Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings Optimum Lineup Predictions for Jan. 28
While Wednesday's full NBA schedule provides daily fantasy players with a bounty of choices, it also makes it tougher to stampede the competition.
Eleven games occupy the night's docket, which spawns all too many chances for gamers to lament not selecting a certain star. Decisions are the worst.
By identifying some fantasy-friendly matchups and values, this irksome chore will prove worth the investment. Click these guys to optimize your Wednesday DraftKings squad.
| PG | Kyle Lowry, TOR | vs. SAC | $8,900 |
| SG | DeMar DeRozan, TOR | vs. SAC | $6,500 |
| SF | Andrew Wiggins, MIN | vs. BOS | $7,000 |
| PF | Paul Millsap, ATL | vs. BKN | $8,100 |
| C | Timofey Mozgov, CLE | vs. POR | $5,100 |
| G | Langston Galloway, NYK | vc. OKC | $4,300 |
| F | Thaddeus Young, MIN | vs. BOS | $6,400 |
| UTIL | Joe Ingles, UTA | vs. LAC | $3,700 |
PG Langston Galloway, New York Knicks ($4,300)
Langston Galloway is here to stay. After shining through a pair of 10-day contracts, the New York Knicks locked down the D-League standout for the rest of the season.
The lone bright spot in New York's quest for lottery balls, Galloway has stuffed the box score when given playing time, which has consistently come his way over the past four games.
| 31.6 | 14.5 | 1.8 | 6.3 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 29.7 |
He's not just thriving off high-volume shot attempts for a downtrodden team. The guard is scoring, stealing, dishing and rebounding his way to monster fantasy outings. Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the rookie will continue his success with garbage-time padding during a lopsided loss at Madison Square Garden.
Those who play him for $4,300, however, will take a step closer to exiting the night a winner.
SG DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors ($6,500)
Albeit a risky play, DeMar DeRozan comes at a discount due to missing over a month with a groin injury.
The streaky scorer has notched five 20-point outings since returning on Jan. 14, but the holdovers are ugly. In those three bouts, he mustered a combined three points. Understand the risk/reward going in, but take the plunge due to his high upside and reasonable price.
Besides, the Sacramento Kings surrender 22.3 points per game to shooting guards, per 82games.com. Take advantage of their poor defense with DeRozan fresh off a strong, 24-point Tuesday night showing.
SF Andrew Wiggins ($7,000) and PF Thaddeus Young ($6,400), Minnesota Timberwolves
Pit two fast-working clubs with poor defenses against one another, and fantasy goodness will ensue. The Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves both operate at a top-10 pace while allowing a combined 210.8 points per game and 213.2 points per 100 possessions.
Not only will this be a high-scoring affair, but Flip Saunders will ride Andrew Wiggins and Thaddeus Young for most of it. This month, Wiggins has scored 19.7 points per game while averaging 38.1 minutes. Young has experienced a similar workload as of late, logging a 37-minute average over the last seven contests.
The expanding role has led to lucrative fantasy results for the 26-year-old.
| 37 | 18.6 | 46.6 | 6.1 | 4.7 | 1.4 | 35.8 |
ESPN's Joe Kaiser cut the sample size even smaller to note his improved performance slotted from power forward to small forward.
With Shabazz Muhammad and Kevin Martin still out, expect Wiggins and Young to each receive around 40 minutes against Boston in a high-speed shootout.
C Timofey Mozgov, Cleveland Cavaliers ($5,100)
Timofey Mozgov has taken a liking to his new home, averaging 24.6 DraftKings points per game since joining the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Data from 82games.com shows why Mozgov will flourish against the Portland Trail Blazers. Against opposing centers, they allow 17.4 points, 14.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per contest. The scoring is nothing spectacular, but the boards and blocks require attention.
It just so happens Mozgov is an unspectacular scorer who makes his money crashing the boards and swatting shots. The 7'1" acquisition has averaged 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game for Cleveland while shooting an efficient 54.3 percent from the floor.
As he told Cleveland.com's Chris Haynes, he's fine taking a back seat to Cleveland's stars and doing the dirty work.
"I just try to do what I can do," Mozgov said. "I don't try to do anything different. I just try to be big, try to play strong, try to protect the rim and most importantly try to play hard every time."
Sunday's two-point dud against the Thunder minimized his price spike, but he modestly rebounded with 22.25 DraftKings points during Monday night's victory over the Detroit Pistons. Roll with him for a matchup that plays right into his skill set.
