5 Players Who Can Help Your Jan. 20 FanDuel NBA Lineup
This post highlights the top five players for Jan. 20 FanDuel NBA games relative to their ability to return value at their cost.
After a four-game lull on Tuesday, Wednesday night’s schedule erupts with an 11-game slate that is highlighted by inter-conference matchups such as the Golden State Warriors at the Chicago Bulls, the Detroit Pistons traveling to Space City to face the Houston Rockets and the Atlanta Hawks flying cross-country to face the Portland Trail Blazers in the Rose City.
In addition to those infrequent occurrences, the Miami Heat, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Oklahoma City Thunder will all be playing their second consecutive game and their third in four nights.
While that somewhat condensed schedule isn’t a recommended fade like it would be if the teams were playing their fourth game in five nights, it could be advantageous to their rested opponents (the Washington Wizards, the Dallas Mavericks and the Charlotte Hornets, respectively).
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With those caveats in mind, here are the top five building blocks for your consideration:
(5) Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets ($8,600) at Oklahoma City Thunder: If you prefer to go by “chalk” then OKC’s Kevin Durant ($9,900) probably belongs in this spot because the Hornets are dead last over their past 10 games vs. SFs and KD had a double-double (29 points, 11 boards) in the teams’ earlier meeting.
Having said that, Walker could end up being the better play Wednesday night since his Hornets will have received a well-deserved day off after their double-OT win over the Utah Jazz on Monday but the Thunder will have played in Denver on Tuesday night before traveling home to Chesapeake Energy Arena for the second of the teams’ two-game series.
Facing the Nuggets in Denver on the back end of a two-game set is a notorious scheduling nightmare, but having to travel and play a rested team the day after battling elevation fatigue at the Pepsi Center probably isn’t much of an upgrade.
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Despite Russell Westbrook‘s litany of triple-doubles, containing opposing point guards has been an Achilles’ heel for the Thunder as they are in the bottom third overall in that regard.
To that effect, Walker’s 32 points in the aforementioned contest are well above his 19.9 points per game for the season, so he could be primed for another big night in the rematch, especially coming off a ridiculous 75.8 fantasy point performance versus a Utah Jazz team that is normally one of the toughest in the league against his position.
(4) John Wall, Washington Wizards ($10,200) vs. Miami Heat: Normally it would be a stretch to recommend Wall against a defensive juggernaut like Miami, but in addition to the scheduling advantage the Heat’s point guard rotation has become a M*A*S*H unit lately with injuries to Goran Dragic (ruled out for Wednesday night) and backup Beano Udrih (most likely out as well), so the team has resorted to third-stringer Tyler Johnson sharing ball-handling duties with Dwyane Wade.
Despite being tough against the position for much of the season, the Heat are suddenly tied for second-worst overall vs. opposing PGs on FanDuel NBA over their past five games, which includes the triple-double they allowed to Russell Westbrook when they were steamrolled by the Thunder on Sunday night.
Wall was able to score 26 points against the Heat in the previous meeting, which exceeded his 20.0 points per game for the season, but that game was in Miami (where the team is 15-9 as opposed to having a losing record on the road) and starter Goran Dragic had his full complement of starter’s minutes.
As a result, Optimus Dime merits strong consideration due to the short-term factors in his favor and his success in the last bout despite overcoming the “full strength” version of the Heat at the AmericanAirlines Arena, where the opposing team has been significantly more successful.
(3) Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic ($7,500) vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Vucevic quietly has produced a double-double in three of his past four games, and Wednesday night he welcomes a Sixers team to town that is second-worst overall vs. centers on FanDuel NBA.
While Jahlil Okafor could still be a future star, for now it seems that the rookie is still trying to find his way and cope with being on a really bad team after enjoying success at the college level.
In their three-game series last season, Vucevic averaged 22.3 points and 12.0 rebounds per game against his original team, both of which exceeded his 19.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game for that campaign. Also in his favor is the fact that he’s playing at home, where his 18.0 points per game at the Amway Center is notably better than his 15.6 points per game elsewhere.
As a result, the former Trojan should be a safe, high-floor option against a flailing Sixers team whose five wins have all come at the Western Conference’s expense.
(2) Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors ($11,000) at Chicago Bulls: Despite their .600 winning percentage, the Bulls’ reputation as a defensive team has gone sour this season.
It’s tough to say whether it’s just the increase in pace factor (13th out of 30 after finishing 23rd last season), Derrick Rose‘s blurred vision or ongoing injuries to key players but their presence in the lower third of the league against opposing point guards on FanDuel NBA is probably more trend than mirage.
Wednesday night the baby-faced assassin blows into the Windy City having eclipsed the 52 fantasy point mark in three of his last four games. Curry was just OK (by his standards) in the prior meeting with the Bulls, as his stat line of 27 points, four steals, four dimes and five boards was besmirched by six turnovers.
But that game took place at Oracle Arena and Curry is far more prolific on the road this season, as evidenced by his 33.4 points per game average as opposed to 26.3 points per game in the so-called “cozy” confines.
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His 35-point, three steal, one turnover performance in the Warriors’ annihilation of the Cleveland Cavaliers is more indicative of the player he has been lately so it seems safe to expect more of the same against a lesser (albeit reasonably competitive) opponent.
(1) DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings ($10,700) at L.A. Lakers: The Roy Hibbert experiment in Los Angeles has been nothing short of a fiasco, as the Lakers are dead last overall against centers on FanDuel NBA. To that effect, Cousins enjoyed a 25-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist performance when the in-state rivals met earlier this month.
Including that 52.5 fantasy point outburst, Boogie is averaging an impressive 52.8 FPPG for 2016.
While the Kings and Warriors are the top two teams in the league (respectively) in pace factor, the Kings are dead last in points allowed per game (108.3) and the Dubs sit currently at 19th (102.6), so it could be argued that Cousins is a safer play than Curry since his team is less likely to put opponents away even though both squads have prolific offenses.
One would suspect the Lakers are probably one of the few teams whose anemic scoring ability (27th in PPG at 96.3) could render them incapable of keeping up with the high-octane Kings; however Cousins’ 32 minutes in the previously cited contest were still reasonably close to his 33.3 minutes per game average so even the dregs of the league are fair game on FanDuel NBA as long as Sacramento’s porousness continues to outweigh their opponents’ ineptitude on the offensive side of the ball.
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