Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings Rankings, Picks for Monday, Feb. 9
The NBA All-Star break is fast approaching, but Monday's schedule is packed with thrilling contests and opportunities to score big in DraftKings daily fantasy games. Point guards will be the gems of the day, but don't sleep on some of the low-cost, high-value big men.
Take a look at the players who will be most valuable for every price tier, but first, here's my ideal lineup for Monday's games.
| PG | R. Westbrook | Denver Nuggets | $11,200 |
| SG | Rasual Butler | Orlando Maigc | $3,600 |
| SF | Chandler Parsons | Los Angeles Clippers | $6,000 |
| PF | A. Stoudemire | Miami Heat | $3,900 |
| C | Spencer Hawes | Dallas Mavericks | $3,000 |
| G | Stephen Curry | Philadelphia 76ers | $10,400 |
| F | M. Speights | Philadelphia 76ers | $3,600 |
| UTIL | Jeff Teague | Minnesota Timberwolves | $7,800 |
$9,000 and Up
Russell Westbrook ($11,200) vs. Denver Nuggets
The Oklahoma City Thunder star might be playing the best basketball of anyone in the NBA over the last two weeks. Forward Kevin Durant seems to be back healthy again as he scored 29 points to pace the Thunder in their 131-108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, but guard Russell Westbrook still got his.
He had 19 points—which was a far cry from the back-to-back 40-point games that preceded the contest—but he did have 11 rebounds, five assists and a steal.
He's the best example of a stat-sheet stuffer in the NBA today. On Monday, he and the Thunder will take on the Nuggets in Denver. Yes, this is the second half of a back-to-back, and yes, it'll be played in the high altitude of the Mile High City, but Westbrook's motor doesn't stop.
At this point, you almost cannot afford to leave him off of your team.
Stephen Curry ($10,400) vs. Philadelphia 76ers
This one is pretty simple. Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is one of the game's premier shooters/scorers, and he's matched against the Philadelphia 76ers. That certainly makes Curry an attractive option.
Philly allows 25.8 points from beyond the arc per game, which is 26th in the league in that category. You couldn't go wrong with Curry or Klay Thompson when looking at the fantasy possibilities here; however, Thompson might see defensive-minded players like K.J. McDaniels, which could slow him down just a bit.
$6,000-$8,999
Jeff Teague ($7,800) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Because the Atlanta Hawks share the ball so well, none of their players are ever really in position to explode for a humongous fantasy output. That said, at just under $8,000, guard Jeff Teague is set up to be one heck of a value in Monday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
There are a few reasons to like Teague here: Minnesota isn't a good defensive team. It allows 47.4 points per game in the paint, and Minny will have a hard time finding a player to check the speedy Teague.
He's had three straight games with at least 20 points and seven assists. It wouldn't be a shock to see him run that streak to four.
Chandler Parsons ($6,000) vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons has been fairly consistent this season with at least 26.5 fantasy points in his last 10 games. He's coming off of a game against the Portland Trail Blazers in which he scored 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished four assists and had three steals.
Against the Clippers on Monday night, Parsons and the Mavericks will be facing a Clippers squad that looks morally wounded without injured forward Blake Griffin (more on that later).
The Clips gave up 131 points Sunday. In the second half of a back-to-back—with the Mavs off Sunday—there's a good chance the Clippers could be tired and still deflated from the previous night's loss.
At $6,000, Parsons is a good pick.
Below $6,000
Spencer Hawes ($3,000) vs. Dallas Mavericks
Per Marc. J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, Griffin will undergo elbow surgery Monday:
That means Clippers center Spencer Hawes is likely to start for the foreseeable future. The 7-footer wasted no time taking advantage of the increased playing time. While his team was blown to smithereens Sunday, Hawes produced 17 points and two three-pointers.
Dan Woike of The Orange County Register talked about Hawes stepping up in the absence of Griffin:
If he can continue to get consistent minutes, Hawes' three-point shooting makes him an intriguing pick. At just $3,000, he's a must-have, especially if you already splurged on Curry, Westbrook and Teague.
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