Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings Rankings, Picks for Feb. 2
You won't be able to afford them all on your DraftKings budget for Monday night, but you should at least know which players are in position to rack up the most fantasy points from the day's lineup.
Take a look at my top-five rankings and decide which ones you're going to have anchor your team. Still can't decide? In between the five player breakdowns is the lineup I'd choose to obtain optimal points.
LeBron James ($10,600) vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Just about any night the King is in the lineup, you can't really go wrong with him. He's been especially hot since returning from his prolonged absence due to injury. Over his last 10 games, James is averaging 29.9 points per game.
Along with being a prolific scorer, he's also one of the league's best stat-sheet stuffers. Over the same span, he hasn't had a game with less than five rebounds and four assists.
He and the Cleveland Cavaliers are taking on the Philadelphia 76ers. In the 16 games the 76ers played in January, the leading scorer came from the opposing team in 14 of them. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love have played well during the team's 10-game win streak, but I'd say LeBron has a great chance to be the man on Monday.
Even if he isn't the leading scorer, you can rest assured he'll put together a solid stat line.
Kevin Durant ($10,000) vs. Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are reeling. They have lost eight in a row, and Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder aren't going to make things any easier on them.
No one should have to sell Durant's ability to explode offensively. However, here's why he's such a good play on Monday night: During the Magic's losing streak, they are allowing a whopping 113.2 points per game.
That's not a good look heading into a game against Durant. KD will almost certainly score big. The only thing that can keep him from a 30-point night is a quick night's work due to a blowout.
Zach Randolph ($8,600) vs. Phoenix Suns
Let's face it, the Suns are bad on defense. They rank 28th in opponent points per game. More relevant to this section, Phoenix is ranked 29th in points allowed in the paint per contest.
Randolph and Marc Gasol could have monster games, but I'm going with Z-Bo because Gasol will be matched up against Alex Len's length in the middle. The Suns have no answer for Randolph inside. You can bet on a 20-and-10 performance from the Memphis Grizzlies power forward.
| PG | Goran Dragic | Memphis Grizzlies | $6,300 |
| SG | Kevin Martin | Dallas Mavericks | $5,100 |
| SF | LeBron James | Philadelphia 76ers | $10,600 |
| PF | Tristan Thompson | Philadelphia 76ers | $5,200 |
| C | Nikola Vucevic | Oklahoma City Thunder | $8,500 |
| G | Jamal Crawford | Brooklyn Nets | $5,000 |
| F | Paul Pierce | Charlotte Hornets | $4,800 |
Monta Ellis ($7,500) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Rajon Rondo is going to miss Monday's game against the T-Wolves after being accidentally kneed in the face in the Dallas Mavericks' win over the Magic on Saturday night, per Marc Stein of ESPN.
That injury should put the ball in Ellis' hands more. He's Dallas' leading scorer, and he should have a favorable matchup against the defensively challenged Timberwolves.
No team in the Association gives up more points per game than Minnesota. Ellis is set up to score big on Monday.
Nikola Vucevic ($8,500) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
No one can blame Vucevic for the Magic's struggles. The 24-year-old center has been rock solid during the skid. He's averaging 21.6 points and 12.2 rebounds during this tough stretch.
The Thunder have two decent low-post defenders in Steven Adams and Kendrick Perkins, but Vucevic is at a place in his game where his 20 and 10 are almost a given.
Stats per TeamRankings.com
