Full Court Press Breakdown for NBA DFS 2/14:

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 want to give a quick shoutout to VIP Member “Irzarl29” on a $40k win last week, congrats!!

Early Slate:

Boston Celtics @ Washington Wizards

Vegas Total: 229.5

Vegas Spread: Bos -6.0

This game is the lone early game on the slate, so if you want to play this one you’ll have to play showdown! But hopefully, I can give you an outline on some guys to get you started. We’ll start with the Celtics, Jayson Tatum ate up the Pistons frontcourt as expected last game and now gets another great matchup against a similarly terrible frontcourt of Robin Lopez, Mo Wagner, and Alex Len. Jaylen Brown has been really consistent as of late but we haven’t seen that huge ceiling from him lately, I’m still okay with getting some of him here because we know it’s in there and the floor is pretty nice. Kemba Walker sat last game but should return here and the Wizards are the fastest team in basketball, so hard not to like a paced-up spot for him. Lastly, if you’re playing one of these Celtics big men it’s Daniel Theis for me as he’s been pretty consistent as of late. From the Wizards, Bradley Beal should return here for the Wizards so we can’t just lock button Russell Westbrook, but I think you can get to both of them pretty comfortably here especially on a one-game slate. Rui Hachimura has been pretty volatile as of late, but the minutes are there and I’ll always take a chance on minutes hoping we can get some production out of the guy. Then you’ll likely have to play some of these ancillary guys on the Wizards for some salary relief, Davis Bertans, Deni Avdija, and Alex Len are all in play as GPP value options.

5-star play: Jayson Tatum, Bradley Beal

4-star play: Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker, Russell Westbrook

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Daniel Theis, Rui Hachimura, Davis Bertans, Daeni Avdija, Alex Len

Main Slate:

San Antonio Spurs @ Charlotte Hornets

Vegas Total: 228.5

Vegas Spread: Sas -2.0

Starting with the Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge will continue to be out here so nothing really new on the injury front. DeMar DeRozan is priced way up on DraftKings at $8.0k, I can’t say I love that price but he is in a good spot against the Hornets who can be had on the defensive end. Dejounte Murray bounced-back nicely last game in just 24 minutes of action against the Hawks, I like him here again even as his price climbs. Keldon Johnson just hasn’t been what we’ve hoped for with Aldridge out but I do think he has 45-50 point fantasy upside in him, we’ve seen it this season so I love him as a GPP option at this price tag. Jakob Poeltl has been pretty volatile as of late as well, but this is a great matchup with one of the worst interior defenses in the league. From the Hornets, Devonte’ Graham returned last game to play 28 minutes on his way to just 15 DraftKings points, I don’t see myself getting to him much here at this price tag. Terry Rozier is on a heater right now coming off a 57.25 fantasy point outing last time out, I don’t hate riding the hot streak on him. LaMelo Ball has at least 46 DraftKings points in two of his last three games, it’s hard for me to stomach this price tag on him when you can get some elite-level guys in the $9k’s but he’s certainly proved himself. Gordon Hayward is kind of meh for me at this price tag, he’s going to see 30+ minutes and has a decent floor/ceiling combo, but nothing sexy here. Cody Zeller was destroying the Wolves last time out and then ended with just 29.5 DraftKings points, I think you can go right back to him here in hopes he gets his minutes back up in the 30’s.

5-star play: DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray, LaMelo Ball

4-star play: Keldon Johnson, Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Cody Zeller

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Jakob Poeltl, Keldon Johnson, Miles Bridges

Minnesota Timberwolves @ Toronto Raptors

Vegas Total: 229.5

Vegas Spread: Tor -8.0

Starting with the Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns has seen at least 30 minutes in each of his two games back and is still under $9.5k on DraftKings, I like going right back to him here. D’Angelo Russell will be out for the Wolves, so Malik Beasley and Ricky Rubio will run the backcourt minutes, they’re both solid options. Anthony Edwards is a little too volatile for me to love at this price tag, so I’ll likely be off him here. Lastly, with KAT back, I’ll be off of the likes of Naz Reid, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Juancho Hernangomez. Their minutes will likely be pretty staggered here. From the Raptors, Fred VanVleet has seen his production come down over the past two games, I’m just not going to pay this price tag for him when you can get to Kyle Lowry for $1000 cheaper. These two guys should be similarly priced and they’re just not due to VanVleet going on a heater about a week ago. I love this spot for Pascal Siakam and even Chris Boucher, the Wolves have given up massive games to opposing big men this season and the addition of Towns isn’t going to help them on the defensive end. It seems like Boucher has gotten his minutes back as well, but his price is certainly climbing. Lastly, OG Anunoby is questionable, if he sits you can go back to Norman Powell, but if he plays it pretty much takes them both out of my player pool as they’ll eat into each other’s minutes.

5-star play: Karl-Anthony Towns

4-star play: Malik Beasley, Ricky Rubio, Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Anthony Edwards, Chris Boucher, Norman Powell (If Anunoby is out)

New Orleans Pelicans @ Detroit Pistons

Vegas Total: 220.5

Vegas Spread: Nop -4.5

Starting with the Pelicans, Josh Hart is listed as questionable here, if he’s forced to miss it would open up about 30 minutes on the wing for guys like JJ Redick and Nickeil Alexander-Walker so keep an eye on news surrounding him. Brandon Ingram had a pretty decent outing going for 46.75 DraftKings points last time out, but I just can’t pay this price tag for him while this team is fully healthy for the most part. You kind of know what you’re getting from Zion Williamson at this point, he’s going to get you somewhere between 35-45 DraftKings points about 90% of the time. Lonzo Ball’s price is starting to get to a point where I don’t really want to be too heavy on him, although he has been performing well and it’s a matchup that shouldn’t be all that difficult for anyone on this team. Lastly, Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams are fine GPP options if you’re looking to get more exposure to the Pelicans. From the Pistons, we’ll have to keep an eye on the news surrounding Mason Plumlee, he’s missed the last two games which has led Isaiah Stewart to get the start. Keep an eye on that VIP Coaching forum for updates surrounding Plumlee and this team as we head into lock tonight. Stewart has seen his price come up, but not nearly enough, if he starts he’s one of the better value options on the slate even after a pretty average game last time out. Jerami Grant has had back-to-back floor games but the minutes are still there for him, he’s just shot poorly, I have no issue going right back to him here. Delon Wright has at least 43 DraftKings points in three of his last four games and with Derrick Rose out of the picture he’s playing huge minutes, I like him again here. I think we need to bring up Saddiq Bey… after he dropped a 50 burger last game at near min salary. I will take a firm fade on him here unless we get news that Blake Griffin or someone is out, but there is noway Bey shoots 10-12 and 7-7 from three again in this one, I’ll let the public point chase. Lastly, we did see Dennis Smith Jr. play another 13 minutes last game, until he gets those minutes around 20 and gets some production I don’t think you can play him.

5-star play: Isaiah Stewart (If Plumlee is out)

4-star play: Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Jerami Grant, Delon Wright

Deeper Value: Isaiah Stewart

GPP Sleeper: Brandon Ingram, Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams

Portland Trailblazers @ Dallas Mavericks

Vegas Total: 236.0

Vegas Spread: Dal -5.0

Starting with the Blazers, Damian Lillard at under $10k on DraftKings with CJ McCollum still out is really intriguing and a guy I’m going to be looking into pretty heavily here. He hasn’t shown us that 70-80 point ceiling yet with McCollum out this season like we saw last year, but this Mavs defense is putrid right now. Enes Kanter will continue to see nice minutes, I like this matchup for him, the frontcourt of the Mavs isn’t much better than the backcourt in terms of defense. The rest of this team is kind of blah for me, the wings are going to see nice run but none of them produce consistently enough for me to love any of them. I know people like getting to Gary Trent Jr., but I just have trouble paying that price for a guy that is so scoring dependent. From the Mavericks, we kind of know the deal with this team, it’s Luka Doncic and it’s Kristaps Porzingis, and pretty much nobody else. Luka now has at least 64 DraftKings points in three of his last four games and coming off an 80 point outing last time out where he shot 30 field goal attempts. There won’t be much defense played in this game so he’s an elite raw option on this slate. Kristaps looked great last game as well going for 51 DraftKings points and is a guy I like getting to here as well. He’s more of a GPP guy due to the price tag and volatility but an elite one at that. The only other guy I would have interest in from this team is Josh Richardson who has looked really good since returning from injury.

5-star play: Damian Lillard, Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis

4-star play: Enes Kanter, Josh Richardson

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Kristaps Porzingis, Gary Trent Jr., Josh Richardson, Tim Hardaway Jr.

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 Station to really take your game to the next level.

Milwaukee Bucks @ Oklahoma City Thunder

Vegas Total: 228.5

Vegas Spread: Mil -11.5

Starting with the Bucks, I have serious doubts the Thunder will be able to keep this one close so I don’t see myself getting much Giannis Antetokounmpo here, as I don’t think he sees his full 35+ minutes. I would rather just find the extra money to go to Luka in this price range. Khris Middleton is a fine option here, but similar worries I have with Giannis. If they do blow them out, somebody will need to get them there, but I would rather just take my chances on somebody that is more likely to get their full run. A spread of 11.5 here is tough for me to get too heavy on. I do like the idea of Bobby Portis however, he should see some extra run if this game gets out of hand, he’s not blowout proof, those minutes will go to guys like Thanasis and DJ Wilson but I like the idea of him getting 4-5 more minutes in this one. Anyone else kind of sick of the Thunder? They’ll be without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Theo Maledon, and George Hill again here, so guys like Hamidou Diallo and Kenrich Williams should run this frontcourt and are solid options. Al Horford will be the first guy off the court in a blowout, so he’s probably my least favorite guy on this team. Lu Dort and Darius Bazley have been pretty volatile this season but we know the minutes will be there for them and I have no issue getting to them in GPPs.

5-star play: None

4-star play: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Hamidou Diallo, Kenrich Williams, Darius Bazley

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, Donte DiVincenzo, Lu Dort, Darius Bazley, Al Horford

Orlando Magic @ Phoenix Suns

Vegas Total: 214.0

Vegas Spread: Pho -10.0

We’ll start with the Magic, but there really isn’t a whole lot to look at here until we get some news on these guys. The only firm piece we can really analyze is Nikola Vucevic, he’s finally getting his price up there but if these guys are out again for the Magic it’s probably still not high enough. Even if we just take Aaron Gordon and Markelle Fultz off the court this season Vuc is looking at nearly 1.5 fantasy points per minute. He has at least 50 DraftKings points in three straight games and a guy I like here. Evan Fournier and Cole Anthony both missed their past two games and are questionable again here, so the rest of this roster is really up in flames right now and something you’ll want to jump in the VIP Coaching forums for to receive constant updates on. From the Suns, Devin Booker seems to have found his footing a little bit, he now has at least 40 DraftKings points in four straight games and the Magic have really struggled on defense as of late. He’s not the worst GPP option, but I have a hard time going too heavy on a game with a 214.0 total and the Suns being at full strength. Chris Paul is on a roll as well and has at least 40 DraftKings points in three of his last four, but the same story as Booker, probably not a guy I’ll get all that much of. The only other guy I’ll have any interest in here is DeAndre Ayton in tournaments just because we know the ceiling he can provide, but even there it’s just a sprinkle for me.

5-star play: Nikola Vucevic

4-star play: Devin Booker, Chris Paul

Deeper Value: TBD

GPP Sleeper: Devin Booker, Chris Paul, DeAndre Ayton

Los Angeles Lakers @ Denver Nuggets

Vegas Total: 217.0

Vegas Spread: Lal -3.0

Starting with the Lake show, LeBron James is probable for this one while Anthony Davis is questionable. Davis’s injury sounds like it could be more of a season-long thing that he’ll have to deal with so it’s worth noting that he may not be even close to 100%. LeBron James is playing huge minutes right now and producing well in them. he has at least 53 DraftKings points in four of his last five games. The only other piece I want from this team is Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell if Davis is out, they’ll help supplement that frontcourt. From the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic is an elite option as well and has at least 57 DraftKings points in three of his last four games. It’s a tough Lakers D, but if anyone can excel in the matchup, it’s Nikola Jokic. Keep an eye on the news surrounding Jamal Murray as well, he’s questionable here and would open up some minutes and usage in this offense. With Will Barton out and Jamal Murray questionable, Michael Porter Jr. should have 30+ minutes locked in here and a guy I love at this price tag. Monte Morris is a guy I like for value as well even if Murray plays he should have some extra run with Barton out.

5-star play: LeBron James, Nikola Jokic

4-star play: Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr.

Deeper Value: Monte Morris

GPP Sleeper: Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroder

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Los Angeles Clippers

Vegas Total: 220.5

Vegas Spread: Lac -11.5

Starting with the Cavs, Andre Drummond saw just 16 and 17 minutes over his last two games but were both due to blowout. I don’t really anticipate that changing here, but the price tag is REALLY nice on DraftKings. I don’t mind taking a GPP shot on him one bit here, he has 60-70 point upside at under $8k. Jarrett Allen has at least 36 DraftKings points in two straight games, I just don’t like the price tag on him here, I don’t see myself getting a whole lot of him I would rather just find the money for Drummond at that point. Collin Sexton has seen his price come down a bit lately and gets a tougher matchup here, but I like the upside that comes with him. The same can be said for Darius Garland if you want to save some money, you’re not getting quite the same ceiling on Garland, but he’s also about $1000 cheaper.  Larry Nance has been ruled out for this one, it will be a combination of Cedi Osman and Taurean Prince who fill in while he’s out, I would expect Prince to get the start and to see more minutes. From the Clippers,

Paul George will continue to be out for this one, so we can run some data with him off the court this season:

• Kawhi Leonard – 33.2% usage rate; 1.41fpm
• Luke Kennard – 17.2% usage rate; 0.78 fpm
• Reggie Jackson – 22.4% usage rate; 0.95 fpm
• Lou Williams – 27.2% usage rate; 1.15 fpm

Marcus Morris, Serge Ibaka, and Nic Batum should see a slight boost as well but really wanted to highlight these backcourt guys. I would expect Luke Kennard to continue to start for George here but he isn’t producing enough for me to really have much interest. Lou Williams has seemed to find his footing as of last, he has at least 30 point fantasy points in four straight and I don’t hate going right back to him. Kawhi Leonard is the obvious guy you want here, however, he scored 49.5 DraftKings points in an elite matchup against the Bulls. One thing that stands out to me with him is he isn’t doing what he did last season with George off the court. Last season he was close to two fantasy points per minute with George off the court, and showed that he can do that last game. So I like the price discount we’re getting on him even if he hasn’t shown it off all that much this season.

5-star play: Kawhi Leonard

4-star play: Andre Drummond, Collin Sexton, Lou Williams

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Andre Drummond, Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Marcus Morris, Nic Batum

Memphis Grizzlies @ Sacramento Kings

Vegas Total: 229.0

Vegas Spread: Mem -1.0

Starting with the Grizzlies, Ja Morant has been pretty consistent as of late and we’ve got a nice price discount on him. We’re still waiting on that ceiling game from him this season though, so I don’t hate taking a chance in GPPs, while he’s more of a secondary option for cash games due to the price bump, but it’s an elite matchup. Jonas Valanciunas has looked great in his four games back after missing a few weeks due to Covid protocols. They’ll need his size in this one and has always been a nice point per minute producer. Kyle Anderson will benefit a bit if Clarke is out, he has at least 28.5 fantasy points in four straight games. He’s never a sexy play, but you can get some of him here. Lastly, Dillon Brooks had a bit of a dud last game but I guy I’m willing to go back to due to the matchup but would prefer Clarke to be out again. From the Kings, De’Aaron Fox missed the last game so keep an eye on our VIP Coaching forum for updates surrounding him and this team. Buddy Hield is playing huge minutes as well, but he’s a bit too scoring dependent for me. That being said, the Grizzlies are giving up massive games to opposing wings so he’s in play for GPPs along with Harrison Barnes and Tyrese Haliburton who have looked really good as of late as well. Richaun Holmes has had back to back down games but they’ll need his size here so the minutes should increase. Marvin Bagley is questionable as well, but another guy they’ll need his size on so I like him GPPs at this price point quite a bit.

5-star play: None

4-star play: Ja Morant, Jonas Valanciunas, Kyle Anderson, De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Tyrese Haliburton

Deeper Value: Marvin Bagley

GPP Sleeper: Marvin Bagley, Buddy Hield, Dillon Brooks

NBA Lock of the Day: Cheat Sheets 

Sunday NBA normally comes with a lot of news and value that opens up as we get closer to lock, so I’ll keep the lock of the day in our Cheat Sheets/Coaches Notes for tonight. These notes include a Core, player ranks, and tiers notes, so come check them out! 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!

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 gives you a recipe for success that puts our army hats on leaderboards all over the face of DFS.

When you sign up, don’t forget to use promo code MADNESS to save 10% on your membership each and every month!

Editor’s Note – However, if you are more interested in simply betting the games, NBA is full of crazy action.  And, our dynamic modeling over at SportsBetArmy adjusts in real time to help identify Vegas inaccuracies you can exploit.  Follow Ryan, Anthony, and Statsational for models and coaching advice that help you build any bankroll for any sport…