Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: NBA DraftKings Lineup Picks for May 3
The NBA trots out each conference's top seed on Sunday. That should mean fantasy stars galore, but neither matchup offers terrific upside for DraftKings players.
Although the Atlanta Hawks closed out the Brooklyn Nets in style, their offense struggled through three sluggish performances before turning on the light bulb. They'll get a rested Washington Wizards club which swept the Toronto Raptors in four.
Out west, the Golden State Warriors' high-flying offense faces the Memphis Grizzlies, one team who can effectively play big and slow. Steve Kerr's prolific attack must combat a steep test to advance and deliver fantasy goodness.
Let's take a look at Sunday's top DraftKings plays.
| PG | John Wall, WAS | @ ATL | $9,000 |
| SG | Klay Thompson, GS | vs. MEM | $7,600 |
| SF | Otto Porter, WAS | @ ATL | $4,800 |
| PF | Zach Randolph, MEM | @ GS | $6,500 |
| C | Marc Gasol, MEM | @ GS | $9,000 |
| G | Courtney Lee, MEM | @ GS | $4,600 |
| F | Nene Hilario, WAS | @ ATL | $4,600 |
| UTIL | Nick Calathes, MEM (*if Conley is out*) | @ GS | $3,800 |
PG John Wall ($9,000) at Atlanta Hawks
Sorry, Stephen Curry. Don't be mad. Initial attempts to build around the Baby-Faced Assassin simply generated worse results than rosters led by John Wall.
Curry played on par with his averages against Memphis, but Wall sported great numbers in four regular-season games against the Hawks:
| 37.3 | 21.0 | 49.2 | 9.8 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 0.8 |
Despite poor shooting during the opening round, Wall generated 44.4 DraftKings points per game on the strength of 12.5 assists. He especially shared the wealth during Games 2 and 3, setting a rare feat noted by ESPN Stats & Info:
Those skills will come in handy this series. According to RotoGrinders, Atlanta has allowed an NBA-high 9.7 assists per contest to point guards, including season and playoff play. Even if Wall doesn't live up to his rampant season scoring against the Hawks, he's a strong bet for another double-double.
SG Klay Thompson ($7,600) vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Dating back to April 9, Klay Thompson has scored more than 20 points in each of the past eight games, averaging 27 over his hot stretch. The streak's zenith came in Golden State's final season meeting with Memphis, when Thompson dropped 42 points through 30 minutes.
Although the Grizzlies have surrendered the fifth-fewest DraftKings points to shooting guards, Thompson scored 30.7 points per game against them, shooting a blistering 62.3 percent with 18 three-point makes.
After successful first rounds, Bradley Beal and Kyle Korver face much tougher opponents, but their bloated prices don't reflect the competition spike. Thompson also receives a stingier foe, but he's a star with a more trustworthy track record, especially given his season success versus Memphis.
SF Otto Porter ($4,800) at Atlanta Hawks
Paul Pierce absorbs all the attention as everyone readily embrace the playoff-tested veteran narrative. Yet Otto Porter also enjoyed a terrific series against Toronto, averaging 23.9 DraftKings points while playing 32 minutes per night.
Shae Cronin of numberFire delved into his improved play, noting strong defensive contributions that should keep him in head coach Randy Wittman's rotation against Atlanta:
"In addition to posting a strong Defensive Rating (99) and averaging better than a steal per game (1.3), Porter also held his opponents to just 31 percent from the field, while also helping to lower the Raptors’ Offensive Rating from 108 to just 93 with him in the game (the best Net Defensive Rating of any player on Washington’s roster).
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His 9.5 points and 7.3 rebounds are modest, but Porter comes cheaper than Pierce, who played fewer minutes in Games 2, 3 and 4. Sunday's top small forward, DeMarre Carroll, must deal with a Washington defense which yields the fewest DraftKings points to the position.
Save money at small forward with Porter, which will create enough space to roster a top-level starter at the other positions.
PF Nene Hilario ($4,600) at Atlanta Hawks
The always erratic Nene Hilario has the power to make or break Sunday's DraftKings contests. Few players have the potential to torpedo above value like the mercurial power forward, who also carries frightening downside.
His opening round captures Hilario in a nutshell. After notching a double-double to open the postseason, he scored six points in each of the next two games.
| 1 | 21 | 12 | 6-13 | 13 | 1 |
| 2 | 25 | 6 | 3-5 | 9 | 2 |
| 3 | 23 | 6 | 3-7 | 2 | 5 |
| 4 | 28 | 10 | 3-7 | 4 | 6 |
Why take the chance? In a slate featuring few favorable matchups, Atlanta ranks No. 25 in DraftKings points allowed to power forwards. He registered a 15-point average through three season bouts, collecting 14 points and 10 boards on April 12.
Drew Gooden could also exploit the matchup, especially given his sudden three-point prowess. Yet Hilario brandishes a higher ceiling and more playing time as a starter.
C Marc Gasol ($9,000) at Golden State Warriors
No center, including Marc Gasol, is afforded a great matchup. All four of Sunday's participants rank inside the top 10 of DraftKings points allowed to centers, which will lead some to punt the position.
RotoGrinders, however, lists player positioning differently from DraftKings, leading it to instead track Golden State as the No. 16 defense against centers. By its calculations, the Warriors have surrendered 15.7 boards per game to the position, the league's fourth-highest clip.
The Portland Trail Blazers place No. 5 in RotoGrinders' rankings, but that didn't stop Marc Gasol from submitting 20.4 points and 9.2 rebounds during the five-game series. In the two games without Mike Conley, he scored 47 combined points. The point guard's status remains uncertain, according to The Associated Press, via Yahoo Sports, but he's unlikely to suit up on Sunday.
Gasol is a safe star amid a field of unappetizing choices.
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