NBA Starting 5 (GPP): Wednesday, December 20th
The Starting 5 Series will provide Grinders a quick look at the day’s top positional plays, as analyzed by one of our daily fantasy sports experts.
Wednesday, December 20th
What’s up everyone? Welcome back to another edition of Wining247’s GPP Starting 5. I hope everyone is having a great holiday season with Christmas less than a week away.
Hopefully my upcoming fantasy week is a reflection of my recent ice fishing trip: “off the hook”. All joking aside, after a few days away from the fantasy world, I am pumped to be back. That brings me to my point. The NBA grind is tough, so make sure to take a day off every now and then. That way you get your mind right and do not just go through the motions.
Tonight, we have a packed 12-game slate. As usual, I will be using DraftKings pricing and will try to keep each player under $9,000.
Point Guard: Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn Nets – $6,700
I love Damian Lillard on this slate after the incident in Minnesota, but I will try my hardest not to write him up anymore.
On to my second favorite point guard on the slate, and that is Spencer Dinwiddie. He is having himself a solid season in the absence of Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell. He continues to be one of my favorite tournament plays on DraftKings every night, as for some reason they do not want to raise his price tag. Dinwiddie has let the DFS world down in his previous two matchups against the Pacers and the Raptors, but that does not concern me because both of those games were virtually over by the third quarter.
The Nets will host the Kings (talk about a snoozefest), but I will not be writing this game off completely. Brooklyn is actually favored in this game, and the total is sitting right around 207. You’d have to think Dinwiddie will play over 30 minutes here. In five of his last seven games in which he has played over 30 minutes, he has paid off this price tag. Dinwiddie is a great tournament play at the point guard position.
Shooting Guard: Nicolas Batum, Charlotte Hornets – $5,700
Don’t look now, but Nicolas Batum is finally showing signs of life. He has played over 30 minutes in his last four games and is back in game shape. He has looked solid in his previous four matchups, and that was with his last game against the Knicks ending in a blowout. Batum has the ability to fill up all areas of the stat sheet, so when his shot starts to fall, look out. In his last two games he is 6-of-10 from deep.
The Hornets will host the Raptors in what is shaping out to be an exciting game. The game has a one-point spread in the Raptors’ favor to go with a total of around 212. I am assuming Kidd-Gilchrist will draw the defensive matchup against DeRozan, which is good news for Batum. He has everything we want to see: a cheap price tag and a good matchup, and he’ll play in a close and high scoring game. Do not overthink this one and make sure to get your exposure to Batum.
Small Forward: T.J. Warren, Phoenix Suns – $6,200
We all assumed that Warren would take over the Suns after Booker’s injury, but that has not been the case. He is averaging just over 19 points a game in Booker’ absence, though. Warren has been playing some solid basketball and getting consistent minutes, and his price tag is finally starting to come down a bit, making him a great tournament play.
The Suns are one of the worst teams in the NBA but surprisingly have been keeping games close, and that is crucial for Warren. This should be no concern in a matchup against the Clippers, who have been one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA throughout the entire season. Pulling up defensive numbers for the Clippers isn’t all that helpful due to the consistent change in their rotation from injuries, but just know that even though they’ve been a solid defensive team in the past, that has not been the case this season.
Power Forward: Kyle Kuzma, Los Angeles Lakers – $5,800
I am not sure how everyone will react to the Brook Lopez injury news. The Lakers could start whoever they want, but one thing is certain: Kyle Kuzma’s minutes. He should be locked in to play over 30 minutes here, and deservedly so, as Kuzma has been one of the surprising rookies this season, averaging over 16 points a game. He has the green light in this Lakers offense; over his last three games, he has taken at least 16 shot attempts.
The Lakers head to Houston to take on the Rockets, and to no one’s surprise, this game has one of the highest totals on the slate, though it does have one of the largest spreads as well. The blowout does not concern me with Kuzma and his minutes, however. This game does make an interesting game stack, but I’m not confident it will stay close. The only thing I’m confident on is Kuzma, and I will do what I can to fit him in my lineups, game stack or not.
Center: Kelly Olynyk, Miami Heat – $5,400
The entire DFS industry was burned by Olynyk chalk the other night against the Hawks. I was part of that crew, but instead I look at the glass half full. Playing a chalk player after a letdown is one of my favorite “tournament tactics “. He looked horrible in his last matchup and did not even close out the fourth quarter. That is not going to be an issue against his old team, the Celtics, who like play big the entire game. Boston is a great defensive team, but to my surprise the Celtics have been below league average against the center position over the last five games. Everyone will be chasing the big games from Mickey and Adebayo, who are not bad plays either, but instead just make sure to hedge those lineups with some Kelly Olynyk. I love the upside that Olynyk provides at only $5,400 on DraftKings, as he is going to be pumped up for this matchup against his old team.