RADIO
On MLK Day, many of you will be home with some extra time on your hands. In our NBA Fantasy Basketball Daily Shopper series, RotoBaller Brad Leibfried brings you his expert picks for NBA Daily League contests on DraftStreet.
Editor's Note: For those of you hardcore fantasy basketball gamers, Draftstreet has an exclusive offer for RotoBaller members. Register through this link and you will be given a free 100% bonus on your first deposit! Put in up to $200, and you'll get another $200 for free to play on Draftstreet. You'll also be invited to FREE contests with cash prize and can enter NBA Freerolls. Pretty sweet deal!
The Daily NBA Fantasy Shopper: NBA Expert Picks for DraftStreet - 1/20/2014
PG: John Wall ($19,072): Wall has been playing well of late as he has three straight games over 20 points as well at 26 assists in those three games. His recent scoring binge has gotten his season average over 20 points per game on the season to go along with his stellar 8.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals a game. All of those make for a good night in most of his matchups, but considering tonight he gets the Sixers, Wall could make a case as being the top player going tonight. Philadelphia is last in points allowed per game and struggles mightily against opposing point guards. A big night should be in the works for Wall.
SG: Joe Johnson ($13,912): In the past few weeks Joe Johnson has returned to his form of past years. In that time he is putting up 20.7 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.8 rebounds a game. With Brook Lopez already out and Deron Williams missing time, Johnson has had to be option one on the offensive end. He is getting nearly 36 minutes a game and shooting nearly 49% over the past few games which has allowed his scoring to soar. He has 23 or more points in four of his past five games and tonight gets a Knicks team that held him to 4-15 shooting in their first game, but has been prone to giving up big games to opposing players. Even with his value creeping up, Johnson should be able to cover his price tag today.
SF: Luol Deng ($12,442): After a couple of slow games with his new team, Deng has meshed in well with the Cavs over the past three games. In those games he has posted 27, 25 and 18 points respectively as well as his standard averages rebounds and steals. His matchup tonight with Dallas should be a good one as the Mavs give up 102.6 points a game and are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. With his value still relatively low, Deng could be in for a night in which he blows away his price for the day.
PF: Dirk Nowitzki ($15,596): In the same game as Deng, Nowitzki has continued to play great basketball for Dallas. His last game against Portland was a bit of a disappointment with just 18 points and 3 rebounds, however prior to that he had a 5 game stretch where he combined for 127 points. With Cleveland in the bottom third of the NBA in points allowed, the Dallas and Cleveland game could be the highest scoring game of the night which means great things for the Mavs leader. Expect Dirk to exceed his season averages of 21 points and 6 rebounds in the game tonight.
C: Joakim Noah ($18,845): Noah has been an absolute monster over the past few games for the Bulls. He has pulled down double digit rebounds in 12 straight games while also scoring over 10 in seven of those games. Those are enough for a solid fantasy play but Noah really makes his value in blocks and steals. He has blocked at least one shot 11 of his last 12 games and has a steal in 10 of those games. With big points awarded for defensive stats, Noah should be able to have monster night against a Lakers front line that is among the worst in all of the NBA.
U: Ramon Sessions ($7,392): One of the best backup point guards in the NBA will get to show his value over the next few weeks. Sessions will move into the starting role for the Bobcats with news that Kemba Walker will be out with a severe ankle injury. Sessions hasn’t done a ton this year in his backup role as he's played about 24 minutes a game but in that time is putting up around 9 points and 3 assists a game. In 38 minutes of play on Saturday he scored 16 points along with 5 assists and 3 rebounds against Miami. The Raptors are currently third in the NBA in defense, but at a dirt cheap price Sessions will be well worth a play tonight. Be sure to watch his price going forward as he could provide good value for several days this week.
U: Jimmy Butler ($11,259): With Luol Deng now in Cleveland, Chicago has relied heavily on Butler to be their do it all playmaker. That has led to a remarkable 41 minutes a game over the past two weeks. He has disappointed a bit in the scoring category as he has only averaged 12 points a game despite the huge minutes. However, Butler has been a very solid contributor in rebounds, assists and steals. It is not much of a surprise that with an increased work load his field goal percentage has gone down, but that should be helped tonight by a Lakers team that allows opponents to shoot 45% from the field this year. Butler should have a chance to have one of the best games of his season against Los Angeles tonight.
