Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings Optimum Lineup Picks for April 15
The NBA season goes out with a bang on Wednesday. Besides the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns, every team will lace up during the regular season's final evening.
This creates a mess for daily fantasy players. Along with the added Rolodex of options, gamers must navigate through each club's motivation heading into the postseason. Prepare for some starters to play limited minutes—or none at all—on teams with a playoff spot and seed clinched.
Tonight more than ever, it's necessary to scour Twitter for lineup news before the first game tips off at 7 p.m. ET. Last-minute info will direct some lineup decisions, but here's a breakdown of each position as of Wednesday morning.
Point Guard
| Russell Westbrook | @ MIN | $12,000 | Brian Roberts | @ TOR | $3,500 | |
| Deron Williams | vs. ORL | $6,900 | Beno Udrih | vs. IND | $3,400 | |
| Goran Dragic | @ PHI | $6,800 | Andre Miller | @ LAL | $3,200 |
Tied for the Western Conference's No. 8 spot with the New Orleans Pelicans, the Oklahoma City Thunder face a must-win game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Needing a victory against the league's worst defensively rated team, per NBA.com, makes Russell Westbrook a vital play.
After seemingly falling back to earth, Westbrook took 43 shots on Sunday before generating 64.25 DraftKings points on Monday. Matched up against Minnesota rookie Zach LaVine, he'll push for another triple-double through 38-40 minutes, barring a massive blowout.
Plus, there's bound to be some cheap reserves shoved into the starting lineup, providing gamers with clearance choices to complement Westbrook's $12,000 cap hit.
The Brooklyn Nets face a similar situation out in the Eastern Conference. Dueling with the Indiana Pacers for the East's last spot, they get a favorable matchup in the Orlando Magic. Although mired in a terrible shooting slump, Deron Williams has still averaged 8.8 assists and 6.2 rebounds during Brooklyn's last five contests.
Also facing a huge night: the Philadelphia 76ers. A loss and New York Knicks victory would tie the two bottom feeders, increasing Philadelphia's lottery odds. Even though the Miami Heat are eliminated, Goran Dragic (or Mario Chalmers if he doesn't play) should excel against a Philly defense that has yielded 52.33 DraftKings points to the position over the past three weeks, per RotoGrinders.
Shooting Guard
| Victor Oladipo | @ BKN | $7,500 | Tim Hardaway | vs. DET | $4,000 | |
| Jimmy Butler | vs. ATL | $7,400 | Bojan Bogdanovic | vs. ORL | $3,900 | |
| Dion Waiters | @ MIN | $5,100 | Jodie Meeks | @ NYK | $3,200 |
The Timberwolves yield the most DraftKings points to shooting guards, and Thunder coach Scott Brooks trusts Dion Waiters more than the standard fantasy manager or basketball viewer. He has logged 37.3 minutes per game in April, logging 36-40 minutes in all but one of the seven bouts.
| 7 | 14.8 | 37.7 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 1.4 |
Playing time? Check. Great matchup? Yep. Affordable price? Sure, $5,100 is reasonable considering his April average of 26.3 DraftKings points. Even though he's inefficient, he'll produce the raw numbers to make DFS contestants happy.
Oh jeez, the Knicks can't even tank right. In an upset over the non-resting Atlanta Hawks, Tim Hardaway Jr. dropped 23 points and five assists. On Saturday, he recorded 35 minutes and knocked down the game-winner over Orlando.
Head coach Derek Fisher often rides the hot hand when not selecting rotations out of a hat. Barring an executive order to sit him for tampering with their lottery balls, Hardaway Jr. should start and flourish against the defensively inept Detroit Pistons.
Small Forward
| Kawhi Leonard | @ NO | $8,400 | Omri Casspi | @ LAL | $5,600 | |
| Andrew Wiggins | vs. OKC | $7,000 | Rodney Hood | @ HOU | $5,500 | |
| Wilson Chandler | @ GS | $5,800 | Richard Jefferson | vs. POR | $3,400 | |
| Joe Ingles | @ HOU | $3,300 |
Rudy Gay, Gordon Hayward, Chandler Parsons and Nicolas Batum are all out or doubtful. Don't be surprised if the Cleveland Cavaliers rest LeBron James against the Washington Wizards, who also may take it easy.
With chaos running wild, utilize a midlevel or bargain-bin injury replacement at small forward. Two of the lavish understudies, Omri Casspi and Rodney Hood, have both made the most of their enhanced opportunities.
In Gay's absence, Casspi has surpassed 20 points and 40 DraftKings points in back-to-back games. He'll again face the Los Angeles Lakers, whom he busted open for 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists on Monday.
Scoring 17.8 points per game in April, Hood becomes the Utah Jazz's top perimeter threat against the uptempo Houston Rockets.
Going much cheaper, Richard Jefferson should get the start with Parsons sidelined. Although held scoreless against Utah on Monday, he scored 17 against the Lakers and 24 on the Denver Nuggets before suffering the goose egg.
Power Forward
| Greg Monroe | @ NYK | $7,400 | Taj Gibson | vs. ATL | $5,300 | |
| Draymond Green | vs. DEN | $7,300 | Jason Thompson | @ LAL | $4,700 | |
| Nikola Mirotic | vs. ATL | $6,000 | Jason Smith | vs. DET | $4,100 | |
| Aaron Gordon | @ BKN | $3,400 |
According to the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson, the Chicago Bulls will exude rare discretion and bench Joakim Noah for the season finale.
With him out of action against Brooklyn, Nikola Mirotic submitted 26 points during 24 minutes. While the 24-year-old has cooled off following a scorching March, he has scored 70 combined points in Chicago's last three games with Noah out of the lineup.
Atlanta, who ranks No. 28 in DraftKings points allowed to power forwards, are gingerly strolling to the finish line with the East's top seed wrapped up. It just surrendered 20 points and nine boards to Jason Smith, so play Mirotic with confidence.
Speaking of Smith, he's also hurting New York's tanking with 14.0 points, 7.3 boards and 3.5 assists during the last four tilts. He costs $4,100 against a Detroit defense kind to big men, and maybe Greg Monroe will want to convince the Knicks to stay away from him this summer.
Center
| Brook Lopez | vs. ORL | $8,100 | Jordan Hill | vs. SAC | $4,800 | |
| Enes Kanter | @ MIN | $7,800 | Meyers Leonard | @ DAL | $4,300 | |
| Hassan Whiteside | @ PHI | $7,500 |
For old times—old as in February—dust off Hassan Whiteside for one last rodeo. A midseason sensation whose stock fizzled down the stretch, the former NBA D-League journeyman has caught fire again.
| 6 | 31.7 | 16.8 | 67.7 | 12.5 | 3.2 | 40.1 |
After Detroit, Philadelphia yields the most DraftKings points to centers. The 76ers rank last in opposing rebounds and No. 27 in blocks, so Whiteside is poised for another monster performance.
Enes Kanter and Brook Lopez both face below-average interior defenses with their seasons on the line, but Whiteside is the smart play. If more regular-season basketball lurked on the horizon, his price would skyrocket back to February levels.
