NBA Starting 5 (GPP): Friday, March 24th
What’s up, DFS world!? I’m filling in for your usual Friday Starting 5 author, Jack Hendrixson. Apparently he’s too busy Winning 24/7 down in Miami as he gets ready for the $2,000,000 FanDuel Championship. Good luck to him! If there is a guy who deserves it.. it’s me.. JK, Jack is as good as they come and I am truly pulling for him this weekend.
On to tonight’s eight-game slate with giant tournaments on DraftKings and across the industry. DraftKings is kind enough to spare us the final two games on the slate, which is probably a good thing because we don’t know who the Warriors, Lakers and Kings may rest and the Timberwolves would have been super chalk anyway. So thank you, DK.
If you know me at all, you know I am a tournament player who likes to be contrarian more than most in the DFS world. So, in the interest of playing to my strength I am going to focus my Starting 5 on lower-owned players for the most part. Remember, if one of these guys let’s you down, it’s Jack’s fault.
Point Guard: Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets, $7,700
Point guard is usually a spot with plenty of players worth rostering, but tonight there are definitely fewer than usual, especially since the last two games of the night aren’t on the DraftKings main slate. Even with limited options, I still feel Kemba will go somewhat overlooked even in a premier matchup due to recency bias. Walker has been shooting the ball about as poorly as he ever has and there is no way that will continue forever. We love to pick on Kyrie defense; the Cavs are 21st in the NBA against the point guard position and we all know what Kemba is capable of, especially at home.
Even with his recent struggles Kemba has been over 43 FPTs in five of his last 10, shooting below 40% in those games. The usage is simply there, and combined with this premier matchup in a game I think is worth a mini stack, Kemba is one of my favorite GPP plays of the day. You can also roster the guy on the other side in this game (Kyrie Irving). who makes for a nice correlating play. One other GPP player worth a look is Giannis if you want to spend up on a high risk, high reward play.
Shooting Guard: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit Pistons, $5,200
OK, laugh now… KCP is about as inconsistent as they come. AKA, always a great GPP play. The guy can 10x or 2x this salary. All signs are currently pointing to the former. Orlando has been playing extremely fast of late and currently rank 25th against shooting guards on the season. With Reggie Jackson falling out of favor in Detroit, Ish should get more run, which benefits KCP immensely as his usage is significantly higher with Ish as opposed to RJax.
One of my favorite aspects about this play has to be what I imagine will be extremely low ownership. KCP is $4,600 on FanDuel, with most players playing on both sites, I think his ownership will be minuscule on DK, so that is where I’m getting my KCP exposure. If he gets to 35 plus anyway, it doesn’t matter and we all know he has 50 FP upside. For a cost saving safer play, look at Paul Zipser.
Small Forward: Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls, $9,200
Jimmy Butler is a near must play in cash for me and a very difficult fade in GPPs. Since Dwyane Wade went down injured, Butler hasn’t posted below 45.75 FPs with a high of 64.75 FPs. On top of that, two of his best three fantasy performances ever have been against these Sixers, although this team is slightly different. Philly is middle of the pack against twos and threes, but with the usage Butler sees, and with the Bulls desperately trying to win, I simply love Butler in all formats! If you are looking for savings, Batum is worth a GPP flyer.
Power Forward: Nikola Mirotic, Chicago Bulls, $5,400
There are a few things to worry about with Lopez and Feliciano coming back. However, I don’t think it will affect Mirotic as much as many in the industry do. In fact, those guys coming back could be a very good thing, as it will keep Niko’s ownership down somewhat. At this price with his upside, Mirotic has a chance to be the highest point per dollar player on the night of players who cost $5,000 or more.
Since Rondo has rejoined the starting lineup, Mirotic has averaged almost 30 FPs per game, and tonight he faces a Sixers team that is 22nd against fours and has particularly struggled with stretch fours. My projection system has Mirotic slightly ahead of Marquese Chriss at about a third the ownership. If you want to play Chriss, go ahead, especially if Warren is out.
Center: Alan Williams, Phoenix Suns, $5,700
This is one of my favorite plays of the night. Williams, for once, will be low owned after burning everyone the last two games. Once with the illness and last night with foul trouble. With so many centers on the board, Williams will be an afterthought in his absolutely amazing matchup. The Celtics are one of the poorest rebounding teams in the league and Williams is one of the best rebounders per minute in the NBA. This game may blow out, but that should only help Big Sauce. If he can stay out of foul trouble, Alan Williams should be between 30 and 40 FPs, making him a great GPP play. Also consider Nikola Jokic and Dwight Howard.