DFS NBA Full Court Press: FanDuel & DraftKings Main Slate
Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 1/23:
Welcome to another year of the DFS Army NBA Full Court Press! Members had a ton of success using the Full Court Press along with various articles and tools that DFS Army provides last season, so we are glad to be back with another year of the all-inclusive article. You have to start your research somewhere, and oftentimes going game by game and breaking down every matchup and its key players is the first step in our process. My name is Mike aka @MadnessDFS on Twitter, make sure to give me a follow as I’ll occasionally make updates to the advice in the article. But, you’ll mostly find me in our VIP coaching forums where I provide detailed lineup maneuvers and answer all lineup questions. With that said, let’s get it started!
Boston Celtics @ Orlando Magic
Vegas Total: NA
Vegas Spread: Bos -7.5
We’ll kick this slate off by starting with the Celtics, they’ll be without Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon while Robert Williams comes in as questionable. For the sake of this article, I’ll operate under the assumption that Williams plays and starts as usual. I would expect to see Derrick White and Payton Pritchard see the biggest boosts with these two guards out. Below is how this team operates with Brogdon and Smart off of the court this season:
Guys like Al Horford and Robert Williams won’t see a massive usage or rates boost but we could see Grant Williams slide back into the starting lineup, keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for that confirmation, however. Tatum has at least 70 DraftKings points in back-to-back games and will be a guy I have no issue going right back to in this one. Brown will continue to play all the minutes he can handle as well and makes sense in all formats. From the Magic, Franz Wagner came down to Earth after a massive game last time out. He’s never a guy I really prioritize, but he’ll look like a solid secondary option. Paolo Banchero hasn’t been great over his last couple of games and is a tournament-only guy for me here. I do like going back to Wendell Carter Jr., however, he hasn’t been great over his last few games but dropped 40 DraftKings points on the Celtics earlier this season and I like the rebounding upside. Markelle Fultz is probably more of a secondary option than anything, but again, the price is fine. Then guys like Cole Anthony and Bol Bol are tournament-only guys, as I said, the more bodies this team gets back, the less I like them… and they may be getting another guy back for the first time in a while by the name of Jonathan Isaac. He’s not in play, and probably won’t be for a while, but intriguing that he’s finally getting back to game action.
5-star play: Jayson Tatum
4-star play: Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Al Horford, Robert Williams, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Markelle Fultz
Deeper Value: Payton Pritchard
GPP Sleeper: Payton Pritchard, Grant Williams, Al Horford, Robert Williams, Paolo Banchero, Cole Anthony, Bol Bol
Milwaukee Bucks @ Detroit Pistons
Vegas Total: NA
Vegas Spread: Mil -11.0
Starting with the Bucks, they’ve got some good news coming their way as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton come in as probable and I’d expect them to play here. I’m not worried about the minutes on Giannis, I would expect he plays his normal run unless this game blows out… but I don’t think they’re going to push Middleton, so he’s probably not a guy I get to in this one. Suddenly Jrue Holiday is overpriced as well even coming off a good three-game stretch, with Giannis and Middleton back to steal some of that usage and opportunity, I don’t think we can pay this price tag for him. Bobby Portis is in a similar boat, as his minutes will take a hit as well. I still think Brook Lopez is a fine tournament option at his price tag, but not a guy I think we need to prioritize by any means. Then guys like Pat Connaughton, Joe Ingles, and Grayson Allen are GPP dart throws. From the Pistons, Killian Hayes comes in as questionable while Isaiah Stewart and Marvin Bagley remain out. Hayes will be a fine option but feels like he’s priced right about where he should be. Bojan Bogdanovic has at least 31 DraftKings points in four straight games and makes sense at his price tag. He always has the ability to get hot from three-point range. Jaden Ivey and Saddiq Bey are similarly priced and have been in good form as of late, both make sense in tournaments. I would probably like them both a bit more if Hayes is forced to miss, however. Finally, I do like the price tag on Jalen Duren and he should get plenty of run with Bagley and Stewart out… I do worry about foul trouble in a tough matchup against this Bucks interior.
5-star play: Giannis Antetokounmpo
4-star play: Brook Lopez, Killian Hayes, Jalen Duren, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jaden Ivey, Saddiq Bey
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis, Joe Ingles, Jaden Ivey, Saddiq Bey
Atlanta Hawks @ Chicago Bulls
Vegas Total: 238.0
Vegas Spread: Chi -1.0
Starting with the Hawks, Trae Young has been solid as of late and he’s averaging 47.8 DraftKings points per game in two games against the Bulls this season, I like going right back to the well at a nice price tag. Clint Capela has seen his minutes come up slightly but I would still expect he floats around the 25 mark in this one making him more of a tournament option than anything. I like the price tag a good amount on Dejounte Murray and has at least 46 FanDuel points in four of his last five games and would look great in a nice matchup here. Then guys like John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and De’Andre Hunter will make sense as GPP options at their relative price tags. From the Bulls, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic have quickly jumped DeMar DeRozan as the highest-priced guys on the team. All three of them have been in pretty good form and DeRozan might be my favorite simply due to the price savings on him. The matchup is great, so I would talk you out of going to either of these three guys. The rest of this team is a different story, I suppose you could make a case for Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso who have been playing well, but I would hope we get better value to open up on a good-sized slate.
5-star play: Trae Young
4-star play: Dejounte Murray, John Collins, De’Andre Hunter, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Clint Capela, John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Patrick Williams, Alex Caruso
Quick shoutout to VIP member “Cenzamatic” on a massive $20k win last season! Sometimes paying up for double studs works, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant brought it home for him with the help of some Stanley Johnson and Pistons value. Good work and congrats man!
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Houston Rockets
Vegas Total: NA
Vegas Spread: Min -6.5
We saw this matchup on Saturday night, so we have a bit of a sample size to work off of. Starting with the Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns will remain out while Rudy Gobert comes in as questionable, but I’ll operate under the assumption he’ll be good to go here. Edwards had a monster game in this matchup last time out and has been good with Towns off of the court this season with a 30.6% usage rate and 1.25 fantasy points per minute. Gobert will be a fine option if he can give it a go, but due to his recent form he won’t be a guy I’m all that thrilled to play. We kind of know what we’re getting out of D’Angelo Russell at this point, he’s going to play big minutes and probably be pretty solid, but not someone I’ll feel the need to prioritize… although he does feel a bit too cheap. Then guys like Kyle Anderson and Jaden McDaniels are fine secondary GPP options to round out this team. I’ll go right back to Anderson if Gobert is out again however, he has at least 49 DraftKings points in three of his last four games. Lastly, we can go right back to Naz Reid if Gobert is out again in this one, although he’s been pretty disappointing as of late. From the Rockets, Kevin Porter Jr. will miss this game while Jabari Smith comes in questionable after missing their last game. I’ll operate under the assumption that he’s good to go in this one. Below is how this team operates with Porter Jr. off of the court this season:
I don’t have an issue with any of these guys and think they all look good at their respective price tags. Alperen Sengun has at least 54 DraftKings points in three straight games and will look great again here, although I’d like him more if Gobert is forced to miss again. We did see Tari Eason get the start last time out and would be a great value option if he gets the start again here. The big issue with him has always been minutes so if he can solidify those by starting, I’ll jump on that train.
5-star play: Anthony Edwards, Alperen Sengun
4-star play: D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Green, KJ Martin, Tari Eason
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, Kyle Anderson, Jaden McDaniels, Eric Gordon, Jae’Sean Tate
Charlotte Hornets @ Utah Jazz
Vegas Total: NA
Vegas Spread: Uta -8.0
Starting with the Hornets, LaMelo Ball comes in as questionable while Kelly Oubre Jr. will be out again. I’ll assume Ball returns here and will look like a great option against this Jazz defense. I like attacking him any time he’s below $10… which he is on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Terry Rozier was a guy I had a bunch of with Ball out last time out and he looked great. The price tag is up, however, so if Ball plays he would be more of a GPP option for me. Mason Plumlee continues to be sneaky awesome and is averaging 40.4 DraftKings points per game over his last four games. I had a bunch of PJ Washington last time out as well, and he was actually one of my core plays, I have no issue going right back to him here. Both Plumlee and Washington should be able to pick apart this Jazz frontcourt. Lastly, Gordon Hayward should continue to float around 25 minutes and is a fine tournament option. From the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen is going to look great here, he’s been in good form as well. This Hornets defense is pretty awful, so I like going right back to the well. The Hornets are giving up the most fantasy points per game to opposing big men this season, guys like Walker Kessler and Jarred Vanderbilt should look good as well. Kessler has been in great form and would be my preferred option. Jordan Clarkson is a fine option as well but hasn’t been a guy I’ve gotten a ton of as of late in his price range. I do like Mike Conley who has at least 30 FanDuel points in four straight games.
5-star play: LaMelo Ball, Lauri Markkanen
4-star play: Terry Rozier, Mason Plumlee, PJ Washington, Walker Kessler, Jordan Clarkson
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Gordon Hayward, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley
San Antonio Spurs @ Portland Trail Blazers
Vegas Total: 240.5
Vegas Spread: Por -9.0
Starting with the Spurs, Keldon Johnson came down to Earth after a massive game his previous time out against the Nets. I have no issue going right back to him here in a nice matchup, clearly, the upside is there. Tre Jones came down to Earth last time out but has been in great form as of late and has a 20.2% usage rate and 1.05 fantasy points per minute with Devin Vassell off of the court over the last two weeks. The minutes on Jakob Poeltl are all over the place lately which makes it hard to prioritize him, but makes plenty of sense as a GPP option. Then guys like Jeremy Sochan and Josh Richardson make sense as tournament options to round out the team. From the Blazers, Damian Lillard has been on some kind of heater as of late, over the last two weeks he has a 35.3% usage rate and 1.52 fantasy points per minute. The Spurs aren’t playing any sort of defense right now, so he’s going to look like a great option in all formats yet again. Jusuf Nurkic was a guy I loved last night in a bounce-back spot against a terrible Lakers frontcourt… and he fell flat on his face. This is a solid spot for him as well, but I’m a bit gun shy on him after last night if I’m honest, at least we know the ceiling is there, so probably more of a GPP guy. Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons continue to float in that 30-40 fantasy point range which is fine at their price tags, but not guys I feel the need to prioritize. Finally, Josh Hart will play all the minutes he can handle but isn’t a big per-minute guy, although he looked great last night.
5-star play: Damian Lillard
4-star play: Keldon Johnson, Tre Jones, Jakob Poeltl, Jusuf Nurkic, Jerami Grant, Josh Hart
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Jeremy Sochan, Josh Richardson, Anfernee Simons
Memphis Grizzlies @ Sacramento Kings
Vegas Total: 243.5
Vegas Spread: Mem -1.0
Starting with the Grizzlies, Ja Morant bounced back a bit last night but we still haven’t seen a ceiling game from him in a while. He’s more of a secondary spend-up option for me, but I do love the matchup, however. Jaren Jackson had a rough go of it last night against a beat-up Suns frontcourt and has struggled with foul trouble over his last few games… which is kind of what is expected from him at this point. I do still love the matchup for him in a great bounce-back spot. Steven Adams has been in good form with at least 34 DraftKings points in three straight games and will make sense again in this one. Brandon Clarke came back down to Earth after a big game against the Lakers. He’s more of a GPP value option at this point. Finally, Desmond Bane is more of a secondary option as well due to the price tag, but he’s been pretty consistent as of late. From the Kings, Domantas Sabonis had a rough game last time out relative to his price tag and has struggled with this Memphis team in three games this season. Adams isn’t a great matchup for him down low, so it’s understandable. That said, the ceiling is still there in a fast-paced game, so I get it for tournaments. De’Aaron Fox had a great game last time out and is a guy I have no issue going right back to in this one. Kevin Huerter has at least 35 DraftKings points in two of his last three and is never a guy I have an issue with if you fall on him in your roster construction. Harrison Barnes looks like a nice mid-range option in all formats right there with him. Then guys like Keegan Murray and Malik Monk are fine GPP flyers as well, Murray came down to Earth last time out but has still played at least 37 minutes in three straight games.
5-star play: None
4-star play: Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson, Desmond Bane, Steven Adams, Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Brandon Clarke, Keegan Murray, Malik Monk
NBA Lock of the Day: Payton Pritchard (DK – $3.3k; FD – $3.9k)
The Celtics will be without Malcolm Brogdon and Marcus Smart in this one which should open up a ton of minutes and opportunities for a guy like Pritchard. I think there’s an outside chance that he starts at point guard, but regardless the minutes should be there. He played 26 minutes on Saturday, in a game where Smart and Brogdon were both active… before Smart left early with an injury. If we can get 25+ minutes from him again in this one, we’re golden from a guy who has a 24.5% usage rate and 0.95 DraftKings/0.88 FanDuel points per minute on the season. At this point in the day, I would think he makes my core, but check out our VIP Cheat Sheets as we get closer to lock for staff picks on Core plays, 8x locks of the day, and tiers notes as well!
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