Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: Best NBA FanDuel, DraftKings Lineup for Jan. 14
As football slowly fades away, sports fans should start redirecting their daily fantasy fixation to basketball.
Football gets all the glory, but fantasy hoops is just as fun and addicting. While no sport is completely predictable, basketballs tends to sprout less shocking results than other sports. Peyton Manning will throw four picks occasionally. Mike Trout will strike out three times, but LeBron James rarely has a terrible day on the court.
Also, there's action to dissect virtually every day. Wednesday produces one of the week's fullest slates, this time harvesting a 10-game offering with several top teams and stars on display.
FanDuel
| PG | Kyle Lowry, TOR | vs. PHI | $9,600 |
| PG | Patty Mills, SA | @ CHA | $4,400 |
| SG | James Harden, HOU | @ ORL | $10,700 |
| SG | Klay Thompson, GS | vs. MIA | $7,900 |
| SF | Nicolas Batum, POR | vs. LAC | $6,100 |
| SF | Jae Crowder, BOS | vs. ATL | $4,600 |
| PF | Dirk Nowitzki, DAL | @ DEN | $7,000 |
| PF | Kris Humphries, WAS | @ CHI | $4,500 |
| C | Jusuf Nurkic, DEN | vs. DAL | $5,200 |
This guard-heavy lineup revolves around proven studs James Harden, Kyle Lowry and Klay Thompson. Coming off two straight 30-point games, Harden continues to register otherworldly stats across the board. If there's another shooting guard who can touch his scoring prowess, it's Thompson, who opened January with 25.8 points through the first four games.
As for Lowry, he'll have a strong showing against the Philadelphia 76ers, who allow a 50.9 opposing effective field-goal percentage. They also surrender 24.7 assists, the second-highest mark below the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Toronto Raptors superstar will prove worth the cost of admission.
Making room for those stars, dig down the listings for Patty Mills, the San Antonio Spurs' hot hand. Over the past five games, the guard has averaged 23 minutes and 13.4 points per game, draining 13 threes in the process.
The Charlotte Hornets surrender 8.2 deep balls a game, and Gregg Popovich isn't wont to heavily use his veterans on the tail end of back-to-back games. All that makes Patty Mills a terrific bargain on both sites.
Dirk Nowitzki has not looked like his usual self, shooting 44.7 percent in five January games while making one-third (5-of-15) of his three-pointers. The 36-year-old discussed his decaying proficiency with ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon:
"I pride myself on being an efficient scorer. I don’t think really since December I’ve been as efficient as I would like, but it’s about staying confident, working on your game. Just keep stepping into them when they’re there and eventually things will turn around.
"
Part of this recognition stems from brand value and past success, but each site's price reflects his regression. Also, he showed signs of life with a 25-point outing against the Clippers on Saturday night. Give him another chance against the Denver Nuggets.
Kris Humphries reeks a tad of desperation for a low-level filler, but he's averaging 8.9 points and 6.0 boards over the past 10 games. If he can sustain his 18-point FanDuel scoring average, his owners will fare just fine.
Jusuf Nurkic's stock continues to climb upward, but he remains a solid FanDuel value at $5,200. Over the last seven games, the new Nuggets starting center has contributed 11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per contest.
DraftKings
| PG | Chris Paul, LAC | @ POR | $9,300 |
| SG | Klay Thompson, GS | vs. MIA | $7,600 |
| SF | Josh Smith, HOU | @ ORL | $5,700 |
| PF | Dirk Nowitzki, DAL | @ DEN | $6,600 |
| C | Al Horford, ATL | @ DAL | $6,600 |
| G | Patty Mills, SA | @ CHA | $3,500 |
| F | Jae Crowder, BOS | vs. ATL | $4,600 |
| UTIL | Tony Wroten, PHI | @ TOR | $6,100 |
Sees four point guards priced higher than Chris Paul. Looks around suspiciously to make sure this isn't a trap. Clicks the green plus sign to add Paul. Runs away from computer.
He's not slumping, averaging 19.6 points on a 54.0 field-goal percentage this month with 11.0 assists and 4.2 rebounds. Is it because he failed to extend his double-double streak to five games with a measly nine assists on Sunday night?
The simplest answer is that DraftKings simply likes the other guys more, even though only Stephen Curry posts more DK fantasy points per game (46.3) than Paul's 42.9. The Los Angeles Clippers floor general also costs $600 less and goes head-to-head with Damian Lillard. Although the Portland Trailblazers collectively boast a stout defense, Lillard relinquishes a 76.1 field-goal percentage defending shots from six feet or less.
An afterthought in the trade that sent Rajon Rondo from the Boston Celtics to the Dallas Mavericks, Jae Crowder has etched a role into Boston's rotation, cementing that spot with a career-high 22 points on Monday night.
In his last nine games, the small forward has produced 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per contest. Not only is his defensive tenacity netting him major fantasy points, it has also earned him head coach Brad Stevens' approval, per the team's official Twitter page.
Although Crowder has helped Boston improve its defense, it still gets sliced up by big men, allowing 22 field-goals per game from less than 10 feet. Al Horford, who has scored double-digit points in each of the past 19 games, makes 3.6 of his 6.6 field goals per game within 10 feet.
Don't expect the Atlanta Hawks center to match Tuesday night's triple-double, but a double-double is well within reach.
It's rarely pretty with Josh Smith, but the jettisoned forward has averaged 31.2 DK points per game, giving him a $182.69 cost per point. Although his production and playing time have waned with the Houston Rockets, he remains a stat-stuffer receiving a favorable matchup against the Orlando Magic.
All advanced statistics are courtesy of NBA.com.
