Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: NBA DraftKings Ideal Lineup Picks for March 9
Daily fantasy basketball prizes are not won with the monsters you can squeeze into your lineup. Sure, it has been easy to just run the triple-threat Russell Westbrook out there, but you have to find the sleepers beneath the stars to really outplay the wisdom of the crowd. We'll get you set for Monday night's action at DraftKings with some under-the-radar picks and special value guys to form the ideal winning lineup.
PG Michael Carter-Williams, Milwaukee Bucks ($6,500)
His fantasy totals haven't been as outrageous since he was traded from the 76ers to the Bucks, but at least he is healthy, getting minutes and, most importantly, cheaper than he has been all year. Carter-Williams draws the New Orleans Pelicans, who are in the bottom 10 of the NBA against point guards.
You might also be surprised to see that Carter-Williams was just a few assists away from double-double efforts in each of his past two games. We are looking for 15 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and a couple of steals in this one.
- Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves ($8,300)
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors ($9,500)
SG Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks ($6,000)
We hate to be too Bucks heavy here, but Middleton is one of the more reliable buys right now. He scored a season-high 30 points last time out and has two games over 45 DraftKings points in his past three. Also, someone has to take the feeds from Carter-Williams. Middleton is the best of a mediocre shooting guard lot on Monday night.
- Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings ($4,000)
- Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat ($7,200)
SF Michael Beasley, Miami Heat ($3,700)
Beasley is the daily fantasy bargain right now, getting minutes and points for the injury-riddled Heat. He draws the Boston Celtics on Monday, a team that is just 27th against small forwards at DraftKings.
Beasley, coming off season highs of 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals on Saturday, signed another 10-day contract Sunday and should get a nice run here to try to remake his career again with the Heat.
"We like Mike," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel. "We spent a lot of time developing him. We've invested a lot of time and sweat equity in Mike and vice versa. You like those kind of relationships in this business."
- Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets ($5,300)
- Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves ($6,800)
PF Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans ($10,700)
We are going with Davis as the big-ticket item of the night, as he has rocked three consecutive double-doubles and gone for 40 minutes in each of his games since returning to the lineup.
The best part of Davis' run is not the rebounds and blocks, which always tend to be there, but that he is putting the ball in the basket more. This run has elevated him into elite daily fantasy status, the kind of player whose price cannot be high enough.
- Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks ($8,000)
- Andrea Bargnani, New York Knicks ($5,600)
C DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings ($9,700)
Cousins' DraftKings cost is a bit curious. He is playing some of his best basketball of late, yet he is about $1,000 cheaper than he once was. Cousins is healthy enough to have played 35 and 39 minutes in both ends of back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, which is great news for his daily production.
He is a must-have piece for all lineups Monday night. especially since he likely won't be your biggest-ticket player. He will be your highest scorer, though, with something in the 60-point DraftKings range.
- Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies ($7,400)
- Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat ($8,700)
Eric Mack, one of the giants among fantasy writers, is the Fantasy Football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, where you can ask him endless questions about your team, rip him for his content and even challenge him to a head-to-head fantasy game.
