Daily Fantasy Basketball 2014: Best NBA FanDuel, DraftKings Lineup for Dec. 9
Monday was a wild night in the NBA.
Of the seven games on tap, one went to double-overtime and another pair went to overtime. That led to some massive performances.
John Wall had 26 points and a career-high 17 assists in an emotional night. Eric Bledsoe ran wild for 27 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds, only to be outshone by Blake Griffin's 45 points and game-winning three. There were 14 double-doubles to go with Bledsoe's triple-double. Guys like Timofey Mozgov, Kris Humphries, Kelly Olynyk and Terrence Ross all played at least 40 minutes.
It's difficult to imagine Tuesday being as wildly entertaining, but with eight games, there is plenty to look forward to. Let's take a gander at some potential daily fantasy lineups.
FanDuel ($60,000 Budget)
| PG | Cory Joseph, SA | at UTA | 4,700 |
| PG | Greivis Vasquez, TOR | at CLE | 4,800 |
| SG | Danny Green, SA | at UTA | 5,400 |
| SG | Wesley Matthews, POR | at DET | 6,100 |
| SF | Rudy Gay, SAC | at LAL | 8,300 |
| SF | Chandler Parsons, DAL | at MEM | 6,500 |
| PF | Jason Thompson, SAC | at LAL | 5,000 |
| PF | Anthony Davis, NO | vs. NY | 11,400 |
| C | Andre Drummond, DET | vs. POR | 7,700 |
This is the dream. Starting Anthony Davis, the league's best fantasy player, at home against the New York Knicks, who have lost eight in a row, own the fourth-worst defensive rating in the NBA and offer very little resistance against opposing big men with the likes of Amar'e Stoudemire, Quincy Acy and Samuel Dalembert.
I'm putting The Brow's floor at 65 points, 25 rebounds, 17 assists, 12 steals and 20 blocks. Give or take a few. Pairing him with Andre Drummond, a 20-20 threat, makes for silly upside.
Of course, with Davis coming in at $11,400, sacrifices must be made elsewhere in the lineup.
That comes at the point guard position, but there is definite value to be had. Greivis Vasquez continues to see a 30-plus-minute role in DeMar DeRozan's absence, while Cory Joseph has played tremendously in the place of Tony Parker, who is out on Tuesday.
Each under $5,000, they will have no problem living up to the price tag.
Jason Thompson is another value pick. He's getting big minutes (over 35.0 per game in the last three) with DeMarcus Cousins sidelined, and while he's not a huge part of the offense, he's a good bet for a double-double against the Los Angeles Lakers' no-defense defense.
A similar thought process goes for Rudy Gay. He's the Kings' go-to offensive threat without Les Cousins Dangereux, and even though he's on a back-to-back, the matchup is too good to pass up.
The matchup for Chandler Parsons, on the other hand, is a difficult one, but he's averaging 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.8 steals over his last five. A big reason for that production has been an improvement in his shooting.
"He is just really working at it," head coach Rick Carlisle said, via ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon. "When you work hard like that, good things are going to happen."
Finally, Danny Green and Wesley Matthews are two really safe options in a lineup with a lot of upside. Green is one of the few players in the league averaging over a steal and a block per game, while Matthews, a three-point assassin in an uptempo offense, has dipped below 20.0 FanDuel points just once in his last 10 games.
DraftKings ($50,000 Budget)
| PG | Jrue Holiday, NO | vs. NY | 8,000 |
| SG | Wesley Matthews, POR | at DET | 6,000 |
| SF | Nicolas Batum, POR | at DET | 6,600 |
| PF | Jason Thompson, SAC | at LAL | 4,300 |
| C | Omer Asik, NO | vs. NY | 5,500 |
| G | Cory Joseph, SA | at UTA | 4,700 |
| F | Kevin Love, CLE | vs. TOR | 9,000 |
| UTIL | Danny Green, SA | at UTA | 5,400 |
Similarities: Matthews and Green are just rock-solid with really good matchups, while I like the opportunities (and more importantly, the price) for Thompson and Joseph in the wake of injuries/illnesses.
I've made it a necessity to have Lowry in at least one lineup every night the Raptors play. Without DeRozan, he has averaged 29.3 points, 8.8 assists and 1.8 steals in four games. His usage is off the charts, and even at $10,200, he's worth it.
Fellow professional point guard Ty Lawson, via CBS Sports' James Herbert, put it simply:
Same here, Ty.
The rest of the lineup is guys who are able to contribute without scoring.
Nicolas Batum is a stat sheet-stuffer. He's a constant triple-double threat (9.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists) who also contributes in the defensive categories (1.3 steals, 0.8 blocks). That consistency has been evident lately, as he has surpassed 30.0 DraftKings points in four straight.
He tweaked his ankle Sunday but kept playing, so just keep a close eye on that.
Omer Asik isn't going to do much more outside of rebounding. But he's $5,500 and playing the Knicks frontcourt.
Lastly, Serge Ibaka's numbers since Kevin Durant's return (three games): 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 blocks, 1.3 turnovers. His scoring is down, but he's getting back to dominating the interior, which is perfectly fine for his fantasy prospects.
