NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 1/27/16
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.
Today's lineups 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.
Oh, and if you're interested, check out our daily fantasy basketball heat chart for today's slate. It's full of information like tonight's Vegas lines, team offensive and defensive efficiency ratings, pace, fantasy points against and so much more.
As for today's picks -- let's get to it.
The Best of the Best
Stephen Curry (FD: $11,300, DK: $10,700) - After dropping 37 points against the best defensive team in the league on Monday night, Curry has cemented himself as the top overall player in our player power rankings with a 28 nERD. He should have his way with the aging Deron Williams and his career 110 Defensive Rating in what Vegas expects to be tonight's highest scoring game by a wide margin.
Chris Paul (FD: $10,100, DK: $9,700) - In the 15 games Blake Griffin has missed this season, Paul has averaged 20.6 points, 10.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2 steals with a 30.4% Usage Rate. The offense should continue to run through him while Griffin is sidelined and he should be in store for another big outing tonight in what should be a competitive, fast-paced, high-scoring affair in Atlanta.
Andre Drummond (FD: $8,200, DK: $8,500) - Philadelphia has struggled to slow down opposing big men all season long, ranking 26th in the NBA in rebounding differential (-3.5) while giving up the third most fantasy points per game to opposing centers on the season. This bodes extremely well for Drummond, who has been nearly unstoppable on the glass this season and should have little trouble dominating the defensively-challenged 76ers.
Top Mid-Range Values
Kawhi Leonard (FD: $7,500, DK: $8,200) - Leonard remains one of the most efficient players in the league with a 21.4 nERD, ranking only behind the aforementioned Curry. Although his production has dipped slightly over the past few weeks, his price tag has also come down significantly, making him a viable play in a terrific matchup against a Rockets' squad that ranks 24th in the league in Defensive Efficiency and has allowed the fourth most fantasy points per game to opposing small forwards this season.
Ishmael Smith (FD: $6,900, DK: $7,400) - Smith has been excellent since rejoining the 76ers 15 games ago, averaging 16.1 points, 8.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals with a 29.4% Usage Rate over that span. He should see another massive workload tonight in a matchup with a below-average defender in Reggie Jackson and can still be had for a very reasonable price.
Robert Covington (FD: $5,100, DK: $6,200) - After falling out of the 76ers rotation for several weeks, Covington has seen his minutes and usage increase dramatically, averaging 15.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 32.9 minutes per game over his last seven outings. His price tag remains inexpensive given his recent production -- especially on FanDuel -- and he remains a buy low candidate until his price corrects.
Basement Ballers
Alex Len (FD: $4,700, DK: $4,800) - Len has truly made the most of his recent increased opportunity for the banged-up Suns, scoring 15 points to go along with 10.7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.3 blocks in 34.7 minutes per game over his last three games. He should see minutes in the mid-30s once again tonight and should reach value easily at less-than $5,000 on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
Trey Burke (FD: $4,700, DK: $4,400) - Raul Neto will not play tonight which means Burke will get the opportunity to start. Burke has averaged 18.1 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds on a per-36 minute basis and could see 30-plus minutes tonight in a plus matchup against the short-handed Hornets.
UPDATE: Neto will play tonight, which downgrades Burke significantly.
Archie Goodwin (FD: $4,100, DK: $4,800) - In four starts this season, Goodwin has posted 20.5 points, 3.8 assists and 3 rebounds per game with a 25.1% Usage Rate. He will earn his fifth start of the season tonight and draws an outstanding matchup against Kyrie Irving and his career 109 Defensive Rating.
