NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 2/10/14
If you’ve never played daily fantasy basketball before, it’s time to start. Unlike traditional leagues, you’re able to select the players you want on that specific day only, giving you a different squad to root for each and every NBA night.
And while there are many platforms to play daily fantasy basketball on, one of our favorites is from our partners over at DraftKings.com. Never played over there before? It’s time for that to change. Sign up now and use our optimal lineups here at numberFire.com to crush the competition. You won’t regret it.
As for today's lineups - those can be found here. The information below is to help you understand why particular players are being picked, because we don't want you going into the night completely blind. We want to help you. Keep in mind, however, that things often change up until tip-off, so make sure you're refreshing the optimal lineups as close to the start of games as possible.
Let's get to it.
Note: Players mentioned here may not be part of some of our daily lineups because of particular sites' cost analysis. Always look at our optimized lineups to see what our algorithms say.
The Best of the Best
Stephen Curry - I think everyone is going to be excited to see what Curry can do on the 76ers. He's surpassed 50 fantasy points in five of his last 10 games and hasn't produced fewer than 30 fantasy points in that span. He has the ideal matchup and is playing incredibly well. I don't typically play a certain player in every lineup, but tonight I'm plugging in Curry and building around him as I see fit.
James Harden - Harden's price is on the decline as is his production, but facing the Timberwolves should return Harden to fantasy goodness. Minnesota allowed 117 points to Portland on Saturday (including 21 to shooting guard Wes Matthews), so Harden should have plenty of opportunity to rack up the stats. He's been over 30 fantasy points in six of his last eight, making him safe for all types of games tonight, and I'd never be surprised if Harden ended up being the top fantasy point scorer on a given night.
Tim Duncan - I don't find myself rostering Duncan very often, but maybe that should change. Duncan has tallied at least 40 fantasy points in four of his last nine and hasn't missed 30 in that span. I'm always terrified of the surprise DNP or blowout, but the Spurs haven't been demolishing teams too often of late, and they're too thin for Duncan to miss games frequently. Tony Parker is questionable, too. If he sits out, Duncan will take on more of the scoring load tonight than usual.
Top Mid-Range Values
Paul George - George has had over 30 fantasy points over his last two games and in seven of his last 10. He's the safest SF option (even though Josh Smith is on a tear), considering both price and matchup: Denver is the second-best SF matchup tonight. His consistency makes him great for cash games, but he does have 50 fantasy point potential. Both teams are playing their third game in four days, but George logs minutes consistently regardless.
Roy Hibbert - Denver gives up the most points in the paint in the NBA. Hibbert lives in the paint. He's inconsistent due to foul trouble occasionally, but his price is very affordable. The Nuggets have struggled inside against good interior teams, so I like Hibbert tonight considering his price and having the top center matchup. I wouldn't bank on him for cash games, but his upside with blocks makes him a GPP option for salary relief.
John Henson - Henson played 41 minutes against the Rockets while Ersan Ilyasova missed the game with a back injury and Larry Sanders exited early with an eye injury. Both Ilyasova and Sanders are questionable to play tonight, so Henson could be in line for another 40-minute game. At his price and with his energy, it's hard to think he can't hit value in that time, and he always has immense upside potential.
Basement Ballers
Andre Iguodala - Iguodala's price isn't necessarily basement level, but the numbers are suggesting a relatively balanced approach tonight. The last time Iguodala faced his former team, he racked up 32 points, three boards, three assists, three steals, and a block. Golden State should run away with this one unless the 76ers can rally overnight, but either way, Iguodala will be able to produce against the team most generous to opposing small forwards tonight.
Jordan Crawford - Crawford is one of the few true bargains selected by the algorithms for tonight's games at this point in the day. It's a bit speculative, though, considering he's averaging only 16.7 minutes over his last seven. If this game gets out of hand, he could rack up court time, but even in 16 minutes, Crawford should hit value in this offense-friendly game with his small price tag ($4,200 on FanDuel and $4,700 on DraftKings).
Tony Wroten - I know this article is loaded with Warriors - particularly the bargain section - but I (and the algorithms) think Wroten is a good option as well. During the trouncing last night, Wroten quietly had a good fantasy day: 21 points, two assists, three rebounds, and three steals in 23 minutes. He probably won't see over thirty minutes, but he's producing roughly a fantasy point per minute, and there should be plenty of offense in this game tonight.
