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Happy Wednesday, RotoBallers, and welcome back to our new series covering RIVAL Fantasy Bingo picks for the NBA season! We will be covering how to play and the strategies to win.
Fantasy Bingo is a spin on the classic game Bingo but the goal is to match achievements, not numbers. You will build a DFS lineup for the weekly games to unlock the achievements and fill in those squares. You can win by getting five in a row, all four corners, or an entire card blackout.
The prize pool for the weekly slate is distributed among all of the winning cards. They are broken down in two ways. 56% of the prize pool to cards that have five in a row -- vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. 44% of the prize pool is for cards that just cover the four corners. Also, the prize pool gets larger as more bingo cards are entered. You can have up to 100 max cards all with different lineups created. Check here for the updated rules and scoring.
RIVAL Fantasy Bingo Strategy
When it comes to Fantasy Bingo and the NBA, the strategy will be different than the NFL strategy. Stacking would go out the window unless the slate is two to three games. Targeting high usage players though is the same. Players who can fill multiple categories on the stat sheet like Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Ben Simmons (surprisingly). On top of that, if players are averaging double-doubles or triple-doubles at a good rate, you'll want to get a piece of that pie as the Bingo Cards may call for it.
Targeting defensive players who are logging more than two blocks or steals per game will be needed also. Those appear at a consistent rate on the Bingo Cards. Players like Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Davis, and Joel Embiid excel at blocks and are averaging more than two per game. For steals, players like Marcus Smart, Donovan Mitchell, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are already recording 2.5 steals per game.
Filling every single category of the stat sheet will be needed as you construct your lineups. Spreading it out between key offensive and defensive players as there is no salary cap for you to be restricted by. Look for games with high totals, teams that play at a fast pace, and players that may get boosts from teammates ruled out due to injuries. You can make your lineups throughout the night but waiting for injury news to rule in will be your best route to go before the first game tips off.
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RIVAL Fantasy Bingo Picks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. New York Knicks
The New York Knicks will have their hands full with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tonight. With the faster pace of play siding with the Oklahoma City Thunder, SGA is in line for some heavy action. He's currently averaging 31 points, with 4.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists while averaging 34.7 minutes per game. This is the highest usage rate that he has held in his career with 32.7%. While he isn't averaging a double-double, SGA is averaging nearly 20 field goal attempts per game, and some Fantasy Bingo squares do pop up for multiple field goal attempts made.
From a defensive standpoint, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander adds to the boards also. He has had ten straight games with two or more steals and in those ten games, he has added at least one block in five of them. Overall, he makes for a solid Bingo play tonight.
Scottie Barnes vs. Washington Wizards
Scottie Barnes is the man to play across every single lineup tonight. He gets an amazing matchup versus the Washington Wizards who are ranked last versus opposing forwards. They are allowing them to average 26.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. What makes this matchup even sweeter is that Toronto is in a pace-up spot as Washington ranks second in possessions per game with 107.2. Now compare that to Toronto's 102.3 and Barnes will be getting more opportunities to dominate tonight.
Barnes is nearly averaging a double-double on the season with 20.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. He has notched one in three of his last five games. Similar to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he has added at least one block in his six games and nine out of the past ten. He is the all-around work tool for tonight's Bingo cards.
Julius Randle vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Julius Randle may be in a tougher spot versus the Oklahoma City Thunder but the pace-up spot is one to target. The New York Knicks currently average 100.8 possessions per game while the Thunder average 104.8. Randle is tinkering on the border of averaging a double-double per game with 22.9 points and 9.4 rebounds. With the pace being faster tonight, he should be another key piece to fill up those boards.
On top of the double-double potential, Randle is a turnover machine at times. Besides the first game of the season, he has turned the ball over one or more times. In his past ten games, he has had more than two in nine of them. He gives an upside to filling up the negative squares.
Chet Holmgren vs. New York Knicks
Stacking the Oklahoma City Thunder game versus the New York Knicks is going to be my favorite spot and adding on Chet Holmgren is someone I want. His usage rate is low at 22.1% but he brings the blocking aspect to the lineup. In his last five games, he has had a total of 19 blocks and in one of those games, he had zero. Holmgren put up eight blocks versus the Denver Nuggets and seven versus the Memphis Grizzlies, in back-to-back games.
This will be another difficult game for him as the New York Knicks are a tough team for some centers. They currently allow opposing centers to average 20.6 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. However, they are allowing 2.4 blocks per game and that could be the bread and butter for Chet Holmgren while racking up some rebounds along the way.
RIVAL Fantasy Bingo Lineup
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