Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: Best NBA DFS DraftKings Lineup for March 24
Tuesday's two most expensive NBA stars will enjoy tremendously favorable matchups. It's risky to fade Russell Westbrook and/or DeMarcus Cousins, but it's also difficult to budget both in a DraftKings lineup.
Westbrook, who is averaging 65.3 DraftKings points over the past six games, gets a Los Angeles Lakers defense that surrenders the site's most fantasy production to opposing point guards. Meanwhile, Cousins faces the Philadelphia 76ers 11 days after torching them for 39 points and 24 rebounds.
Both monsters should have no trouble exploiting weak prey, so players should roster at least one unless taking an extreme contrarian approach for tournament play. Let's explore alternatives and supplementary bargains, arming gamers with a rounded look before deciding on how to approach the slate.
PG Jeremy Lin at Oklahoma City ($4,800)
Even at an astronomical $13,200, avoiding Westbrook against the Los Angeles Lakers is dangerous. Either way, Jeremy Lin provides value on the other side of the late-night showdown.
Per the team's official Twitter page, the Lakers will insert Lin into the starting lineup for Tuesday's tilt:
Courtesy of NBC Los Angeles' Shahan Ahmed, Byron Scott confirmed something most people not named Byron Scott already knew:
Although his numbers are only modestly better as a starter, Lin receives 29.6 minutes per game in that role compared to 23.5 as a reserve. On Sunday, he turned 29 minutes into 29 points, five assists and five boards against Philadelphia.
The point guard opened March with a Linsanity revival, posting 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds through 32 minutes against Oklahoma City. Talented players can do stuff when given playing time and the ball. Somebody tell Scott!
No healthy Lakers guard boasts half the fantasy upside as Lin, who should exceed his 24-point DraftKings average in an uptempo game.
Other PG Plays: Russell Westbrook vs. LAL ($13,200); Damian Lillard vs. GS ($7,600); Reggie Jackson at DET ($7,500); Andre Miller vs. PHI ($3,500)
SG Anthony Morrow vs. LA Lakers ($4,300)
With Kevin Durant out of the picture, Anthony Morrow has gradually morphed into an essential component of Oklahoma City's offense. The long-range mercenary has averaged 28.1 minutes over the last seven games, including consecutive 30-minute outings Friday and Sunday.
Over that stretch, he has drained 27 three-pointers. Given the half-point bonus for threes, that's 13.5 DraftKings points per game alone on deep shooting. Even as a one-dimensional shooter, the journeyman has tallied 25.4 fantasy points per bout through his sizzling streak.
As relayed by the The Associated Press, via ESPN.com, Westbrook understands the importance of involving Morrow:
"It's so important that towards the end of the games that we learn from our mistakes, especially myself, on being able to find our shooters. He's one of the best shooters in the world, in the NBA, and my job is to be able to read the defense. A lot of attention is on me late in the game, and my job is to be able to find the shooters.
"
Of course, you're out of luck if he goes cold. Take solace, however, in the fact that the Lakers give up 8.5 three-pointers a game, the league's fifth-highest clip.
Other SG Plays: Danny Green at DAL ($5,800); Kentavious Caldwell-Pope vs. TOR ($4,700); Ben McLemore vs. PHI ($3,600)
SF Dorell Wright vs. Golden State ($3,500)
The Portland Trail Blazers continue to hurt, with a slew of injuries coming at the worst time. According to the team's PR Twitter page, three major contributors will miss Tuesday's game against the Golden State Warriors.
With LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Chris Kaman joining Wesley Matthews on the sideline, it's basically Damian Lillard vs. the Warriors. Those absences mean big minutes for Dorell Wright, who amassed 10 points, six rebounds and two steals through 25 minutes Saturday.
According to RotoGrinders, the Warriors have allowed 8.7 rebounds per game to small forwards entering Monday night's game. By sheer volume alone, Wright will stumble into scoring chances as a de facto top option.
At $3,500, another 26.5 DraftKings points will get the job done. In a battle between two fast, high-scoring clubs, he'll deliver more if given a full batch of minutes.
Other SF Plays: Rudy Gay vs. PHI ($7,700); Harrison Barnes at POR ($4,600); Andre Iguodala at POR ($4,400); Caron Butler vs. TOR ($3,200)
PF Dirk Nowitzki vs. San Antonio ($5,800)
During the season, Dirk Nowitzki has averaged 29.7 DraftKings points per game. Over his last five games, he holds an identical 29.7-point average. While the former superstar now represents a low-upside selection, he's a solid mid-level choice given the night's shaky catalog at power forward.
The San Antonio Spurs are also the epitome of an average matchup, rating No. 15 in DraftKings points relinquished to power forwards.
After this game, Dallas gets two nights off before traveling to San Antonio for a rematch. Maybe that leads Rick Carlisle to give the veteran more minutes, as the Western Conference's No. 7 seed is three games behind the No. 3 spot.
Yes, this remains the most boring recommendation ever, but do you really trust Ersan Ilyasova against the Miami Heat's stifling interior defense? Aldridge is doubtful, and Greg Monroe remains in limbo as of this writing, so this is simply a pick to fight another day with a reasonably priced scorer.
Other PF Plays: Ed Davis at OKC ($4,700); Amir Johnson at DET ($4,300); Tarik Black at OKC ($3,800)
C Enes Kanter ($7,200) and Steven Adams ($5,900) vs. LA Lakers
Don't want to disco with Boogie? Oklahoma City big men Enes Kanter and Steven Adams are both strong considerations depending on your center budget.
With Serge Ibaka sidelined, they're each averaging a double-double over the last five games, with Kanter providing a much higher scoring threshold.
| Kanter | 34.3 | 21.8 | 57.5 | 13.6 | 0.4 | 42.6 |
| Adams | 33.4 | 13.0 | 53.1 | 11.6 | 1.0 | 33.1 |
According to RotoGrinders, the glass fuels Los Angeles' No. 25 rank against centers, allowing a league-high 16.4 rebounds per game against them. This is good news for both but better for Adams, whose fantasy value relies on boards.
If you're rostering Westbrook, saving some cash with Adams is probably the prudent choice. But Kanter is the more luxurious option as a strong candidate to generate another 40-plus DraftKings points.
Other C Plays: DeMarcus Cousins vs. PHI ($9,600); Jonas Valanciunas at DET ($5,600); Tiago Splitter at DAL ($4,300)
