The Daily Fantasy Basketball Du-Rant

The Daily Fantasy Basketball season is winding down as the regular season sadly will come to a close a week from today. One good thing with so few games left on the schedule is that teams are choosing to sit some of their players whether to rest them up for the playoffs or to take the cautious approach with an eye to the future, either way it provides plenty of opportunity to find some value on a night with 12 games on the docket. So while the prospect of so few games left in the regular season may be causing a case of the basketball blues let’s hope today’s recommendations prove to be uplifting to your spirits and your bankroll.

A-All Star priced players that should put up All Star stats today (target 35+ FP, $16,000-on up).

GPP

DeMarcus Cousins (20.3%) can be a risky play as he has a tendency to get in foul trouble and/or you never know when he may lose his cool and get tossed, but in three games versus Portland this season he is averaging over 45 FP. Boogie has given the beatdown to the Kings last two opponents as he has exceeded 40 FP in each game. You can expect Cousins to extend his streak of double-digit boards to six games tonight and if Rudy Gay is out again expect Cousins to extend his streak of 23 or more field goal attempts to three games. [If you want to save a few dollars and play it a little safer then go with Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (19.3%) vs the Kings or Bulls center Joakim Noah (18.3%) in a matchup against the Tpuppies of Minnesota].

DU

James Harden (19.6%) has exceeded 34 FP in each of his last 10 games and is averaging over 50 FP over his last three games, including a 47.50 FP performance against the Nuggets this past Sunday. I like Harden even more if Dwight Howard is out again, but even if Howard plays Harden should still be in for a great night against a Nuggets team that are allowing the third most points to opponents on the season. Vegas sees this Houston/Denver game as the highest scoring contest of the evening, by far, as they have the over/under set 222.5.

B-rated Ballers: Big name players with big games, but not as high of a price tag as the top five or so priced players at each position (around 30 FP, $13,000-$16,000).

GPP

DeMar DeRozan (14.5%) I can inundate you with a bunch of stats to sell this recommendation but we both know it is unnecessary because the 76ers are the worst defensive team in the NBA. Philly is allowing opponents to score around 110 points per game this season, something DeRozan has taken full advantage of as he is averaging 31.3 ppg through the three previous matchups.

DU

Kenneth Faried (15.8%) has earned the nickname The Manimal, especially over about the last month as he has posted 30 or more FP in five of his last six games and 10 of his last 14. Faried has posted a double-double in each of his last three games, including going for 16 points and 13 rebounds (32.75 FP) in his last game, which was against tonight’s opponent the Houston Rockets. Tonight’s game is in Denver where Faried is averaging seven more FP/game then when he has played on the road this season.

C-as in players that COULD be in line to provide you with good to great value in the mid-tier price range (target 25+ FP, $10,000-$13,000).

GPP

Kyle O’Quinn (10.7%) has been in Beast Mode, which is fitting because he is a beastly looking dude in the ilk of Reggie Evans. You know, those type of dudes that you would not want to meet in a dark alley. While Evans is the type of player who would scare you just as much with his shot as he does his mug, O’Quinn is more skilled and aggressive on the offensive end as is evident by his PER 36 minutes stat line of 13.1 points (11.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.5 blocks). O’Quinn should see 30 or more minutes again tonight with Magic starting center Nikola Vucevic out with sore Achilles’ tendon, which provides O’Quinn the potential to post his second double-double in as many games as tonight’s opponent, the  Nets, are allowing opponents to rebound off the offensive glass at a rate of 27.8% of the time (third highest total in the NBA this season). I also like Bulls D.J. Augustin (11.2%) who has recorded 24 or more FP in five of his last six games and if he can take John Wall to school for 34 FP as he did in his last game then he should surely be able to at least match that going against Ricky Rubio and the TWolves tonight.

DU

Aaron Brooks (11.5%) gets the pleasure of facing the Rockets again tonight, this time in Denver, whom he torched for almost 50 FP in 47 minutes of action. Brooks and the Nuggets have had three days off since they matchup against Brooks former team, so expect him to be well rested enough to handle 40-plus minutes for the third game in a row as Ty Lawson remains out with a left ankle sprain. Brooks’ breakout is not a fluke as he is averaging 23 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists in 30 career games (29 starts) when he sees 40-plus minutes.

D-Discounted Dandies: Players on the cheap whose production may exceed what their discounted price tag suggests. (Double Digit Fantasy Production, $3,500-$10,000).

GPP

Rodney Stuckey (8.2%) has played 30-plus minutes in each of his last two games and could be in line to start again this evening should Josh Smith miss his second consecutive game. Stuckey is in the last year of his contract, which just adds a little more motivation for him to want to showcase his skills. In addition, Stuckey also gets an advantageous matchup tonight against a Cavs team that are allowing the fourth most FP to opposing shooting guards over the last 15 days. (Note: The Pacers are sitting George Hill, David West, and Lance Stephenson tonight, so there is plenty of value to be found starting with Evan Turner and Luis Scola whom both will get the start tonight against the Bucks).

DU

Greivis Vasquez (9.1%) Kyle Lowry practiced on Tuesday, but still remains questionable to play against the sad Sixers of Philadelphia. Should Lowry get another night off, Vazquez becomes a must start as his salary has not spiked much since he moved into the Raptors starting lineup three games ago. Vasquez has been near or above 30 FP in two of his last three starts with the one lower scoring affair coming against the best defensive team in the league in the Indiana Pacers. Vasquez should be in line for 30-plus points again tonight as Philly had been outscored by an average of almost 20 points over their last 13 road games prior to Friday’s contest in Boston and are allowing the most fantasy points to opposing point guards on the season. Again this is contingent on Kyle Lowry’s status. If Lowry plays then consider Nuggets forward Quincy Miller (5.9%) who went off for 36 FP in 34 minutes against the Rockets last game, whom he will face again tonight.

A possible DraftStreet GPP lineup to consider:


Best of Luck tonight and don’t be afraid to go rouge and post your questions in the comments section and/or send me a tweet @FantasyNomad.