NBA Fantasy Update

Fantasy sports are always going to be unpredictable no matter how much studying you do before the season starts. Some superstar players are going to disappoint and other players are going to come out of nowhere to deliver great value to their potential fantasy owners. Making adjustments to the way you value each player during the season is the only way you will be able to compete with the other teams in your league. These are the biggest underachievers and surprise breakout stars in fantasy basketball this year.

Disappointing Stars Worth Dropping

Nikola Mirotic
Nikola Mirotic was expected to have a big year after a performing well in the final two months of last season. These high expectations got Mirotic drafted around the 7th round of most fantasy basketball drafts. While he started the season off fine, Mirotic's biggest problem this season has been a lack of playing time. New coach Fred Hoiberg simply does not trust Nikola Mirotic on the court right now. This has caused his playing time and scoring to drop every month of the season. You may have spent a high draft pick on him, but it is time to find someone delivering more playing time and production than Nikola Mirotic.

Aaron Gordon
It may seem odd to recommend dropping Aaron Gordon after he just had a huge game with 33 points and seven rebounds, but that performance was an anomaly for Gordon this season. Gordon actually only had 32 points in his previous four games before his huge performance against the Clippers a few days ago. Aaron Gordon is one of the most talented young players in the NBA, but he is far too inconsistent to help fantasy owners on a consistent basis. His playing time issues were also supposed to end when head coach Scott Skiles quit in the off-season, but he is still struggling to get consistent playing time under new coach Frank Vogel.

Must-Add Surprise Players

Maurice Harkless
No player has surprised more than Maurice Harkless this season, but he is still available in most fantasy leagues. Harkless has been a great source of production from the small forward position because he is averaging more than 31 minutes of playing time per game. He may not be one of the most talented players in the league, but the extensive playing time is allowing Harkless to average more than 12 points, five rebounds and one steal a game. He may not be known by everyone right now, but it will not be long before Harkless is owned in every league if he continues his great season.

Thabo Sefolosha
Thabo Sefolosha has always been one of the most underappreciated players in the NBA, and his balanced game is finally rewarding fantasy owners this season. Sefolosha received limited playing time during his first two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, but that has recently changed thanks to the poor play of Kent Bazemore and Kyle Korver. Sefolosha is getting ignored by most fantasy owners because of he only averages just under 8 points a game, but his ability to help in every stat category is the main reason you want him on your team.

Adam Hayes hails from New York City where he is a marketing associate by day and blogger by night. He is a self proclaimed fantasy guru that spends too much time perfecting his lineup. One summer Adam visited 21 of 30 MLB stadiums (and only caught one foul ball).

Free data period extended

I had originally announced that the master NBA data file would move to a premium (pay) service at the beginning of December.

I've decided to postpone that date, primarily because I didn't get the programming set up yet. When I'm ready, I'll post a notice here, and I'll also email all subscribers of last year's file.

RotoBaller DFS Advice: FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks (11/18/16)

10 games make up Friday night's slate, most of which have a ton of daily fantasy appeal. Two offensive powerhouses faces off in the state of California while the new-look Los Angeles Lakers will have one of their toughest tests this season against the San Antonio Spurs.

Russell Westbrook will also take the floor as the Thunder welcome the Brooklyn Nets to Oklahoma City. He should be considered every time he laces up.

These are my daily fantasy NBA lineup picks for FanDuel on 11/18/16. I try to only advise players I believe will outperform expectations and the players I advise are players in my lineup so if it all goes downhill, I'll be tumbling down right next to you. Let's get rolling…

FanDuel DFS Guards

Brandon Knight - SG, @ IND ($4,800)
Proving to be much of a disappointment in seasonal leagues, and an unreliable option for daily fantasy, Brandon Knight finally exploded after nearly three weeks of inconsistency. Knight dropped 32 points in his last contest against the Denver Nuggets, including three from downtown on five attempts.

Infrequently pulling the trigger from behind the arc this season, Knight displayed a proclivity for the long ball before going down with injury last season. In order to return to form, Knight will need to become a three-point threat again. Lucky for him, the Indiana Pacers have allowed the fourth most three pointers made in the NBA. He's inexpensive and will look to build off his best performance of the young season.

Jeff Teague - PG, vs PHO ($6,500)
Bringing the ball up on the other side of the court in the Phoenix/Indiana matchup will be Jeff Teague. Teague has been a solid addition to the Pacers this season and has dished out six or more assists in nine of 12 contests this season. The Suns have allowed 23.3 opposing assists per game this season, 10th most in the league.

While Teague has proved to be generous in the backcourt, his point totals have also stood out. He has dropped 20 or more points in five games in the early going, and is capable of breaking out for 30 on any given night. Luckily for him, the Suns allow the most points in the league; a dismal 116 per contest.

Also Consider: Russell Westbrook - PG, vs BK ($11,400), E'Twaun Moore - SG, vs POR ($4,500)

FanDuel DFS Forwards

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[click here to read the rest of the article on RotoBaller.com]

RotoBaller DFS Advice: DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks (11/15/16)

The season is still young so there are things that will eventually change. But for right now, it is a completely legitimate question on whether or not you should draft LeBron James or DeMar DeRozan. Despite DeRozan’s blistering start to the season, he’s still not putting up King James numbers, but the difference is Nate Robinson small. If these two aren’t your favorites to build around, Damian Lillard and Karl Anthony-Towns will gladly take their places.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 11/15/16. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays on DraftKings.

DraftKings DFS Guards

Ricky Rubio – PG, CHA ($5,700)
In Rubio’s two games back from injury he has total of 10 rebounds, 16 assists, and four steals. People still seem concerned about the fact that Rubio has trouble hitting the backboard with his shot, but he is one of the best guards in the league at rebounding, getting steals, and dishing the ball. The Kris Dunn experiment has to be scaled back so he can catch up with the speed of the game. In the interim Rubio should get his usual minutes and should put up his usually reliable production. Before he goes on an assists streak and gets priced in a different category it would be worth getting on the Rubio train as he showcases his skills to eventually become trade bait for Minnesota.

Lou Williams – SG, BKN ($5,600)
Right now Lou Williams is having the best year of his 12-year career, but he’s still consistently being priced less than or as much as his two backcourt mates, D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson. All three guards have created a decent rotation of big time shots and timely drives to the basket. But as of now, Williams is the one with the most value because he consistently gives the greatest return on investment.

Kent Bazemore – SG/SF, @MIA ($5,000)
In order, Bazemore’s last five scoring totals are 0, 20, 25, 3, and 17. He has epitomized inconsistency to start the season. But when you couple his total average of 11 points per game with three rebounds, three assists, and two steals per game it begins to become clear why he’s priced where he is. Paying 5k for a player that scores no points is the nightmare of all daily fantasy players. The risk is always there with Bazemore but he’s poised to have the best season of his career. If you can be the one to guess which nights he puts up his big numbers than you deserve every cent of your winnings.

DraftKings DFS Forwards

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[click here to read the rest of the article on RotoBaller.com]

RotoBaller DFS Advice: FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks (11/14/16)

With eight games on the slate for tonight, there should be no reason why you can't find enough value to spend up on a few superstars. There is only one superstar I will be spending up on but we will get to James Harden later...

These are my daily fantasy NBA lineup picks for FanDuel on 11/14/16. I try to only advise players I believe will outperform expectations and the players I advise are players in my lineup so if it all goes downhill, I'll be tumbling down right next to you. Let's get rolling…

FanDuel DFS Guards

Jamal Crawford - SG, vs. BKN ($4,100)
I was split between either J.J. Reddick ($4,100) or Jamal Crawford and decided to go with Crawford because of his ability to get shots much easier. Reddick has been a tad quiet this year as the Clippers starting shooting guard and both carry a decent bit of risk. That being said, you know you need to risk a little bit to get the big pay out but either one is a fine play tonight. The Clippers have been dominating and expect the lower-valued Clippers to get the most minutes tonight.

J.J. Barea - PG, at NY ($5,800)
I hate going against the Knicks because I feel like a bad fan, but I need to be honest to all my RotoBaller supporters. The Knicks are garbage on defense, probably because Jeff Hornacek doesn't practice defense, but anywhoooo... J.J Barea has capitalized on his starts for the Mavericks and he has plenty of experience to handle a full workload. With Deron Williams out, J.J. is a much more consistent option with a good price tag, especially if your contemplating 'Streaky' Seth Curry.

Also Consider: James Harden - SG, vs. PHI ($11,600)
Yeah it is Philadelphia but James Harden feasts on these match-ups.

FanDuel DFS Forwards

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[click here to read the rest of the article on RotoBaller.com]

Serves You Right

I'm in the process of migrating to a new server. The old server was over 4 years old, and had been experiencing some signs of hardware degradation.

The plan is to cut over to the new server on Sunday afternoon (Nov 13). I'm not expecting any noticeable glitches, but if you do detect anything abnormal on Sunday afternoon or evening, please feel free to send me an alert (davehall@rotoguru2.com).

If all goes well, you won't even notice.

RotoBaller DFS Advice: DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks (11/11/16)

The 2016-’17 NBA season is officially underway. The first few weeks of the season always offer up tough choices, as decisions are largely based off of a small sample size.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 11/11/16. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays on DraftKings.

DraftKings DFS Guards

Kemba Walker – PG, TOR ($7,500)
Walker has been enjoying an All Star type of season. He’s averaging 23.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. Tonight, he gets a great matchup against the Raptors, who have struggled to guard the point guard this season. Walker is the main scorer for the Hornets, and they will need him to keep up with DeMar DeRozan tonight. He’s still a bit too cheap, and he can safely be used in all leagues.

Rodney Hood – SG, @ORL ($5,800)
Hood comes with a bit more risk than his recent games suggest. He can’t continue to shoot over 50% from the field all season, but luckily, we only need him to do it for one more night. He has been on fire from beyond the arc recently, and hot streaks are a huge part of basketball. He gets a great matchup against the Magic, who have tried to become a more defensive team this season, but it hasn’t worked out well yet. Hood still isn’t all that expensive, and he can be used in all leagues for now.

Danny Green – SG, DET ($4,000)
Green returned to the Spurs starting line in his last game, and he scored 25.25 fantasy points in only 26 minutes. He should see a small uptick in minutes tonight, which only boosts his value. He has much more upside than he displayed in his first game, as he only shot 25% from beyond the arc in that game. He gets a solid matchup against the Pistons, and Green is a safe salary relief option tonight.

DraftKings DFS Forwards

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[click here to read the rest of the article on RotoBaller.com]