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Only four games on the slate for Thursday night, so there is going to be a lot same players owned tonight. There are some stud players worth targeting at point guard, power forward, and center, while shooting guard and small forward are good position to save money at in DraftKings.
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Really like Ty Lawson tonight, especially if Mike Conley is out as Beno Udrih is a terrible defender, because he's going to have to do it all for the Nuggets. Brandon Knight is an exceptional play tonight as his price tag is low and he has a juicy matchup (Same thing can be said about Derrick Rose). Langston Galloway continues to put up big numbers each night and his price is still low, which is why he's one of the best value plays of the night. Jimmy Butler is the cream of the crop at shooting guard, but his price tag on Fanduel is hard to stomach. There are a couple of players (Rodney Stuckey & Tim Hardaway Jr.) at the position who's value depends on some key players (C.J. Miles & Carmelo Anthony) sitting out. The small forward position is filled with quality plays as Khris Middleton is easily the best option at the position.
The power forward position is loaded tonight as the top three players at the position are all great plays and there are plenty of value plays at the position as well. The center is worth spending up tonight as Marc Gasol is going to dominate the Nuggets. I like him more than Vucevic because his price tag is lower than Vooch's. However, Vucevic and John Henson would both become close to must-start type of players if Zaza Pachulia misses tonights game. Stayed tuned throughout the day as I'll try to update the playbook when we get more information about some injured players.
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Here is the Daily Fantasy Basketball Playbook for January 29th:
Point Guards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Ty Lawson | Nuggets | 8,500 | 9,000 | Like him a lot more if Conley is out |
| Brandon Knight | Bucks | 7,200 | 7,300 | Orlando is a terrible defensive team. Prefer D.Rose on FD |
| Langston Galloway | Knicks | 4,300 | 4,800 | Has 30-plus FP in 4 out of the past 5 games |
| Jerryd Bayless | Bucks | 4,000 | 4,200 | Love as a punt play |
Shooting Guards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Jimmy Butler | Bulls | 7,500 | 8,200 | Great value on DK. Will barely reach value on FD |
| Rodney Stuckey | Pacers | 5,100 | 4,900 | Solid play if C.J. Miles is out. Would go with "Greek Freak" if Miles plays |
| Wayne Ellington | Lakers | 4,600 | 4,800 | Will produce close to 25 FP |
| Tim Hardaway Jr. | Knicks | 4,900 | 5,300 | Amazing value if Carmelo is out. Otherwise would go with O.J. Mayo |
Small Forwards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Khris Middleton | Bucks | 5,200 | 5,500 | Best SF option based on price and high ceiling. (assuming Melo is out) |
| Lance Thomas | Knicks | 4,000 | 4,400 | PF on DK; Love as a value play if Melo does not play |
| Tony Allen | Grizzlies | 3,000 | 4,000 | Superb punt play on DK |
| Jeff Green | Grizzlies | 5,200 | 5,200 | Decent #2 SF option on FD |
Power Forwards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Pau Gasol | Bulls | 9,300 | 9,500 | Playing vs his former team. Worth spending up for tonight |
| David West | Pacers | 6,300 | 6,500 | Safe mid-tier play that will get to 30 FP, but has a low ceiling |
| Jason Smith | Knicks | 3,900 | 4,200 | Ridiculous how low his price tag is |
| Ed Davis | Lakers | 4,200 | 4,900 | GPP play that produced 38 FP last time he faced the Bulls |
| Zach Randolph | Grizzlies | 8,200 | 8,600 | Will thrive tonight, but his price tag makes it hard to pay up for him |
Centers
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Marc Gasol | Grizzlies | 8,000 | 8,400 | Will fill up the stat sheet & he's a lot cheaper than Vucevic |
| Joakim Noah | Bulls | 6,300 | 6,500 | Boom/bust play that is finally healthy |
| Jusuf Nurkic | Nuggets | 4,600 | 4,900 | GPP option that had 11/10/5 blocks vs MEM earlier this season |
| Ian Mahinmi | Pacers | 3,000 | 3,800 | Should crush his value with a juicy matchup vs the Knicks |
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Mark Kaplan is a fantasy basketball expert for FantasyAlarm.com