Daily Fantasy Basketball 2014: Best NBA FanDuel, DraftKings Lineup for Dec. 19
There's no better way to spend a wild Friday night than with daily fantasy hoops.
A total of 10 games gives players plenty of choices to choose from, but anyone who penciled Rajon Rondo into the day's lineup better swap out the traded point guard. Without their star to lead the way, other members of the Boston Celtics will get ample chances to stuff the box score against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
That matchup is the perfect prototype for the power of fantasy sports. Otherwise a bout of sad-sack losers from each conference, it's now an intriguing slate with a smorgasbord of valuable contributors. Look their way, and you could make some extra cash heading into the weekend.
FanDuel ($60,000 Budget)
| PG | Russell Westbrook | at LAL | 10,800 |
| PG | Phil Pressey | vs. MIN | 3,700 |
| SG | Kobe Bryant | vs. OKC | 9,200 |
| SG | Jamal Crawford | at DEN | 4,800 |
| SF | Jeff Green | vs. MIN | 6,300 |
| SF | Wilson Chandler | vs. LAC | 6,200 |
| PF | Serge Ibaka | at LAL | 7,200 |
| PF | Derrick Favors | at ORL | 6,900 |
| C | Tyler Zeller | vs. MIN | 4,900 |
Going cheap on the Boston-Minnesota matchup allows gamers to spend lavishly on two superstars clashing elsewhere.
Since the Los Angeles Lakers possess the NBA's worst defensive rating at 113.7 points allowed per 100 possessions, Russell Westbrook comes with an exorbitant price tag. After delaying his season debut due to a hand injury, the explosive point guard is playing the best basketball of his life, scoring a career-high 26.4 points per game.
He's doing so at heightened efficiency, shooting a career-best 49.5 percent from the floor. Although he fell short, ESPN Stats & Info noted his chase of an incredible feat during Thursday night's game against the Golden State Warriors.
Even playing the second half of back-to-back bouts, the Lakers' woeful defense is ripe for the red-hot Westbrook to rip apart. On the other side, the Oklahoma City Thunder continue to search for answers at shooting guard, so they won't be thrilled to see Kobe Bryant come to town. Given the position's scarcity of front-line options, the NBA's third-leading scoring merits paying market price.
So how can one afford those expensive mercenaries? Exploit the Rondo trade and purchase replacement Phil "Flip" Pressey.
Somebody has to play point guard for Boston. Rookie Marcus Smart has missed 13 of the last 18 games with a lingering Achilles injury, and it behooves the 9-14 Celtics to test out their youth rather than lean on acquired veteran Jameer Nelson. Avery Bradley has struggled in the past when thrust into that role.
Even before the trade, Pressey was gradually working his way into the rotation, logging 54 minutes through the past three games. In the last, he offered nine points, four assists, two steals and two rebounds, leading head coach Brad Stevens to compliment the pairing of him and Rondo to NBA.com's Marc D'Amico.
"Yesterday it was their ability to create some havoc defensively and then push the tempo. That’s what Phil does. Phil’s got a lot of great attributes, but pace, affecting the pace of the game, is one. And then if you have him and Rondo doing that, whoever has the ball goes and everyone else plays around them.
"
Without Rondo, Stevens has no choice but to give the second-year pro more playing time. Against Minnesota, who ranks No. 28 in defensive rating, he has a golden opportunity to give daily gamers a huge return on their microscopic investment.
Averaging 11.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 block, this month, Tyler Zeller offers another bargain at center. Rounding out the Boston stack, Jeff Green is clearly the team's go-to scorer, recording 22.6 points per game in December and 19.6 for the season.
DraftKings ($50,000 Budget)
| PG | Chris Paul | at DEN | 10,300 |
| SG | Jimmy Butler | at MEM | 6,800 |
| SF | Wilson Chandler | vs. LAC | 6,000 |
| PF | Serge Ibaka | at LAL | 6,800 |
| C | Jonas Valanciunas | at DET | 6,200 |
| G | Phil Pressey | vs. MIN | 3,000 |
| F | Jeff Green | vs. MIN | 6,400 |
| UT | Shabazz Muhammad | at BOS | 4,500 |
Similarities: Pressey, Green, Wilson Chandler, Serge Ibaka
Premier point guards tend to prove worth the price of admission. While this lineup eschews other top-shelf stars for a more balanced roster, one deep flier allows cap space for Chris Paul.
As long as he's on the court, Paul doesn't do bad games. He has scored double-digit points in every matchup this season, giving him 12 double-doubles on the year. Against a Denver Nuggets defense owning a No. 21 defensive rating, CP3 will pile on the points in a Western Conference shootout.
His services are attainable by paying the minimum $3,000 for Pressey. After that, mid-level bargains dominate this lineup. Last week, ESPN's Robin Lundberg predicted enhanced success from Joe Johnson with Brook Lopez injured (I know, shocker).
So far, so good. He has recorded 18.3 points and six boards per game since that declaration. Meanwhile, the underappreciated Wilson Chandler has scored 18.1 points a game in December while giving owners a little bit of everything at small forward. Registering a 27.5-point DraftKings average, he's well worth the $6,000.
As long as Serge Ibaka continues to swat shots, he'll thrive as the third wheel behind Westbrook and Durant.
Touting career highs in scoring (11.8) and rebounds (9.8) with a 55.3 field-goal percentage, Jonas Valanciunas flashes All-Star potential for the Toronto Raptors. Only two teams (Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns) have allowed more boards than the Detroit Pistons, so don't be surprised if the 22-year-old claims his ninth double-double of the season.
Although he didn't fit into the FanDuel plan, Shabazz Muhammad is worth targeting on either platform. Over the past 10 games, Minnesota's small forward has scored 18.2 points per game on 52.6 percent shooting.
Head coach Flip Saunders praised the 22-year-old to NBA.com's Dane Mizutani:
"He might be the hardest playing guys in our league on a consistent basis. He’s turning into one of the crowd favorites just because, especially in Minnesota, people love guys that play hard and give everything. There’s not one time I’ve had to say to him, ‘You’ve got to play harder.’
"
As long as he keeps producing under the radar, he'll also shine as a fan favorite among fantasy players. Enjoy Muhammad now before his buy-in rate receives a course correction.
Note: Advanced statistics, accurate as of Thursday night, are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
