NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 2/25/13
I think I've developed a fool-proof formula to getting rid of a case of the Mondays. It's not mathematically sound, so still with me here. But it's... focusing as little on your job and as much on the NBA as humanly possible. I see no way this can go wrong. And thankfully, we can help.
Today, we're actually going to help in a different way. We know that people play all sorts of fantasy platforms, not just from from our friends at StarStreet but on other platforms such as DraftStreet and FanDuel as well. So today, we're not only going to give you one, but three optimized rosters, all for you, the numberFire reader.
As you can see, there are some minor differences between the rosters. That has to do with two key components: the position restrictions on each site, and the different player pricing system on the sites as well. We've plugged this data into our player projection system, and we've come up with the best overall values for your Daily Fantasy team on each platform today.
As always, the full tables for today's action are available at our Daily Fantasy Projections page. Make sure to check it out to see where the best values are for your team.
StarStreet Optimized Roster
| Player | Position | Projected FP | Cost | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kobe Bryant | G | 41.08 | $15,700 | 2.62 |
| Josh Smith | F | 39.08 | $14,800 | 2.64 |
| Dwight Howard | C | 35.78 | $13,500 | 2.65 |
| Paul Pierce | F | 33.00 | $12,200 | 2.70 |
| DeMar DeRozan | G | 26.80 | $9,500 | 2.82 |
| Metta World Peace | F | 25.43 | $9,500 | 2.68 |
| Steve Nash | G | 25.30 | $9,300 | 2.72 |
| Kyle Korver | G | 21.15 | $8,000 | 2.64 |
| Corey Brewer | F | 20.20 | $7,500 | 2.69 |
DraftStreet Optimized Roster
| Player | Position | Projected FP | Cost | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Smith | F | 34.73 | $17,513 | 1.98 |
| Kobe Bryant | G | 36.45 | $16,976 | 2.15 |
| Greg Monroe | C | 30.25 | $15,245 | 1.98 |
| Kevin Garnett | G | 27.70 | $13,906 | 1.99 |
| Kenneth Faried | F | 25.30 | $11,672 | 2.17 |
| Steve Nash | G | 24.65 | $10,681 | 2.31 |
| Rodney Stuckey | SG | 18.38 | $7,036 | 2.61 |
| Corey Brewer | F | 17.33 | $6,431 | 2.69 |
Fan Duel Optimized Roster
| Player | Position | Projected FP | Cost | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Smith | PF | 35.8 | $9,100 | 3.93 |
| Kobe Bryant | SG | 38.3 | $9,000 | 4.26 |
| Al Jefferson | C | 32.9 | $7,700 | 4.27 |
| Paul Pierce | SF | 30.4 | $7,300 | 4.16 |
| Nene Hilario | PF | 25.4 | $6,200 | 4.10 |
| Kyle Lowry | PG | 25.4 | $5,800 | 4.38 |
| Metta World Peace | SF | 23.6 | $5,400 | 4.37 |
| Steve Nash | PG | 22.7 | $5,200 | 4.37 |
| Rodney Stuckey | SG | 19.3 | $4,300 | 4.49 |
The Best of the Best
Kobe Bryant - The Denver Nuggets have the force behind them at the Pepsi Center, as Michael Ruemmele analyzed earlier today. That doesn't necessarily extend to their opponents' end of the floor, however. The Nuggets are a pedestrian 14th in defensive rating and 16th in defensive effective field goal percentage (eFG%). While that wouldn't normally mean a high value for Kobe, 78 points combined over his past two games is a streak worth riding if he's not facing a top-notch defense.
Josh Smith - Smith isn't the top value on the board today, but he's better than Al Jefferson, teammate Al Horford, or any other number of high-priced players that you could throw out to replace him. But it's his opponent that secures him a place on our optimized roster. The Pistons are 17th in defensive rating and, perhaps more important for those looking at Smith, 23rd in defensive rebound percentage. Smith's 6.2 percent offensive rebound rate should net him a couple of put-back looks tonight and help him grab his second-straight double-double.
Paul Pierce - Found on both our StarStreet and Fan Duel rosters (and just barely missing the cut with a 2.11 value on DraftStreet), Pierce should have the opportunity to go off tonight against the weak Utah perimeter defense. The Jazz are allowing opposing small forwards to shoot .510 eFG% against them this season, the highest opposing eFG% percentage of any single position. Pierce should have the opportunity to attack often tonight.
Top Mid-Range Values
Steve Nash - Who likes to run? I'd say Steve Nash does, if his Phoenix days are any indication. And running is exactly what he's going to be doing tonight: the opposing Nuggets have the second-fastest pace in the NBA, even quicker than the Lakers' third-ranked pace. When Ty Lawson's team-high 109 defensive rating is also factored in, Nash should have more open looks than his teammates (yes, even Kobe) tonight. We've knocked him down a peg for his sore back issues, but even that does not stop him from being on all three of today's optimized rosters.
Rodney Stuckey - For those needing guaranteed heavy minutes for a low cost, Rodney Stuckey's your boy today. Will Bynum is out for tonight's game against Atlanta on suspension, and Brandon Knight remains questionable leading up to game time. It'll be up to Stuckey - coming off three straight double-digit scoring games as it is - to handle an increased portion of the load tonight. That's good news against a Hawks team that allows opposing shooting guards to put up a decent (but not great) .486 eFG% and 20.8 points per game against them this year.
Corey Brewer - The lowest-cost player on both our StarStreet and DraftStreet rosters, Brewer should be able to put up solid points without costing your team much sweet, sweet cash. Brewer has scored in double-digits in seven of his past nine games, and he's averaged 16.3 points in three games against the Lakers already this year. More important for me, though, is that Brewer is guaranteed minutes for a low cost: he has played at least 24 minutes in six of his past seven contests, and that was with Danilo Gallinari healthy. Gallinari was limited by an injury against Charlotte on Saturday and is probable, but most likely limited again, tonight against L.A.
