Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: Best NBA FanDuel, DraftKings Lineup for Jan. 13
With seven games on Tuesday's slate of NBA action, fantasy basketball connoisseurs have a range of weapons at their disposal in the daily grind of DraftKings and FanDuel competitions.
It's certainly a day for fantasy road warriors in the Association, as some of the weaker teams with softer defenses—such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings and Philadelphia 76ers—are playing the role of host on Tuesday.
The majority of the contests appear conducive to strong fantasy numbers, although Minnesota at Indianapolis shouldn't have much appeal to fans or fantasy specialists. Indiana's tough home defense and Minnesota's plethora of young scorers still trying to get their sea legs doesn't really scream "fantasy gold mine."
However, box score surprises can be found anywhere in the NBA, which makes fantasy basketball such a thrilling, if dicey, proposition. To help you get a handle on your daily fantasy strategy for Tuesday, here is a look at some mock lineups to consider.
FanDuel
| PG | Jeff Teague, ATL | at PHI | $8,300 |
| PG | Isaiah Thomas, PHO | vs. CLE | $5,500 |
| SG | Dwyane Wade, MIA | at LAL | $8,800 |
| SG | Monta Ellis, DAL | at SAC | $7,500 |
| SF | K.J. McDaniels | vs. ATL | $4,400 |
| SF | Andrew Wiggins, MIN | at IND | $7,000 |
| PF | Paul Millsap, ATL | at PHI | $8,000 |
| PF | Nene Hilario, WAS | vs. SAS | $5,300 |
| C | Hassan Whiteside, MIA | at LAL | $5,200 |
The Atlanta Hawks—winners of eight straight games—are the most cohesive team in the league at this point in time, and just about anyone in their lineup could feast upon the woefully unskilled 76ers squad. Jeff Teague and Paul Millsap could be the ones who rack up the most fantasy points on Tuesday.
Millsap is averaging 18.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game over his last 10 games and should be well rested heading into the Sixers game after playing just 25 minutes against the Washington Wizards on Sunday.
Teague is posting 18.4 points and 8.4 assists per game in the month of January. The firecracker point guard could also have a big game defensively; the Sixers love to push the pace (fourth in possessions used per game, via ESPN.com) and Teague should be able to come away with a couple thefts if Philly gets sloppy.
A blowout would likely limit their totals, but the Sixers have actually won three of their last four games, and they do possess home-court advantage on Tuesday. If they can keep it close for at least three quarters, that will keep Millsap and Teague on the floor long enough for fantasy owners to reap the rewards.
One player bubbling up from the NBA ether is Miami Heat big man Hassan Whiteside, who should have little problem putting up points against the likes of Jordan Hill and Robert Sacre on Tuesday.
Lakers.com's Mike Trudell noted he made fantasy owners mighty happy on Sunday with 23 points and 16 boards:
Whiteside has played at least 20 minutes in four of his last five games. Look for the 25-year-old to see plenty of court time after such a strong performance.
Like Liam Neeson, Philadelphia's K.J. McDaniels has a very particular set of skills—chief among them ludicrous shot-swatting ability for a guard—and does a nice job of filling the stat sheet at a cost-effective FanDuel price. He started on the wing and played 33 minutes against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. He should see plenty of time against the Hawks, regardless of how close the game is.
DraftKings
| PG | Jeff Teague, ATL | at PHI | $8,500 |
| SG | Bradley Beal, WAS | vs. SAS | $6,100 |
| SF | Luol Deng, MIA | at LAL | $5,700 |
| PF | Paul Millsap, ATL | at PHI | $8,300 |
| C | Hassan Whiteside, MIA | at LAL | $5,700 |
| G | Trey Burke, UTA | vs. GSW | $5,500 |
| F | Robert Covington, PHI | vs. ATL | $5,600 |
| UTIL | J.R. Smith, CLE | at PHO | $4,500 |
Teague and Millsap are the main carryovers from the FanDuel lineup here considering their eminently juicy matchup. The Hawks are rolling right now, and these two are keys to the team's success. Wizards forward Paul Pierce noted what makes the Hawks such a difficult team to play right now.
"They cause turnovers, they cause deflections, they stay within their principles and they just run," he said after Washington's 120-89 loss to the Hawks on Sunday, via The Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com) "They keep coming offensively. They shoot the ball, they keep moving. They had better discipline than us tonight."
Whiteside is also an excellent value play at center here as well, although it is quite tempting to shell out the big bucks for the Kings' DeMarcus Cousins at that position.
Bradley Beal would be a daily fantasy stud if he would just shoot the ball more often. The Wizards have a tough matchup at home against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, one that could force him to take more shots if the Wizards struggle to keep up.
Beal is shooting 52.4 percent from three-point range over his last five games but hasn't cracked the 20-point barrier in any of those contests.
Still, he's averaging 33.6 minutes per game on the season and should see plenty of time on the court on Tuesday, not to mention the team as a whole should be motivated to wash away the stench of its Sunday drubbing.
J.R. Smith is the obvious dice roll here in this lineup. He put up 27 points on Friday in a loss to the Golden State Warriors, only to follow that up with four points against the Sacramento Kings Sunday on just 2-of-10 shooting from the floor.
LeBron James is also a game-time decision for Tuesday, per The Associated Press (h/t Yahoo Sports). Should he play, Smith's fantasy stock would plummet, so make sure to keep an eye on this one. If James sits out again, Smith is worth a play if you're feeling frisky. If not, he's a utility guy in this mock lineup, so feel free to look at fillers from other positions, such as Phoenix's Alex Len or Sacramento's Ben McLemore.
