Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: Best NBA DFS DraftKings Lineup for March 3
A typically scarce Tuesday NBA slate contains more meat than usual, with seven games bestowing plenty of variety on daily fantasy players.
The following DraftKings lineup goes heavy on hot hands, a risky approach since such streaks are usually unsustainable over the long haul. Yet altered circumstances, be it a change of scenery and/or enhanced role, have sent these players on the right path for continued excellence.
Count on these guys shining again. Even though many of their prices have increased this week, they'll force an even larger market correction.
| PG | Mo Williams, CHA | vs. LAL | $7,000 |
| SG | Tim Hardaway Jr., NYK | vs. SAC | $4,200 |
| SF | LeBron James, CLE | vs. BOS | $10,400 |
| PF | Kevin Love, CLE | vs. BOS | $7,900 |
| C | Marcin Gortat, WAS | @ CHI | $5,700 |
| G | Isaiah Thomas, BOS | @ CLE | $6,200 |
| F | Andrea Bargnani, NYK | vs. SAC | $4,500 |
| UTIL | Jeremy Lin, LAL | @ CHA | $4,100 |
Studs
SF LeBron James ($10,400) and PF Kevin Love ($7,900) vs. Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics operate at the NBA's fourth-fastest pace, creating high-scoring bonanzas tailor-made for fantasy gamers. Their offense has averaged 108.2 points during six games since the All-Star break, but they've surrendered 105.8 points through that stretch.
Because of their warped speed and lack of size, they allow the fifth-most points to small forwards and second-most to power forwards on DraftKings. That makes LeBron James and Kevin Love both worth the money, with or without a possibly returning Kyrie Irving.
James has grown tired of sharing, averaging 20.5 shot attempts over his last 10 games. That aggressiveness led to one of the ugliest 37-games ever, as he needed 35 shot attempts and 11 free-throw opportunities to post that tally against the Houston Rockets.
| 42 | 37 | 15-35 | 4-12 | 3-11 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
But daily players only care about the raw outcomes. James finished with 65 DraftKings points, and he's failed to exceed 40 just once over the last 10 bouts. (He managed just 39.75 in that outlier.)
Love has the night's best matchup among elite power forwards, and there are better values at guard and center.
PG Mo Williams ($7,000) vs. Los Angeles Lakers
This pick is obvious, so there's a strong chance the majority of the field will roster Mo Williams. Yet given his sizzling production with the Charlotte Hornets, he's worth the money despite a recent price uptick.
Capitalizing on more minutes and an enhanced role, Williams has averaged 41.2 DraftKings points in five games since getting traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves. NBA.com/Stats documented the damage.
While enjoying brief starter stints in Minnesota, his usage rate has skyrocketed from 22.4 to 29.0 percent. He'll no longer come at a tremendous discount, but he'll still net a positive return against the Los Angeles Lakers, the league's worst defense against his position.
Per 82games.com, opposing point guards produce 25.1 points, 9.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds against the Lakers. Although you won't be the only one employing him, he's a pivotal play in cash contests.
Values
C Marcin Gortat ($5,700) at Chicago Bulls
Marcin Gortat has corralled double-digit rebounds in each of his last five showdowns, leading to a hearty average of 37.0 DraftKings points. His price accordingly towered to $5,700, but that's still a fair going rate considering his recent conquests.
Often underutilized down low, the center has mounted 11.6 shot attempts over that small sample size. Considering he's a 54.5 percent shooter who notched a 60.3 field-goal percentage in those games, one would hope the change sticks going forward.
The Chicago Bulls relinquish the third-most DraftKings points to centers, and DeAndre Jordan may have just added to Sunday's 26-board tally during this sentence. Count on another 10-plus boards from the blossoming big man.
SG Tim Hardaway Jr. ($4,200) vs. Sacramento Kings
Break up the New York Knicks? The lottery-bound franchise improbably won two straight games without Carmelo Anthony after losing the previous 16. They can thank Tim Hardaway Jr., who caught fire in back-to-back tilts.
| 2/27 | @ DET | 18 | 7-14 | 2-5 | 2 | 4 | 27 |
| 2/28 | vs. TOR | 22 | 8-15 | 2-5 | 7 | 1 | 33.25 |
With Jose Calderon out for at least another two weeks, per Newsday's Barbara Barker, Hardaway will continue to start alongside Langston Galloway, whose offense has wavered after an early surge. There's no reason for Hardaway to not play 30-plus minutes and get 12-15 field-goal attempts on a regular basis.
The Sacramento Kings possess the fourth-worst defensive rating, right ahead of the Knicks. Sacramento also functions at a top-10 pace, which gives both sides more scoring chances in an ugly game with no actual stakes but tremendous fantasy appeal.
PF Andrea Bargnani ($4,500) vs. Sacramento Kings
There are two valuable big men worth slotting into the forward slot. Ersan Ilyasova, averaging 13.8 points and 8.5 rebounds over his last four games, gets a golden matchup against the Denver Nuggets. No team struggles more against power forwards, and the 27-year-old has earned more minutes by finding his scoring stroke.
Go ahead and use him at $4,400, but Andrea Bargnani is the safer choice for $100 more.
Somebody needs to do something for the Knicks. Along with Hardaway, the former No. 1 pick has become a de facto top option with Carmelo Anthony shut down for the season. Over the last five bouts, Bargnani has recorded 16.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 12.8 shot attempts per game.
The night after logging 36 minutes, 25 points and 12 boards in a double-overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons, he returned to score 19 points in 31 minutes against the Toronto Raptors, his former squad. That puts to rest any minute-restriction fears, so enjoy him now before his price skyrockets.
Advanced stats courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise noted.
