Christopher Day 
There’s already a ton of news to catch up, because, you know, it’s NBA DFS, and there’s plenty more to come. This has to be the chalkiest slate of the entire season given that OKC will be yet again running an 8-man rotation, one of which is Darius Miller, so a 7-man rotation, in addition to Demarcus Cousins and the pairing of Kyrie Irving and James Harden being high-owned. There are spots to get different tonight, so let’s explore our options.
One thing I want to clarify based on the questions I have received is that I will never list a player under the $5,000 price tag simply because I use the projection model to identify all targets in these price ranges and below. While there are often plenty of options that I like in this range, you all have access to the very model I use to make my own selections, so when asking “Should I use player X or player Y?”, make sure to check the model because that is how I make all of my own decisions and I truly ride or die by it on a daily basis.
Before running to the DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo lobby to construct your NBA DFS lineup after reading this article, please make sure to utilize the abundance of tools we have at Win Daily:
Point Guards
Luka Doncic ($10,700 FD / $11,100 DK)
With the field likely flocking to one of Kyrie Irving and/or James Harden, the potential of a GPP pivot to stacking Doncic and Curry yet again can be the deciding factor to jumping the majority of entrants. With the price reduction he has on FD, Doncic is certainly in play considering he is much closer to Kyrie Irving in price than he is on DK. Nonetheless, this is a spot where Luka gets Curry and the Warriors for a second straight game, and coming off an embarrassing 147-116 loss, you know this game will shootout, and Luka won’t want to lose two in a row.
Steph Curry ($9,600 FD / $9,700 DK)
If we’re playing Luka and/or Porzingis in hopes that this one stays close, then Curry is the primary pivot to Kyrie Irving for NBA GPPs. Given how close the two are in salary, I’m expecting ridiculously low ownership on the greatest shooter of all time, who put up 41 DK points in only 28 minutes after sitting out the 4th quarter in a blowout victory just a few nights ago.
Others to Consider:
- Kyrie Irving ($9,500 FD / $9,400 DK)
- Kyle Lowry ($8,500 FD / $8,000 DK)
Shooting Guards
James Harden ($10,800 FD / $10,700 DK)
You’ll notice a lot of the chalky options are in good spots today, which makes it frustrating from a GPP standpoint, but most will be mentioned in the “Others to Consider” spot simply because I’m not going to cop out and say play all of these guys for your NBA lineups to have an aggregate ownership of 1000%. However, with how shallow SG is on FD, combined with the fact that you need to roster two of them, James Harden is the primary option. While the steep salary may keep his ownership in check, Harden’s ability to carry the Nets offense while taking over the role of primary scorer sets him up for a ceiling game.
Fred VanVleet ($9,000 FD / $8,400 DK)
With everyone focusing on who is out for which team, as mentioned in the introduction, the field will stay away from the game with the most potential: Toronto @ Atlanta. If you look at VanVleet’s inconsistent production in two of the past three, you’ll see why people will not play him tonight. That’s exactly why I want to – he’s gone for 45+ FP in four of his last six and if the shot is dropping, his ceiling is higher than those priced around him. The volume is there, but you can’t help but hope he shoots efficiently rather than 4-for-16 like he did last night.
Others to Consider:
- Zach Lavine ($8,500 FD / $8,600 DK)
- Hamidou Diallo ($5,900 FD / $5,900 DK)
Small Forwards
Pascal Siakam ($8,900 FD / $7,700 DK)
Sporting a 27.4% usage rate in his last five games, Siakam has really turned it up down the stretch, averaging 23.6/7.8/4.4 across 36.4 MPG on 49.4% shooting. On an NBA slate where everyone is heading to the same direction, there’s a real possibility to stack this game in hopes it goes nuts, and Siakam is a crucial piece to that.
Brandon Ingram ($8,100 FD / $8,300 DK)
This is purely a FD play since there are tens of better options than him on DK, but with having to roster two SF on FD, Ingram is surely in play for NBA GPPs. With the Grizzlies being exploitable at virtually every position and the Pelicans playing much faster of late, BI has benefitted with 15 or more FGA in seven straight games. Having topped 20 or more points in his last three, look for Ingram to continue rolling here tonight.
Others to Consider:
- Malik Beasley ($6,900 FD / $6,700 DK)
- Keldon Johnson ($5,300 FD / $5,800 DK)
Power Forwards
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,200 FD / $11,000 DK)
A ton of stud options to pay up for on this NBA slate and Giannis is definitely one of them to consider. While the game environment is far from elite, Cleveland’s defense will keep them in this game, and consequently keep Giannis on the floor. Having just dropped 33/12/4 on them yesterday in 33 minutes, there’s no reason to believe Giannis can’t do it again.
Kristaps Porzingis ($7,800 FD / $8,200 DK)
If we are taking the same approach as mentioned in the Doncic and Curry blurbs, we are stacking a game with much lower ownership than other spots on this NBA slate that also happens to have the second highest over/under. With Golden State still missing James Wiseman, their interior defense went from bad to worse, and there’s no stopping Porzingis on both the inside and the perimeter in this spot.
Others to Consider:
- Anthony Davis ($9,800 FD / $9,600 DK)
- Draymond Green ($6,700 FD / $6,000 DK)
Centers
The Chalk:
- Al Horford ($6,100 FD / $6,500 DK)
- Demarcus Cousins ($5,900 FD / $6,300 DK)
The Pivots:
- Joel Embiid ($10,500 FD / $10,500 DK)
- Nikola Vucevic ($8,800 FD / $8,900 DK)
Value Gems: Check the projection model.
I will continue to stress the importance of having both the projection model and cheat sheet open when building lineups for a further player pool and to ease a decision between two players, in addition to finding additional value plays.
You can find me on Twitter @DFS_Ghost
