Wednesday Tipp-Off: $3,000 FanDuel Slam Picks
Wednesday Tipp-Off
$3,000 FanDuel Slam Tourney Picks, Lineups and Injuries
The $3000 Fanduel Fantasy Basketball Slam Tournament is tonight and it’s time to look at the 11 game NBA schedule and find some low priced picks with high upside to build your team around. The injuries are really starting to pile up and there are several situations where some cheap injury fill ins could really prosper. Here’s what I’ve got for tonight:
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Toronto @ Cleveland (OFF)
TOR Probable: Calderon/Bayless, DeRozan, Kleiza, A. Johnson, Bargnani
CLE Probable: Mo Williams, Gibson, Jamison, Varejao
Tourney Pick: Jerryd Bayless ($5000) – Jose Calderon missed last night’s game and could be out tonight as well. Jerryd Bayless has shown the ability to step in to the starting PG role and really put up some good numbers. Check the game time status for Calderon and give Bayless a look if Calderon can’t go.
Daniel Gibson was going to be a my tourney pick, but I’m not sure about his status for tonight’s game. Andrea Bargnani returned to action last night and has a decent matchup. DeMar DeRozan is doing some damage off the bench for Toronto and makes a decent cheap play. Sonny Weems is probably going to miss this game, so Linas Kleiza will get good minutes. One guy I’d probably avoid is Mo Williams, he’s been really inconsistent lately and is coming off a hip injury. Toronto is on the second of a back to back.
Chicago -4.5 @ New Jersey (Total 185)
CHI Probable: Rose, Bogans, Deng, Boozer, Thomas
NJN Probable: Harris, Vujacic/Graham, Outlaw, Humphries, B. Lopez
Tourney Pick: Kris Humphries ($6200) – Humphries just keeps producing and could have a good rebounding game against a Chicago team who is without Joakim Noah. Kurt Thomas ($4300) and Sasha Vujacic ($4200) also get a mention here.
Chicago is on the second of a back to back, but Rose and Boozer only played 30 and 25 minutes Tuesday in a blowout against Toronto. Both are good plays tonight. Brook Lopez could have a good game against the Thomas/Asik pair. Sasha Vujacic has been getting some good minutes and could be a nice cheap SG play. Be careful of this game though, it’s only projected at a 185 point total, which isn’t a great fantasy situation.
Milwaukee @ Orlando -11.5 (Total 186)
MIL Probable: Dooling, Salmons, Mbah a Moute, Ilyasova, Bogut
ORL Probable: Nelson, Richardson/Arenas, Turkoglu, Bass/Anderson, Howard
Tourney Pick: Keyon Dooling ($5200) – Dooling is the starting PG for the Bucks and he should be able to earn his low salary. I saw a lot of guys starting Earl Boykins Tuesday, but Dooling got the start and 33 minutes while Boykins came off the bench for just 15 minutes. My other pick for this game is Hedo Turkoglu ($6100). He’s really been heating up lately, but his matchup isn’t a great one against the tough Milwaukee interior defense.
The Howard/Bogut matchup should be a good one. Bogut is one of the few big centers who can contain Dwight Howard, so be careful spending big salary on Dwight. On the other hand, Bogut going against Howard isn’t such a great play either. Don’t forget about Gilbert Arenas and Jason Richardson, the Magic could light it up from outside with Bogut guarding the rim inside. Milwaukee is on the second of a back to back and this game has a fairly low point total projection, so be careful with it.
Washington @ Philadelphia -6.5 (Total 190.5)
WAS Probable: Wall, Hinrich/Young, Lewis, Blatche, McGee
PHI Probable: Holiday, Meeks, Young/Nocioni, Brand, Speights
Tourney Pick: John Wall ($5800) – This is a situation where Fanduel has to fix their player pricing system. Wall was out with an injury and his value should have remained constant while he was out, instead Fanduel dropped him to a ridiculous level. Just be aware that everyone will be on Wall tonight.
There are a ton of injuries in this matchup. Kirk Hinrich has missed the last two games with a leg injury, so check his game time status. If Hinrich can’t go, Nick Young makes a great tourney sleeper pick. Andre Iguodala will probably miss his 5th game in a row, so Andres Nocioni could get another start. Spencer Hawes missed his last game with a back injury and could miss again. Marreese Speights would likely get the start at center if Hawes can’t go. Jodie Meeks had been a great sleeper play, but he only got 2 shot attempts in his last game and I’d avoid him in this one. With all the injuries, Jrue Holiday and Elton Brand will be the primary scoring options and could have better than average games.
San Antonio @ Boston -2 (Total 189.5)
SAS Probable: Parker, Ginobili, Jefferson, Blair, Duncan
BOS Probable: Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Davis, Shaq
Tourney Pick: Glen Davis ($6300) _ Kevin Garnett is out and Davis has moved into the starting lineup. He should get 25-30 minutes and makes a nice value play. Rajon Rondo is back and he’s a must play at only $5900. Just be aware that he’ll be on almost everyone’s roster.
Pierce supposedly had an ankle problem going into his last game, but he looks fine to use. Just be sure to play it safe and check his game time status. This should be a fairly low scoring game, but I think Tim Duncan could put up a decent line against the weak pairing of Davis/O’Neal. San Antonio is on the second of a back to back, so Duncan’s minutes are risky.
Golden State @ New Orleans (OFF)
GSW Probable: Curry, Ellis, Wright, Lee, Biedrins
NOR Probable: Paul, Belinelli, Ariza, West, Okafor
Tourney Pick: Stephen Curry ($6700) – Curry is still priced way too low on Fanduel due to missing a few games with an ankle injury. The Warriors are running a little short on guard depth with Acie Law out, so Curry will have to play big minutes in this one.
David Lee and Andris Biedrins practiced fully on Tuesday and both should be a go for this game. Lee is a decent play, but I’d probably leave Biedrins alone for now. The presence of Lee and Biedrins also hurts the prospects for David West and Emeka Okafor, however given that this should be a high scoring game, West is probably still a good play. Chris Paul, and Monta Ellis will probably be worth the salary in this one, while D. Wright and Ariza will face off against each other and might be below average.
Charlotte @ Minnesota (OFF)
CHA Probable: Augustin, Henderson, Jackson, Diaw, Thomas
MIN Probable: Ridnour/Flynn, W. Johnson, Beasley, Love, Milicic
Tourney Pick: Gerald Henderson ($3600) – Gerald Wallace is out for a few games and Stephen Jackson is hurting and could also miss this one. Someone is going to have to pick up the scoring and it could be Henderson. This is a high risk, high reward play. D.J. Augustin ($6400) also gets a mention in this one. He’s going to get more scoring opportunities than normal against the weak defense of the Timberwolves.
Kevin Love is a must start if you have the salary cap space. Nazr Mohammed is likely out for this one, which should benefit Love and Milicic. Love can explode for 50+ fantasy points on any night. Michael Beasley could also be a good play here, especially if Stephen Jackson misses this game or is limited. Stay away from the Ridnour/Flynn timeshare. Tyrus Thomas is dealing with some knee soreness, so be careful with him and check his game time status, along with Jackson’s.
Portland @ Houston -6 (Total 197)
POR Probable: Miller, Fernandez, Matthews, Aldridge, Camby
HOU Probable: Brooks/Lowery, Martin, Battier, Scola, B. Miller
Tourney Pick: Marcus Camby ($6800) – Chuck Hayes is out for Houston, which really opens up the interior for Marcus Camby to do some damage. Camby pulled down 20 rebounds last night against Dallas. This could be a fairly high scoring game, so Camby could even have a decent night on offense as well.
The Lowery/Brooks pairing is really unpredictable right now, so playing either of those guys is a risk. I’d probably avoid Kevin Martin here also. He’s in a slump and got benched late in Monday’s game. LaMarcus Aldridge has become the primary offensive option for Portland and should be able to dominate against the smaller Scola and whoever Houston goes with at center. I’d be careful with Wes Matthews in this one as he has to deal with the defense of Shane Battier. Nic Batum tweaked an ankle last night, so check his game time status if you want to use him. Rudy Fernandez has been a trendy sleeper, but he only got 17 minutes last night and didn’t do much. Portland is on the second of a back to back and only managed 81 points against Dallas last night.
Atlanta @ Utah (OFF)
ATL Probable: Bibby, J. Johnson, J. Smith, Horford, Collins
UTA Probable: D. Williams, Bell, Kirilenko, Millsap, Jefferson
Tourney Pick: Joe Johnson ($6800) – Johnson’s price was adjusted too far down due to his elbow injury and it has been slow to creep back up. Take advantage of a veteran player at a value price. The only danger here is the excellent defense of Raja Bell, who will be covering Johnson.
Deron Williams has been dealing with a minor arm injury, but don’t let that scare you away from using him if you have the salary. Andrei Kirilenko seems to have recovered from his back soreness, but C.J. Miles will still get good minutes and makes a nice sleeper pick. Paul Millsap could miss this game with a hip injury. If Millsap is out, Josh Smith becomes a great play. Al Horford is usually dependable and could score against the weak defense of Al Jefferson. Jamal Crawford put up 31 points last night, so don’t forget about him. Atlanta is on the second of a back to back.
Denver -3.5 @ LA Clippers (Total 210.5)
DEN Probable: Billups, Afflalo, Anthony, Anderson/Martin, Nene
LAC Probable: Davis, Gordon, Gomes, Griffin, Jordan
Tourney Pick: Deandre Jordan ($5900) – Jordan has blocked 13 shots in his last two games while putting up 27 and 34 fantasy points in those two. Denver runs the floor and has some injuries with their big men, so Jordan has the potential for a big game.
Carmelo Anthony is another example of where the Fanduel pricing system definitely needs some improvement. He missed a few games due to a death in his family and his price just plummeted to $7400, which is totally ridiculous. Fanduel really needs to update the system to hold these guys at a steady value when they miss games, rather than letting their salary bottom out for no reason. Everyone else will have Melo going, and you should as well. This situation basically just reduces the roster down from 9 players to just 8 since everyone will use the mispriced Melo.
This game has a high 210.5 total, which should benefit Eric Gordon and Chauncey Billups. Denver is still having trouble defending the interior due to injuries, so Blake Griffin could put up a monster line. Nene has been showing some good scoring touch lately and could also be a value pick at center.
LA Lakers -4 @ Phoenix (Total 208)
LAL Probable: Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Gasol/Odom, Bynum
PHO Probable: Nash, Carter, Hill, Frye, R. Lopez/Gortat
Tourney Pick: Vince Carter ($6200) – Carter is starting and getting an average of 18 shot attempts per game over his first three games in Phoenix. He’s got a tough matchup against either Kobe or Artest, but Vince has never been afraid to shoot the ball no matter who‘s covering him, so expect another 18-22 shot attempts in this one.
Pau Gasol could do some real damage against the weak interior of Phoenix. Gortat has strengthened the Suns interior, but he’s no match for the offensive game of Gasol. Andrew Bynum is back in the starting rotation which has pushed Lamar Odom to the bench. If this turns into a blowout, Bynum will likely get some rest. Kobe is a must play here if you have the salary and I doubt that Vince Carter can stick with him. Steven Nash is always a good solid play and could get some decent stats if this one doesn’t get out of hand. LA is on the second of a back to back.
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About the Writer: Allen “Tippy” Tippy operates Fantasy Basketball Daily where he covers the day-to-day fantasy NBA scene for season long and daily league players. He’s been participating in Daily Fantasy Sports since 2007 across all of the major sites; concentrating mostly on the NBA. He’s a huge Alabama Crimson Tide fan, Chicago Cubs fan and an avid poker player. Tippy day-trades the S&P 500 Futures market and foreign currency markets for a living. He lives in West Virginia with his wife and seven year old daughter.