Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: NBA DraftKings Strategy for Jan. 23
With 11 games on the NBA schedule for Friday, finding enough players to fill out your DraftKings.com lineup will not be the problem. Rather, sorting through the various options is the difficult task.
The most effective way to attack your lineup on a busy night of action is by mixing in a couple of high-ranked players with some solid values.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some players who should outperform their DraftKings.com prices for Friday.
*All point spread and over-under information is courtesy of Odds Shark, as of Friday morning at 2 a.m. ET.
Point Guard: Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors ($9,300) vs. Philadelphia 76ers
| 18 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 4-of-10 |
As can be seen in the chart, Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry almost finished with a triple-double the last time he played the Philadelphia 76ers. His per-game averages of 19.8 points, 7.5 assists and 4.9 rebounds means he is a solid candidate to stuff the stat sheet every night.
Philadelphia allows 102.6 points per game, which means Lowry should have a number of opportunities to score and dish out assists against a porous defense. The 76ers also allow opponents to rack up 10.4 steals per game, which is dead last in the league. Lowry should bolster his 1.6 steals per game Friday.
Any worries about his day-to-day status with a dislocated finger should have been put to rest when he put up 20 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Other potential value targets: Derrick Rose ($7,300) and Goran Dragic ($6,800).
Shooting Guard: Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors ($7,900) vs. Sacramento Kings
No NBA team was favored by more for Friday’s action than the Golden State Warriors (-14.5) against the Sacramento Kings. That means plenty of Warriors players should rack up impressive fantasy totals, including shooting guard Klay Thompson.
Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins is one of the better rim protectors in the entire NBA and is holding opponents to a 7.3 percent lower shooting clip within six feet of the basket than their season averages (per NBA.com). Golden State will be aware of that and rely on its outside shooting even more so than usual, which is great news for those playing Thompson.
Thompson’s 44.4 percent clip from downtown is a major reason why he is averaging 21.9 points a night. Look for plenty of threes against the overmatched Kings.
Other potential value targets: DeMar DeRozan ($6,600) and Evan Turner ($5,300).
Small Forward: Tobias Harris, Orlando Magic ($6,400) vs. New York Knicks
According to NBA.com, no team in the NBA gives up a higher opposing three-point percentage than the New York Knicks (39.7). That is good news for Orlando Magic small forward Tobias Harris, who is shooting an impressive 40.7 percent from behind the three-point arc this season.
While Harris will hit more threes than usual Friday, he can stuff the stat sheet in other areas as well and is averaging 18 points, 6.9 rebounds and a steal per game. Look for even better numbers than that against the 7-36 Knicks.
Harris will also be motivated to play well in front of the New York fans since that is where he is from, as he told Marc Berman of the New York Post: “It’s always exciting. No place like home. Love being at home, playing at home in front of family and friends. It’s going to be a good game.”
A motivated scorer against a poor defense is a solid fantasy equation.
Other potential value targets: Andrew Wiggins ($7,000) and Trevor Ariza ($5,600).
Power Forward: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks ($6,400) vs. Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls will come into their Friday matchup with the Dallas Mavericks with tired legs on the second night of a back-to-back against elite Western Conference competition.
Chicago played Thursday evening at home against the San Antonio Spurs and had to fly straight to Dallas for this Friday night tilt. What’s more, Joakim Noah is out with injury, so the Bulls frontcourt is stretched thin (look no further than Nazr Mohammed’s 10 minutes of action from Thursday for proof of that).
Nobody will be better positioned to take advantage of that than Dirk Nowitzki, who dropped 22 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds on Chicago in the first matchup this season.
Nowitzki may not be the dominant force he once was for the Mavericks, but he is still averaging 18.7 points and six rebounds per game this season. Look for him to exploit a favorable matchup Friday evening.
Other potential value targets: Serge Ibaka ($6,700) and Ryan Anderson ($5,500).
Center: Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets ($7,800)
No game on the Friday night slate has a higher over-under than the one between the Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns (220.5).
That means there will be plenty of fantasy stats to go around as both teams light up the scoreboard with impressive offensive play. Houston center Dwight Howard, who is averaging 16.7 points per game on 57.3 percent shooting from the field, will get in on that scoring action.
What’s more, the Phoenix Suns are loaded with playmaking guards who look to push the tempo. A faster tempo means more shots over the course of the entire game, which also means more rebounds.
Nobody on the floor in this game rebounds better than Howard’s 11.2 per night.
Other potential value targets: Al Jefferson ($7,200) and Roy Hibbert ($6,000).
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