Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: Best NBA FanDuel, DraftKings Lineup for Jan. 7
There are 13 NBA games on tap for Wednesday, a full slate of roundball action brimming with myriad choices for daily fantasy basketball players.
Players in blowouts are generally to be avoided, unless of course it's a blue-chipper with a decent salary or a no-brainer bargain—so perhaps avert your eyes from the New York Knicks on the road against the Washington Wizards or a potentially dour affair when the Indiana Pacers take the court against the Golden State Warriors.
On a day like this in the Association, opportunity and treachery can be found in equal abundance. The amount of players suiting up can be paralyzing for fantasy owners unaccustomed with having so many options.
If one is looking to locate the signal in all the statistical noise, perhaps it's time to take a look at a couple of mock lineups for Wednesday's action.
Take a gander at a lineup that will turn you from a draft pauper into a "Draft King."
| PG | Brandon Knight | @PHI | $7,500 |
| SG | Joe Johnson | BOS | $6,400 |
| SF | Marvin Williams | NOP | $4,500 |
| PF | Blake Griffin | LAL | $10,100 |
| C | Nikola Vucevic | @DEN | $8,400 |
| G | J.J. Redick | LAL | $4,800 |
| F | John Henson | @PHI | $4,400 |
| UTIL | Solomon Hill | @GSW | $3,800 |
And here's a look at my FanDuel picks for Wednesday.
| PG | Chris Paul | at LAL | $9,900 |
| PG | Dante Exum | at CHI | $3,500 |
| SG | Arron Afflalo | ORL | $5,600 |
| SG | Giannis Antetokounmpo | at PHI | $6,300 |
| SF | Tobias Harris | at DEN | $6,900 |
| SF | Gerald Henderson | NOP | $4,900 |
| PF | Derrick Favors | at CHI | $7,700 |
| PF | Dirk Nowitzki | DET | $7,000 |
| C | DeAndre Jordan | at LAL | $8,100 |
Low-Pay Players Who Will Pay Off
J.J. Redick, SG, Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers take on the Los Angeles Lakers in a "home" game on Wednesday. Sure, the Clippers should trounce the Lakers on paper, but budding rivalries tend to mess with expectations, and J.J. Redick is one cost-effective player who should benefit from that.
The Lakers have been playing opponents fairly tough as of late, both with and without Kobe Bryant. In their last five games, the Lakers' point differential is minus-seven, and all five of those contests have been decided by single digits (Los Angeles is 2-3 in that span). The Lakers are primed to put up a tough fight against the Clips. For a shooter like Redick, a close contest should mean more opportunities for big buckets down the stretch.
It also helps that Redick's numbers have been excellent as of late. He's scored in double figures in nine straight games and has shot 47.6 percent from downtown in that time frame. DraftKings loves the trey; Redick should be more than happy to oblige.
The two team's defenses also make for a high-scoring game, always something to look out for in daily fantasy sports. The Clippers are tied for 15th in defensive efficiency, while the Lakers are 29th in the league, per ESPN.com. Both teams also rank in the upper half of the league in terms of pace as well.
Redick is riding the hot hand as of late, and he attributes his instant offense to his ability to stay loose before checking into games.
"If you were to watch me from 10 minutes to the jump ball, there's no way I'm not ready," Redick said in late December, via Fox Sports West's Jill Painter Lopez. "I do this whole routine and it's coordinated by what time it is during warmups. I make sure everything is activated, all the muscles."
The biggest concern with Redick is that he does little to fill up the stat sheet outside of scoring, but he's a low-cost player in daily fantasy leagues and could provide an excellent backup or utility option on many squads on a hectic Wednesday.
Gerald Henderson, F, Charlotte Hornets
A player with a $4,900 salary might not seem like a very high risk at all, but Gerald Henderson likely hasn't found his way into too many daily fantasy basketball lineups this season. However, the Duke product has come alive as of late with center Al Jefferson definitively out of the lineup with a groin strain.
Henderson has scored in double figures in four of his last five games, and will take on a New Orleans Pelicans squad ranked 24th in defensive efficiency, per ESPN.com's Hollinger rankings.
His shooting percentages—36.8 percent in three January games—are still a bit of an eyesore, but he should get his looks against the Pelicans. He's also liable to chip in elsewhere on the box score. Against the Boston Celtics on January 5, it was eight assists in a 104-95 win. In a 91-87 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 2, Henderson snared eight boards.
It's also a good sign that his minutes have increased with each passing month. You can't put up fantasy points riding the pine.
| October | 1 | 9.0 |
| November | 17 | 23.6 |
| December | 15 | 27.7 |
| January | 3 | 30.0 |
Henderson's always been a bit of a stat-filler; with the scoring coming along nicely, he is a worthy roster-filler in most daily fantasy lineups these days. As soon as Jefferson returns and/or Lance Stephenson gets out of his season-long funk, Henderson should cease to become a fantasy basketball option.
