Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: Best Last-Minute NBA DraftKings Picks for Jan. 24
The Saturday night schedule is light, but never fear DraftKings players...There's still plenty of advice to go around. We've got five players representing every price region who are in position to be a value at their current DK price.
Here we go.
Middle-Price Picks
Nene, PF, Washington Wizards, $5,400
LaMarcus Aldridge's injury is horrible news for the Portland Trail Blazers, but it'll make life easier for the frontcourts of the Blazers' opponents. Aldridge is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a tear in the radial collateral ligament in his left thumb.
On Saturday night, the Washington Wizards and their powerful forward Nene come to the Pacific Northwest. With Aldridge in the lineup, Nene would be charged with guarding one of the game's best offensive bigs.
As it stands, Nene should have the opportunity and energy to look to post up and score on Saturday night. To that point, the Blazers haven't exactly been the best defensive team in the paint this season. Per TeamRankings.com, the Blazers allow 44.5 points per game in the paint, which is 25th in the NBA.
Nene should be a strong pickup at a reasonable cost.
High-Price Picks
Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trail Blazers, $9,400
Aldridge's injury will have a positive impact on Lillard's fantasy value. The point guard was already lighting it up averaging 22 points, 6.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game. With Aldridge gone, expect the 24-year-old superstar to do even more. OregonLive.com's Mike Tokito thinks he has the formula for Portland's success without their big man. Tokito says:
"Last season, when Portland won 54 games, they went two stretches with Aldridge out, and they show what the Blazers might need to do to thrive without him: defend fiercely and have Lillard play otherworldly basketball.
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Lillard is certainly capable of carrying his team. He's had five games this season with 30 or more points and two with at least 40. Something tells me he might approach those numbers on Saturday.
Going head-to-head with another young star point guard like John Wall should only inspire Lillard to come out strong. Against the league's most elite point guards this season (Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving, etc), Lillard is averaging 23.7 points in 12 games.
He's carrying the highest price tag of any player in the DK universe on Saturday, but he'll be worth every virtual penny.
Brandon Knight, PG, Milwaukee Bucks, $7,700
Knight's DK services are kind of pricey, but he's proven to be worth it all season.
He's currently leading the Bucks in scoring, assists and steals per game. On Saturday night, he faces his old team and goes head-to-head with the man he was traded for in July 2013: Brandon Jennings.
Players always want to shine when they play against their old teams, and Knight probably won't be the exception. Jennings is in the same situation and has been playing well of late too. However, because the Bucks are a stronger defensive team based on opponent points per game and defensive efficiency, Knight seems like a better option.
Budget Picks
Kosta Koufos, C, Memphis Grizzlies, $3,200
Low-cost gems can make or break your DK team. If you're thinking about splurging on Lillard and other obvious picks, you'll need some balance and production from the cheap guys.
Koufos is averaging just 4.9 points and 4.6 rebounds this season while playing 15.6 minutes per game.
Normally, he wouldn't be a guy to target. However, on Saturday he and the Memphis Grizzlies host the woeful Philadelphia 76ers. This game has a decent chance of getting out of hand. The Sixers have lost 13 road games by at least 16 points this season.
If that happens, Koufos could very well see some extended minutes. Extra minutes don't automatically equate to more production. However, when those additional minutes come against the team that's ranked 18th in opponent's points in the paint and 26th in opponent rebounding, the prospects for Koufos look better.
Langston Galloway, PG, New York Knicks, $4,100
Galloway has seemingly come out of nowhere to become one of the New York Knicks' most consistent performers over the last two weeks.
In just six games of action, Galloway is averaging 11.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals. The price tag for him is rather low only because he hasn't sustained this level of play for a prolonged period of time.
That said, the lack of dependable producers on the Knicks roster seems to increase the chances Galloway continues to get opportunities to shine. He now appears to be New York's starting shooting guard for the foreseeable future. Just over $4,000 is a bargain to pay for a capable starter at that position.
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