Squaring off against eight other sites in the fantasy sports industry, RotoWire has so far fared well in the FanDuel Partners Basketball Championship (FPBC), with back-to-back 300-point outings pushing us into third in the standings. Considering half of the journey is in the rearview mirror, we'll be seeking another fruitful night in order to continue the climb. With that in mind, here are the Top 5 FanDuel plays of the day.
Damian Lillard, PG, POR at GS ($9,600) – Lillard has set the Twittersphere alight in two previous showdowns with the Warriors, including 73.5 FDP on the backs of 51 points, seven assists, six steals, and no turnovers in the Blazers' first game following the break. His other matchup against the reigning champs wasn't anything to sniff at, either – 63.6 FDP on Jan. 8 – which is a reflection of Golden State's breakneck pace and their propensity to concede considerable output to opposing point guards. Honing in on the last 10 games, the Warriors have allowed the second-most FDP per game (46.8) to point men, according to RotoWire's Defense vs. Position Stats, while Lillard himself boasts a usage rate of 35.1% in that same span. All signs point to another shootout with Curry, and Lillard should be up to the task, as he's returned 5.15 times his value so far in the second half of the season.
Victor Oladipo, SG, ORL at SAC ($7,000) – Although Brandon Jennings seems like the obvious candidate to profit as Elfrid Payton tends to a sprained elbow, Oladipo could receive a significant amount of residual ball-handling duties due to his ability to distribute the rock. Of the four games missed by Payton in early January, Oladipo totaled 15 assists, which lines up with his season-long mark of 3.9 dimes per contest. Even if he deviates little from that run, he's facing the Kings, who are the standard-bearers in terms of pace (102.5 possessions per game), claim the sixth-worst defensive efficiency (106.4 points allowed per 100 possessions), and have given up the fifth-most FDP per game (36.4) to two-guards. After notching 39.8 and 35.8 FDP on the first two legs of a west coast road swing at Golden State and the Lakers, respectively, Oladipo is in the perfect clime to continue that clip.
Trevor Ariza, SF, HOU at BOS ($6,200) – Among the most deficient positions to conjure two acceptable players on a nightly basis, Friday's schedule has served up Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Rudy Gay on a platter. Ariza likewise toggles between small and power forward, which are two spots that the relatively stout Celtics have struggled to defend this season. In particular, Boston has surrendered the seventh-most FDP per game (47.9) to PF and the 11th-most (35.4) to SF, meaning the versatility he provides could yield the desired DFS results. The matchup is always important to keep in mind, but the No. 1 fantasy stat is minutes, and Ariza has been picking them up with regularity, namely at least 40 minutes in five of nine post-break outings. While he's failed to reach 30 FDP in four consecutive games, his usage signals that a bounce back is nigh.
Draymond Green, PF, GS vs POR ($8,200) – Within NBA circles, Green may be the current master of turning supposed slights into motivation for team and, by proxy, individual success. In the aftermath of their most-lopsided loss of the current campaign in Portland on Feb. 19, the Warriors sniped to the media about the Blazers' overt celebrations. Whether or not Green was the ringleader, he'll no doubt be aiming to erase the memory of a nine-turnover performance. If one disregards that category, he's averaged 12.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 9.0 assists, and 0.5 blocks in 32 minutes in two showings at Rip City in 2015-16. The preceding line is equivalent to 47.3 FDP per 36, which, if replicated Friday, would return nearly 5.8X his sticker price.
DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC vs NYK ($8,400) – Since the calendar flipped to March, Jordan has routinely abused the competition, posting 48.6, 48.2, 56.5, and 30.4 FDP in four games to date. Corresponding to 47.2 FDP per 36 minutes, he's been presented with a Knicks squad that resides in the bottom third of the NBA in defensive efficiency and defensive rebounding rate, which are two realms in which he thrives. On the other side of the coin, he managed just 31.6 FDP in 30 minutes in the other matchup with the Knicks on Jan. 22, but his track record at home since the break (39.5 FDP per game) suggests that another double-double and numerous defensive counting stats will be there for the taking.