NBA

3 Under-the-Radar Daily Fantasy Basketball Plays for 1/11/17

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Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trail Blazers

FanDuel Price: $9,000

Why He Will Go Overlooked:

Another day, another slate full of appealing point guards.

Russell Westbrook demands attention every time he is on the slate, even in a subpar matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. Rounding out the top options are John Wall and Chris Paul, both of whom are playing well and should be popular.

Just below Damian Lillard in price is the likes of Isaiah Thomas and Kyrie Irving, who also are playing excellently and draw advantageous matchups today. Mike Conley is also in the midst of a hot streak and will likely be on most daily fantasy players' radar in a fantasy friendly matchup against Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Considering Lillard hasn't looked quite the same since returning from injury and teammate C.J. McCollum is in the midst of a hot streak, daily fantasy players aren't likely to rush to spend $9,000 on Lillard against a tough Cleveland Cavaliers defense.

Why You Should Use Him:

Lillard hasn't put up huge totals in his two games back, but he has averaged 39.5 minutes in those games, so it appears the Portland Trail Blazers at least think he is healthy. A matchup against Irving, who played 39 minutes last night against a physical Utah Jazz defense, could be just what Lillard needs to get back to posting elite fantasy numbers.

Irving's -1.92 defensive real plus/minus ranks 68th among the 85 qualified point guards, and he has had no answer for Lillard recently. In his past four games against Cleveland, Lillard has averaged 44.8 FanDuel points, highlighted by a 62.9-point performance in his last meeting with Irving.

Lillard has been deadly out of the pick and roll this season, scoring the third-most points per game as a ball handler in those situations. Among players with at least 100 shots as the ball handler in the pick and roll, no one has posted more points per possession than Lillard. That lines up perfectly for this matchup, because Cleveland has been very inefficient against the pick and roll this season, allowing the highest points per possession to opposing ball handlers.

Given how well McCollum is playing right now, there is a real chance that Lillard defers more than normal in this game, which takes him out of cash-game consideration with so many appealing point guards on this slate. However, his upside in this matchup is undeniable, and if he reaches his ceiling at low ownership, he could be a difference maker in tournaments.