NBA Tournament Plays: Wednesday, January 14th
When building a NBA DFS GPP lineup, the main concept to keep in mind is upside. You really want to build a lineup full of guys that have tremendous upside. However, NBA DFS is a little bit different than the other sports in the fact that there is much more predictability. Due to this increased predictability, it’s also important to not overlook the obvious plays. Finding that right balance is key.
This article will not focus on one site in particular – the idea here will be to present some players that are in good spots for large field GPP-style tournaments.
Point Guard
Kemba Walker – Prior to his recent stretch of games without Lance Stephenson and Al Jefferson, Walker had always been a guy that the industry had labeled as a GPP-only play. During this recent run, however, he’s displayed his true upside with a few monstrous 50 fantasy point performances. Stephenson is expected to return tonight, which will certainly lower the expectations and usage rate for Walker. Combine Stephenson’s return with the fact this game with San Antonio does not carry much DFS appeal, and Walker will end up underowned in tournaments, making him a great target for GPP-only formats.
Brandon Jennings – More than any player in the NBA, Jennings has the GPP-only tag plastered to his name. Over the years, he has been notorious for shocking us with a huge 50 fantasy point game and following it up with a complete dud. However, as of late, Jennings has shown some consistency in the Pistons’ offense. His recent floor has been higher than ever and we are still seeing the monster upside (34 points and 10 assists last game against Toronto). If the shot is falling for Jennings, we may see another huge line against the Pelicans.
Shooting Guard
Tyreke Evans – Evans was recently moved to the bench, yet his minutes and production have not missed a beat. He has played 33 and then 35 minutes in the two contests since the change and has produced an average of 35 fantasy points. Teammate Jrue Holiday is listed as questionable for tonight’s game against the Pistons. If he were to miss out, Evans becomes an elite play and potentially a guy that you will need in your GPP lineups to have a chance at winning anything.
Editor’s Note: Holiday has been ruled out for tonight’s game.
Victor Oladipo – The price on Oladipo is rising around the industry due to some solid performances as of late. He is coming off a very impressive 40 fantasy point performance against the stingy defense of Jimmy Butler. Tonight the individual matchup for Oladipo is great versus James Harden, who really does not show much interest on the defensive end of the court. In addition, Oladipo would receive a huge boost if Tobias Harris and Evan Fournier continue to be sidelined.
Small Forward
Robert Covington – Covington’s recent volatility has taken him out of cash game consideration for my lineups and shifted him to a GPP-only player. He has shown us 40 fantasy point upside this season, but his recent production has been all over the map, mostly due to him playing on such a bad team. The key when considering Covington is the steadiness in his minutes; he has played over 30 minutes in eight out of nine games – that factor, combined with a fair price, provides Grinders a great opportunity at the small forward position.
Jae Crowder – If you took part in Monday’s four-game NBA slate, you should be well aware that if Jae Crowder was not in your lineups, you most likely did not have a chance at taking down any GPP tournaments. After the Jeff Green trade, Crowder slid into the starting lineup, which appears to be a permanent move. Crowder proved (much to everyone’s surprise) that he has 40 fantasy point upside. The price across the industry is still at the bargain level, which provides us with a ton of profit potential. As long as he continues to start, Crowder is a guy that you can consider for both cash and GPP lineups.
Power Forward
Zach Randolph – From a DFS standpoint, the Memphis and Brooklyn game has the least appeal, with the lowest over/under on the board at 191.5. Randolph returned from injury last week and proceeded to put up back to back solid games. In his second game, we witnessed a huge stat line from Randolph in which he tallied 27 points and 17 rebounds. My guess is Randolph is relatively low owned tonight due to the game environment and rising price tag. The floor is certainly there for cash game consideration, but Randolph appears to be a much better tournament play on Wednesday.
Kenneth Faried – Faried is another player that has carried the GPP-only tag throughout his career. He finished up 2014 on fire with three straight monster games. After these great showings, the DFS community began to build more trust in Faried and we started to look his way for our cash game lineups. This was obviously a mistake, because Faried quickly fell back to the inconsistent player that we all know best. That said, the upside is still there for Faried, as we continue to see these huge games sprinkled in, so he is an excellent guy to slot into your GPP lineups.
Center
Andre Drummond – If you are a DFS player that builds multiple GPP lineups on a nightly basis, it’s not a bad idea to throw Drummond into at least one of those lineups. He’s a rare type of player that does possess legitimate 60 fantasy point upside, regardless of his opponent. On the other side of things, Drummond does carry a very low floor due to his ability to grab to quick fouls. As a result, he is an ideal GPP play each and every night.