NBA Tournament Plays: Wednesday, January 21st
When building an 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 potential and high ceilings. NBA DFS is a little bit different than the other sports, as there is much more predictability due to the high volume of action in games.
This article will not focus on one site, but the idea here will be to present some players that are in good spots for large-field, GPP-style tournaments across the industry.
Point Guard
Damian Lillard – Lillard might just be the guy you need in your lineup to have a chance at a GPP win on Wednesday night. LaMarcus Aldridge has already been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns, which means Lillard will receive a substantial bump to his usage rate. Lillard carries a usage rate of 29.6 this season when he is on the court without Aldridge. He will also have the benefit of playing up in pace, as the Suns rank as the second-fastest team in the NBA. Lillard is also cash game playable on Wednesday night.
Jeff Teague – A matchup with the Indiana Pacers will keep the opposing players under-owned due to their stout defense. Throughout the season, the Pacers have shown some vulnerabilities against the point guard position. We saw a two-game stretch last week where the Pacers allowed opposing point guards to rack up over 95 fantasy points in total. With many difficult matchups on the court for Hawks players, I would not be surprised to see them rely on Teague for additional offensive production in Wednesday’s game.
Shooting Guard
Bradley Beal – Beal is player that I do not frequently consider for my cash game lineups due to his extreme volatility. While the floor for Beal is extremely low, he does carry 40+ fantasy point upside, which makes him a strong GPP candidate. Vegas has pegged the OKC/WAS game with an appealing over/under of 206 with WAS favored by 1.5. Therefore, according to Vegas, the game should be high scoring and remain close, which is a lethal DFS combination. Beal is an ideal GPP option on Wednesday night.
Wesley Matthews – Much like teammate Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews will see a huge boost on the offensive end of the court. LaMarcus Aldridge left the game on Monday night in the second quarter and Wesley Matthews proceeded to jack up 20 shots throughout the game. Matthews and the entire Trail Blazers have the potential for greater offensive production due to the substantial increase in pace (Phoenix is second-fastest team in the NBA).
Small Forward
Carmelo Anthony – With injury concerns looming over the head of Carmelo Anthony, he is a player I will only consider for GPP tournaments. Carmelo has an ideal matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, who are terrible defensively against every position on the court. The 76ers are specifically bad at defending wing players that are capable of knocking down three-point shots. Carmelo will be relatively lower-owned due to the injury situation, making him an ideal GPP candidate.
Chandler Parsons – Parsons appears to be the guy that has taken the biggest hit offensively since Rajon Rondo joined the team. He has been wildly inconsistent on the offensive end of the court. But tonight, the individual matchup for Parsons is too good to overlook, as the Timberwolves have allowed the most fantasy points to the small forward position. Due to the matchup and pace of this game, Parsons is cash game playable as well, but he is a guy that I think is better suited for your GPP lineups.
Power Forward
Anthony Davis – After missing a few games, Anthony Davis is expected to make his return on Wednesday night against the Lakers. In DFS, it is quite common to see superstar players under-owned in their first game back from injury, and this will most likely be the case again tonight for AD. DFS players are very hesitant to lock NBA players into their lineups after an injury, therefore this provides us a great opportunity to get one of the best fantasy players into our lineups with low ownership. Anthony Davis is also cash game playable due to the elite matchup.
Zach Randolph – Randolph has been playing some good basketball as of late and his price tag has been on the rise across the industry as a result. Randolph is a guy that I’m personally hesitant to lock into my cash game lineups due to the lack of peripheral statistics. But, the guy is very capable of some monster double-doubles, which has been evident as of late. Randolph has 50 fantasy point upside, and if he were to ever fluke his way into multiple blocks/steals, the ceiling could reach 60. Randolph is a great GPP-only option for me on Wednesday.
Center
Timofey Mozgov – Mozgov has been the ultimate boom or bust player since being traded to the Cavs. Since the trade, Mozgov has produced two solid games (over 30 fantasy points) and a few less than desirable performances as well. He has legitimate double-double upside which we have seen throughout the season, and his price is very cheap all over the industry. Upside is the primary characteristic we are looking for when building a GPP team and Mozgov certainly has a lot of it.