The NBA Daily Plays for Monday, February 1st breaks down the best Stud, Value and GPP plays at each position for FanDuel and DraftKings daily fantasy sports contests. The Stud & Value plays should be considered relatively chalky and are ideal for cash games. The GPP plays dig a little deeper to hopefully find some low owned talent who could pay off big in a tournament. Make sure you check out our NBA projections page to help in your DFS research. We have also added an NBA Injury News page which monitors all injury news and offers pivot plays to consider if the injured player ends up sitting.
Game Lines
Point Guard
Studs
John Wall (FD $9,800, DK $9,400) –
Wall’s price is not what I’d like it to be, as I think he should be around the 9k mark, but he’s still worth it. We’ve seen his ceiling over nearly 80 fantasy points and he averages about 41 on the season. Tonight he takes on the Thunder in what will be a very high scoring game. A lot of people will flock to Russell Westbrook, rightfully so, but Wall is cheaper and has just as good of a matchup. These two superstars will be going at it all night and I’ll gladly take the one with the discount.
Values
Trey Burke (FD $4,600, DK $4,500)-
There’s not a whole lot of value in the PG department that I love today. With that being said, if I needed some value, I’d take a chance on Trey Burke. He gets the minutes and has a great matchup against Derrick Rose and the Bulls. He isn’t being relied on as much in the scoring department now that Favors is back, but he can easily reach value tonight.
GPP Plays
Kyle Lowry (FD $9,000, DK $8,700) –
Lowry might be my favorite guard play of the night. In fantasy sports, there is nothing more desirable than consistency. He averages nearly 40 fpts on the season and has a ceiling of around 50 points. He’s a great GPP play because everyone will be on Wall and Westbrook and overlook Lowry. Kyle will take full advantage of his great matchup against Denver and is worth heavy consideration in your lineups.
Shooting Guard
Studs
DeMar DeRozan (FD $8,200, DK $8,100) –
Normally, if you see Jimmy Butler on the slate, you’d want to play him. I’m not the biggest fan of Jimmy tonight as he gets a tough matchup against the Jazz. I’d much rather take DeRozan, who has a great matchup and is just a bit cheaper than Jimmy. DeMar hasn’t reached 40 fantasy points in a few games, but I think he gets back on track tonight in a matchup against the Nuggets. If you’re spending up at shooting guard, lock in DeRozan.
Values
Tony Allen (FD $4,700, DK $5,000)-
On most days, when trying to choose a shooting guard, I go through and see if the Kings or Pelicans are playing. WHAT!? They both play tonight!? $$$$ Tony Allen takes on the Pelicans, who are one of the worst teams in the league at defending SGs. He may not score 20 actual points a game, but he makes up for it in his defensive stats. Allen should easily reach and possibly exceed value tonight vs. New Orleans.
GPP Plays
Kris Middleton (FD $7,300, DK $7,100) –
You knew this was coming, didn’t you? Middleton takes on the Sacramento Kings tonight. A team I just love to target players against. Not only does Kris get one of the worst defensive teams in the league, but he’s actually been playing the best basketball of his career lately. It’s easy to fit him in your lineups tonight, so make sure to lock him in.
Small Forward
Studs
LeBron James (FD $10,000, DK $9,700) –
In LeBron’s last 5 games, he’s been averaging around 4.5x value at his current price. Not too shabby! But we all know he can do better. Tonight, he gets a tough matchup against Paul George and the Pacers. What am I saying? The King is nearly matchup proof and always seems to step it up, especially in tough matchups. LeBron is the one stud I will easily pay up for tonight, and you should too.
Values
Stanley Johnson (FD $4,100, DK $4,200) –
What if I told you there was a player that has been averaging 30 minutes per game, in his last 3, and is priced around 4k. Would you want to start him? Of course you would! In these past 3 games, he’s averaging 24.5 fantasy points a game and with his price being what it is, he’s an easy play for some savings.
GPP Plays
Rudy Gay (FD $7,600, DK $6,800) –
This pick really depends on the status of DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins sprained his ankle in his last game and is listed as questionable for tonight. When Cousins is off of the floor, Rudy’s usage goes sky high. He will be the main beneficiary with Cousins out and also gets a nice matchup against the Bucks. A lot of people will either pay up for LeBron or take a discount and go for Kawhi, but in a GPP, I’m all over Rudy if DeMarcus is out.
Power Forward
Studs
Paul Millsap (FD $8,400, DK $8,200) –
If you read this article on a regular basis, you might think that I copy and paste Millsap into this spot every day. He’s been a stud on this site almost every time he suits up. What’s not to love about this guy? He shows up every game and you know exactly what you’re getting from him. I lock him in just because I know I’m going to get a guaranteed 40 points. Lucky for us, he gets a nice matchup against Dirk and his old, terrible defense. Look for Paul to take advantage and reward his faithful followers.
Values
Willie Cauley-Stein (FD $4,100, DK $5,200) –
This is another pick that depends on the status of Cousins. If DMC is unable to go, then WCS is a great value play tonight. He takes on the Bucks, who have a big problem defending power forwards. Willie has cooled off in his past few games, but he’ll have to step up if their Kings main offensive weapon sits.
GPP Plays
Jabari Parker (FD $5,200, DK $5,300) –
It looks like I’ll be playing a lot of Bucks and Kings tonight. Parker gets a nice matchup against the Kings and it may be an even sweeter matchup if Boogie Cousins takes a seat. Parker has been playing well lately and has easily been reaching value. He can easily exceed value tonight, in what will be a high scoring game.
Center
Studs
Marc Gasol (FD $8,300, DK $7,700) –
Gasol is a little banged up right now, but how can you not play him against one of the worst defenses vs. Centers? That’s right, you can’t. In his last game, he played the Kings and played 34 minutes and was able to put up 47 fpts. Imagine what he could do against the Pelicans!? There are a lot of good centers on the board tonight, but Gasol should be the stud you lock in.
Values
Kosta Koufos (FD $3,500, DK $3,500)-
Like every King in this article, this all depends on if DeMarcus Cousins misses this game. Cousins is such a big part the offense in Sacramento and when he’s not around, the offensive responsibilities get spread around. Koufos is dirt dirt cheap and is worth playing in all formats if he gets the start. Keep an eye on Cousins’ status.
GPP Plays
Brook Lopez (FD $8,800, DK $7,400) or Andre Drummond (FD $8,500, DK $8,600) –
These two behemoths take each other on tonight. If if were possible to play them both tonight I would, and maybe you should in DK. Neither of them guard the the center position very well. Lopez is a great scorer, but a horrible rebounder. Drummond is an amazing rebounder, but not the best scorer. Pick your poison! I think both will have good games, and playing either or both will work out well.
