Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings Optimum Lineup Predictions for March 4
Several awesome basketball players are presented terrific matchups Wednesday night. As all but four NBA squads suit up, daily fantasy gamers have a wide player pool to choose from.
There are plenty of winning combinations to unearth, so everyone will need to scour every possible value to formulate a profitable lineup. Digging deep through the stars and scrubs, let's catalog notable DraftKings plays at each position.
Point Guard
| Russell Westbrook | vs. PHI | $11,500 | Deron Williams | vs. CHA | $6,600 | |
| Chris Paul | vs. POR | $10,200 | Brandon Knight | @ ORL | $5,800 | |
| Ricky Rubio | vs. DEN | $7,800 | Jeremy Lin | @ MIA | $4,100 | |
| Kyrie Irving | @ TOR | $7,600 | Alexey Shved | @ IND | $3,200 | |
| Mo Williams | @ BKN | $7,000 |
Some younger readers might not remember, but there was a time when Deron Williams was really good. Remember when Williams or Chris Paul was a conversation people had?
Injuries have derailed the 30-year-old point guard too much to sniff that level again, but a refreshed Williams has posted improved numbers after the break. Most importantly for daily players, he's harnessing major minutes after getting stuck on the bench earlier this year.
| 6 | 35.0 | 16.7 | 7.0 | 4.2 | 1.3 | 35.3 |
He's not the 20-10 stud from his Utah Jazz glory days, but he's producing enough to justify his $6,600 price tag against the Charlotte Hornets, who allow the seventh-most DraftKings points to point guards heading into Tuesday night.
His opponent, Mo Williams, is also on a tear, but he already received recognition for Tuesday's lineup. That Paul fellow has averaged 52.2 DraftKings points over his past five tilts, and Russell Westbrook is another worthwhile stud scheduled to return against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Over his last six games, Ricky Rubio has registered averages of 12.7 points, 10.0 assists, 8.2 rebounds and 2.7 steals. There are options galore at a loaded position.
Shooting Guard
| Dwyane Wade | vs. LAL | $7,100 | Wayne Ellington | @ MIA | $4,700 | |
| Khris Middleton | @ GS | $6,200 | Manu Ginobili | vs. SAC | $3,600 | |
| Eric Gordon | vs. DET | $6,000 | Ben McLemore | @ SA | $3,500 |
Top choices at shooting guard, however, are slim. It's best to direct your money elsewhere, but Eric Gordon is a more expensive option to consider. As noted by Yahoo Sports' Dalton Del Don, stellar three-point shooting has led to a 31-point DraftKings average for Gordon during his last seven showdowns.
Ben McLemore is starting to show life under George Karl's tutelage. The sophomore shooting guard has tallied 69 points over the Sacramento Kings' last four games. Although the San Antonio Spurs are a tad better than the New York Knicks, he doesn't need a huge performance at $3,500.
On the other end of that matchup, Manu Ginobili's value has hit its nadir. Scoring 8.7 points per game in February caused the 37-year-old's stock to plummet, but he now offers an appealing buy-low gambit at minimal cost. He delivered 21.5 DraftKings points against the Kings on Feb. 27, a fine output from a $3,500 player.
Small Forward
| LeBron James | @ TOR | $10,400 | Danilo Gallinari | @ MIN | $5,300 | |
| Kawhi Leonard | @ SAC | $7,400 | Harrison Barnes | vs. MIL | $4,400 | |
| Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | @ BKN | $6,100 | Andre Iguodala | vs. MIL | $4,100 |
Consider Kawhi Leonard's slump busted. Following a string of underwhelming outings, last year's NBA Finals MVP has averaged 41.3 DraftKings points over the past three contests.
| 2/25 | @ POR | 14 | 5-13 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 38.0 |
| 2/27 | @ SAC | 17 | 7-14 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 39.75 |
| 2/28 | @ PHO | 22 | 9-18 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 46.0 |
One of those big days came against the Kings, whom he faces again five days later. Since Sacramento entered Tuesday night No. 27 in defensive rating and No. 23 in DraftKings points surrendered to small forwards, project Leonard to again push 40 fantasy points.
As Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson splash away, Andre Iguodala continues to do the Golden State Warriors' dirty work. The thankless job has manufactured fantasy success for the veteran small forward, who has quietly averaged 25.3 DraftKings points over the past eight bouts.
He has logged 30 or more minutes in each of the last five affairs, but he costs only $4,100 as a key contributor in the league's fastest offense.
Power Forward
| Serge Ibaka | vs. PHI | $8,000 | Kenneth Faried | @ MIN | $5,100 | |
| Derrick Favors | @ BOS | $7,400 | Thomas Robinson | @ OKC | $3,700 | |
| Nerlens Noel | @ OKC | $6,500 | Kevin Garnett | vs. DEN | $3,600 |
Derrick Favors netted 43 DraftKings points in back-to-back games, and his price didn't flinch. He followed that up with 42.5 fantasy points (21 points, six rebounds, three blocks) Tuesday.
The Boston Celtics lack size, and it shows with their No. 29 rank against power forwards. They also play at a top-five pace, which will force the Utah Jazz to amplify their snail's pace.
Thomas Robinson has exceeded 20 DraftKings points in each of his last three games, generating 10.3 points and 7.7 rebounds for the 76ers. Over the last three weeks, the Oklahoma City Thunder have allowed 48.83 DraftKings points to power forwards, per RotoGrinders, so Robinson remains a solid value at $3,700. Imagine if he gets more minutes.
No team performs worse against power forwards than the Denver Nuggets, and old man Kevin Garnett has averaged 20.8 DraftKings points through the last three games. Adreian Payne is starting for the Minnesota Timberwolves, so the first-round castaway is also a possible lottery ticket.
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Center
| DeMarcus Cousins | @ SA | $9,700 | Enes Kanter | vs. PHI | $5,900 | |
| Hassan Whiteside | vs. LAL | $8,300 | Alex Len | @ ORL | $5,600 | |
| Al Jefferson | @ BKN | $7,800 | Alexis Ajinca | vs. DET | $4,900 | |
| Rudy Gobert | @ BOS | $6,700 | Roy Hibbert | vs. NYK | $4,800 |
Center is stuffed with juicy choices Wednesday night. If he doesn't tackle any Lakers, Hassan Whiteside will be well on his way to another massive fantasy showing. According to RotoGrinders, the Nets have relinquished the most DraftKings points to centers through the past three weeks, which bodes well for Charlotte's Al Jefferson.
For those allocating their budgets elsewhere, plenty of mid-level values will get the job done. Chief among them is Enes Kanter, who has dominated for the Thunder.
Coach Scott Brooks marveled at his rapid assimilation to The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry:
"He knows how to play. He’s played a lot of basketball growing up, and he’s picked up things pretty quickly. We want to focus on getting him better with the stuff that we run. But he’s comfortable on the block, he’s comfortable making plays off the block and he’s a good offensive rebounder so he gets opportunities there as well.
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Philadelphia is kind to big men, allowing the most rebounds (45.8) and 5.4 blocks per game. Kanter should have no trouble hitting value with a $5,900 sticker price.
Former teammate Rudy Gobert is also enjoying their separation. Enjoying the spotlight in Salt Lake City, the Stifle Tower grabbed 24 boards against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday. Now, he gets a better matchup in Boston.
Don't forget about Alex Len, who has routinely delivered double-digit rebounds since the Phoenix Suns promoted him to a more prominent role in place of the jettisoned Miles Plumlee. The shot-blocking monster also gets a favorable opponent, as the Orlando Magic cough up the fourth-most DraftKings points to centers.
Advanced stats courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise noted.
