DraftStreet is holding a $50,000 one-day fantasy NBA contest Friday night with a $5,000 first-place prize. Details:
- Entry fees ranging from $1 and up
- Top finish(ers) win an entry into DraftStreet's NBA $100K Big Score Tournament on April 2
- First-time depositors at DraftStreet receive a 100% bonus up to $200
To help get you started on a roster for Friday night's NBA games, here are some recommendations from Fantasy Alarm's Michael Pichan. They're listed in a four-tiered ABCD format with specific targets for DraftStreet's Guaranteed Prize Payout tournaments (GPP) and players who may be more geared towards Double Up (DU) or cash-game contests because there is less risk involved with them.
Note: Just because one player is marked for a GPP or DU it does not mean they are only worth playing in said format, just that they fit that type of contest a little more. (All prices and point projections are geared towards DraftStreet).
A-All Star priced players that should put up All Star stats today (target 35+ FP, $16,000-on up).
GPP
Russell Westbrook (16.7%) and the Thunder have been off since Tuesday, which means Fussy Russy had plenty of time to rest his knee, one that did not look like it bothered him much as he flirted with a triple-double in that game against the Mavs (23 points, seven rebounds, eight assists with three steals). Westbrook has an even better matchup as Kings starting point guard Isaiah Thomas may be out again, which would mean the rookie Ray McCallum would get the start, but either way neither IT2 or Ray Ray should present much of an obstacle for Westbrook this evening.
DU
Al Jefferson (18.6%): I don’t have to tell you that the top five priced players are in play if you can afford one of them (Durant, James, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, or Kevin Love) who all have favorable matchups, but if you wanted to save between $2-5K and still get a player that has been crushing it then consider Big Al who has posted a double-double in each of his last two games, seven of his last nine, and is averaging 25.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and has second highest usage rating among centers this season at about 30% (8th highest overall).
B-rated Ballers: Big name players with big games, but not as high of a price tag as the top five or so priced players at each position (around 30 FP, $13,000-$16,000).
GPP
Tyreke Evans (15.3%) had a rough go of it in his last game despite getting the start at the point guard position, which I predicted he would as he would have been better off playing the 2 or 3-spot against the Clippers instead of being matched up against one of the best defensive point guards in the league in Chris Paul. Hopefully you listened and faded him on Wednesday, if not the one positive is that the poor performance helped keep his price tag in the B-rated Ballers range of salaries while he should perform like a Fantasy All-Star tonight regardless of what position he plays, but would have a higher earning potential should he again get the start at the point as the undersized rookie point guard Trey Burke and the other Jazz point guards own the worst overall defensive efficiency rating among point guards in the entire NBA this season.
Kenneth Faried (14.5%) went off for 40-plus points against the Spurs in San Antonio on Wednesday and gets to face them again tonight at home where he is averaging about seven more fantasy points per game than on the road at 27 FP. Faried has exceeded 30-plus points in seven of his last nine games where he has saw 30-plus minutes of playing time which he should be expected to see again with all the injuries up front for the Nuggets.
DU
Gorgui Dieng (14.3%) continues to be a Daily League Darling as he has exceeded 30 fantasy points in each of his last two starts and just about in every start but one since entering the starting lineup six games ago. And now for the cherry on the top, he and the TWolves get the pleasure of taking on a Pau Gasol-ess Lakers team that are allowing the second most overall points to opponents, the most points in the paint, and if that were not enough to seal the deal the Lakers have the worst rebounds per game differential in the league as they are allowing opponents to rebound at near a 50% clip per contest. So, it should be another fantasy point orgy for Gorgui tonight.
C-as in players that COULD be in line to provide you with good to great value in the mid-tier price range (target 25+ FP, $10,000-$13,000).
GPP
Timofey Mozgov (9.5%): We called it on Wednesday when we said Mozgov would put on his big boy pants and deliver for you against a Spurs team that was allowing the most fantasy points to opposing centers over the last 15 days coming into that game. Mozgov should hae you shouting Mazel Tov again tonight as he finished with almost 30 fantasy points on Wednesday and he gets the pleasure of facing the Spurs again tonight, this time on his home floor, so look for similar mouth watering type production (Mozgov’s middle name is Pavlovich) at a still very reasonable price tag.
DU
Brandon Jennings (12.6%) is gotten back on track over his last three games as he is averaging 17 points (43.6 FG%, 48 3P%), four made triples, 4.3 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and 1.7 steals in 34.3 minutes per game over his last three games, including posting a double-double of 17 points and 13 assists in his last game, which was good for 40.75 fantasy points. While the Heat are a good defensive team that has not stopped BJ from blowing it up against them this season as he is averaging 20 points, four boards, six assists, and three steals in their three meetings.
D-Discounted Dandies: Players on the cheap whose production may exceed what their discounted price tag suggests. (Double Digit Fantasy Production, $3,500-$10,000).
GPP
Anthony Morrow (7.9%) was the discounted darling on Wednesday scoring a season-high 27 points with five rebounds and a blocked shot in 34 minutes. I am not as high on Morrow this evening, but if Eric Gordon, Brian Roberts, and Austin Rivers sit again tonight it will be tough to fade Morrow at this price, but you could if Kings point guard Isaiah Thomas misses another game, which would open the door to consider starting Ray McCallum instead.
Ray McCallum (8.3%) holds a soft spot in my heart as I’m always rooting for a kid from the D to make it, especially one who did not come from one of Michigan’s power schools but who instead did what he could to bring back the glory days of Titan basketball at the University of Detroit. My bias aside, this kid can ball. He played a career-high 43 minutes in Isaiah Thomas’ absence on Wednesday finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, five assists, and a steal and I would expect the rook who has a sweet shot to shoot better than 21% from the floor (3-for-14) now that he got his feet wet as a starter and the Thunder are allowing the ninth most fantasy points to opposing point guards over the past 15 days. (Note: McCallum is only in play if Isaiah Thomas does not play).
DU
Corey Brewer's (8%) sticks may be thin, but he’s been beefing up his stat sheet some despite going against some of the better defensive small forwards in the league, something he does not have to worry about tonight going against a Lakers team that are allowing the second most fantasy points to the position over the last 15 days and the second most fast break points per game on the season. So, this game should be a high-paced affair (vegas has this game with the highest over/under by far at 225) which fits right up the alley of the cherry picking Corey Brewer. This game also benefits Ricky Rubio (15.1%) who has the potential to notch his third triple-double of the season.
A possible lineup for you to consider rolling out in tonight at DraftStreet:
