Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: Best NBA FanDuel, DraftKings Lineup for Jan. 15
There's a limited schedule in the NBA on Thursday night. With just three games on tap, there isn't a lot to choose from for one-night fantasy players. Schedules like this can be a gift and a curse.
If you make a deep enough investment, you could probably put together a combination of lineups that'll result in a payday. On the flip side, should you miss the mark in all your endeavors, the frustration might be hard to take.
At any rate, here's a look at the lineups I'd choose in both the DraftKings and FanDuel formats.
| Position | Player | Opponent | Salary |
| PG | Brandon Knight | New York | $7,600 |
| SG | Dion Waiters | Houston | $4,000 |
| SF | LeBron James | L.A. Lakers | $10,700 |
| PF | Carlos Boozer | Cleveland | $5,400 |
| C | Brendan Haywood | L.A. Lakers | $3,000 |
| G | L. Galloway | Milwaukee | $3,600 |
| F | Kevin Durant | Houston | $10,700 |
| UTIL | J.R. Smith | L.A. Lakers | $4,600 |
| PG | Brandon Knight | New York | $7,200 |
| PG | Ronnie Price | Cleveland | $4,200 |
| SG | Giannis Antetokounmpo | New York | $6,000 |
| SG | Nick Young | New York | $4,400 |
| SF | Kevin Durant | Houston | $10,700 |
| SF | LeBron James | L.A. Lakers | $10,600 |
| PF | Josh Smith | OKC | $6,100 |
| PF | Tristan Thompson | L.A. Lakers | $5,900 |
| C | Timofey Mozgov | L.A. Lakers | $4,500 |
Similarities
LeBron James
The King returned from injury with a vengeance on Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns. He had 33 points, seven rebounds and five assists. He made three shots from beyond the arc and also had a steal. NBA TV has the highlights in this tweet.
In short, he was the same old stat sheet-stuffing all-time great we expect him to be.
He's still the most automatic fantasy player in the NBA. On a day when there are only three games scheduled, it's almost criminal not to pick him up. Add in the fact that he's facing the Los Angeles Lakers, a team he's been fairly spectacular against (27.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 6.9 apg), and that only makes choosing James in either DraftKings or FanDuel a no-brainer on Thursday.
As usual, it'll be difficult for anyone to put up more fantasy points than the game's best player.
The short schedule allows you to not only grab LeBron on either game's site, but also the reigning MVP. As you can see, the rest of the squad in DK and FD wasn't too shabby, even if you're carrying James' and Durant's healthy salaries.
Durant should be rested and ready for the Oklahoma City Thunder's battle with ex-teammate James Harden and the Houston Rockets.
The Thunder haven't played since Thursday, Jan. 9. The Rockets, on the other hand, just played on Wednesday night, when they lost 120-113 on the road to the Orlando Magic. Durant and the Thunder should be the fresher team.
There's no reason KD shouldn't hit the 30-point plateau with the requisite rebounds to make him a source of awesomeness for your fantasy team.
Brandon Knight
Knight is averaging career highs in every relevant statistical category this season. He's shown great consistency all year. He's had just three games with less than 10 points.
Thursday's game against the New York Knicks doesn't figure to be the fourth. The Knicks are a train wreck defensively. They have no one capable of slowing down the speedy 23-year-old. This game will be played in London, and I'd expect for Knight to put on a show for the UK fans.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. Basketball is awesome.
