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? “Happy Super Sunday!” Is there a better way to whet your appetite before the “Big Game” than taking a dive into a five-game NBA DFS slate? I think not.
We’re not expecting a lot of late breaking news, however, these days, this is how you gain an edge on your opponent, so stay sharp. I’ll be sure to post updates to the article and send out notices via the “Twitter machine”.
Remember that this is a GPP article, so don’t get flustered if some of the “chalkier” names aren’t listed below. The “meat” of the article is at the bottom, so I won’t be offended if you want to start there.
Point Guard
1. Russell Westbrook (WSH)
2. LaMelo Ball (CHA)
3. Chris Paul (PHO)
4. De’Aaron Fox (SAC)
5. Elfrid Payton (NYK)
Hon. mention: Carsen Edwards (BOS)
Shooting Guard
1. Donovan Mitchell (UTA)
2. Bradley Beal (WSH)
3. Devin Booker (PHO)
4. Buddy Hield (SAC)
5. Lou Williams (LAC)
Hon. mention: Alec Burks (NYK)
Small Forward
1. Kawhi Leonard (LAC)
2. Gordon Hayward (CHA)
3. +Jimmy Butler (MIA)
4. Bojan Bogdanovic (UTA)
5. Harrison Barnes (SAC)
Hon. mention: Justin Holiday (IND)
Power Forward
1. Jayson Tatum (BOS)
2. Julius Randle (NYK)
3. Bam Adebayo (MIA)
4. Domantas Sabonis (IND)
5. Serge Ibaka (LAC)
Hon. mention: Frank Kaminsky (PHO)
Center
1. Rudy Gobert (UTA)
2. Richaun Holmes (SAC)
3. Deandre Ayton (PHO)
4. Myles Turner (IND)
5. Ivica Zubac (LAC)
Hon. mention: Alex Len (WSH) and Hassan Whiteside (SAC)
Top Stud (over $8K on FD): Kawhi Leonard (followed by Bradley Beal)
Top Stud (over $8K on DK): Kawhi Leonard (followed by Bradley Beal)
Top Value (under $5K on FD): Joe Ingles (followed by Jordan Clarkson)
Top Value (under $5K on DK): Frank Kaminsky (followed by Reggie Jackson)
Notes:
– If you’re taking the “studs and scrubs” approach Kawhi Leonard (LAC), Bradley Beal (WSH), Russell Westbrook (WSH) and Jayson Tatum (BOS) have the highest ceilings on the slate (in that order).
-On FanDuel my most common cash core of players consists of Kemba Walker (BOS), Jordan Clarkson (UTA), Kawhi Leonard (LAC) and Bam Adebayo (MIA). You can actually throw Joe Ingles (UTA) in there as well since Mike Conley (UTA) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game at Indiana with a hamstring injury.I expect these guys to be very heavily owned, so consider using other options in tournaments.
-On DraftKings, I’m getting a lot of Leonard, Terry Rozier (CHA), Domantas Sabonis (IND) and Daniel Theis (BOS). Mitchell Robinson (NYK) is close to finding himself in there as well.
– 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 Los Angeles Clippers players is too many?” I don’t think that’s a hot topic at the moment, however, with Paul George (LAC) and Patrick Beverley (LAC) both declared out against the Sacramento Kings, you’ll likely ask yourself this question at some point when constructing your rosters. Kawhi Leonard (LAC) will be the highest owned player on the slate. He also has the highest ceiling of any player on the slate so that’s cool. The real question that we should ask ourselves is, “Is playing a Los Angeles Clipper other than Kawhi too many?”. At the moment, I’m getting combinations of Leonard with Serge Ibaka (LAC), Lou Williams (LAC) and Reggie Jackson (LAC) mixed in. Today’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings isn’t expected to be a “blowout”, but it shouldn’t be particularly close (over/under of 228 with the Clippers favored by -8.5). I’m more than comfortable using only Leonard in cash games, but in tournaments I’ll take a chance and jam all four of these guys into one lineup.
-“Talkin’ all that Jazz.” Mike Conley (UTA) will miss today’s game against the Indiana Pacers due to a hamstring injury. As a result, guys like Jordan Clarkson (UTA) and Joe Ingles (UTA) will be popular choices today. Simple pivots to lower owned Jazz players could do the trick on a five-game slate. “Point Mitchell” should be in full effect today so I’ll have my fair share of Donovan Mitchell (UTA), Bojan Bogdanovic (UTA) and Rudy Gobert (UTA) in GPPs.
–Stack a game, any game. Going with a game stack on a slate like this could be a smart move. The “sexiest” game on the slate is the Washington Wizards at the Charlotte Hornets. Even that game doesn’t sound sexy when you say it out loud. Vegas has this contest with an over/under of 233.5, with Washington listed as a small road favorite (-1.5). The Wizards have been hot garbage lately, so I can certainly understand any concerns you might have. That being said, Russell Westbrook (WSH) and Bradley Beal (WSH) have two of the highest ceilings on the slate. On the flipside, Devonte’ Graham (CHA) has been declared “out” due to a groin injury, while PJ Washington (CHA) remains a “game time decision“. Pairing up Westbrook and Beal, then running it back with some combination of the Ball, Rozier and Gordon Hayward (CHA) sounds like an excellent idea.
