Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings Rankings, Picks for March 30
Stay away from DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay when assembling Monday's DraftKings lineup.
On Sunday, The Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones passed along a noteworthy tidbit from head coach George Karl, who said he may rest his two stars to tank...err give young talent an enhanced opportunity:
Neither Gay nor Cousins was a good value against the Memphis Grizzlies, so shy away from two of Monday night's biggest available options.
If they sit, small forward Omri Casspi and power forward Jason Thompson appear to be the prime benefactors, with shooting guard Ben McLemire also receiving a nice boost. Anyone searching for a Sacramento value play, however, should wait for Karl's starting lineup to see what he has up his sleeve.
More information is needed before planning around the Kings, so let's explore other daily plays from seven games on the docket.
Point Guard
| 1 | Isaiah Thomas | @ CHA | $5,800 |
| 2 | Jordan Clarkson | @ PHI | $5,600 |
| 3 | Pablo Prigioni | @ TOR | $3,000 |
| 4 | Mike Conley | vs. SAC | $6,100 |
| 5 | Ish Smith | vs. LAL | $5,900 |
Isaiah Thomas at Charlotte Bobcats ($5,800)
Before missing two weeks with a back injury, Isaiah Thomas carved out an indelible role with the Boson Celtics, averaging 33.9 DraftKings points through his last eight games. Unfortunately for those who wasted no time thrusting him back into lineups, he scored four points with three turnovers during his Wednesday return.
Head coach Brad Stevens insisted, via the team's Twitter page, that Thomas was fully healthy despite the rough outing:
Thomas has since bounced back, posting 18 points on the New York Knicks and 19 versus the Los Angeles Clippers. Because of his abysmal return against the Miami Heat, his price dropped to $5,800, making him a great value against the Charlotte Hornets.
Charlotte ranks No. 25 in DraftKings points allowed to point guards, so pounce on a discounted Thomas before his price jumps back over $6,000.
Shooting Guard
| 1 | James Harden | @ TOR | $11,500 |
| 2 | Gerald Henderson | vs. BOS | $5,600 |
| 3 | Corey Brewer | @ TOR | $5,100 |
| 4 | Ben McLemore | @ MEM | $3,600 |
| 5 | Kyle Korver | vs. MIL | $4,500 |
Corey Brewer at Toronto Raptors ($5,100)
Given a lack of worthwhile superstars, gamers might want to empty their pockets for James Harden, particularly in 50/50 contests. Yet for those who have another plan—perhaps Gordon Hayward or Damian Lillard—in mind, give teammate Corey Brewer a look.
Patrick Beverley's injury has reinforced Brewer's value for the Houston Rockets. In the last two games, the veteran has compiled 27 field-goal attempts.
Although Jason Terry started alongside Harden on Sunday, Brewer and point guard Pablo Prigioni enjoyed the greatest fantasy uptick. In 22 minutes against the Washington Wizards, he registered a team-high plus-14 net rating on the court.
He's not Houston's only player getting a more refined role...
Small Forward
| 1 | Josh Smith | @ TOR | $6,500 |
| 2 | Gordon Hayward | @ MIN | $8,000 |
| 3 | Nicolas Batum | vs. PHO | $6,500 |
| 4 | Trevor Ariza | @ TOR | $6,500 |
| 5 | Omri Casspi | @ MEM | $3,600 |
Josh Smith at Toronto Raptors ($6,500)
According to the Rockets' official Twitter page, Donatas Motiejunas will miss time due to a back injury suffered last week.
In two ensuing games with him out of the lineup, Josh Smith has picked up the slack with two double-doubles as the club's starting power forward.
| 3/27 | MIN | 40 | 16 | 6-8 | 9 | 11 | 3 |
| 3/29 | WAS | 36 | 14 | 6-13 | 10 | 3 | 2 |
The ultimate stat-stuffer is once again logging huge minutes for an offense ranking second in pace behind the Golden State Warriors. DraftKings appraised Smith at $6,500 while averaging 27.8 minutes per game.
Now that he'll deposit 35-40 minutes against the Toronto Raptors, look for him to easily eclipse value on Monday night.
Power Forward
| 1 | Nerlens Noel | vs. LAL | $7,800 |
| 2 | Ersan Ilyasova | @ ATL | $6,900 |
| 3 | Zach Randolph | vs. SAC | $7,000 |
| 4 | Brandon Bass | @ CHA | $5,300 |
| 5 | Marvin Williams | vs. BOS | $4,500 |
Nerlens Noel vs. Los Angeles Lakers ($7,800)
Every week, Nerlens Noel's stock justifiably skyrockets. But given his sizzling play, he's still worth the price of admission at $7,800.
The rookie surpassed 50 DraftKings points in back-to-back games, giving him an average of 40.4 points through the last 10 tilts before an underwhelming Sunday. Extending the arbitrary endpoint further, the 20-year-old has dominated since the All-Star break.
| 21 | 32.9 | 13.6 | 51.0 | 10.3 | 2.6 | 2.4 |
He didn't wow during March 22's matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, settling for a middling nine points and seven rebounds. Still, the Lakers allow the fourth-most DraftKings points to centers, where Noel lines up despite his power forward listing. Trust the matchup to prevail the second time around.
Before the season wraps up, Noel's ticket price will hover above $8,000.
Center
| 1 | Jonas Valanciunas | vs. HOU | $5,800 |
| 2 | Marc Gasol | vs. SAC | $7,200 |
| 3 | Jordan Hill | @ PHI | 5,500 |
| 4 | Joey Dorsey | @ TOR | $3,000 |
| 5 | Robin Lopez | vs. PHO | $4,600 |
Jonas Valanciunas vs. Houston Rockets ($5,800)
At the risk of jinxing a good thing, Jonas Valanciunas has provided consistent fantasy production over the past week.
Typically an erratic contributor, the Raptors big man has finished his last four games in the 28-35 DraftKings point range. Along with attempting 11.3 shots—above his season's 8.1 average—the 22-year-old Lithuanian has grabbed 37 boards through that stretch.
Don't worry about Dwight Howard's return shorting up Houston's interior defense. Before he played on Sunday afternoon, the team said the returning star would only suit up for one of two back-to-back games:
With Motiejunas also out, the severely undersized Rockets are left with 6'9" Joey Dorsey as their probable starting center. A throwback center who takes 90 percent of his shots within 10 feet at 58.7 percent accuracy, Valanciunas should spend the entire night picking Houston apart down low.
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Advanced stats courtesy of NBA.com.
