Seige's Small Slate Strategy: Monday, January 9th
Instead of doing my usual Starting 5 article, let’s try something different for this three-game Monday slate that (shockingly) still has some huge prize pools.
We’ll get into a few picks for Monday shortly, but first I wanted to share some strategy since this is one of the first super small slates we’ve had all year.
1) Don’t be afraid to take the day off.
This was 100% my plan, until I found out I had content today (we are always providing you with the best content here at RotoGrinders!). But, if you haven’t done much research for the slate, there isn’t exactly going to be a massive edge. You’re going to have to hit the perfect lineup, and if you do, you are probably tying with a bunch of other people.
2) Play a smaller % of your bankroll.
I normally play 10-15% of my normal volume on these short slates because, again, the variance is so massive. Every player’s ownership spikes, so one mistake or forgotten player can lead you to not cashing at all.
3) Leave salary on the table.
This is some of the best advice I can give you. On these shorter slates, you don’t want to tie 15 others for first. You want to do it yourself. By leaving even $200 or $300 on the table, you will differentiate your lineup. Last week, in the 31-man field golf event, 56% of players max’d out the cap, meaning only 44% of the field had variations that left even a minimum of $100 on the table. If you are going to play tonight, play for the win and don’t max out your salary.
With that, I’m going to quickly run down my three favorite plays for the slate:
Donatas Motiejunas – $3,000 on DraftKings – New Orleans Pelicans
If I’m trying to win a tournament, I’m gonna try to find a $3,000 guy that can go off, and Motiejunas has that chance. The Knicks are not very good at stopping fours with range, which means a lot of the attention will be on Brow. That in turn will leave Motiejunas in a spot where he can get 22 to 25 DK points in 18 to 21 minutes. I’ll take that in order to fit in the studs on this short slate.
Dwyane Wade – $6,200 – Chicago Bulls
With Butler likely out tonight, Wade will be one of the most popular plays on the slate. He will get Andre Roberson defense, which is concerning, but his usage rate stands at 41% with Butler (and Rondo) off the floor this year. That’s just insane, so he’s tough to pass up for $6,200, no matter the matchup.
Russell Westbrook – $13,000 – Oklahoma City Thunder
It’s a short slate and raw points matter. Don’t get cute and fade; play Westbrook and figure out the rest from there.