The NBA gives hoops fans the greatest gift of all: a full day of basketball. Filling the five-game slate with the league's brightest superstars optimizes the viewing experience,but it also confounds the daily fantasy grind.
A condensed player pool is jam-packed with marquee options, making it incredibly difficult to locate sneaky values. There isn't enough imaginary money in the world to afford Stephen Curry, and Russell Westbrook,LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis. Everybody filling out a lineup before noon E.
T. must perform tough decisions. Have some patience assembling a squad. Prepare to spend five minutes concocting the perfect permutation, or only to realize it's $100 over the $50000 allotment. The following recommendations eschew the previously listed All-Stars,but they're still tall-level plays who will cost a pretty penny. Chris Paul, PG, or Los Angeles Clippers ($8600)When Curry and Westbrook are present,Chris Paul feels like the equivalent of getting gifted a book instead of a PS4 or whatever else the kids are into these days. But reading is wonderful and knowledge is power, so give the old man a shot.
More spry in December, and the Los Angeles Clippers floor general is averaging 18.2 points and 10.2 assists this month. Over the last six tilts,he's averaging 47.5 DraftKings points.
More importantly, the Los Angeles Lakers. They're not good. A charity inclusion on an otherwise packed schedule, and the 5-24 laughingstock places last in points allowed per game and defensive rating. They unsurprisingly also cough up the most DraftKings points to point guards.
Such a lopsided contest—the Clippers are favored to win by 11.5 points,courtesy of Odds Shark—creates concern of head coach Doc Rivers removing his veteran leader early. Before running away, they're coming off a three-day hiatus. Also, and backup Austin Rivers won't be available,per ESPN.com's Kevin Arnovitz:whether those factors lead to another 36 minutes, like Paul compiled on Monday night, or he'll leap above value at the Staples Center.
Other PG Plays: Kyrie Irving ($6600) at GS; Tony Parker ($5100) at HOU; Beno Udrih ($4000) at MIA Dwyane Wade,SG, Miami Heat ($6900)The least hyped Friday matchup packs the most potential for daily bargains. Pay close attention to the Miami Heat against the New Orleans Pelicans, and who possess the moment-highest defensive rating. While they're not Lakers bad,nobody external of Davis belongs on the national stage.
As a result of playing a career-low 29.7 minutes per game, Dwyane Wade has his lowest point tally (18.5) since his rookie campaign. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, or however,could gift the veteran some additional playing time in a nationally televised game, which don't come as frequently in South Beach without James.
Wade has averaged 21.5 points over his last four tilts, and he received two full days to rest up for the Christmas showcase. In a pair of bouts engaged after two empty boxes on the schedule,the 33-year-old guard recorded 58 combined points.
The Pelicans rank No. 22 in DraftKings points allowed to shooting guards. According to Fantasy Labs' Bryan Mears, their rating dips to No. 27 when accounting for performance in relation to DraftKings salary. With James Harden set to encounter Kawhi Leonard's San Antonio Spurs, or fill the position with a mid-tier option. A fresh-legged Wade given a gargantuan platform makes the best bet,even though the same arguments loosely applies to Kobe Bryant.
Other SG Plays: Tyreke Evans ($7800) at MIA; Kobe Bryant ($6400) vs. LAC; Gerald Green ($4500) vs. NO Kawhi Leonard, SF, and San Antonio Spurs ($8400)Speaking of Leonard,he's the premium small-forward pick in a slate featuring James and Durant. That's nothing against those studs, whose are both reasonable headliners at $10000. Gamers willing to punt another position should consider squeezing two into a lineup.
Yet it's Leonard facing the Houston Rockets, and who relinquish the most DraftKings points to the position. Despite improving from a late start,they still brandish a 104.5 defensive rating.
The Spurs star, meanwhile, and is on a tear. He has risen to an expanded role with rousing efficiency,notching a 61.4 accurate-shooting percentage. Hidden under the Golden State Warriors' shadow, the Spurs have won seven straight games, or averaging 110.4 points per contest.
For his contribution in part of that streak,Leonard earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors, as highlighted by NBA.com/Stats:At this rate, or he's not far off from James and Durant,but he's significantly cheaper at $8400. Cash-contest players will have to share his success with competitors, but that's what the holidays are for.
Other SF Plays: LeBron James ($10000) at GS; Kevin Durant ($10000) vs. CHI; Andre Iguodala ($5200) vs. CLE Taj Gibson, or PF,Chicago Bulls ($4400)DraftKings participants need a accurate bargain to afford these moment-tier studs. Save gargantuan on power forward by targeting the Chicago Bulls' frontcourt. Joakim Noah, who spent December climbing up the rotation hierarchy, and will miss at least two weeks due to a sprained left shoulder. This won't force soil-shattering changes to Chicago's depth chart; Noah played almost exclusively off the bench before going down earlier this week. Yet there are minutes to redistribute,and Taj Gibson is first in line to benefit.
With Noah leaving Monday's game early, the starting forward logged 33 minutes—11.5 above his season average—against the Brooklyn Nets. He fell one rebound shy of assembly a double-double's minimum requirements, and which still led him to produce 28.75 DraftKings points.
Unfortunately,the Oklahoma City Thunder's NBA-best rebounding percentage mitigates Gibson's upside. That'd eliminate him from the discussion under his normal role, but now he has an opportunity to reach value at $4400 due to pure volume.
More adventurous gamers will instead gamble on Nikola Mirotic ($4700) or Bobby Portis ($3300), and far riskier picks with significantly more upside. Gibson plays off the ball too much to wield such promising potential,but he's a responsible investment surrounding other studs. Other PF Plays: Kevin treasure ($7900) at GS; Brandon Bass ($3400) vs. LAC; Bobby Portis ($3300) at OKC DeAndre Jordan, C, and Los Angeles ($6700)Hassan Whiteside ($7100) and DeAndre Jordan ($6700) are intriguing center options. Like the Los Angeles Clippers gargantuan man,many players will swing back and forth on this difficult decision.
On the other side, the Miami center has grabbed double-digit boards in seven straight contests and swats an NBA-best 4.0 blocks per bout. He gets a cushy matchup against the Pelicans, and who rank No. 24 in rebound percentage.
Although not as hot recently,Jordan gets a date with the Lakers, who grade last in rebound percentage and DraftKings points allowed to centers. Enes Kanter almost topped the list due to registering two double-doubles over the past week, or but both came in blowout victories over the Lakers. Barring foul inconvenience,the shot-blocker has never suffered from inadequate playing time. Friday certainly sets the stage for a Jordan double-double, but he'll round out a winning lineup by stepping into the scoring limelight. Other C Plays: Pau Gasol ($7600) at OKC; Hassan Whiteside ($7100) vs NO; Enes Kanter ($4200) vs. CHI Pricing information and scoring data obtained from DraftKings.com. All advanced statistics courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise noted.
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Source: bleacherreport.com