexton is similar to Garland in that he’s playing massive minutes and in a fast-paced game he’s a nice option. From the Hawks, it sounds like Clint Capela got up near 30 minutes last night which was awesome to see. He scored 35.75 DraftKings points and is going to be a guy I get a lot of here. If he’s going to get his minutes boosted, he’s an elite point per dollar option at a very low price tag. Capela actually makes my Core 4 tonight, go check out that article for a more in-depth rundown on the four guys I’m building my lineups around tonight!

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John Collins saw his minutes go back down again last night, they’ve been all over the place which makes him hard to trust for cash games, but we know he has an elite ceiling for GPPs. Trae Young should be able to do whatever he wants here and has at least 50 fantasy points in three of his first five games. He is now over $10k which I don’t love, but when you’re in a game that’s going to be this fast-paced, I like him regardless. Bogdan Bogdanovic wasn’t very good last night but has looked great all season, I’m okay going back to him here although his price is getting up there, for now, he’s a solid option. Lastly, Cam Reddish did well in that last few games and with Gallinari out, I like his price tag for tournaments

5-star play: Andre Drummond, Trae Young, Clint Capela

4-star play: Darius Garland, Larry Nance, Colling Sexton, John Collins, De’Andre Hunter

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter

Toronto Raptors @ New Orleans Pelicans

Vegas Total: 215.5

Vegas Spread: PK

Starting with the Raptors, Pascal Siakam was benched for disciplinary reasons after lock on New Year’s Eve, which was frustrating but should be back here. This is a nice matchup for him, but still only scored 36 DraftKings points in this spot on opening night. He’s just priced at a point where I don’t think the upside is worth the risk, GPP only for me. Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet are pretty similar plays here, they’re both getting big minutes and they’re priced very similarly. OG Anunoby has played well this season and seeing at least 35 minutes in all his games. The only issue with him at this price is he really needs to shoot well to hit value and we saw that last game when he shot 1-10 from the floor and 0-7 from three. Lastly, Chris Boucher and Aron Baynes are splitting center minutes and Boucher has been the better per-minute producer, I don’t mind taking a shot on him in tournaments. From the Pelicans, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are priced similarly here and in a good matchup, they’re both solid options. The Raptors aren’t as strong on the interior now that they lost Ibaka and Gasol. Lonzo Ball had a nice bounce-back game last time out and the price seems fair, I’ll be willing to go to him especially in tournaments. The only issue is the amount of usage that is demanded on this team by Ingram and Williamson where it’s tough to predict who will have the big night on a daily basis. Eric Bledsoe bounced back a bit last game but still only saw 25 minutes, I think I’m off him until we see him back in that 30-minute range. That said, he did put up 33.5 DraftKings points in this spot on opening night.

5-star play: None

4-star play: Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Pascal Siakam, Lonzo Ball, Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Josh Hart, Eric Bledsoe, Chris Boucher

NBA Lock of the Day: Clint Capela (DK – $5.2k; FD – $6.1k)

I mentioned how much I love Capela tonight in the Hawks game breakdown, but now he joins my lock of the day! The big thing with him this season has been minutes as he works his way back from injury. Before last game, he hadn’t played more than 20 minutes in a game but was still scoring 1.18 fantasy points per minute. Finally, last night he played 30 minutes on his way to 35.75 DraftKings points. If he’s going to get around that 30-minute mark again tonight, there’s no reason he shouldn’t hit value at this price tag. The Research Station below has him projected to be the top point per dollar option on the slate at a projected 6x his DraftKings price tag, I love me some Clint Capela tonight! 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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