Get off the beaten path with RadThad’s NBA DFS Breakdown, plays designed to help you take down a GPP!!
What’s up my peeps? Yesterday’s eight game slate was plentiful when it came to fantasy “goodness”. Today’s four-game main slate? Not so much. That’s not to say that there isn’t a lot of “goodness” out there.
This leaves us with both “good news” and “bad news”. The “bad news”? Well, given the current options and injury situations, everyone will be on the same “studs” and “scrubs”. That sucks in cash games because everyone will have the same lineup.
The “good news”? It won’t take much effort to differentiate your rosters in tournaments. Slight pivots can do wonders for your GPP lineups on slates like this so don’t be afraid to take a chance or two.
As always, there’s a good chance that this four-game main slate could end up being a “three-gamer”. I’ll be sure to post updates to the article and make announcements via the “Twitter machine”.
Remember that this is a tournament article so don’t get flustered if you don’t see some of the “chalkier” names listed below. The “meat” of the article is at the bottom, so I won’t be offended if you start there first.
UPDATE:
-Updated FanDuel cash core: Irving, Lowry, Durant, Gordon and Dwight Howard (PHI).
Updated DraftKings cash core: Irving, Lowry, Durant, Howard and Terence Davis (TOR).
I’m also getting a lot of Tony Bradley (PHI) on both DraftKings and FanDuel, however, using both Bradley and Howard in the same lineup makes me very uncomfortable. It’s a four-game slate so I’ll likely trust my projections when it’s all said and done.
GPP STRATEGY UPDATE:
-As you can see, it’s very hard to gain an edge on a four-game slate. On nights like this you need to “leave no stone unturned”. Don’t be afraid to take a chance on guys that have recently returned from injury and could see an uptick in playing time. Larry Nance Jr. (CLE) and Davis Bertans (WSH) both fall under that category.
Point Guard
1. Malcolm Brogdon (IND)
2. Ben Simmons (PHI)
3. Russell Westbrook (WSH)
4. Darius Garland (CLE)
5. Cole Anthony (ORL)
Hon. mention: Ricky Rubio (MIN) *if D’Angelo Russell (MIN) sits
Shooting Guard
1. Bradley Beal (WSH)
2. Fred VanVleet (TOR)
3. Collin Sexton (CLE)
4. Terrence Ross (ORL)
5. Anthony Edwards (MIN)
Hon. mention: Yuta Watanabe (TOR)
Small Forward
1. Tobias Harris (PHI)
2. Larry Nance, Jr. (CLE)
3. Malik Beasley (MIN)
4. Evan Fournier (ORL)
5. Justin Holiday (IND)
Hon. mention: Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (BKN)
Power Forward
1. Domantas Sabonis (IND)
2. Jarrett Allen (CLE)
3. Chris Boucher (TOR)
4. Jeff Green (BKN)
5. Jarred Vanderbilt (MIN)
Hon. mention: Davis Bertans (WSH)-should see more minutes in his second game back
Center
1. Joel Embiid (PHI)
2. Nikola Vucevic (ORL)
3. Andre Drummond (CLE)
4. Miles Turner (IND)
5. Naz Reid (MIN)
Hon. mention: Alex Len (WSH)
Top Stud (over $8K on FD): Kevin Durant (followed by Kyrie Irving)
Top Stud (over $8K on DK): Kevin Durant (followed by Kyrie Irving)
Top Value (under $5K on FD): Justin Holiday (followed by DeAndre Jordan)
Top Value (under $5K on DK): Terence Davis (followed by Bruce Brown, Jr.)
Notes:
– If you’re taking the “studs and scrubs” approach Kevin Durant (BKN), Kyrie Irving (BKN), Bradley Beal (WSH) and Joel Embiid (PHI) have the highest ceilings on the slate (in that order).
-On FanDuel my most common cash core of players consists of Kyrie Irving (BKN), Kyle Lowry (TOR), Kevin Durant (BKN) and DeAndre Jordan (BKN). You can actually throw Aaron Gordon (ORL) in there as well. I expect these guys to be very heavily owned, so consider using other options in tournaments.
-On DraftKings, I’m getting a lot of Irving, Lowry, Durant, Pascal Siakam (TOR) and Bruce Brown, Jr. (BKN).
– If you’re looking to construct a low owned lineup, here are a few recommendations that will buck the current roster construction trends for this slate:
–“ How many Brooklyn Nets is too many?”. James Harden (BKN) will not play in Sunday’s game against the Washington Wizards due to a thigh injury. We all know that this means we need to fire up all of the Kyrie Irving (BKN) and Kevin Durant (BKN) rosters, but what about the other guys? I’ll be using DeAndre Jordan (BKN) on FanDuel and Bruce Brown, Jr. (BKN) on DraftKings, however, consider using a core of the “fab four” in GPPs. Joe Harris (BKN) is another fine option if you’re looking to add to that group.
–Pay attention to the Philadelphia 76ers injury situation. At the moment, Joel Embiid (PHI) is listed as “questionable” for Sunday’s game against the Indiana Pacers with a back injury. You want to keep an eye out for late breaking news. If Embiid sits, you want to get Ben Simmons (PHI) and Tobias Harris (PHI) into your lineups. Guys like Dwight Howard (PHI) and Tony Bradley (PHI) will become coveted value plays. A GPP core of Irving, Durant, Simmons and Harris would be very appealing.
–Trust “The Process”. Like I said before, Joel Embiid (PHI) is currently listed as “questionable” for tonight’s game, however, if he’s in I’ll be all over him in GPPs. Guys like Irving and Durant will be heavily coveted, but they won’t come cheap. Spending up at the center position won’t be a priority for most DFS’ers so take advantage of the opportunity in tournaments. Embiid has put up 53.7 or more fantasy points in four of his last five games (including 62.0 fantasy points against Boston). There’s always the chance that back tightness could limit his production, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take. If Embiid sits, you should still consider paying up for someone like Nikola Vucevic (ORL) in GPPs.
–Roster any pair of point guards not named Kyrie Irving (BKN) and Kyle Lowry (TOR). This point guard duo will end up in a lot of lineups today. A simple swap for someone like Malcolm Brogdon (IND), Ben Simmons (PHI) or even Russell Westbrook (WSH) will help differentiate your lineup from the rest of the group.
