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All throughout the 2014-15 NBA campaign, RotoBaller will be analyzing the top NBA DFS lineup picks and providing our expert advice for the best sleepers at the guard, forward and center positions. Below are our favorite FanDuel DFS picks for January 30th, 2015.
Keep in mind, fantasy basketball is a fickle game when it comes to injured players, so be sure to check all lineups prior to tip-off. If you want to chat about your roster picks, check out the DFS chat room at the bottom of this post.
Editors Note: If you have not tried out FanDuel 1-day fantasy basketball leagues, RotoBaller offers the best bonuses around. Signup and make a deposit for a new FanDuel account, and receive a 100% bonus on your deposit up to $200.
Worth the Investment
James Harden (HOU, SG) - $11,200
The Beard should have no problem finding the basket in Boston. He torched the Celtics earlier this year to the tune of 26 points, 8 boards, 6 assists and 4 steals and that was on a night in which he shot 5 for 14 from the field.
Despite the somewhat recent flurry of trades made, the Celtics are 10th in the league in scoring average and third in pace. Expect a high scoring affair in Boston’s Garden in which the league’s WAR leader should take advantage of a plethora of opportunities.
Kyrie Irving (CLE, PG) - $9,500
With 93 points in two games it is clear that Irving is on some kind of tear. Add in that Lebron James’ injured wrist is causing him to be listed as doubtful and one can accurately project that Irving will be taking over the scoring duties for the Cavs. Irving should be a top FanDuel point producer on Friday night.
Rudy Gay (SAC, SF) - $7,800
If LBJ is playing, then Gay becomes a bit of a liability so be sure to check the lineups before the opening jump. If all goes as it should, Shawn Marion will more than likely get the start in lieu of LBJ, and though Marion has not been a terrible defender, he is certainly no LeBron.
Gay’s teammate, DeMarcus Cousins, is also on the fence and listed as questionable. If Boogie doesn’t suit up, Gay’s stock only increases as he will need to fill the scoring void.
Thaddeus Young (MIN, PF) - $6,800
As a personal rule of thumb, we try to stay away from guys that are dramatically inconsistent. Regrettably Young fits that aforementioned attribute, but his Friday night upside against the lowly Sixers is just too irresistible to ignore.
Young’s numbers have improved throughout the month of January as he has seen his ORating climb to 105 in 15 games while Friday is his most productive day of the week. He is averaging 16.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.8 APG on Fridays. Meanwhile the Sixers remain among the bottom feeders of the league against opposing power forwards.
Isaiah Thomas (PHO, PG) - $5,800
The Bulls visit the desert and test a young, athletic Suns team. Coming off a double overtime loss to the Lakers and playing their third game in four days, fatigue may be an issue for Chicago against a Phoenix squad that likes to run with pace.
Though Thomas will split minutes with starter Goran Dragic, the reserve guard is playing more minutes as the season progresses and has been making the most of his time on the court.
As for the Bulls, guards Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich and Aaron Brooks are all experiencing a lower DRating compared to their respective season averages on zero days of rest. All three played considerable minutes in Thursday night’s game. Thomas should exploit whoever his matchup may be.
Top Sleepers
Harrison Barnes (GS, SF) - $4,500
The Splash Brothers have garnered most of the attention (with good reason) but Barnes has been a steady and much improved player for the Warriors. The third year swingman out of North Carolina has seen an increase in his production across the board despite having his floor usage fall nearly three percentage points from last season.
The Jazz typically don’t allow opposing small forwards to have solid games, however Gordon Hayward may see a decrease in minutes due to a sinus illness. If Hayward doesn’t play things could get ugly for Utah and Barnes could see plenty of minutes in lieu of starter Draymond Green
Joey Dorsey (HOU, C) - $3,500
Players listed with the lowest possible budgets have had two outcomes for my FanDuel teams: poor and terrible. That being said, we expect Dorsey to buck the trend.
The injury to Dwight Howard will make Dorsey the probable starter against Boston and the Celtics have a history of consistently allowing opposing centers to have solid games. They’ve allowed 50.5 FDPPG (fifth most) to opposing centers over the last 10 games as they’ve dealt with injuries and trades.
Dorsey’s 6’8, 268 pound frame isn’t too imposing but he has 28 pounds on his probable matchup Brandon Bass. At the very least, Dorsey should grab a high number of rebounds. His 18.9TRB% (a stat that measures a player’s ability to grab rebounds while on the court) trumps the 11.3% of Bass. His budget allows owners to spend lavishly on big name games while expecting a 5.5 return on investment.
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