Daily Fantasy Basketball Strategy: November 30, 2015

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A second straight eight-game NBA slate really bears out the balance commissioner Adam Silver was
looking for in the schedule this year. All in all, its a pretty decent night with a couple high-scoring games and a couple that aren’t quite as appealing. Let’s take a look at Monday top plays.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball Strategy: November 29, 2015

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There are eight NBA games being played Sunday, but two of them are in the early time slots. With the big GPPs only including the late night games, today’s picks will also only include the games starting at 6 p.m. or later. There’s still a good amount of players to choose from, so let’s get right to it.

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Dissecting DraftKings for NFL Week 12

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Last week was a tough one for injuries and Devonta Freeman going down cost me multiple cashes,
just barely too. Unrelated to those injuries, it's time to shake up the format of this article a little bit. Rather than treating tournament plays separately, they'll be looked at in terms of stacks, both between a quarterback and his weapons and a running back and his defense.

The top cash-game plays will still come the same way, along with additional tournament picks, and hopefully this can delineate better between the two formats. For obvious reasons, anybody listed as a top cash-game play is viable in GPPs, but may be highly owned.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball Strategy: November 28, 2015

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After taking Thursday off and providing us with a big 14-game slate Friday, the NBA has fallen back to an average slate Saturday with seven games, one of which projects to be the definition of racehorse basketball. Let’s waste no time in getting to the breakdown and trying to project Saturday’s action here.

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Week 11 Rookie Report: Allen gets his shot, Nelson flashes deep-ball skills

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At this point in the NFL season, the injuries are really starting to pile up, even for teams that remained relatively healthy through the first two months. The last few weeks have been particularly devastating for some teams, with the Baltimore Ravens at the top of the list. Their rookie fourth-round running back stepped into a bigger role this week with Justin Forsett injured, but he wasn’t the only rookie to show out with extra playing time. Chris Tripodi takes a look at Week 11’s impact first-year talents.

Javorius Allen (RB-Bal)

For the second straight season, the Ravens drafted a big running back in the fourth round to add depth behind a smaller, injured veteran. Last year, it was Coastal Carolina’s Lorenzo Taliaferro, a 6-0, 225-pound back who slotted in behind starter Ray Rice.

This season, Javorius “Buck” Allen from USC was drafted as insurance for Justin Forsett, who emerged after Rice’s release in 2014. With Taliaferro on injured reserve and Forsett breaking his arm early in Sunday’s win over the Rams, Allen carried the load for Baltimore, rushing 22 times for 67 yards and catching five passes out of the backfield for 48 yards.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball Strategy: November 25, 2015

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The NBA is off on Thanksgiving Thursday to make way for the all-day slate of NFL games, which means we have a big 12-game slate planned for Wednesday before the league goes on hiatus for a day. With 24 of 30 teams in actions, there’s tons of injury news and good matchups to make for some exciting plays in the last NBA action before the holiday.

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It's time for New York Jets to start Geno Smith at quarterback

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With their 24-17 loss in Houston on Sunday, the New York Jets have fallen into a four-way tie for the AFC's final Wild Card spot. Previously tied with just the Buffalo Bills, the Jets now have to contend with the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans at 5-5 as well.

The Bills and Texans are treading water while the Jets trend down, and the Chiefs are red hot with four straight wins following a 1-4 start. On the surface, it may seem like the Jets have a decent chance of making the playoffs, but a New York Times simulator disagrees, putting their chances of making the playoffs at 12 percent. The Chiefs sit at 79 percent, the Texans at 39 and the Bills at 36. Kansas City has an easy schedule down the stretch, while New York faces three teams with at least five wins and the Dallas Cowboys, who are 3-0 with Tony Romo under center.

My preseason sentiment after Ryan Fitzpatrick was named the starter was that the Jets' ceiling was 8-8, even with a potentially solid running game and a good defense. I was eating plenty of crow after the team's 4-1 start, but now it appears that the Jets' ultimate ceiling is, in fact, what I thought it was. 

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Daily Fantasy Basketball Strategy: November 21, 2015

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A mild seven-game slate awaits us after an action-packed Friday night in the NBA. Based on the Vegas totals, this projects to be a slightly below-average night from a fantasy perspective, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t stars to play and value to mine. Let’s take a closer look at the slate below.

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Dissecting DraftKings for NFL Week 11

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Back in action after a week off from NFL DFS, it's time to forego the long introduction and get right into the top plays of the week. With the Steelers, Giants and Saints all off this week, some solid fantasy options won't be available for players, but there's still plenty of good to choose from.

Quarterback
 
Top Plays
 
Derek Carr ($6,300) at DET
Cam Newton ($6,900) vs. WAS
Tom Brady ($8,500) vs. BUF
 
If Derek Carr was playing at home, he'd be the perfect play, but we'll have to settle for very good. Raiders-Lions projects to be a shootout, and the Detroit secondary has struggled all season. Carr is still priced moderately at $6,300 and has at least 22 fantasy points in four straight games, with two 30-point performances mixed in.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball Strategy: November 19, 2015

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After a plush 10-game Wednesday slate, the NBA has turned back to clock to last season, where light Thursday schedules were commonplace. With just three games on tap, options may be limited, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some good DFS action on the night. Let’s take a look at what Vegas think of this slate.

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Week 10 Rookie Report: Langford impresses again, Patriots have another steal

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This week’s Rookie Report has an interesting mix of rookies for evaluation purposes. Three of the  
four players profiled below were viewed as either too raw to make much of an early impact or question marks when it came to effort level, but went in the first two rounds anyway. The only one who had neither of those labels entering the NFL wasn’t taken until Day 3 and has enjoyed a two-week audition for 2016 while replacing his team’s injured starter, who also happens to be a free agent in the offseason. Chris Tripodi reveals the identities of these players and breaks down what he saw in Week 10.

Jeremy Langford (RB-Chi)

Langford made his second straight start in place of the injured Matt Forte on Sunday against a tough Rams defense. After totaling 142 yards and a touchdown on 21 touches the week before in San Diego, Langford turned 20 carries and seven receptions into 182 total yards and two scores to help lead the Bears to a 37-13 win in St. Louis. There’s a chance Forte returns to the lineup in Week 12 but if he doesn’t, Langford has proven he can carry the load successfully against any defense, and the Bears are less likely to rush their starter back as a result.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball Strategy: November 17, 2015

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It’s been an interesting week for this New York DFS player. That sentence speaks for itself, but after a much-needed week away from the game, it’s time to get back on the grind. After a six-game Monday night, the NBA has treated us to a seven-game Tuesday, which is more than enough games to find some good plays but nothing overwhelming. Let’s get to the Vegas lines.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball Strategy: November 10, 2015

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Last night, the sweat was on. One of my turbo teams was dominating, and I sat in first place of a 4600-man GPP at the end of the third quarter of Spurs-Kings, just needing another good quarter to make a big splash. Unfortunately, the blowout nature of the game kept Tim Duncan on the bench instead of on his way to 40 fantasy points as the Kings and Spurs benches duked it out for much of the final quarter. That, ladies and gentleman, is why you try to avoid projected blowouts in NBA DFS. I’ll take my ninth-place finish, but it could’ve been so much better.

Like Monday, we have another seven-game slate on tap, so let’s get right to it.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball Strategy: November 9, 2015

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Sunday’s short slate looked boring to start and with the Lakers-Knicks game coming in 15 points under its projection, the only thing that saved it was high-scoring games between the Suns and Thunder and the Pistons and Blazers. If you found a way to get my top plays like Kristaps Porzingis, Andre Drummond, Eric Bledsoe, Russell Westbrook and Robin Lopez or some combination of the five in a lineup together, you likely did pretty well. Monday is back with seven games, and a lot more meat on the bone.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball Strategy: November 8, 2015

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After the last two nights had 18 games spread nicely across the ledger, Sunday brings us just five, and that’s only if you’re playing the all-day slate on DraftKings. The picks below will assume you have access to all the games. It’s a somewhat ugly slate, so be prepared.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball Strategy: November 7, 2015

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After Friday’s exciting 10-game slate, Saturday returns with eight games, including two Western Conference matchups that project to be high-scoring and fast-paced. Let’s get right to it, and we will be excluding the 6:05 p.m. game between Minnesota and Chicago, as DraftKings hasn’t included it in their Saturday slate.

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Dissecting DraftKings for NFL Week 9

For three straight weeks, Todd Gurley has been a DFS horse. This week, a stingy matchup with Minnesota and an ever-increasing price make Gurley fadeable for the first time in a while. That's not to say playing him is a mistake, but he's no longer the unmistakable value he was, and his opponent certainly plays a part in that. Don't worry, I have a new horse to ride for the time being.

As usual, top plays are more focused on players to play in cash games, but will be solid tournament picks if you diversify your roster elsewhere. Tournament shots are guys who are not safe for cash consideration for full-slate games, but could be difference-makers in a big GPP.
 

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Quarterback
 
Top Plays
 
Philip Rivers ($6,900) vs. CHI
Ben Roethlisberger ($6,600) vs. OAK
Andy Dalton ($6,200) vs. CLE (Thurs.)
 
Despite three straight weeks over 27 fantasy points and five in a row with at least 24, Philip Rivers is still under $7,000 on DraftKings. He gets a bad Chicago secondary this week at home, and while the loss of Keenan Allen might chop a little off Rivers' ceiling, his floor remains extremely high based on volume alone. One of these games San Diego might get their running game going, but I won't believe it until I see it.

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Week 8 Rookie Report: Melvin Gordon's struggles continue, Kwon Alexander enjoys big game

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With no offensive rookies emerging in Week 8, this week’s Rookie Report will focus mostly on the defensive side of the ball. Two first-year defensive backs recently moved into the starting lineup thanks to injuries to the veterans ahead of them, and both were impressive in their extended opportunities. Meanwhile, a Tampa Bay linebacker broke out with a big game in the Bucs’ win and Chris Tripodi breaks down the struggles of one of the most hyped members of this year’s rookie running back class. 

Melvin Gordon (RB-SD)

After two straight years where no running backs were drafted in the first round, Melvin Gordon became the second runner taken in the top 15 after the Chargers selected him to replace the departed Ryan Mathews. Like the rest of the Chargers outside of the passing game, however, Gordon has struggled this season, topping 55 rushing yards in a game just once and proving to be a non-factor in the passing game. While the second part of that equation was expected based on his lack of receiving production at Wisconsin, Gordon continued to struggle on the ground in Sunday’s loss to Baltimore, carrying 18 times for just 54 yards.

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Daily fantasy basketball strategy: November 4, 2015

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The first week of the NBA season has come and gone, but we’re back at it again like we are every day with strategies to help you win your cash games and hopefully place well in some GPPs as well. Wednesday gives us a nice 10-game slate, which provides plenty of viable options without overloading us with too many and keeping the new NBA schedule as balanced as it was intended to be.

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The Good, the bad and the ugly of Geno Smith's return

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With Ryan Fitzpatrick sustaining torn ligaments in his left thumb early in Sunday's loss to the Raiders, Geno Smith got his first chance to play since getting punched in the jaw by IK Enemkpali in the preseason, which opened the door for Fitzpatrick to take the reigns of the Jets' offense. As usual with Smith, there were plenty of ups and downs, just like there have been with Fitzpatrick under center.
Smith's inconsistencies are always more scrutinized than Fitzpatrick's, however. Whether it's because he was a second-round pick from the John Idzik era or because his first two seasons were bordering on atrocious, Smith always seems to get bashed for what he does wrong without receiving credit for what he does well.

The numbers looked good for Smith: 27 of 42 passing, 265 yards, two touchdowns and an interceptions. As usual, however, numbers don't tell the whole story. Let's take a look at what Smith did in his 2015 debut Sunday: the good, the bad and the ugly. 

The Good 

Coming in cold off the bench, it was tough to know what to expect from Smith. Would he go the way of Michael Vick last season, looking unprepared and incapable of moving the offense? Or would he come in with a good understanding of the offense and pick up where the Jets left off?

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Daily Fantasy Basketball Strategy: November 1, 2015

Sunday is the sixth day since NBA basketball came back into our lives, and things are starting to come into focus as far as DFS goes. Certain players continue to play above their price points while rotations are starting to shake out as well. By the end of the weekend, most teams will have three games played which, while still a small sample size, gives us some idea into team’s rotations and player roles.

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