FPBC Lineup Review - March 2nd
In case you missed it, FanDuel is running a contest between nine of the top fantasy content sites to see who is able to put together the best lineups over the course of five weeks. Team RG is off to a rocky start to say the least. In the first contest, we had Derrick Rose, who was then scratched five minutes after lineups locked. To make matters worse, I completely botched the second contest, failing to change the dummy lineup that was pre-set. There are good and bad breaks in daily fantasy, but nothing is worse than when you shoot yourself in the foot by forgetting to change your lineup.
While we find ourselves WAY behind the pack, we are not completely out of the contest. FanDuel is dropping the lowest two scores, so all we need is a heater to get right back in the thick of things. For today’s strategy article, I am going to break down my favorite play at each position. All five of these picks will be featured in tonight’s lineup.
To follow tonight’s live scoring, CLICK HERE.
Point Guard
| D’Angelo Russell | |||||
 | FanDuel: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary:$5,300 | |||||
| Position:PG | |||||
| FP/Min:0.82 | |||||
| Statistics | Season Average | Last 10 Games | Last 10 +/- | Last 5 Games | Last 5 +/- |
| Minutes | 27.5 | 30.0 | 2.5 | 32.2 | 4.7 |
| FPPG (FD) | 22.5 | 27.4 | 4.8 | 33.0 | 10.5 |
| TO-Adj. Usage | 19.5 | 20.0 | 0.6 | 21.1 | 1.6 |
Russell had a breakout game against the Nets last night, finishing with 39 points, six rebounds, and three assists. His price has yet to reflect his new role in the starting lineup, making him one of the top value plays on the board. With Louis Williams ruled out of tonight’s game, Russell’s minutes should be solidified against the Nuggets. He also has a favorable matchup on his side, as the Nuggets are ranked 23rd against point guards this season.
Shooting Guard
| Will Barton | |||||
 | FanDuel: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary:$6,000 | |||||
| Position:SG | |||||
| FP/Min:0.95 | |||||
| Statistics | Season Average | Last 10 Games | Last 10 +/- | Last 5 Games | Last 5 +/- |
| Minutes | 28.9 | 29.3 | 0.4 | 32.1 | 3.2 |
| FPPG (FD) | 27.5 | 27.4 | -0.1 | 24.5 | -3.0 |
| TO-Adj. Usage | 20.5 | 21.3 | 0.8 | 21.1 | 0.6 |
The Jump Shot is a new article on RotoGrinders that is available to incentives members. It features advanced statistics such as PER and Dre. In the article, it mentions that Barton’s usage rate spikes from 23 to 27.4 when Danilo Gallinari is off the court. His minutes also go up, as evidenced by his 34 minutes against the Grizzlies the other night. Throw in a matchup against the Lakers at home and Barton became my favorite play at shooting guard.
Small Forward
| Kevin Durant | |||||
 | FanDuel: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary:$10,600 | |||||
| Position:SF | |||||
| FP/Min:1.27 | |||||
| Statistics | Season Average | Last 10 Games | Last 10 +/- | Last 5 Games | Last 5 +/- |
| Minutes | 36.1 | 36.3 | 0.2 | 35.8 | -0.3 |
| FPPG (FD) | 45.7 | 50.2 | 4.4 | 51.1 | 5.3 |
| TO-Adj. Usage | 25.7 | 28.0 | 2.3 | 27.2 | 1.5 |
Anytime the Thunder are playing in a game that features a close spread, Russell Westbrook and Durant have to at least be considered. While Westbrook is about as matchup-proof of a player as you can find, Durant fills a much tougher position. Point guard is always littered with options, while there were very few viable small forward plays. Durant also comes into this game in excellent form, averaging 51.1 fantasy points over his last five outings.
Power Forward
| Bobby Portis | |||||
 | FanDuel: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary:$4,400 | |||||
| Position:PF | |||||
| FP/Min:0.88 | |||||
| Statistics | Season Average | Last 10 Games | Last 10 +/- | Last 5 Games | Last 5 +/- |
| Minutes | 17.7 | 24.4 | 6.7 | 24.7 | 7.0 |
| FPPG (FD) | 15.7 | 22.5 | 6.9 | 22.9 | 7.2 |
| TO-Adj. Usage | 18.1 | 17.5 | -0.6 | 16.9 | -1.2 |
At the time of writing this, Taj Gibson is listed as doubtful. Free Bobby Portis Day may finally be here. He is averaging 0.88 fantasy points per minute this season, which is very productive. The one knock on him has been playing time. Assuming Gibson gets ruled out, the Bulls may be forced to play Portis 30+ minutes tonight against the Magic. Outside of Cristiano Felicio and Cameron Bairstow, the Bulls don’t have any other bigs coming off of the bench.
Center
| Dwight Howard | |||||
 | FanDuel: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary:$8,100 | |||||
| Position:C | |||||
| FP/Min:1.05 | |||||
| Statistics | Season Average | Last 10 Games | Last 10 +/- | Last 5 Games | Last 5 +/- |
| Minutes | 32.6 | 35.8 | 3.2 | 35.8 | 3.2 |
| FPPG (FD) | 34.2 | 37.4 | 3.2 | 37.2 | 3.0 |
| TO-Adj. Usage | 15.4 | 17.1 | 1.7 | 18.0 | 2.6 |
As noted in the NBA Starting 5 article here on RotoGrinders, Howard has seen a major spike in both minutes and usage over the last three weeks. In his last ten games, he is averaging 37.2 fantasy points in 35.8 minutes per contest. He has also seen a nice spike in usage rate during that stretch. Howard isn’t priced at a discount, but his matchup more than makes up for his elevated salary. The Pelicans have allowed the second most fantasy points to centers this season.