Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: Best NBA FanDuel, DraftKings Lineup for Jan. 6
Are you sure you want to fill out a daily basketball lineup tonight?
Nobody is stopping you, but be prepared for slim pickings with only two games occupying Wednesday's barren schedule. There are seven centers on DraftKings' database, and that includes Larry Sanders. Choices are limited.
With so few upper-echelon options, FanDuel and DraftKings players are both advised to take a stars-and-scrubs approach. Luckily, a few value plays will prevent anyone from digging too deep for low-level options.
DraftKings
| PG | Brandon Knight, MIL | vs. PHO | 7,500 |
| SG | Danny Green, SA | vs. DET | 5,400 |
| SF | Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL | vs. PHO | 6,800 |
| PF | Tim Duncan, SA | vs. DET | 9,100 |
| C | Andre Drummond, DET | at SA | 9,500 |
| G | Jodie Meeks, DET | at SA | 4,500 |
| F | Jonas Jerebko, DET | at SA | 3,400 |
| UTIL | Alex Len, PHO | at MIL | 3,800 |
With players expanding their roles since dumping Josh Smith, several Detroit Pistons stand out as intriguing values. In five games since ditching Smith, Jonas Jerebko has played 24.4 minutes per night, displaying versatility with five three-pointers, three blocks and three steals.
Since starting his season on Dec. 12, Jodie Meeks is averaging 13.9 points per game on 48.2 percent shooting. He has attempted 41 shots over the past three outings, one of which resulted in 34 points against the Orlando Magic.
Per NBA.com stats, he did so with incredible efficiency, draining nine three-pointers.
Hardly a bargain, Andre Drummond is still worth the ticket price despite his contest-high $9,500 cost. The team's Twitter made his All-Star case, which fantasy players should also find intriguing.
He arrived well before Smith's departure, but the 21-year-old has averaged 15 points and 15.8 rebounds with the polarizing forward gone, utilizing the bolstered spacing by shooting 62.7 percent from the floor.
Alex Len has cooled off, averaging 4.8 points and 5.8 boards over the past five slates. The Phoenix Suns have taken notice, slashing his minutes to 16 and 15 over his two January outings.
DraftKings, however, is also well aware of his slump, depreciating his cost all the way down to $3,800. This is a guy who scored 14.25 DraftKings points (six blocks, five rebounds, four turnovers) on Friday despite not scoring a single point. Take a low-risk, high-reward gamble on the 21-year-old center.
Tim Duncan leads all eligible contestants with 39.7 DraftKings points per game, and Danny Green remains an underappreciated gem with Kawhi Leonard out of the San Antonio Spurs' lineup.
Per 82games.com, opposing point guards wield a .572 effective field-goal percentage against the Phoenix Suns' Goran Dragic. Brandon Knight, who is averaging 20.1 points over the past seven bouts, should flourish for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Given Leonard's inactivity, small forward is brutal on Wednesday night. Recording at least two blocks in each of his last seven games, Giannis Antetokounmpo is by far the best play at the shallow position.
FanDuel
| PG | Brandon Jennings | at SA | 7,500 |
| PG | Cory Joseph | vs. DET | 5,500 |
| SG | Eric Bledsoe | at MIL | 8,900 |
| SG | Danny Green | vs. DET | 6,200 |
| SF | Khris Middleton | vs. PHO | 4,900 |
| SF | P.J. Tucker | at MIL | 4,600 |
| PF | Tim Duncan | vs. DET | 8,700 |
| PF | John Henson | vs. PHO | 4,500 |
| C | Andre Drummond | at SA | 9,200 |
One would expect a bunch of similarities with such a short schedule, but only Green, Duncan and Drummond extend to the FanDuel lineup. The varying prices and roster construction simply created better fits on each platform.
Knight starts on DraftKings, but shelling out the extra cash for Brandon Jennings proved easier here. The priciest yet scorching-hot point guard is the most preferable play, having scored 29 and 35 points over the past two games for the streaking Pistons.
Detroit sits deep down the standings at 10-23, but Jennings told Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press that the club is playing looser as a result.
"For us to win five straight, that's big for us," he said. "Right now, we've got nothing to lose. Everybody's getting along and everybody's helping out."
Shortly after returning from a hamstring injury, Tony Parker went back on the shelf after two games. Per the San Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald, he is questionable to play for the first time since Christmas Day.
The prime benefactor from Parker's absence, Cory Joseph has averaged 14 points as the starting point guard. He doesn't offer many assists running the show, but he's worth slotting into FanDuel's second slot if he gets another start.
FanDuel lists "The Greek Freak" at shooting guard, making small forward even more impossible to fill. Khris Middleton and P.J. Tucker seem like penny-pinching plays, but they're actually two of the top choices.
Middleton can chip away across the board, most notably swiping 1.3 steals per game. Although not much of a scorer, Tucker can quietly deliver value with 1.2 steals, 5.6 boards and 1.2 three-pointers.
If these feel like middling options, realize that this lineup rosters the four most expensive players (excluding Leonard) with Eric Bledsoe employed at shooting guard. He's a rare little man who can collect over five assists and rebounds each a night while submitting 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks per contest.
No other available shooting guard delivers 25 or more FanDuel points per game; Bledsoe averages 33.3 fantasy points per tilt. Also a safe bet, the 25-year-old has scored at least 15 points over each of the past 10 bouts, giving him a 20-point average.
