It's Friday night and we've got ten NBA games on the slate, including your Toronto Raptors looking for their fifth win in a row as they visit the Detroit Pistons. How about we celebrate the occasion with your weekly FanDuel tournament for Raptors HQ and SB Nation readers and writers?
Those of us from our community who have been playing lately have been pretty successful with the lineups we've built together. If you want to get in on the fun and maybe win some prizes, jump into the comment section and we'll discuss lineups.
For now, here are the important details:
- $5 entry, 110 spots available, $500 in prizes split among the top 20 (including $100 for the best lineup of the night).
- Click here to join tonight's exclusive tourney.
- Click here to sign up for FanDuel if you haven't done so yet. Raptors HQ readers get a nifty 100 percent first time matching deposit bonus (up to $200) when they use the promo code SBNRAPTORS.
- If you're tweeting on the Twitter, #FanDuelSBN is the hashtag of choice.
- There's no shame in being a FanDuel newbie. Check here for some tips on how to play.
Want to throw some Raptors in your lineup? As always, here are your preferred plays tonight versus the Pistons:
Raptors FanDuel Plays for Tonight vs. the Pistons
Top play: Kyle Lowry ($9,800) is making me sound like a broken record, but until DeMar DeRozan gets back from injury, Kyle's pretty well a lock to be your best and most consistent Raptor. In the 10 games that he's played sans DeMar, Lowry has averaged 41.9 fantasy points per game (FPPG) on the strength of 21.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 3.0 turnovers. If it ain't broke...
Mid-range play: Jonas Valanciunas ($6,200) is finally becoming the consistent fantasy center we all want him to be. Apart from a relative dud two games ago against Orlando, JV has been a double-double machine, registering five in his last six contests. Over that time, he's averaged 12.7 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 1.0 block per game, good enough for 28.2 FPPG. The Pistons frontline of Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe, and Josh Smith might seem intimidating, but Detroit is actually 25th in the NBA in fantasy points allowed to opposing centers (via RotoGrinders), so Valanciunas should be ready to roll again tonight in the Motor City.
Bargain play(s): Amir Johnson ($5,100) and Patrick Patterson ($4,900) are splitting power forward duties well enough these days that they've both become reasonable fantasy plays in FanDuel, depending on the matchup. As mentioned above, the Pistons frontline is softer than one would think, ranking 26th in fantasy points allowed to opposing power forwards (RotoGrinders again). The way Amir gets up to face his old team (12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.7 steals, 2.3 blocks, and only 1.3 turnovers per game in three meetings with the Pistons last season) makes him an intriguing option tonight. 2Pat, on the other hand, is averaging 24.6 FPPG over his last six and qualifies as the hottest hand on the Raps outside of Lowry and JV. He's a bargain-bin power forward you can feel comfortable riding with as well if you're short the extra couple hundred bucks it takes to get Amir.
All right, it's officially lineup discussin' time! Head on down to the comment section and have at it!
Note: Even though this is a sponsored post with affiliate links, all of the opinions in this post are my own. And as an FYI, FanDuel gave me some cash to play its daily fantasy games.