Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings Rankings, Picks for Feb. 23
At $10,500, James Harden carries the highest cost of any player in the DraftKings universe on Monday, and it's with good reason. He isn't just the most consistent fantasy performer of the year or the league's leading scorer. Harden also has a very favorable matchup against the defensively challenged Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minny is giving up 106.2 points per game this season. That's the highest in the NBA. Per Odds Shark, the over/under for this game is set at 211. On the season, Harden is averaging 27.2 points per game and scoring just under 27 percent of his team's points.
He is the type of fantasy performer who is impervious to a poor shooting night. He gets to the line 9.4 times per game; so even if he doesn't shoot the ball well, he finds a way to get his points. Secondly, he also averages 6.8 assists, 5.7 rebounds and two steals.
Harden stuffs the stat sheet and your pockets if you can find players to put around him in your DraftKings lineup.
Bank on at least 28 points from Harden against Minnesota on Monday, and possibly more if the road team can keep it relatively close into the fourth quarter. Harden will supplement high scoring with his usual work on the boards and as a distributor.
He's the No. 1 DK star for Monday, but here's the rest of my top five.
| 1 | James Harden, Houston Rockets | $10,500 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2 | Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat | $7,800 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 3 | Pau Gasol, Chicago Bulls | $9,700 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 4 | Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies | $8,100 | L.A. Clippers |
| 5 | Tyreke Evans, New Orleans Pelicans | $8,000 | Toronto Raptors |
Obviously, you won't be able to draft all five of those studs in your lineup. Monday's games figure to offer a good number of contributors from the budget buys, aka the $5,000-and-under club.
With that said, here's my picks for an ideal lineup on Monday. Just below the list is a breakdown of four of the most intriguing selections.
| PG | Trey Burke, Utah Jazz | San Antonio Spurs | $4,500 |
| SG | James Harden, Houston Rockets | Minnesota Timberwolves | $10,500 |
| SF | P.J. Tucker, Phoenix Suns | Boston Celtics | $4,900 |
| PF | Pau Gasol , Chicago Bulls | Milwaukee Bucks | $9,700 |
| C | Hassan Whiteside , Miami Heat | Philadelphia 76ers | $7,800 |
| G | Austin Rivers , L.A. Clippers | Memphis Grizzlies | $3,700 |
| F | Jae Crowder, Boston Celtics | Phoenix Suns | $3,700 |
| Utility | Mason Plumlee, Brooklyn Nets | Denver Nuggets | $4,800 |
Jae Crowder ($3,700) at Phoenix Suns
On Sunday night, Jae Crowder tied his season high in minutes (30), points (22) and rebounds (7). There's reason to believe he'll continue to get a lot of time for the Boston Celtics moving forward.
Over the last two weeks, the Boston Celtics have traded Tayshaun Prince to the Detroit Pistons and lost power forward/center Jared Sullinger for the season to injury.
The scoring, rebounding and minutes for those two have to go to someone, and Crowder figures to be one of the primary beneficiaries.
His chances to shine on Monday are increased by the Celtics' opponent. The Phoenix Suns are allowing 105 points per game. Only the T'Wolves give up more. On the low end of my projection, Crowder should be good for a double-figure scoring game with close to five rebounds.
That's not too shabby for a sub-$4,000 player.
Hassan Whiteside ($7,800) vs. Philadelphia 76ers
After struggling with an ankle injury, Hassan Whiteside is feeling a lot better, per the Miami Heat official Twitter account on Feb. 18.
Whiteside has picked up right where he left off before the NBA All-Star break. In the two games since the break, Whiteside is averaging 11.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots per game.
On Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers come to South Beach, and Whiteside should have a field day swatting shots, grabbing boards and converting high-percentage opportunities. The Sixers see 6.7 percent of their shots blocked per game. That's 26th in the NBA in that category.
Teams also average 55.2 rebounds per game, which is the most in the league. With the Los Angeles Clippers' DeAndre Jordan set to tangle with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph of the Memphis Grizzlies, Whiteside should easily be the top performing center on Monday night.
Austin Rivers ($3,700) vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Apparently Austin Rivers has finally found himself on a roster that can help him grow. Since being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers to play for his dad, Glenn "Doc" Rivers, the man they call Subzero is only averaging 7.8 points per game.
However, he's coming off the best game of his young NBA career.
Rivers scored a career-high 28 points in the team's 126-99 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night.
Rivers is a natural scorer who merely needs consistent minutes to contribute. Serving as Chris Paul's primary backup, Rivers should be getting the time he needs. Rivers and the Clippers do have a tough opponent on tap in the Grizzlies. Still, Rivers looked to be playing with the type of confidence that will allow him to perform well no matter who the opponents are.
P.J. Tucker ($4,900) vs. Boston Celtics
With Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas gone in deadline deals, P.J. Tucker seems to be embracing his opportunity to score more. In the last two games, Tucker has averaged 15.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and made five of 10 shots from three-point range.
With his consistent stroke from deep and willingness to mix it up inside, Tucker should remain a solid choice for the foreseeable future.
His days of being available for less than $5,000 may be numbered.
All advanced statistics per TeamRankings.com
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