It's the start of the NBA season and although my focus for the next several months will be on NFL, during the week I need something to do and will be dabbing a bit into NBA DFS. That said, I might as well put out a couple articles on my DFS picks when I do play. Just note, I play periodically and don't expect to put these articles out on a regular set schedule. These will be less detailed than my NFL articles but as always will include guys I will be playing in my own lineups.
Tonight we focus on a smaller 4-game NBA slate. Picks include a combination of value and top dollar plays. I utilize defense vs position in a lot of my NBA analysis and must point out www.hashtagbasketball.com for their great collection of matchup data. Let me know your thoughts on tonight slate in the comments below. Make sure you check lineups prior to lock as a lot can change between now and tip off. Without further ado are my top picks on the slate.
Jamal Murray
Jamal Murray stands out to me tonight as a great value play for a number of reasons. First, he should get plenty of run tonight with Will Burton sidelined. His usage should see an uptick along with his overall minutes. Second, the Nuggets are playing on the road in LA against one of the poorest defensive teams in the NBA so far. The Lakers have very little interest guarding opponents and give up big points to guards. Third, with all this being said, the Denver at LA game is the highest project total on the slate, meaning we should see plenty of scoring. At $5,900, Murray should easily hit value.
LeBron James
Typically I shy away from players that are on their 3rd game in 4 days, especially when travel is involved but I will be making an exception for James tonight. It is a short slate, so your superstar talent really comes down to James vs Westbrook and I believe James is the safer bet. For one, he only played 28 minutes last night in a blowout win which helps ease the concern of exhaustion. More so, he still put up over 50 DK points in limited time last night. His usage remains high with several key players suspended as he takes over more ball handling roles. Compared to Westbrook, James is also playing at home, in the highest total game vs a much weaker defense. James is the safe play tonight.
Blake Griffin
Unfortunately the Cleveland at Detroit game tonight has a pretty low game score total, but that doesn't affect me wanting to get exposure to Blake Griffin. He has been a monster so far to start the season. His shots taken have increased each game, most notably Tuesday night when he took a rediculous 35 attempts in an OT win. His price has risen but the opportunity is there to hit value each night based on usage alone. Add in double digits rebounds and 35 minutes of playing time vs a weak Cleveland front court and Griffin slots in as a great okay at $9,600 tonight.
Those are my top plays for this evening's small slate. As always, good luck out there and let's win some money!
