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In our NBA Fantasy Basketball Daily Shopper series, RotoBaller Brad Leibfried brings you his expert picks for NBA Daily League contests on DraftStreet.
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The Daily NBA Fantasy Shopper: NBA Expert Picks for DraftStreet - 1/8/2014
PG: Victor Oladipo ($11,503): Coming off of another stellar performance, Oladipo should have a shot at another big game. In his last game he posted 22 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists against the Clippers. The concerning thing about Oladipo is that he seems to be losing playing time, however with Nikola Vucevic likely out again, the Magic may go with more of a small-ball lineup. The game with the Blazers could get out of hand tonight, which helps Oladipo as the team will likely use him in the fourth quarter regardless of the score.
SG: Joe Johnson ($9,583): Johnson was mired in a huge slump prior to Monday night. He had posted five straight games under 10 points, but with Deron Williams out Monday, Johnson returned to form, torching the Hawks for 23 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. The Nets matchup with the Warriors tonight should be a high-scoring affair and without Williams, Johnson should again shine as one of the main playmakers for coach Jason Kidd.
SF: Paul George ($17,276): On the exact opposite side of the world as Johnson, George had been playing great basketball up until his last game. Despite his off night against the Raptors, George is having a career season, averaging 23.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists. A game with the Hawks should be able to cure his mini-slump as Kyle Korver poses little threat to George on defense. Look for the Pacers star to assert his dominance.
PF: Jared Sullinger ($10,875): He may not have been spectacular this year, but Sullinger has been very consistent. Even though he is getting just 26.2 minutes per game over the past two weeks, he has been able to post near double-double averages. He has had a double-double in two of his past four games while grabbing over 7 rebounds in five straight games. In his last game against the Clippers, Sullinger had 10 points and 9 rebounds; look for him to improve on those numbers this time around.
C: Dwight Howard ($18,893): Howard will once again get a shot to show his former employer what they are missing, as the Rockets take on the Lakers. He is having a huge year, scoring 17.8 points, pulling down 12.9 rebounds and blocking 1.8 shots per game on the season. Howard does have three straight games without a double-double, but he remained effective in those games. The Lakers are also one of the worst defensive teams in the league and a big man rotation of Pau Gasol, Robert Sacre and Jordan Hill should pose little threat to Howard’s dominance. Even at this price, the former Laker should have no problem outperforming the investment.
U: Al-Farouq Aminu ($10,537): With the news that Ryan Anderson is going to be out for a while with a herniated disc, Aminu should see his value rise. Aminu will never wow you with scoring, but his defensive abilities make him a viable play in this type of game. You don’t need to look any further than last night’s game to see what he can provide. Even though he only scored 6 points, he also had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Aminu should be able to match or top those numbers tonight against the Wizards.
U: Terrence Ross ($8,987): Tonight’s wildcard pick is certainly Ross. Since the Rudy Gay trade, Ross has been a much bigger part of the offense. He has scored in double figures in seven of his past 13 games while also tossing in some rebounds each game. That said, Ross is coming off a 3-point performance last night. The good news is that last night's matchup was against the best defensive team in the league, while tonight he plays a Detroit team that is considerably worse defensively. Ross comes at a cheap price and could be a huge success tonight.
