Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings NBA Lineup Advice, Strategy for Nov. 3
Tuesday's NBA action features a field of seven games for DraftKings daily fantasy players to choose rosters from. Per Odds Shark, all seven contests have point spreads of 5.5 or lower. With no expected blowouts on the schedule, it's a good night to ride starters who are likely to play big minutes.
The beginning of the season is also the time to take advantage of prices that haven't yet adjusted for players with expanded roles. Grabbing guys likely to fill in for injured teammates is always a sound strategy as well.
Here are five lineup picks for November 3 that should get you going in the right direction.
C Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons ($8,200) vs. Indiana Pacers
Through three games in 2015-16, Andre Drummond's production is off the charts—his average of 47.9 fantasy points per outing is among the five best in the league. Drummond has posted double-doubles in all three contests, including one 20-point, 20-rebound affair.
As noted by Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, Drummond's impressive stats earned him Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors:
Drummond has the second-highest salary available, but he costs $2,300 less than Anthony Davis ($10,500) despite better fantasy scoring numbers so far. NumberFire projects Drummond to be Tuesday's top fantasy performer, 0.4 points ahead of Davis.
PF Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets ($6,300) at Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers vs. Nuggets matchup has the highest over/under on the board at 208 points. The scoring will have to come from somewhere, and Kenneth Faried is the best option. Faried's season average of 27.8 fantasy points per game is skewed by the fact that he logged just 14 minutes in Denver's blowout loss in Oklahoma City Sunday.
In each of the Nuggets' first two contests, Faried topped 30 fantasy points and fell just shy of the double-double mark:
| 10/30 | MIN | 27 | 9 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 30.25 |
| 10/28 | @HOU | 31 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 37.75 |
Big men Nikola Jokic and Joffrey Lauvergne are both dealing with back injuries and are considered questionable to play. If one or both is out of action, it could mean time at the center spot and added rebounding opportunities for Faried.
SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit Pistons ($4,900) vs. Indiana Pacers
Like Drummond, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a beneficiary of the Pistons' unexpected 3-0 record. Caldwell-Pope scored a combined 56.25 fantasy points in Detroit's first two games, an outstanding total for a player who costs less than $5,000. In that time, the shooting guard knocked down six three-pointers on 12 attempts.
Caldwell-Pope was ice-cold in his third outing of the year, going just 2-of-12 from the floor and 0-of-5 from beyond the arc. It's unlikely he'll shoot that poorly for a second straight game, and his 17 three-point attempts to this point are encouraging.
However, the best reason to start Caldwell-Pope is that no matter what happens, he'll be on the court. Caldwell-Pope has logged at least 36 minutes in each contest and is averaging 37.2 minutes per game, the eighth-most in the NBA.
SG Kent Bazemore, Atlanta Hawks ($4,200) at Miami Heat
Similar to Caldwell-Pope, Kent Bazemore is also making great use of his newfound starting role. Bazemore has totaled 68.75 fantasy points in Atlanta's last two games while shooting 6-of-10 from three-point land in the process.
NBA TV's J.E. Skeets is among the many observers jumping on the Bazemore bandwagon:
Bazemore's price has steadily risen from $3,000 at the start of the season, but even at $4,200 he's a solid starter with a bench-player salary.
Fellow shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha won't suit up in Miami, which bodes well for Bazemore to receive extended playing time.
C Willie Cauley-Stein, Sacramento Kings ($4,000) vs. Memphis Grizzlies
The rookie will make his third NBA start Tuesday. After seeing the floor for just six minutes in his debut, Willie Cauley-Stein posted a pair of solid efforts in two games since, narrowly missing a double-double on each occasion.
As a member of the starting unit, Cauley-Stein is averaging 12.5 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots per game. The above video highlights his recent block of the Lakers' Louis Williams.
Cauley-Stein's back-to-back fantasy scores of 36.75 and 26.25 suggest he's well worth his $4,000 price tag.
Also of significance, Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins will miss two games with an Achilles strain, which should open up even more minutes for Cauley-Stein.
All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Statistics via NBA.com unless otherwise noted. Mark Vandeusen is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @LucidSportsFan.
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