Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: Best NBA DFS DraftKings Lineup for Feb. 3
Tuesday night's NBA docket is made for daily fantasy action.
Of the 10 participating squads, only two (Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers) boast winning records. Bad teams are great news for DFS players, as these weaklings present several friendly matchups. These clubs don't take their time, either; six of the top eight leaders in pace will ignite the tempo during fast affairs spawning myriad fantasy points.
Exploit these vulnerable opponents en route to a profitable Tuesday evening on DraftKings.
| PG | Damian Lillard, POR | vs. UTA | $8,600 |
| SG | Klay Thompson, GS | @ SAC | $8,500 |
| SF | Wilson Chandler, DEN | @ PHI | $5,700 |
| PF | Nerlens Noel, PHI | vs. DEN | $5,200 |
| C | Hassan Whiteside, MIA | @ DET | $7,700 |
| G | Darren Collison, SAC | vs. GS | $6,400 |
| F | Louis Amundson, NYK | @ NY | $3,700 |
| UTIL | Avery Bradley, BOS | vs. BOS | $4,200 |
Note: Avery Bradley is expected to play through a thumb fracture on his non-shooting hand. Be sure to monitor his status before lineups lock.
Stars
SG Klay Thompson, Sacramento Kings ($8,500)
Remember the last time Klay Thompson faced the Sacramento Kings?
If not, here's a memory refresher. The All-Star shooting guard scored an NBA-record 37 points during the third quarter, finishing the evening with 52 points and 11 three-pointers. Anyone fortuitous enough to have played him received 77.5 DraftKings points for their troubles.
Predicting him to again hit all 13 shot attempts in a single period is insane, but the Kings still provide a favorable matchup, possibly enabling him to instead end the game with 37 points. The 128-108 final score from Dec. 22 was no accident, as Golden State and Sacramento respectively rank No. 1 and No. 8 in pace.
While the Warriors defend efficiently, the Kings also possess the NBA's fifth-worst defensive rating (105.8 points allowed per 100 possessions) and yield 8.4 three-pointers per contest. Odds Shark expects another shootout, setting the line at a lofty 217.5. Thompson will once again blossom as the top benefactor, only with a more reasonable result.
C Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat ($7,700)
Join the bandwagon. There's still a seat or two left in the back. If not, find some standing room, because Hassan Whiteside is worth it.
Finally getting his chance to shine for the Miami Heat, the 25-year-old center averaged 13.0 points on 67 percent shooting, 10.6 rebounds and 3.4 blocks during January. That doesn't include a 20-point, nine-rebound, three-block outing on Sunday that now looks tame by his standards.
Over his last four games, he has averaged 46.5 DraftKings points playing 30 minutes per contest. It's about time he got starter minutes, as ESPN's Tom Haberstroh notes his scorching efficiency all season.
According to 82games.com, the Detroit Pistons surrender 22.4 points, 16.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game to opposing centers. You won't be the only one utilizing the red-hot big man, so take that into account for tournament play, but you don't want to be one of the few without him in a 50/50 contest.
Mid-Level Values
PG Darren Collison, Sacramento Kings
After blushing over the Golden State vs. Sacramento matchup, it's only fair to highlight someone on the other side. Conservatively priced at $6,400, Darren Collison should handily hit value with bank-breaking potential.
As Thompson scorched Sacramento, Collison earned a steady 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals, giving him a robust 33.5 DraftKings points. Nobody would complain about a repeat performance, which is attainable with the point guard netting 32.2 fantasy points per game this season.
Despite their league-best defensive rating, the Warriors don't stifle opponents on fantasy scoreboards. They give up the second-most rebounds (45.5) and fourth-most steals (8.6) per game, two weak spots Collison attacked during their last meeting. He'll also likely have to amplify the offensive intensity playing catch-up on the Western Conference's No. 1 seed all night.
SF Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets ($5,700)
Quickly peruse through DraftKings' Tuesday listings, and green matchups constantly pop up for the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers.
A winning lineup can be assembled with several guys from this game. Denver ranks last against power forwards, which is why Nerlens Noel is also recommended against a team that gets blocked 5.9 times per bout. Philadelphia is worst against centers, so Jusuf Nurkic deserves an honorable mention.
Wilson Chandler isn't even the only Denver small forward worth considering. After dropping 15 points on Saturday, Danilo Gallinari makes an intriguing lottery play at $3,200. The sturdier starter, however, gets the nod after generating a 29.6-point DraftKings average over his last six games.
| 13.5 | 1.7 | 7.7 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 29.6 |
A helping hand for all opponents, Philadelphia turns the ball over and relinquishes rebounds more than anybody else in the league. The savvy 27-year-old doesn't brandish major upside, but he'll stuff the box score enough to prove a worthwhile play at small forward.
Bargain Bin
Louis Amundson, PF, New York Knicks ($3,700)
With no mainstays besides the ailing Carmelo Anthony, the New York Knicks constantly usher in new toys for DFS gamers to play with at minimal cost. Langston Galloway had his turn, but now Lou Amundson is the guy to target.
Part of the three-team trade that sent J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the journeyman forward wasn't expecting to stick around with a tanking team just trying to clear cap space.
“I was under the impression it wasn’t going to work out here and they were just going to cut me,’’ Amundson admitted to the New York Post's Marc Berman after extending his 10-day contract for the duration of the 2014-15 season.
Not much of a scorer, the 32-year-old spark-plug has etched a rotation role with 6.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks since the trade. In eight games with the club, he has averaged 21.59 DraftKings points per contest. Logging 36 minutes on Sunday, he has carved out enough of a niche in New York's lineup to pay dividends at $3,700.
Advanced stats courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise noted.
